What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine which treats the person as a unique individual. A homeopath will not look at physical, emotional, mental or spiritual symptoms separately, but regard them as intimately connected, since all are aspects of the whole person. A human being is an integrated system maintained by an energy flow. Ill health stems from a blockage in this energy flow, which will affect all facets of a person.

A fundamental principle of homeopathy is that it treats the patient as a whole (it is a whole - istic medicine) and as an individual. Homeopaths do not treat physical, emotional, mental or even spiritual symptoms separately, but regard them as intimately connected, since all are aspects of the whole person. The human being is an integrated system maintained by an energy flow. Disease is a form of disorder or blockage in this energy flow which affects all facets of the person. Homeopathic remedies work by gently stimulating this healing energy, thus enhancing the human organisms natural, inborn drive towards balance - to enable alleviation of disease symptoms.

Homeopathic medicines are not intrinsically dangerous. It is the body's energy (vital force) which is influenced rather than its chemical balance (as in conventional medicine). It is true that they are non- habit forming and without the side effects of conventional medicine but nonetheless, they are clearly capable of stimulating the body's reactive force powerfully and should be treated with respect. It is basic to Homeopathy that when there is improvement the remedy should be stopped - if remedies are needlessly continued they can overstimulate and symptoms will sometimes reappear. Also in chronic complaints the symptom will sometimes need to get worse before it gets better (a healing crises) e.g. a person with a chronic sinus problem may experience profuse nasal discharge for a short time.

Homeopathy has a great deal to offer. With this approach to illness, a Homeopath can often help patients with diseases generally considered without cure by conventional medicine. It can be used in the treatment of long standing disease and also in recent problems, in children and adults. The duration of treatment depends on the nature of the complaint. Homeopathy offers a method of maintaining health and preventing illness. It is a subtle but effective therapy that can correct small imbalances long before the appearance of the more serious symptoms of disease. People who have had Homeopathic treatment generally find that their overall state of health and well-being has improved. Many people make statements such as- "I feel better in myself" and "I feel lighter".

History of Homeopathy

Samuel Hahnemann was born in Germany in an era of change and political upheaval. The Napoleonic wars were going on, the industrial revolution was happening and there was a revolution in thought known as the "enlightenment." Hahnemann was encouraged from an early age to "think" about everything. He became a physician, chemist, translator and researcher. In his day the practice of medicine was crude and barbaric. Blood letting, purging, sweating and the use of drugs with horrendous side effects were common practice. It was often in doubt whether the people died of the disease or the treatment. It was no wonder that Hahnemann soon became disillusioned with the medicine of the time. He gave up practising medicine and continued his research and translation for his livelihood.

One of the books he translated was by Dr. William Cullen "A Treatise on Materia Medica". It covered the use of Cinchona (from which Quinine is derived) and at the time was famous for its use in malaria. Cullen had stated that its medicinal properties were due to its bitterness. Hahnemann questioned this and decided to experiment on himself to find out how it worked. He took a few doses of Cinchona daily until he began to suffer from its poisoning effects - he found that he developed chill and fever - to his great delight a condition similar to malaria.

He started to experiment with other drugs. He found that every drug produces on the healthy body, a similar condition which it cures in the sick. These experiments were the first provings. After 15 years of observation and experiment, he confirmed the law that "likes be cured by likes" or in Latin "similia similibus curentur". This was not a new discovery- the ancient Indian physicians knew of it and so did Hippocrates over 2000 years ago. Hippocrates realised that "through the like, disease is produced and through the application of the like, it is cured". After a lifetimes work, Hahnemann was the first to firmly establish and develop it into a system of medicine.

Hahnemann coined the word "Homeopathy" which derives from two Greek words, Homoiou (like or similar), and pathos (suffering). This means "similar suffering" and neatly sums up the fundamental law underlying Homeopathy. That is, 'like cures like'. This is in contrast to orthodox or conventional medicine which is generally based on the principal of allopathy, allos (opposite), pathos (suffering), which means opposite suffering eg. antidepressant, antiemetic, antibiotic, antihistamine. The principles of the homepathic system of medicine, represent a complete view of the processes of health and disease. The basic principle 'let like be cured by like' - states that any substance that makes you ill can also heal you. This means that the symptoms caused by a substance are the symptoms that can also be cured with a homeopathic dose of that substance. For instance, we know that when cutting a strong onion, we often experience an runny nose, soreness in the throat and stinging eyes, so a Homeopath will prescribe Allium cepa (the Homeopathic remedy made from onion) for the patient who has a cold and sore throat with those particular symptoms.