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One popular form of
alternative medicine is homeopathy. A system of medicine that
Attempts to stimulate the body to heal itself. Homeopathy is
based on two main principles.
1.
The first is that "like cures like": one should administer
therapies that will produce symptoms similar to those the
patient is already experiencing. According to this principle,
symptoms are seen as the body's attempt to restore itself to
health. Enhancing these symptoms would then aid the body's
normal healing process. For example, one homeopathic remedy
for a patient with a runny nose is the red onion extract,
called allium, that enhances the runny nose by stimulating the
tear glands and mucous membranes of the upper respiratory
tract.[1] In contrast, allopathic medications such as
antihistamines would suppress the runniness.
2.
The second principle of homeopathy is that of "minimum
dilution": one should use the lowest concentration of a
substance that still provokes a response.This principle is
essential to homeopathy's viability, since some compounds used
in homeopathy can be toxic at high concentrations. Homeopathic
medications have beneficial effects only at lower dilutions,
although how this occurs is unclear. Published guidelines
state the prescribed concentration for homeopaths to follow
when creating remedies.
How
does the concept of homeopathy differ from that of
conventional medicine?
Very
simply, homeopathy attempts to stimulate the body to recover
itself. Let's look at an example: the common cough.
First,
we must accept that all symptoms, no matter how uncomfortable
they are, represent the body's attempt to restore itself to
health. Instead of looking upon the symptoms as something
wrong which must be set right, we see them as signs of the way
the body is attempting to help itself. Instead of trying to
stop the cough with suppressants, as conventional medicine
does, a homeopath will give a remedy that will cause a cough
in a healthy person, and thus stimulate the ill body to
restore itself.
Second,
we must look at the totality of the symptoms presented. We
each experience a cough in our unique way. Yet conventional
medicine acts as if all coughs were alike. It therefore offers
a series of suppressive drugs something to suppress the cough,
something to dry the mucus, something to lower the histamine
level, something to ease falling asleep.
Homeopathy,
on the other hand, looks for the one substance that will cause
similar symptoms in a healthy person. The person with a cough
characterized by being worse when breathing cold air, and
sounding like a deep bark, will need a quite different remedy
than the person whose cough is loose in the morning, dry in
the evening, and better when sitting up in bed. We
characterize both as "coughs" but they are different illnesses
in the individuals, and therefore require different
homeopathic treatment.
In
conventional medical thought, health is seen simply as the
absence of disease. You assume that you are healthy if there
is nothing wrong with you. To a person versed in homeopathy,
health is much more than that. A healthy person is a person
who is free on all levels: physical, emotional, and mental.
Obviously, a person with a broken leg is not free, on the
physical level, to move around. But on a more subtle level, a
person who cannot eat certain foods or is allergic to certain
materials is also experiencing a lack of freedom. It is a good
emotional release to cry at a "tear jerker" movie, but someone
who continues to cry for several weeks afterwards is
experiencing a lack of freedom on the emotional level.
Likewise, a person who cannot absorb what he has read or
cannot remember day to day appointments is experiencing a
restriction on the mental level. The homeopath recognizes such
limitations and attempts, through the use of the properly
selected remedies, to restore the person to health and
freedom.
An
important basic difference exists between conventional medical
therapy and homeopathy. In conventional therapy, the aim often
is to control the illness through regular use of medical
substances, even if the medication is nothing more than
vitamins. If the medication is withdrawn, however, the person
returns to illness. There has been no cure. A person who takes
a pill for high blood pressure every day is not undergoing a
cure but is only controlling the symptoms. Homeopathy's aim is
the cure: "The complete restoration of perfect health," as Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann said.
