Homeopathy is based on the belief that a medicine which curses or improves a condition should contain ingredients which would also cause it. So what is the trust about this controversial ‘alternative’ medicine?

Homeopath is the name given to a system of medicine based his theory on the principle that ‘like is healed by like’. He reasoned that a very small dose of a drug cold cure illness. This is allied, in principle, to vaccination in which a small dose of bacterial or viral substances is injected to promote the formation of antibodies-the elements in the body which defend it against further generation is practiced by doctors who have completed extra studies in the subject after their regular training, and by some non-medically qualified people. In most Western countries there are long-established societies of homeopaths.

THE BASIC OF HOMEOPATHY

The theory of homeopathy is based on the assumption that a healthy body has the resources to protect itself against illness, stress and all effects of the environment and to repair itself if it is temporarily overwhelmed. some doctors have believed that the various functions of the body are controlled and maintained by a ‘vital force’ which exists independently of the cells, tissues and organs of the body.

In the last century, science and medicine have become increasingly materialistic, tending to discount anything which cannot be measured in laboratory or discovered in a tube. However, in recent years , research in physician and biology has demonstrated that there is no strict division between matter and energy. It takes energy to carry out all of the functions of life, and some of this energy forms solid structure, some provides the power for physical and chemical interactions, and some exists in the body as electricity. Many scientist now believe that the ‘vital force’ is, in fact, a form of electromagnetic energy which organizes all the functions of life, and that as scientific equipment becomes more sensitive, we shall discover much more about it.

Homeopathic practitioners believe that medicines gain effectiveness from ability to influence and strengthen the patterns of electromagnetic energy which exist in and round the body. This in turn, has a positive effect in reorganising the response of electrical, chemical and physical processes and resorting health and vitality.

PURPOSE

Homeopathy differs from orthodox medicine in that it doesn’t regard a disease or an illness as a definable state which is exactly the same for any two people since we all respond to the disorder in individual ways which are characteristic of physical type, personality, emotions and environmental circumstances. therefore, there is no homeopathic medicine for influenza, for example, but rather a choice of remedies to suite the range of individual responses.

Homeopathic prescribing is very precise: whether you have a tickle in your throat or not, dislike heat, enjoy sweet foods, cry easily… will make a difference in the medicines. Homeopathic physicians claim to treat the whole person rather than the disease. The patient is seen as an integrated organism struggling with a harmful influence, rather than ‘a case of cystitis’. The homeopathic approach is to help the patient thrown off the illness by strengthening his or her natural bodily defense mechanisms.

HOW HOMEOPATHY WORKS ?

Homeopathic medicines re specially prepared from plant, animal and other biological sources. Each new remedy is arrived at by a process called ‘proving’, where by healthy men and women volunteer to take the medicine to see what symptoms are produced, a process which is repeated several hundreds to thousands of times.

While he was testing his original remedies, Hahnemann made a remarkable discovery: that the healing effect of a remedy increased if the amount of the substance present in the medicine was decreased. This discovery is incorporated in the preparation of doses of different strengths- a process called ‘potentizing’. It can be carried on almost indefinitely, and each successive potency contains less of the original substance: homeopaths use potencies which are dilutions in which only the minutest trace of the original substance remains. Because less and less of it is left in the medicine, any toxic effects are eliminated. This is very important, for many of the remedies would be poisonous if taken in large doses. Since there are no poisonous or toxic agents involved, there are no adverse side-effects. Consequently, homeopathy, whether it is effective or not, is an intrinsically safe form of treatment. Orthodox doctors do not accept that tiny doses of drugs can make any real difference to the health of the body or that they are sufficient to treat powerful diseases.

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT

The homeopathic doctor will want to take a detailed case history and will ask the patient questions which may, at first, seem unrelated to the illness. He will ask about reactions to the environment: to such things as heat and cold, whether sweet foods are preferred to savory ones, and many other small details. He is trying to build up a composite image of the person as a whole, in characteristics and way of life. The object is to match symptoms and reactions to the effects created by the medicines in the Material Medica, a reference book containing details for over 2000 different remedies.

In the course of the interview, or during subsequent treatment, the homeopath may diagnose the ‘constitutional remedy’, one particular medicine to which the patient is particularly sensitive because it so well matches personality and physical type. A course of this remedy mobilizes various responses which improve general health and outlook. Many homeopaths prescribe only one remedy at a time in order to assess the effect at a time in order to assess the effect of each one in turn, although two or three remedies simultaneously is becoming more common. the potency of the medicine used will depend upon the age and health of the patient, how deep-seated the illness is, and whether it is acute or chronic. Usual, the dosage in acute cases is every half hour to hour until relief is obtained, and in chronic illness 3-4 times a day.

Treatment is changed or suspended when there is improvement in the condition. However, it often happens that symptoms get worse for a short time before they get better; sometimes the symptoms of some previous illness may recur. Homeopathic physicians claim that powerful modern drugs often suppress illness and drive the condition deeper into the system. As the defenses are strengthened, old symptoms recur as the illness is eliminated. Although it may seem temporarily that the patient is getting worse, in fact, an overall improvement in health is taking place. After the first consultation, visits to the homeopath are generally fortnightly or monthly and the time between them lengthens as improvements occur.

Homeopathic preparations are dissolved on the tongue rather than swallowed whole and stimulants such as cigarettes, coffee and alcohol should be avoided while taking the medicines, since they may diminish its effects. Homeopathic medicines, at least in the lower potencies, are completely safe and no ill-effects will arise if the remedy chosen isn’t quite right, but neither will there be an improvement. This makes many of the medicines suitable for use in a home first aid kit. Many common afflictions, such as colds, sore throats and headaches can often be managed at home if care is taken to choose the right remedy. Tinctures can be used to make lotions and gargles for skin care and dental purposes. Homeopathic chemists can supply a small kit at reasonable cost.

HOMEOPATHY AND GOOD HEALTH

Homeopathic treatment can benefit general health as well as specific disease and illness, and prevent the development of many illness which usually occur only when natural resistance is at a low ebb. Man of the illness which are commonly called psychosomatic, in which there is an emotional or psychological aspect, can be affected by homeopathy. Asthmas, allergies, nervous conditions and common ailments are often difficult to treat allopathically (by standard medicine) and may respond well to homeopathy.

Finally, homeopathy can be used in conjunction with standard drugs if necessary. If, for instances, one has to take antibiotics for a sever infection.