Homeopathy (also spelled homœopathy or homoeopathy), from the Greek words homoios (similar) and pathos (suffering), is a system of medicine, notable for its practice of prescribing water-based solutions that do not contain chemically active ingredients.
The theory of homeopathy was developed by the physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) and first published in 1796.
The practice of medicine during this period was very unscientific, crude and even barbarous.
Patients were purged and sweated, bled and branded. It was often doubtful whether the patients died of the disease or of the treatment. Hahnemann was discouraged by these practices and devoted his time to studying and experimenting with more rational methods of treatment.
He experimented on himself with certain drugs such as Cinchona, from which Quinine was derived to find out why Cinchona cures Malaria.
To his surprise he developed chills, fever and conditions very similar to Malaria. From his experiments he confirmed the main principle of homeopathy as being “Like cures like.” This means that a medicine capable of producing certain effects or symptoms when taken by a healthy human being is capable of curing any illness that displays similar effects.
Homeopathy acknowledges that the human being is more than a machine to be repaired when it is broken, or a complex computer in need of re-programming.
Homeopathy expands our view of human nature by recognizing that the body develops, functions, defends, and repairs itself independently.
This is the force or property of life itself and is called the Vital Force or Vitality. Only when the vitality is disturbed, do we become sick.
Disease is not recognized solely as an affliction of a particular organ or body part, but a disorder in the patient as a whole.
For instance, disease is not tonsillitis or headache or bacteria, these are all effects or end-products of disease.
The real sickness is the disturbance in the normal functioning of the vitality.
The aim of treatment is not to remove symptoms or parts affected, but to treat the cause and restore health.
Homeopathic medicine stimulates the natural healing power of the body, corrects the disturbance and restores normal health. It treats the root cause, and the effects automatically disappear.
In order to determine the root cause of disease, a homeopath will treat the individual patient.
No two persons are alike and no two persons react alike in sickness.
Though they may be having the same complaint and the same label, the symptoms of one patient differ from the symptoms of all others.
For example, 10 patients with asthma may require 10 different homeopathic medicines, whereas 10 patients having different diagnoses may require the same homeopathic medicine.
When homeopaths study patients, they will consider each and every detail, even the smallest symptoms of the patients.
An initial consultation can take up to two hours while a homeopath questions the client about family history of illness, past diseases and emotional and environmental stress.
Homeopaths will also inquire into and observe the mental disposition of the patients.
The picture of the patient’s sickness is then matched with the picture of various remedies. Of the remedies that emerge from this search, one remedy that fits most closely is selected for the patient.
Homeopathy is invaluable in treating acute conditions such as fevers, colds and flus. It is also capable of treating long lasting chronic diseases such as asthma, allergies, headaches and skin disorders.
Homeopathic remedies are complementary to standard medical treatment.
A homeopath will often advocate other healing modalities, such as naturopathy, flower essences, yoga, diet, counselling and meditation to assist the client on their journey to health.
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