What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy, or Homeopathic Medicine, is the practice of medicine that embraces a holistic, natural approach to the treatment of the sick. It is holistic because it treats the person as a whole rather than focusing on a diseased part or a labelled sickness. Homeopathy is natural because its remedies are produced from natural sources, whether vegetable, mineral, or animal in nature.
The word Homeopathy, which comes from Greek, literally means “like disease”. This means that the medicine given is like the disease that the person is expressing, in his totality, not like a specific disease category or medical diagnosis.
Homeopathy has been practiced worldwide for over 250 years. It is gentle and rarely causes side effects.
How Does Homeopathy Work?
Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine used to treat both acute and chronic conditions. It is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’. In other words, a substance taken in small amounts will cure the same symptoms it causes if taken in large amounts. For example, a patient suffering from hayfever may benefit from the homeopathic remedy Allium Cepa (onion) because it produces similar symptoms, such as watery eyes or a runny nose. Another example is belladonna, an extract from the poisonous plant deadly nightshade. If taken orally, belladonna can cause high fever, flushed face, confusion, and other flu-like symptoms; but when used as a homeopathic remedy, it is used to treat fever and flu.
Homeopathic medicines (known as remedies) are made from substances designed to help stimulate the body’s healing ability. Remedies are prepared (or potentised) using a process of repeated dilution and succussion (vigorous shaking). Homeopaths believe that the more a substance is diluted, the more effective it will be and the less likely it will have side-effects.
Homeopathic medicines are made from small amounts of natural substances such as plants and minerals. Prepared in licensed laboratories, they are usually taken as a tablet but are also available as liquids, powders or creams.
Principles of Homeopathy
Homeopathy treats each person as a unique individual using specially prepared, highly diluted substances with the aim of stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms.
Homeopathy is founded on two main principles.
“like cures like”
The first principle of homeopathy is that “like cures like,” i.e. a substance which causes symptoms when taken in large doses can be used in small amounts to treat similar symptoms. For example, drinking too much coffee can cause sleeplessness and agitation, so according to this principle, when made into a homeopathic medicine, it could be used to treat people suffering from sleeplessness and agitation.
This concept is sometimes used in conventional medicine, for example small doses of allergens, such as pollen, are sometimes used to de-sensitise allergic patients. An important difference with homeopathy however, is that the medicinal doses are so small that toxic side-effects are avoided.
Succussion
The second principle of homeopathy is based around a process of dilution and shaking called succussion. The more a substance is diluted in this way the efficacy of the product increases, thus the greater its power to treat symptoms. Many homeopathic remedies consist of substances that have been diluted many times in water until there’s none, or almost none, of the original substance left. Only enough is administered to initiate the healing process. However, for the less-is-more principle to work, each time the solution is diluted, it must be “potentized” (or shaken) to create “memory of the energy” that cures the body.
Homeopathic medicines given in minimum doses stimulate the body’s vital response, and yet do not produce the side effects that are often associated with conventional medicine as they are so dilute.
Homeopathy is used to “treat” an extremely wide range of conditions, including physical conditions such as asthma and psychological conditions such as depression.
As well as asking about your symptoms, a homeopath will be interested in you as an individual and the unique way in which your symptoms affect you. As well as your current symptoms, a homeopath will discuss your lifestyle, medical history and state of mind before prescribing the appropriate homeopathic medicine.
A homeopath will prescribe medicines according to the patient’s specific set of symptoms, and how they experience them, taking into account their overall level of health. This leads to the third principle of homeopathy.
Single Remedy
The third principle of Homeopathy is the single remedy. In other words, homeopathic practitioners usually prescribe only one remedy at a time. The results of the remedy are clearly observed as it is not given with any other medicine.
Acute and Chronic Homeopathic Treatment
The two main categories of treatment in homeopathic medicine are acute and chronic. Acute treatment is for illnesses of recent onset which are usually self-limiting (such as the common cold), or which may progress if not treated (for example, pneumonia). In the case of a cold, the body might overcome the illness sooner or later but the appropriate medicine gently stimulates the body to recover more quickly and efficiently.
Chronic treatment is for long standing conditions or a recurrent health problem. The length of treatment and its effectiveness is affected by many factors, including the nature of the problem, the early health history, family medical history, previous treatment, and the person’s inherent constitutional strength. The goal is to help the person to return to a state of well-being through individualized homeopathic treatment.
Homeopathy is Holistic
Homeopaths believe that illness is not localised in one organ or manifested in one symptom therefore they consider the entire person, the mind, body and spirit when prescribing treatment. Conventional doctors tend to focus on treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.
In homeopathy symptoms are regarded as good as they are seen as a sign that the body is working to heal itself. Rather than trying to suppress symptoms, homeopathic remedies usually initially aggravate the symptoms as they stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanism.
Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies come in a variety of potencies, based on the strength of dilution. The three most common forms of remedies are the mother tincture, x potencies, and c potencies.
- The mother tincture. The mother tincture is an alcohol-based extract of a specific substance, such as a plant or mineral which are usually used topically.
- X potencies. The x represents the number ten. In homeopathic remedies with x potencies the mother tincture has been diluted to 1 part in 10 (1 drop of tincture to every 9 drops of alcohol). The number before the x shows how many times the mother tincture has been diluted. For example, a 15x potency represents 15 dilutions of 1 in 10. The more the substance is diluted, the more potent it becomes, so a remedy with a 25x potency is considered stronger or more potent than one with a 15x potency.
- C potencies. The c represents the number 100, so homeopathic remedies with a c potency have been diluted to 1 part in 100 (1 drop of tincture to every 99 drops of alcohol), making them much stronger than x potencies. Again, the number before the c represents the number of dilutions. A 3c potency represents a substance that has been diluted to one part in 100 three times; in other words, 3c is in fact 1 part per million. In general, 6c is the potency recommended for most acute or self-limiting conditions, whereas 30c is for chronic conditions or emergencies.
When the correct remedy is used it will work quickly and treatment can be discontinued. If the wrong treatment is taken it will not cause any side-effects, you will simply not improve.
Homeopathic remedies come in several forms, such as tablets, pellets and liquids. They should never be touched; instead, carefully shake them onto a measuring spoon and place them under your tongue and allow them to dissolve.
A homeopathic remedy should be taken at least a half an hour before or after eating. Strong flavours can decrease the effectiveness of remedies.
Odurs can also affect the efficacy of homeopathic remedies. Try to avoid strong smells, such as perfumes, chemicals and other scents for at least half an hour before or after taking a homeopathic remedy.
Why is Homeopathy Popular?
Homeopathy is very popular because:
- The treatment works together with the body’s own healing powers to bring about health and well being.
- Homeopathy is holistic. It does not try to just treat the symptoms, instead it treats the individual as a whole.
- It treats the patient at all levels, spiritual, emotional, mental and physical, and finds the ‘like cures like’ match for the symptoms.
- Homeopathic remedies are given at the minimum dose, and are not addictive, and not tested on animals.