What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a scientific, therapeutic alternative system of medicine which treats individuals in whole extent. It brings vital force in equilibrium. So, individuals are cured at physical, mental and spiritual spheres with minimum remedy.
It is a medical system based on the belief that the body can cure itself. The medicines are made from natural extracts from plants and minerals and do not interfere with natural processes/ growth and immunities. It in turn stimulates the immune system to maintain a healthy state of an individual.
Originated in Germany by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, it has found its roots spread across different parts of the world now.
Homeopathy is one of the oldest forms and works with a holistic healing approach as it treats the person as a whole, rather than focusing on a diseased part or a labelled sickness. It does not suppress but roots out the chronic ailments and even provide permanent cure to otherwise declared incurable cases by other systems of medicine. Homeopathy treats each individual different with the aim of stimulating their own healing ability.
If a substance which is taken in large doses can cause symptoms, if taken in small quantities can help in treating the similar symptoms. It works with body’s own healing power leading to one’s well-being. Recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the second largest therapeutic system in use in the world, it is most popular in India and other parts of the world.
It follows the principle of “like cures like”, which in other words means something that brings on symptoms in a healthy person can — in a very small dose — treat an illness with similar symptoms. This is meant to trigger the body’s natural defences.
Homeopathy treatment is customized, and tailor made as per medical history and body needs of every individual and aims for the betterment of emotional, physical and mental health. Homeopathy works on three basic principles:
1. “like cures like”
Hippocrates postulated this principle in the words, “Similia Similibus Curentur” There are various examples of ‘like cures like’ in conventional medicine e.g.
» Digitalis in high doses causes arrhythimias, but this drug is used routinely in low doses to treat this condition
» The stimulant amphetamine-based drug Ritalin is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
» Small doses of allergens such as pollen are used to de-sensitise allergic patients.
However, an important difference in homeopathy is that the medicinal doses given are so small that toxic side-effects are nullified.
2. Law of Individualization
Homeopathy recognizes the individuality of each drug and substance in nature. It brings out the individuality of each drug so that its full power and relations with symptoms are established. Homeopathy is based on the science of Individualization which follows the principle that no two humans are alike. Not everyone is sensitive to pollens, two sisters have same eating habits but one is fat and the other lean, someone is allergic to garlic and someone is not, which clearly sums up that each individual is a separate entity altogether. The patients build, gait, temperament, manner of dressing, posture, the way of talking, facial expressions etc. all convey significant information about the individual’s unique character and constitution, which are important for remedial diagnosis. A Homoeopathic physician may give different remedies to two different people suffering from the same complaint, depending on the physician’s assessment of their personality types. The diagnosis may be anything from migraine to spondylitis or cancer or AIDS; the course of treatment will be the same for that individual.
3. Law of Minimum/ Single dose
Unlike conventional medicines, homeopathic medicines efficacy comes when its active ingredient is diluted and shaken vigorously. Homeopathic remedy gains increased potential with each additional dilution-succussion step. These dilutions also make the remedies safer. Homeopathic medicines stimulate individual’s own internal healing mechanisms, and while these are in action there is no need to give more. The potency of a remedy is the number of times it has been diluted and homeopathically processed.
Homeopathy is one of the oldest forms and works with a holistic healing approach. It does not suppress but roots out the chronic ailments and even provide permanent cure to otherwise declared incurable cases by other systems of medicine.
Homeopathy uses natural extracts and is given with high dilutions. Homeopathy treats each individual different with the aim of stimulating their own healing ability.
Constitutional Homeopathy is another aspect of Homoeopathy which treats the patient as a whole. There is no medicine for any particular disease, but there is a medicine for the patient suffering from the disease including past and present symptoms.
Homeopathy amends genetic disease effects on physical and mental health.
The high and only mission of a homeopathic physician is to restore the sick to health. This includes curative, preventive and promotive care. Therefore, it is necessary for the physician to understand the case properly
It is being increasingly acknowledged these days that the mind and body are inter-linked which gives rise to another aspect of homeopathy i.e. Spiritual Homeopathy.
Sometimes in the course of homoeopathic treatment, the history of past illness appears briefly in the reverse order, like a film being played backwards. When this happens, we know that not only the present, but also its cause in the past has been treated and the future is secure.
To a homoeopath, the knowledge of anatomy, physiology, medicine, surgery and gynaecology is necessary since he/ she must examine the patient and come to a diagnosis. This will help to know the natural course of the ailment and to manage the case well.
The process of potentization brings out the latent medicinal energy in substances. By virtue of this process anything from sand (Silica) to moon light (Luna) can be used as medicine in Homoeopathy.
The medicines are derived from following sources:
PLANT KINGDOM examples
· Aconite Napellus (Monkshood)
· Belladonna Atropa (Deadly Nightshade)
· Bryonia Alba (White Bryony)
· Lycopodium (Club Moss)
MINERAL KINGDOM examples
· Calcarea carbonica (Calcium carbonate–CaCo3)
· Phosphorus (Phosphorus)
· Calcarea phosphorica (Calcium phosphate–Ca3(PO4)2)
· Natrum muriaticum (Sodium chloride–NaCl)
Acids are also included in this category such as
· Nitric acid (Nitricum acidum)
· Phosphoric acid (Acidum phosphoricum), etc.
Also metals are included in this category such as
· Copper (Cuprum metallicum
· Iron (Ferrum metallicum)
· Gold (Aurum metallicum)
· Silver (Argentum metallicum)
These metals are potentized with Saccharum Lacts (Lactose sugar) a
procedure which minimizes the toxicity of the metals and lower concentration
that is higher potencies are prepared where the medicinal powers of these
metals are obtained
ANIMAL KINGDOM
· Tarentula hispania (Spanish spider)
· Tarentula cubensis (Cuban spider)
· Naja tripudians (King Cobra)
· Vipera (Russell’s viper)
· Sepia (Dried inky juice of cuttle fish)
· Cantharis (Spanish fly).
Health is more than just absence of symptoms and illness. Holistic healing works on the principle that all people have innate healing powers.
Homeopathy does not believe in giving different medicines for differently afflicted body-parts but prefers to prescribe the one single constitutional remedy which will act on the disturbed balance between the mind and body of the whole person. As a system of medicine, homeopathy is highly scientific, safe, logical and an extremely effective method of healing. It considers the person to achieve the rapid, gentle and permanent cure.
An individual is comprised of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components operating as a ‘whole unit’ in harmony. Holistic health is essentially an approach to life which considers the whole person and a positive interaction with the environment. Healing through Homeopathy goes beyond just eliminating symptoms and involves guidance towards the modification of lifestyle, which includes correct eating habits and regular exercises to experience a balanced, harmonious and a healthy state. Therefore, Homeopathy involves fixing the cause of the condition, not just alleviating the symptoms.