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Homeopathy
What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is one of the most profound systems of natural healing ever developed. First founded in the late 18th century by a German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, it spread throughout Europe and then to every continent of the world, including North America. In Europe, many physicians use homeopathy as part of their arsenal of patient care, and in some countries, such as India, it is primary care medicine. Homeopathy was prevalent in U.S. medical practice and training during the 19th century and underwent a period of suppression in the early part of the 20th century, but it has rebounded in popularity and practice since the late 1960s.
Homeopathy uses infinitesimally small doses of natural substances (based on plant, mineral, or animal sources) to stimulate a person's inherent self-healing ability and thereby bring about improvements on the mental, emotional, and physical levels. The goal is to find, from the thousands of remedies available, the one that most closely resonates with the individual and his or her condition. When a truly resonant remedy is used, a person begins to experience a mental and emotional uplift and sense of well-being even before physical symptoms begin to clear.
How Homeopathy Works
To better understand why and how homeopathy works, it helps to know a few of the basic principles on which it is founded. For example:
- Vital Force: Everyone has an inherent ability to self-heal. Western medicine might label this concept the immune system, but in homeopathy we refer to it as the Vital Force because it encompasses the spiritual and emotional aspects of human beings as well as the physical. The Vital Force can be damaged by stress, trauma, medications, and many other life experiences. Stimulating and enhancing the strength of the Vital Force is our primary goal in homeopathic treatment.
- Treat the person, not the disease: Let's say you know ten people with insomnia. In conventional biomedicine, all ten might receive the same pharmaceutical drug to help them sleep, with varying success. In homeopathy, though, we recognize that each person is an individual. One person having trouble sleeping might be anxious, another might be worrying about work or family, a third might habitually overeat or drink too much alcohol before bedtime, another might be anemic from heavy menstrual flow, and so on. Each person would likely receive a different remedy customized to his or her "big picture."
- Totality of symptoms: In homeopathy, we want to know more about this "big picture." A person's physical symptoms are important (all of them, not just the ones related to the main problem!), but so are life traumas, emotional and social habits, food likes and dislikes, factors that make the problem seem better or worse, sleeping positions, reactions to weather changes, and more. The better you can describe these, the easier it will be to find the most resonant remedy.
- Law of similars: The shortest way to describe this "law" is by the aphorism, "What a substance can cause, it can cure." For example, a plant which, when taken whole as an herb in large doses, causes acid indigestion, spasms, chills, and irritability, can be made into a remedy that relieves those same symptoms. Homeopathic remedies are frequently based on knowledge about the toxic effects of natural substances, but the doses in a remedy are so tiny that they are completely safe and bring about effects that are opposite to the natural substance itself.
- Minimum dose: Getting the right remedy is important, but so is getting the right potency. Less is more: The higher the potency, the less of the original substance remains in the remedy, but the stronger the effects become (this stems from the way an original substance is successively diluted and succussed, or shaken, to increase its medicinal powers). Homeopathic remedies are safe, nontoxic, and without harmful side effects. But our goal is to find the lowest possible potency to achieve the desired results. When a potency is too high for a person's sensitivity, "pseudo symptoms" can be experienced for a short period. These pseudo symptoms then dissipate as the Vital Force becomes stronger and healing proceeds. Adjusting the potency to match a person's natural sensitivity levels helps speed improvement.
- Law of cure: During homeopathic treatment, healing progresses in a specific order. Symptoms typically disappear first from the mental processes and emotional outlook, then from vital internal organs, and last of all from superficial organs such as the skin. This is why people feel a sense of improved well-being even before their physical symptoms start to change. If, during treatment, you experience the temporary appearance of a skin-based symptom such as a rash, it's best not to suppress it with conventional medications, creams, or salves. The Vital Force is in the process of pushing the deranged energies outward and eliminating them from the body entirely, so allow it to do its work unhindered.
Who Can Benefit from Homeopathy?
Nearly everyone can benefit from homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy is useful for both acute and chronic conditions. In acute conditions, finding an appropriate remedy is often straightforward and based on assessment of a few key symptoms. Homeopathy is often considered a natural medicine of last resort, though; patients often come to a homeopath only after they have tried everything else unsuccessfully. It is for these kinds of situations that homeopathy can work its most profound magic:
- Recurrent illnesses (for example, repeated ear infections in children, lifelong tendencies to urinary tract infections)
- Extremely sensitive individuals who are highly allergic or cannot tolerate perfumes, medications, and so on
- Illnesses that originate in unresolved emotional trauma or dysfunctional ways of coping
- Various stages of chronic or degenerative illness
Preparing for a Homeopathic Interview
An initial consultation with a homeopath can take up to two hours. Before your first visit, give some thought to how your illness first began, what kinds of stresses might have led up to it, and what factors (e.g., time of day, food, weather, seasons, social situations, movements, pressure, etc.) make you feel better or worse. Consider any habitual fears, worries, or other emotional tendencies that are unique to you, and share those with the homeopath. Feel free to discuss any and all situations in your life that are important to you at this juncture. If the patient is a child, input from both the child and the parent(s) will be equally important.
After your consultation, the homeopath will provide a remedy chosen for its close resonance with your condition. It may be given as a dry dose (pellets) or in liquid form, and the potency will be chosen according to your environmental sensitivity, the state of your Vital Force, and other factors. A follow-up consultation will be scheduled for four to six weeks into the future.
Taking Your Remedy
You will receive specific written instructions for how to take your remedy. In many cases, you will take only one dose (not daily doses like pharmaceutical medications), which will work its effects for a period anywhere from days to several weeks or longer. It's important to be observant about any alterations in your emotional or mental state during this time, as these could change before your physical symptoms. Be aware of dreams, differences in the way you relate to others, and of course, the symptoms of your original complaint. Keeping a diary or jotting down personal observations in a little notebook can be helpful in this transformational process. Also, keep in close touch with your homeopath by e-mail or phone with any observations or questions you might have. Your insights might help reveal when the remedy has stopped working and when it is time to take another dose or change to a different remedy.
Summary
You are in for a special treat when you choose to embark on the homeopathic journey. It is a journey of transformation, greater self-awareness, and heightened life energy to face your current and future challenges with vitality.
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