Overview of Homeopathy
Homeopathy can be a stand alone alternative to conventional medicine. It can be used for acute conditions (short term, one time illnesses) or chronic conditions (long term, deep rooted conditions). Chronic conditions should only be treated by a professional homeopath, whereas acute conditions can be treated at home.
History
The founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, was a physician and chemist but left his practice when he felt he was doing more harm than good (bloodletting, poisonous doses of mercury and arsenic, and other medical practices that they did in those days). Since he was a scholar of many languages, he took a job translating medical and literary texts. While translating a work by a leading physiologist of the time he was surprised to see a claim that Peruvian bark was effective in treating malaria. The reasoning by the author was due to the Peruvian bark’s bitterness. Hahnemann didn’t believe this, so he tested it on himself. He observed that the symptoms that Peruvian bark produced in a healthy person, were the symptoms of malaria, the very disease that it was known to cure.
He was also able to see this with records of accidental poisonings from other medicines, and after testing it on himself, he found that in overdose, they produced symptoms similar to those of the illness for which they are used. Hahnemann was then able to observe any symptoms of any substance in a healthy person, and could then discover the healing properties of that substance. When a healthy person takes a substance in large doses and then records the symptoms, it is called a proving. Hahnemann went on to prove many other substances.
Example with onion
Homeopathy is a natural pharmaceutical science that uses small doses of substance from plant, mineral, and animal kingdom to stimulate the body’s own defenses. A common remedy for a cold is allium cepa, made from an onion. Because onions make our nose run and our eyes tear, they can aid our body in clearing out the cold virus by further stimulating processes the body is already using. This is as opposed to drugs that dry up mucous membranes and temporarily suppressing the natural healing abilities of the body. Homeopathic remedies are used to support the body in healing that it is already doing.
Allium cepa (made from the onion) is not the only remedy used in treating colds. Because symptoms of one person’s cold are likely different from another persons, the choice of remedy is based on the individual’s unique symptom pattern, rather than on the cold itself. And in fact, it does not matter the name of the illness, just on the symptom picture.
Law of Similars
Homeopathy comes from the two Greek words “homoios” meaning similar and “pathos” meaning disease or suffering. The main principle of homeopathy is the law of similars, which is the principle that a substance will help to heal symptoms similar to those it is known to cause. Nearly any substance can become a homeopathic remedy. After the symptom picture is recorded through provings by using large doses on healthy people, these are recorded in the materia medica. Homeopaths also make use of a repertory, which is an index of symptoms and can be used to narrow down the remedies to the right remedy for a given illness.
Minimum Dose
Another important concept with homeopathy is the minimum dose. Only a very small stimulus is needed to start the healing process so it is best to do nothing more. Another dose may be required but not until the first has completed its action. When Hahnemann first started out he noticed that patients would sometimes develop toxic symptoms as a result of an overdose of the medicine. He began to experiment to see how small a dose he could give and still give a healing response. After years of study he found a method of diluting substances to minimize the toxic properties and at the same time magnify the potential cure. This was called potentization.
Potentization consists of a process of successive dilution. A remedy is started by diluting a substance a specified amount, such as, 1 part substance diluted in 99 parts water or alcohol. The mixture is then successed by striking the bottle against a surface a number of times. The dilution and succession is repeated till it gets to the determined strength. The more times a substance has been diluted and successed, the higher it’s potency (and number value) and the more powerful the remedy.
Ex:
(c) Diluted 1 part per 99 part water: 3c – diluted and successed 3 times
30c – diluted and successed 30 times
(x) Diluted 1 part per 9 part water: 3x – diluted and successed 3 times
30x – diluted and successed 30 times
For at-home prescribing, you would want to stick with 30c or any remedy that has been successed less than that like 6c. If you take an online class, you should have the confidence to use the stronger remedies as high as 200c, but no higher.
Treat whole person
The concept of treating the whole person is very important in homeopathy. It is the whole person that counts, not just physical body symptoms but also mental and emotional symptoms or states. You have to also look at how each symptom is affected by temperature, weather, time of day, motion, position, external stimuli, eating and drinking, sleep, urination, defecation, and other factors. With homeopathy, mental symptoms are usually considered the deepest, though any symptom can be considered deep if it is intense enough.
