History of Homeopathy
Samuel Hahnemann - Founder of Homoeopathic Medicine
The word 'homoeopathy' comes from the Greek words 'homoios' meaning "similar", and 'pathos' meaning "disease". More than 150 years ago Samual Hahneman, a German physician formulated that whatever caused a disease would cure it. It all came about when he ingested some Peruvian bark (quinine) and developed malaria-like symptoms.
Knowing that malaria patients were treated with quinine, he then had the idea that possibly malaria is cured by quinine because it causes malaria-like symptoms in healthy people.
He decided to explore his theory by testing other substances. His tests were conducted by either taking the substances internally himself or by administering them to healthy volunteers and then recording all of the symptoms the volunteers experienced. These recorded results created "drug pictures" also known as provings.
The next step was to give the tested substances to patients suffering from the same symptom complex represented by the drug picture recorded in the above manner. The results were incredible. People were being cured from diseases that had never been cured before. He condensed his theory into a single Latin phrase: Similia Similibus Curentur (let likes be cured by likes).
What Is Homoeopathy?
So ... what is homeopathy? Here are some answers we frequently hear to this question:
"It’s that new age medicine using vitamins and mineral supplements."
"It’s organic herbs and stuff like that."
"Never heard of it."
"Isn't that where they put oil on your feet?"
"A form of treatment using suggestion and placebos."
Though creative, none of these answers is correct. Actually, homeopathy is the best kept secret in medicine today. While conventional medicine definitely has its place, it can’t match homeopathy in its effectiveness.
So why don’t more doctors practice it? The answer is simple. First of all, it makes no sense to a "rational" mind - that is, at first glance. Second, it’s much more difficult to practice than conventional medicine; most doctors will only dabble in it a bit and therefore don’t get good results. Finally, if you want to do it well, you have to take your time and see eight patients a day, instead of forty, and that’s hard on the wallet.
Homoeopathy is a complete system of medicine, which can treat all kind of illnesses , from depression, to arthritis, migraine, ulcers, more 'modern' illnesses including AIDS and ME, to behavioral problems in children.
The remedies are prepared from natural substances to precise standards and work by stimulating the body's own healing power. Homoeopathy is highly scientific, logical, safe, quick and extremely effective method of healing. It offers long lasting to permanent cure, treating the disease from its roots, for most of the ailments.
It is not the same as simple herbal therapy. Homoeopathy does not treat superficially by just driving away the symptoms but heals the patient from within. Homoeopathy has a holistic approach, to the person as an individual ,also expressing themselves in a very individual manner in illness. Homoeopaths do not treat physical, emotional and mental (or even spiritual) complaints separately, but seek to find the whole picture, since all aspects are part of the patient's suffering.
Paracelsus, a 16th century philosopher and physician , said:'Those who merely study and treat the effects of disease are like those who imagine that they can drive away the winter by brushing the snow from the door. It is not the snow that causes the winter, but the winter that causes the snow.'
In Homeopathy symptoms of illness are not seen as 'things gone wrong' or 'parts that have worn out or broken down' - which is a fairly mechanical approach - but is more seen as evidence of the body's natural, dynamic and automatic efforts to heal itself.
Therefore even apparently minor or irrelevant changes from health and character and personality traits, are important for the Homeopath to know ...as they are necessary to arrive at a clearer understanding of the whole picture of the patient's state of health. It is therefore common practice for a remedy to be prescribed for that individual patient, not merely for his or her disease but for the person's whole state and individual symptoms. Homeopathy is therefore truly individual and holistic. This is in contrast to the conventional approach to disease which often oversimplifies it as one isolated symptom or group of symptoms, as a problem affecting only one part or aspect of the body and person. The "sloppy approach" to homeopathy is guilty of the same practice. It is this fundamental principle of homeopathy, that of the individual prescription, that explains why two patients with apparently similar symptoms ,or the same diagnosis, are unlikely to be treated with the same remedy.
How Does Homoeopathy Work?
There is plenty of evidence that the remedies do work but homoeopaths and scientists have yet to discover exactly why and how they work. The most likely explanation is to be found out with the laboratories and away from microscopes. Through potentisation, the process of dilution and sucussion, an imprint of the characteristic energy pattern of the original substance is created onto the water in which it is diluted, like a electro-magnetic pattern or signal that can be broadcast to the receiver. So a homeopathic remedy acts as a signal which stimulates the body into healing itself, getting defense systems into place once again and working on mental , emotional and physical aspects of the body.
Homoeopathic Principles
Simile, Simplex, Minimum
Homoeopathy often sums up the principle in 3 words of Latin - simile, simplex, minimum. Simile--meaning similar, represents the Law of Similars, which is a 'law' that states 'that which makes sick shall heal'. There is a very fundamental difference to orthodox medical understanding of prescribing and treating symptoms.
Take for example a case of insomnia. The way conventional medicine treats this is by opposites, by giving a drug to bring on artificial sleep.
This frequently involves large or regular doses of medication which can cause side effects or addiction.
The way of similars (homoeopathic), is to give the patient a minute doses of a substance, for example coffee, which in large doses causes sleeplessness in a healthy person . Maybe surprisingly this will enable the patient to sleep naturally .
Homoeopathic remedies cannot cause side effects and you cannot become addicted to them ...this is because only a minute dose of the active ingredient is used in a specially prepared form .As homoeopathic remedies have the power to bring about cure, improper use can of course also cause undesired effects , and the remedies should therefore be handled with respect.
Simplex--meaning single, a reminder that only one remedy at the time should be used.
Minimum -- meaning the least possible amount of (extremely diluted) medicine should be used to bring about cure.
What Are The Benefits?
- There is no class of disease which homoeopathy cannot treat.
- Invaluable for treating everyone - children, adults, the elderly, pregnant women as well as the more fragile and seriously ill individuals along with the more healthier person.
- Thorough consultations offering the right medication for you as an individual.
- Remedies prescribed are gentle, yet genuinely powerful in their action and have no known side effects and are not habit forming.
- Remedies work by stimulating the body's own healing power.
- Can offer real assistance in cases where other forms of medicine are none specific.
- Gentle, natural and truly complementary explains why those who know the secret of homoeopathy swear by it for all the family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Homeopathy slow-acting?
No, in acute cases when the disease is recent, Homeopathy can give you instant relief. However you have been suffering from a chronic disease for years, it is only natural that homeopathy will take longer to cure.
Do Homeopaths believe in modern diagnostics?
Yes. Reports of investigations, pathological or otherwise, are important for therapeutic considerations.
Are allopathy and homeopathy incompatible?
If a patient is dependent on allopathic medication, homeopathic treatment can begin while the allopathic doses are tapered.
Does homeopathic treatment entail strict dietary restrictions?
If you smoke or drink heavily, or are too fond of coffee, take your pills when you are not under the effects of these. Beyond this advice, there are no restrictions.
Do homeopaths use steroids?
Homeopathy does not use steroids. However, due to a general perception that homeopathy is slow-acting, when rapid results are obtained, it creates a doubt that steroids might have been used. Still, if you ever have a suspicion, you may use the services of any reputed laboratory to clear your doubts.
Can Homeopathy be administered through the internet without seeing the patient?
Yes. Homeopathy treats on the basis of symptoms. Through our clinics we have treated numerous patients who could not come to us personally. Once the patients history is given to us in detail, cure becomes easily possible.