Principles
of Homeopathy
-
Similia
Similibus Curanter
-
Simplex
Similimum Minimum
-
Principle
of Individualisation
-
Principle
of Potentisation
-
Law
of Direction
-
'Three
legged stool'
-
Use
of the Materia Medica
-
Repertorisation
Similia
Similibus Curanter
This
is the law of similars. It states that 'that which can cause
can cure'. The onion, which produces tears in the eye and
irritation (similar to a cold), can be used as a homeopathic
medicine to cure colds which have irritating tears. The early
Indians recognised this principle and states that Vishasya
Vishamevam Aushadam and Samaha Samena Shantihi, but it was
Dr.Samuel Hahnemann, who through his studies and experiments
on the various medicines available in nature, practically
proved the law.
As
homeopathy relies on prescribing remedies to your precise
combination of symptoms, all your symptoms should be included
in the process.
Most
of us have a few niggles that have been with us so long we
don't even notice them anymore. (ie, cold feet) These all need
your full attention. You should also include things which you
might not even class as symptoms, such as a persistent itch
behind your ear.
The
type of things you need to be aware of
include:
*
State of mind
*
Colour and consistency of your stool
*
What makes a particular symptom feel worse or
better?
*
Where is exactly is each problem located?
*
When did symptoms first occur?
*
For women, where you are on your monthly cycle.
*
If you are using our online homeopathic remedy finder, you
will be offered relevent options in a lot of cases, but you
may have to add information as seperate symptoms.
Getting
Familiar with the Repertory
It
is worth spending a while exploring the database behind our
software in depth, so as to familiarise yourself with the
broad range of complaints that count as symptoms. You should,
therefore, use the browse feature rather than the search
facility on the remedy finder where possible. You may also
wish to explore the complete repetory listing.
And
a word of warning
The
most important thing when attempting to diagnose and treat
illnesses at home is to know when to stop. If symptoms
persist, go and see your doctor; even if you feel your
symptoms seem unworthy of professional help, minor symptoms
can often be a sign of something more serious.
Simplex
Similimum Minimum
This
principle consists of three words.
The
first is Simplex i.e : simple medicines not compound should be
prescribed. This is the doctrine of single remedy. Mixture of
medicines or polypharmacy is not allowed. Only one medicine
must be given at a time.
Similimum
- As discussed previously the totality of symptoms of the
patient must be taken. This will yield a picture which
corresponds to one medicine, the similimum, which must be
given. That medicine which has been tested on various provers
and has produced similar symptoms as that of the patient is
the similar remedy.
Minimum
- A low dosage of medicine is recommended. In homeopathy less
is more, so medicines of low potency and given at long
intervals have a better impact. Hahnemann, in fact used to
give just one dose of the medicine and wait to see the
reaction over a period of time.
Principle
of Individualisation
Treat
the patient, not the disease. This is the most important
doctrine of homeopathy. Not two human beings are alike and so
the medicines used for their treatment need not be alike.
Homeopathic medicines are prescribed based on the totality of
symptoms of that individual. So, the name of the disease is
not important to the doctor who tries to get a complete
picture of the patient - his symptoms,the modalities of
symptoms, his likes and disliked, his environment, etc to
arrive at the individualised remedy - which is the
similimum.
Principle
of Potentisation
Homeopathic
medicines are diluted in alcohol or milk-sugar(lactose) to
make them more palatable and also to reduce the harmful
effects. It has been found that the more the medicine is
diluted, the more effective and powerful it becomes. So, the
process of the dilution is called as potentisation and the
medicines are referred to as potencies.The crude homeopathic
medicine(eg : Cinchona/Lachesis) is triturated in alcohol to
yield the mother tincture. The mother tincture is denoted by
the symbol ø.
Potency
:
*
1x potency of the medicine signifies 1 part of mother tincture
diluted with 9 parts of alcohol / milk sugar.
*
2x potency is 1x of medicine diluted with 9 parts of sugar
milk / alcohol.
*
1C potency is mother tincture diluted with 99
parts.
*
1M potency is mother tincture diluted with 999
parts.
