Homeopathy

In today’s times, anywhere around the globe, it is not uncommon to see people popping pills and various pharmaceutical drugs for their health problems. Whether the person is suffering from something as minor as a cold, or they have any kind of serious disease, there is a drug available for most illnesses.

You take one medicine for your runny nose, one for the headache that it has caused, and yet another drug for some other symptom. By the end of it all, in spite of taking all these pills and drugs, you are nowhere close to being in the pink of health. Ever wondered why that is so? This is because allopathic drugs suppress the symptoms that a patient is suffering from. With the symptoms suppressed, the illness seems to be ‘cured’. But in effect, the disease manifests itself in other ways, which is why you feel the so called ‘side effects’ of the drugs.

In direct contrast to the above, there is one school of medicine, which does not heal by suppressing your symptoms, but aiding them so as to let them run their course and thus effect healing. This school of medicine, which is considered as an ‘alternative’ healing system, is that of Homeopathy.

A Brief History of Homeopathy

Homeopathy originated in Germany more than 200 years ago. The year was 1789, when a young medical physician named Samuel Hahnemann, gave homeopathy to the world. The principles on which homeopathy is based were prevalent from the times of Paracelsus and Hippocrates, but they were first used in practical medicine, by Samuel Hahnemann, as Homeopathy.

The late 1700s was a time when many people in the medical field, started questioning the healing properties of various substances. Plants and animals were used for their therapeutic benefits since medicine was first born. During this time, the question was finally asked, as to what was present in various natural substances that made them so efficient in curing human ills.

In the course of research and private experiments, Samuel Hahnemann learnt about Nature’s ‘Law of Similars’, which is what homeopathy is based on. Due to this man’s efforts, by the beginning of the 19^th century, homeopathy as a valid form of medicine was finally accepted by the world.  

Homeopathy Explained

Homeopathy is generally thought of as an alternative system of healing; although in many parts of the world, including parts of Europe and Asia, it is not considered an alternative form but as big a part of medical healing as allopathic systems (modern medicine).

The term homeopathy has been derived from two Greek words: homoios and pathos. The first word means similar, whereas the second means suffering. Thus, Homeopathy can be called a form of medicine that works on the principle of similar suffering, or the Law of Similars.

But what is the Law of Similars?

According to the Law of Similars, ‘like cures like’. As per this law of nature, for treating any kind of illness, that substance is used, which when given to a healthy person, would have caused the exact symptoms of the very illness that you are trying to cure. This can be better explained by the following example.

In homeopathy, a substance known as cinchona (Peruvian bark) is used in the treatment of malaria. When cinchona is given to a healthy person, it will cause the person to get high fever, shivering, chills, and body ache. These symptoms are the exact symptoms of a person suffering from malaria. Thus, it follows that cinchona is effective in treating malaria as it has effects that are exactly like those of malaria.

This law of ‘Like cures Like’ works because of one basic principle. It is believed that any symptoms that a person suffers from are his body’s natural way of healing itself. When you take a medicine that causes the very symptoms that you are suffering from, the medicine aids the natural healing process of your body. The illness is allowed to run its course, which is speeded up with the like medicine, thus freeing your body from the disease.

In effect, homeopathy is a form of medicine that allows the body to heal itself, but just hastens the healing process with homeopathic medicines.

Other Principles of Homeopathy

In addition to the principle of ‘Like cures Like, homeopathy works on the basis of two more principles. These are:

• Homeopathic Medicines In Minimum Doses: The remedies in homeopathy are dispensed by the homeopath (practitioner of homeopathy) in very small doses. The concentration is so diluted that most times only about one part of the medicine is added to about 1,000,000,000,000 parts of water. The homeopathic remedies are made in such a way that the absolute curative power of the remedy is used, without using any of its crude and ineffective components. Thus, even such a tiny dose can work wonders and cure diseases effectively.
   

• One Treats All: In homeopathy, it is believed that a person suffers from any disease because of an imbalance of its total life force, which manifests itself as various symptoms afflicting different body parts. Thus, only one single remedy is given to cure all the symptoms that a person might be going through. Homeopathy does not believe in curing different body parts with different medications. Instead, it treats the person as a whole; hence the use of just one single remedy aimed at the very core of the person’s health problems.

Benefits of Homeopathy

Homeopathy is becoming a very popular form of medicine and healing because of its many benefits, namely:

• Because such small doses of active ingredients are taken, there is very little chance of any negative side effects. Also, as homeopathy uses only natural substances for healing, it is very safe and can be used by children, the elderly and even expecting mothers.
   

• Homeopathy cures the person as a whole and rids the body of the disease completely, instead of curing by suppressing the illness.
   

• With homeopathic medicines, there is no risk of becoming addicted to the medication, which can easily be stopped once your health is restored.

Over the last 200 years, many experimental studies and clinical research have been done on homeopathy; all of which have proved its validity as a natural and effective form of healing.

One word of caution: Although homeopathy is very effective, one should only take homeopathic remedies from a qualified homeopath. Homeopathic remedies are very tough to make, as they require a complete understanding of the sick person’s health and medical history. Thus, one should take extreme care when choosing a homeopath.