Alternative Views on Health
The Homeopathic Revolution As many people know, homeopathy was discovered by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann, over 200 hundred years ago. It was extremely popular in the United States during the 1800s when there were about 150 homeopathic colleges and in Britain in the early 1900s. The medical fraternity tried to stamp it out in both these countries after that but the practice enjoyed a revival during the 1970s and since then, its popularity has increased almost entirely through word of mouth.
The Greek philosopher Hippocrates stated that there were two methods of healing – the law of opposites (allopathy/orthodox medicine) and the law of similars. Homeopathy works through the Law of Similars.
In order to find out the curative properties of any substance, a scientific ‘proving’ must be undertaken. Every element on the Periodic Table (metals, minerals, gases, etc.) has been tested in this way, along with thousands of plants and even a few animal samples. There is no cruelty to animals involved in this process as only a tiny amount is needed to make a remedy. When animals are involved, a sample of their milk or in snake remedies, a tiny bit of their venom is used. One small sample is enough to make remedies for scores of years.
The substance involved in the ‘proving’ must then be made into a remedy in the usual way which is created through NOT just dilution but succession (vigorous shaking) during every potency step.
Let’s say a plant is being tested for its homeopathic properties. The whole plant will be steeped in pure alcohol for 24 hours in order to release into the alcohol all of its essence. Then one drop of this will be placed into a small bottle of 99 drops of 40% alcohol/60% purified water mix and shaken 100 times. This is then a 1c potency. Next, one drop of the 1c potency is placed into another small bottle of 99 drops of 40% alcohol/60% purified water mix and shaken 100 times. This next bottle is now a 2c potency. This process is repeated many times. The standard potency in the health shops is 6c or 30c.
For the proving, the 30c potency is used. 50 or more healthy volunteers are sent away with a bottle of the new substance to be tested. They must keep taking it until they develop symptoms. They must record the symptoms exactly and may not discuss them with other provers. Finally after about a month, all the data from these volunteers is gathered up and analysed. Whatever symptoms they all experienced are noted as the symptoms of the remedy being tested. For example the provers all experienced a headache at 10 a.m. in the morning, they all had a pain running down their left leg, lower back ache and tight chest, etc. etc.
Then you get a patient who comes along with the identical symptoms and you give them the remedy and it cures those symptoms, through like for like.
The way homeopathic medicine works is by taking a dose of a potentised substance (that in a larger material dose would actually cause the symptoms you want cured), this acts as a gentle stimulus to jump start your own healing powers. This the best possible way to get better, as through this process you become stronger and less susceptible to illness in the future.
Very often after the remedy is taken, the body produces a 24 hour fever, a cold or diarrhoea. This is a detox of the body while the curative action is taking place. This doesn’t always happen but when it does, will usually only last a couple of days while your body throws out any junk out of your system. After the detox, you will feel much better and usually your symptoms will have disappeared or be greatly improved.
The homeopathic practitioner selects a homeopathic medicine after taking all the symptoms of the illness including your mental and emotional state. People find it strange that when they visit a homeopath, that this should be necessary. Remember you are ALWAYS a WHOLE PERSON OPERATING AS ONE, ALL THE TIME. You do not leave bits of yourself behind. The medical system of concentrating on separate parts of the body is nonsense. Even a pain in your hand will affect your mind, emotions and the rest of your body.
Therefore the homeopath needs to know about YOU. How weather affects you, how foods affect you, your sleeping patterns, your likes and dislikes, what upsets you, any phobias or fears, etc. etc. They also need to find out in detail about the symptoms you have come to get cured as well as what makes them better or worse. In addition your past medical history must be carefully taken down.
This is essential in order to select the remedy that corresponds best to the whole picture and state you are in. You may feel this is totally irrelevant but it is essential because everyone is different, everyone is unique.
Suppose you come to the homeopath complaining of severe arthritis. Many people have arthritis and many people have completely different symptoms, yet all have been diagnosed with arthritis. One patient might find it very painful to move at all and may need the remedy Bryonia. Another patient may be very stiff getting up from a chair but as soon as they are up the stiffness goes as they start to walk about. The remedy for them may well be Rhus Tox. Then again, another patient may be fine as long as they keep walking. Only when they sit down to rest will all the pains come back. This person may need Kali Iodum. As you can see, all these people have arthritis, yet all need a different remedy. The remedy Causticum is for people with arthritis in their hands where the fingers become deformed as well as for carpal tunnel syndrome when all other symptoms agree.
If you are coming to see the homeopath because you have been diagnosed with anaemia, again the constitutional remedy must be carefully decided upon as there are 250 remedies in the homeopathic Repertory for anaemia!
There are in fact over 4000 homeopathic medicines in the Materia Medica altogether! This means to select the correct remedy a homeopath will need more than just your anaemia or arthritis symptoms. Past and hereditary illnesses give us a good clue about the remedy type that best corresponds with your symptoms. Very often genetic remedies must be given in order to clear the hereditary susceptibilities passed down from your parents, grandparents and ancestors! These genetic states are known as ‘miasms’.
Once the homeopath has cured the symptoms you came to see them about, old symptoms may return, though all the time you are getting stronger. For example maybe you had tonsillitis 5 years ago and this comes back after 6 months. The homeopath will treat it so that the susceptibility is cleared from your system. Once again you feel as well as you did 5 years ago before you had the tonsillitis. The idea is to systematically get you back to health you were born with, through clearing layer after layer of all the illnesses you have had in your life!
When other people are going down with flu you will be strong enough to resist it because the homeopath will have built up your immune system to such a level that you will not succumb.
Length of treatment depends on the severity of your condition. Initially you will need to be seen every month or 6 weeks for a period of time. When you are well, you can then just call your homeopath if you have any problems.
The price of the treatment is well worth it if you find a really good homeopath as your health is the most important asset you have.
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This article is compliments of its author, Dana Ullman, MPH,
and Homeopathic Educational Services.
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Dana Ullman, MPH, has also just developed numerous Natural Treatment Protocols for select common ailments.
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'Why Homeopathy makes Sense and Works'.
Quotes in Support of Homeopathy ~~~~~~~~~~~
Articles by Peter Morrell, B.Sc. PGCE., MPhil., A Meeting with Samuel Hahnemann in a Dream Characteristic Features of Homeopathy (PDF Format) Hahnemann's Discovery of Homeopathy Aristocratic Social Networks and Homeopathy In Britain A History of Homoeopathy in Britain Homeopathy Views the Uniqueness of Each Patient George Vithoulkas : An Interview Reported by Peter Morell Disease and the Moral Order of Nature? ~~~~~~~~~~~
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05/05/08