*
Low potency
:
1x, 3x , 6x (3c), 12x (6c)
*
Medium potency : 12x, 30x, 30c
*
High potency : 200c, 1M, 20 M , CM, LM, etc.
Law
of Direction
The
law of direction of cure proposed by Dr.Constantine Hering
states that - "As a patient recovers from a disease, the
symptoms move from within outwards, from above downwards,from
centre to circumference and disappear in the reverse order of
their appearance"
A
patient suffering from a skin disease may use various
medicines which suppress this disorder and send it into the
body and it may manifest as athma. So, when this patient takes
homeopathic medicine, the asthma is replaced with the skin
infection and then finally the skin infection leaves to yield
a cure.
Three-legged
stool
This
principle attributed to the elder Lippe(Dr.Adolph Lippe)
states that while prescribing a medicine, three leading
symptoms of that medicine should match the symptoms of the
patient. Just as a stool with three legs is more stable than a
stool with one leg, medicine given on the basis of atleast
three key symptoms is more reliable than that treated with one
symptom. Thus, a careful study is required to apply this
law.
Use
of Materia Medica
The
Materia Medica is a dictionary of homeopathic medicines and
their symptoms. It is a book which is the final authority on
homeopathy. The materia medica contains the list of symptoms
experienced by provers of the medicine. The symptoms are
arranged in a systematic order - Mind (symptoms related to
mind/mental), Head, Eyes, etc.
It
is not required for a doctor to memorise or remember all the
contents of the Materia Medica. What is required is to
understand the nature / keynotes of each remedy. A number of
materia medicas have been authored. Prominent among them are
Kent's Lectures, Hering's Guiding Symptoms, Allen's Keynotes,
etc. See list of books.
Repertorisation
The
repertory is an index to the Materia Medica. It is a book
containing all possible symptoms arranged in alphabetical
order for each of the organs of the body. The physican has to
regularly refer this book to find out the medicines which have
produced in a prover, the symptoms of the patient. Only,
through correct usage of the repertory, can the job of
prescription be made easier.
Principles
of Homeopathy
In
conventional medicine, the symptoms are considered to be a
manifestation of the disease. The drugs are given to kill the
bacteria causing it or to dampen the symptom of the condition.
Homeopaths, on the other hand, see the symptoms as the body's
attempt to heal itself. They see the symptom as a positive
sign that the body's defense mechanism is trying to fight the
underlying cause and by this reasoning, they insist that the
symptoms should not be suppressed as we are working against
the body's attempt to cure it.
The
laws of homeopathy are the law of similars, the principle of
minimum dose and prescription for the
individual.
The
Law of Similars
The
principle that like shall be cured by like, or Similia
similibus curantur. This principle, recognized by physicians
and philosophers since ancient times, became the basis of
Hahnemann's formulation of the homeopathic doctrine: the
proper remedy for a patient's disease is that substance that
is capable of producing, in a healthy person, symptoms similar
to those from which the patient suffers.
In
other words, a substance produces symptoms of illness in a
well person when administered in large doses; if we administer
the same substance in minute quantities, it will cure the
disease in a sick person. Hahnemann suggested that this is
because nature will not allow two similar diseases to exist in
the body at the same time. Thus homeopaths will introduce a
similar artificial disease into the body which will push the
original one out. The dose is small so that there is no danger
of any long term side effects.
The
Principle of Minimum Dose
This
principle states that extreme dilution enhances the curative
properties of a substance, while eliminating any possible side
effects. This is just the reverse of conventional drug
philosophy where a minimum dose is required for effect.
Starting from the conventional dose, as we decrease the
concentration (or increase the dilution), the medicine become
less and less efficient. But below a threshold, the medicine
start getting potent again. Homeopaths uses this region of
potency.
Whole
Person Prescribing
A
homeopath studies the whole person. Characteristics such as
their temperament, personality, emotional and physical
responses when prescribing a remedy, etc. are studied. So, a
homeopath may treat different persons exhibiting the same
symptom differently. (For example, two persons exhibiting flu
like symptoms may get two different medication from the
homeopath based on the appraisal of the mind body
constitution.)