Vital Force
Homeopaths believe there is a balancing mechanism that keeps us in health. They call this the vital force or you can think of it as your immune system. It is considered an energetic substance that gives us life and is absent at our death. Humans have a relationship with the environment called homeostasis where a living being is self-regulating with a protective tendency to maintain equilibrium and compensate for disruptive changes. Homeopaths believe the vital force produces symptoms to counter the stresses we experience. The symptoms are the body’s way of showing how it is coping with the stresses. Ex: shivering when cold, perspiring when hot, eating or drinking when hungry or thirsty. Homeopaths also believe that disease only attacks when vital force is weakened. The homeopathic remedy is a catalyst to help stimulate the vital force to heal itself. The goal is not to suppress symptoms but to make more effective.
Law of Cures
Homeopaths believe that the body heals following the law of cures. First off, it heals from the inner most organs to the outer most organs. It heals first from the top of your body and works its way down. And lastly, it heals in the reverse order of sickness (for example a runny nose may reappear from last week and then a rash from last month).
Homeopathic safety
Too many pills over a period of time can cause a proving, causing the symptoms that the remedy is supposed to cure. If you start to heal but take more pills, you can cause symptoms to worsen. Or if the wrong remedy is taken, you can cause symptoms of remedy that you took.
You can get a confusion of symptom picture if you pick a remedy based on only one symptom. If the remedy is not based on the whole picture, you could end up with several remedies over time and trying to heal symptoms and the whole picture becomes changed making it hard to find the correct remedy.
Suppression of symptoms is not common with homeopathy but can happen if you are treating based on a single complaint. This could cause the disease to go deeper into the body. If you feel worse in yourself, it may be a poor remedy choice.
Taking the Case
Before taking a case, be sure you are dealing with an acute condition. If taking your own case, realize that it may be hard to be objective. When taking a case you need to get a symptom picture. This is all the symptoms including emotional/mental symptoms, basically the way the body is choosing to exhibit your sickness. Your goal is to match the patient’s symptom picture with that of the correct remedy picture.
When coming up with symptoms, you are looking for the differences in the patient from their normal state of health. Look for clear, strongly marked symptoms, not vague ones. When taking the case of someone else, try to be as general as possible so as not to put words in their mouth. Once you choose symptoms, go through the repertory and start filling out your chart. The goal is to use the chart to narrow down the remedies to a few and then read in the materia medica on those remedies and decide which remedy picture sounds most like the patient. You can then start with the best remedy and if that proves to not work and you can choose the next best, if desired. If the symptom picture changes and help is still needed, the case will have to be taken again.
History
The founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, was a physician and chemist but left his practice when he felt he was doing more harm than good (bloodletting, poisonous doses of mercury and arsenic, and other medical practices that they did in those days). Since he was a scholar of many languages, he took a job translating medical and literary texts. While translating a work by a leading physiologist of the time he was surprised to see a claim that Peruvian bark was effective in treating malaria. The reasoning by the author was due to the Peruvian bark’s bitterness. Hahnemann didn’t believe this, so he tested it on himself. He observed that the symptoms that Peruvian bark produced in a healthy person, were the symptoms of malaria, the very disease that it was known to cure.
He was also able to see this with records of accidental poisonings from other medicines, and after testing it on himself, he found that in overdose, they produced symptoms similar to those of the illness for which they are used. Hahnemann was then able to observe any symptoms of any substance in a healthy person, and could then discover the healing properties of that substance. When a healthy person takes a substance in large doses and then records the symptoms, it is called a proving. Hahnemann went on to prove many other substances.
Example with onion
Homeopathy is a natural pharmaceutical science that uses small doses of substance from plant, mineral, and animal kingdom to stimulate the body’s own defenses. A common remedy for a cold is allium cepa, made from an onion. Because onions make our nose run and our eyes tear, they can aid our body in clearing out the cold virus by further stimulating processes the body is already using. This is as opposed to drugs that dry up mucous membranes and temporarily suppressing the natural healing abilities of the body. Homeopathic remedies are used to support the body in healing that it is already doing.
Allium cepa (made from the onion) is not the only remedy used in treating colds. Because symptoms of one person’s cold are likely different from another persons, the choice of remedy is based on the individual’s unique symptom pattern, rather than on the cold itself. And in fact, it does not matter the name of the illness, just on the symptom picture.
Law of Similars
Homeopathy comes from the two Greek words “homoios” meaning similar and “pathos” meaning disease or suffering. The main principle of homeopathy is the law of similars, which is the principle that a substance will help to heal symptoms similar to those it is known to cause. Nearly any substance can become a homeopathic remedy. After the symptom picture is recorded through provings by using large doses on healthy people, these are recorded in the materia medica. Homeopaths also make use of a repertory, which is an index of symptoms and can be used to narrow down the remedies to the right remedy for a given illness.
