Homeopathy was discovered by German physician Dr.Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1700’s Dr.Hahnemann was the first to coin the word – “Homoeopathy” devised from Greel, “Homoios” meaning similar, and “Pathos” means suffering. This refers to Homoeopathy’s pharmacological principle – “The Laws of Similar’s”.
Though the law of similar’s has been described previously by Hippocrates and was known to many civilizations like Mayan, Chinese, Greeks, Native Americans, and Asians, it was coined and codified as Homoeopathy by Dr.Hahnemann as a systematic medical science.
Homoeopathic Philosophy: What is Homeopathy?
It seeks to treat the whole person, as when a person becomes ill, it is the whole that is sick – body, mind, and spirit. The body manifests symptoms of illness, but these are not the origin of the disease. The origin of disease lies in the imbalance of vital force; which homeopathic remedies act upon, and restore to balance.
So, the focus is not the discussed past as sickness, rather the totality of the symptoms.
Three levels of Homeopathic Therapy:
- Level 1 – First Aid
- Level 2 – Acute Homeopathy
- Level 3 – Constitutional Homeopathy
What are the three levels of homeopathic therapy?
Level 1: First Aid
Homeopathy can be used in first aid to safely treat common ailments and occurrences, such as sprains and bruises, minor burns, skin irritations and reactions (including poison ivy, diaper rash, and insect bites), teething pain, etc.
Level 2: Acute Homeopathy
Acute health problems are those in which the symptoms will eventually go away on their own. They are temporary conditions, such as colds, flu, coughs, sprains, etc. A homeopathic remedy can be useful and attractive because it is safe, gentle and has no harmful side effects. Homeopathy can also be used to assist sensitive conditions such as pregnancy.
Level 3: Constitutional Homeopathy
Constitutional homeopathy refers to the treatment of a person as a whole, including past and present symptoms. When accurately implemented, homeopathic constitutional care can elicit a profound healing response. It can be extremely effective in treating chronic and long-term health problems. Recurrent ear infections, for example, can be treated with a homeopathic remedy for a longer period of time to strengthen the body’s immune system and to prevent future occurrences.
The goal of Homeopathic Treatment
The goal of homeopathic treatment is to encourage the body to return to a natural state of balance and health. Like the missing pieces of a puzzle, homeopathic medicines help “fill in” the gaps in the body to stimulate a person’s own healing potential and energies. When this occurs, the person will have access to the body’s natural strength and wisdom, so that more conventional medicines and chemical-based substances may not be needed.
What is the difference between homeopathy and conventional medicine?
Homeopathy’s Approach
Homeopathy is based on a “whole person” approach. In homeopathy, the remedy or treatment program is customized and individualized to the patient, with the intent of removing the underlying cause.
Conventional Medicine’s Approach
Conventional (allopathic) medicine usually relies on treating a patient’s physical symptoms. This treatment might also assume a person’s symptoms need to be controlled, suppressed, or eliminated.
Why use Homeopathy?
Homeopathy has become one of the most widely used systems of medicine in the world. This success is fueled by several factors:
- Homeopathy is extremely effective. When the correct remedy is taken, results can be rapid, complete, and permanent.
- Homeopathy is completely safe. Even babies and pregnant women can use Homeopathy without the danger of side effects. Homeopathic remedies can also be taken alongside other medications without producing unwanted side effects.
- Homeopathy is natural. Homeopathic remedies are normally based on natural ingredients.
Homeopathy works in harmony with your immune system, unlike some conventional medicines which suppress the immune system. (For example, cough medicines suppress the cough reflex, which is your body’s attempt to clear the lungs) - Homeopathic remedies are not addictive – once relief is felt, you should stop taking them. If no relief is felt, you are probably taking the wrong homeopathy remedy.
- Homeopathy is holistic. It treats all the symptoms as one, which in practical terms means that it addresses the cause, not the symptoms. This often means that symptoms tackled with Homeopathy do not recur.
But there is a catch…
Every silver lining has a cloud, and there is a barrier to the effective use of homeopathy:
- Prescribing the right homeopathic remedy takes a little more time and patience than conventional medicine. Exactly the right remedy needs to be taken for your symptoms. There is no such thing as a standard homeopathic headache remedy (though, sadly that doesn’t mean no such product is sold…).
The remedy you take has to be matched to your particular headache – where it occurs, what brings it on, what type of pain it is, what aggravates it, what makes it feel worse, your state of mind and what other symptoms you experience.