Laws
of Cure
There
are three laws of cure, They are:
1.
A remedy starts at the top of the body and works
downward
2.
A remedy works from within the body outward, and from major to
minor organs
3.
Symptoms clear in reverse order of appearance.
Application
of the three principles of cure means that you will feel
better emotionally before you will feel better
physically.
How
Do Homeopathic Remedies Work?
Many
of the homeopathic remedies are so diluted that according to
the known laws of physics and chemistry, they couldn't
possibly have any effect. Once you get beyond a certain
point-24x or 12c -there is probably not even one single
molecule of the original active substance remaining. This fact
is often pointed to by critics of homeopathy as they dismiss
the effect of homeopathy as merely due to placebo
effect.
And
yet, according to homeopathic doctrine and experience, the
more diluted the solution, the more potent it is. Homeopaths
contend that the remedies work and they see no reason to stop
using them simply because we do not understand how they work.
They often argue that pharmacologists cannot explain exactly
how most conventional drugs work. For example, even aspirin is
not fully understood in terms of how it works, but physicians
have no difficulty in recommending its use.
Over
the years several theories have been proposed to explain the
action on homeopathic potentization.
Hormesis
The
effects of microdoses have been known for a long time, and
there are a number of examples that support the idea that very
diluted concentrations of a substance will have a measurable
and sometimes profound effect. Scientists call this
phenomenon: hormesis.
Scientists
from Michigan State University have shown how hormesis work in
nature. They used microdoses of a fertilizer to stimulate crop
production. In a dose equivalent to a 9x dilution, the
fertilizer increased tomato yield by 30 percent, carrots were
21 percent bigger, and corn yield increased by 25
percent.
Our
own bodies secrete minute amounts of hormones that have
powerful effects. Thyroid hormone is present in our blood at
only 1 part per 10 billion-yet this is enough to regulate the
rate of our entire metabolism. Many animal studies show that
low doses of some substances elicit a beneficial response
while high doses are harmful. This phenomenon has been
documented to occur with radiation, antibiotics, and heavy
metals.
Pheromones
Pheromones
are powerful aromatic hormone-like substances that creatures
secrete to attract one another. One molecule of moth pheromone
is so potent, it will attract another moth from miles away and
trigger a cascade of physical reactions. Though well
documented, the exact mechanism for pheromones remains
unknown.
Homeopathic
Remedies Work in Spiritual/Energy Plane and Not in Physical
Plane
Homeopathic
remedies are believed to work in the spiritual plane as
opposed to the physical plane as we are used to think and
measure. Hahnemann believed that dilution and succussion
released a spirit- like power that worked on the spiritual
level of the vital force in humans. We are familiar with the
formerly invisible, immeasurable, unknowable energy forms,
such as electromagnetic radiation and subatomic particles.
Magnets exerted their force long before science could explain
the mechanism. Physicists are still trying to explain gravity
and the nature of matter, still discovering phenomena such as
the "strong force" and the "weak force."
Homeopathy
is an energy medicine, as are acupuncture and therapeutic
touch. Homeopaths believe that although the physical molecules
of the original substance may be gone, dilution and succussion
leaves something behind-an imprint of its essence, or its
energy pattern-that gives it a kind of healing charge.
Potentization does not occur if you simply dilute the
substance, even if you dilute it repeatedly. Nor does it occur
if you only shake the substance vigorously. There is something
about each process that builds sequentially upon the other,
causing the power to be retained and progressively
intensified.
But
how does the information in such a minute amount of substance
get transferred to the body?
Some
theorists suggest the repeated succussion creates an
electrochemical pattern that is stored in the water carrier
and then spreads like liquid crystallization through the
body's own water; others say the dilution process triggers an
electromagnetic imprinting that directly affects the electro-
magnetic field of the body. This concept is used in other
therapies also. For example, Ayurveda suggests taking water
that has been potentizated by precious metals such as gold.