Minimum Dose
Another important concept with homeopathy is the minimum dose. Only a very small stimulus is needed to start the healing process so it is best to do nothing more. Another dose may be required but not until the first has completed its action. When Hahnemann first started out he noticed that patients would sometimes develop toxic symptoms as a result of an overdose of the medicine. He began to experiment to see how small a dose he could give and still give a healing response. After years of study he found a method of diluting substances to minimize the toxic properties and at the same time magnify the potential cure. This was called potentization.
Potentization consists of a process of successive dilution. A remedy is started by diluting a substance a specified amount, such as, 1 part substance diluted in 99 parts water or alcohol. The mixture is then successed by striking the bottle against a surface a number of times. The dilution and succession is repeated till it gets to the determined strength. The more times a substance has been diluted and successed, the higher it’s potency (and number value) and the more powerful the remedy.
Ex:
(c) Diluted 1 part per 99 part water: 3c – diluted and successed 3 times
30c – diluted and successed 30 times
(x) Diluted 1 part per 9 part water: 3x – diluted and successed 3 times
30x – diluted and successed 30 times
For at-home prescribing, you would want to stick with 30c or any remedy that has been successed less than that like 6c. If you take an online class, you should have the confidence to use the stronger remedies as high as 200c, but no higher.
Treat whole person
The concept of treating the whole person is very important in homeopathy. It is the whole person that counts, not just physical body symptoms but also mental and emotional symptoms or states. You have to also look at how each symptom is affected by temperature, weather, time of day, motion, position, external stimuli, eating and drinking, sleep, urination, defecation, and other factors. With homeopathy, mental symptoms are usually considered the deepest, though any symptom can be considered deep if it is intense enough.
Vital Force
Homeopaths believe there is a balancing mechanism that keeps us in health. They call this the vital force or you can think of it as your immune system. It is considered an energetic substance that gives us life and is absent at our death. Humans have a relationship with the environment called homeostasis where a living being is self-regulating with a protective tendency to maintain equilibrium and compensate for disruptive changes. Homeopaths believe the vital force produces symptoms to counter the stresses we experience. The symptoms are the body’s way of showing how it is coping with the stresses. Ex: shivering when cold, perspiring when hot, eating or drinking when hungry or thirsty. Homeopaths also believe that disease only attacks when vital force is weakened. The homeopathic remedy is a catalyst to help stimulate the vital force to heal itself. The goal is not to suppress symptoms but to make more effective.
Law of Cures
Homeopaths believe that the body heals following the law of cures. First off, it heals from the inner most organs to the outer most organs. It heals first from the top of your body and works its way down. And lastly, it heals in the reverse order of sickness (for example a runny nose may reappear from last week and then a rash from last month).
Homeopathic safety
Too many pills over a period of time can cause a proving, causing the symptoms that the remedy is supposed to cure. If you start to heal but take more pills, you can cause symptoms to worsen. Or if the wrong remedy is taken, you can cause symptoms of remedy that you took.
You can get a confusion of symptom picture if you pick a remedy based on only one symptom. If the remedy is not based on the whole picture, you could end up with several remedies over time and trying to heal symptoms and the whole picture becomes changed making it hard to find the correct remedy.
Suppression of symptoms is not common with homeopathy but can happen if you are treating based on a single complaint. This could cause the disease to go deeper into the body. If you feel worse in yourself, it may be a poor remedy choice.
Taking the Case
Before taking a case, be sure you are dealing with an acute condition. If taking your own case, realize that it may be hard to be objective. When taking a case you need to get a symptom picture. This is all the symptoms including emotional/mental symptoms, basically the way the body is choosing to exhibit your sickness. Your goal is to match the patient’s symptom picture with that of the correct remedy picture.
When coming up with symptoms, you are looking for the differences in the patient from their normal state of health. Look for clear, strongly marked symptoms, not vague ones. When taking the case of someone else, try to be as general as possible so as not to put words in their mouth. Once you choose symptoms, go through the repertory and start filling out your chart. The goal is to use the chart to narrow down the remedies to a few and then read in the materia medica on those remedies and decide which remedy picture sounds most like the patient. You can then start with the best remedy and if that proves to not work and you can choose the next best, if desired. If the symptom picture changes and help is still needed, the case will have to be taken again.