The water is believed to possess curative power as a result of
coming in contact with gold and other gemstones although no
molecular transfer takes place. The healing power of crystals
and magnets are believed to come from their effect on the
energy pattern or vibration frequency. So, the suggestion of
the homeopathic remedies as working on the energy plane may
not be as far fetched as we may think at the first
glance.
Homeopathic
Remedies Activate the Vital Force
Homeopaths
believe that it is the energy or "vibrational pattern" of the
remedy, rather than the chemical content, that stimulates the
healing by activating what Hahnemann called the Vital force.
Vital force is the healing power or energy that exists within
us all. It is called by the name Chi by Chinese and Prana by
Indian Ayurveda. The vital force fuels the mind, body,
emotions and mind. It keeps us healthy and balanced. When the
balance of the vital force is disturbed by factors such as
stress, pollution, improper diet and lack of exercise, it
becomes weakened resulting in the person getting
sick.
Scientists
who accept the potential benefits of homeopathic theory
suggest several theories to explain how highly diluted
homeopathic medicines may act. Using recent developments in
quantum physics, they have proposed that electromagnetic
energy in the medicines may interact with the body on some
level. Researchers in physical chemistry have proposed the
"memory of water" theory, whereby the structure of the
water-alcohol solution is altered by the medicine during the
process of dilution and retains this structure even after none
of the actual substance remains.
Which
Problems can be treated by Homeopathic
Treatment?
Ailments
such as colds, constipation, vomiting, and diarrhea respond
well to homeopathic treatment. It can help in the treatment of
rheumatoid arthritis, fibrositis and psoriasis. Homeopathy
also helps in the emotional, mental or physical complaints.
For example, there is a remedy available to help people to
stop smoking.
The
following are a list of conditions for which Homeopathy has a
known remedy:
-
Abdominal
Pain and Indigestion
-
Acne
-
Allergies:
Contact Dermatitis {Skin Rash), Eczema, Hives, Upper - Respiratory- Tract
Allergy {Hay Fever)
-
Anxiety
and Fear
-
Asthma:
Allergic, Reactive, Psychogenic
-
Back
and Neck Problems: Stiff Neck, Lower Back Pain, Sacroiliac
Sprain, Coccyx Injury, Sciatica
-
Bedwetting
{Enuresis)
-
Bladder
Infections {Cystitis) Boils
-
Canker
Sores and Cold Sores
-
Chicken
Pox
-
Colds
-
Conjunctivitis
{Eye Inflammation or Pinkeye)
-
Constipation
-
Coughs
-
Diaper
Rash
-
Diarrhea
-
Earaches:
Otitis Media, Otitis Externa
-
Fever
-
Flu
-
Food
Poisoning
-
German
Measles
-
Grief
and Sadness
-
Headaches:
Muscle Contraction (Tension) Headache, Vascular
i.e.
{Migraine) Headache, Other Headaches
-
Hemorrhoids
-
Hepatitis
-
Herpes
Simplex
-
Herpes
Zoster {Shingles)
-
Impetigo
-
Insomnia
-
Irritability
and Anger
-
Laryngitis
-
Measles
-
Menstrual
Cramps and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
-
Mononucleosis
-
Motion
Sickness
-
Mumps
-
Nausea
-
Neck
Pain
-
Poison
Oak or Ivy
-
Prostatitis
-
Ringworm
and Other Related Fungal Infections
-
Sciatica
-
Sexually
Transmitted Diseases
-
Sinus
Problems (Sinusitis)
-
Sore
Throats: Noninfectious, Viral, and Strep
-
Styes
-
Teething
-
Thrush
-
Urethritis
-
Vaginitis:
Yeast Infections, Bacterial Infections, Trichomonas
Infections, and Noninfectious Vaginitis.
-
Vomiting
-
Warts
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