What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is based on the the law of similars or ‘like cures like’. Simply put, this means that an illness can be relieved by a substance that causes similar symptoms in someone who’s healthy. For example, when a healthy person takes the remedy made from coffee (coffea crudo) it will likely cause insomnia and heart racing; therefore coffea can relieve the same symptoms in someone afflicted with them. This knowledge can be traced back to Aristotle and Hippocrates, but was developed into a highly effective system of medicine by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann in the 1800s. Instead of attacking or fighting disease, homeopathy stimulates the body’s natural inclination to re-balance itself when things aren’t functioning optimally. Each homeopathic remedy contains nano particles of a substance from nature, including, but not limited to plants, animals, and minerals.
By and large, conventional medicine works by suppressing the symptoms of illness. When you have a headache, you take medication that blocks your pain receptors. Your head may feel better but the underlying imbalance that caused the headache hasn’t been addressed. Because of this approach, most people develop recurring problems which never go away completely and each one is considered a random occurrence. Headaches, heartburn, and anxiety in one person are seen as separate, and unrelated, rather than as a pattern of dysfunction coming from a deeper place. By looking at the relationship between you and your symptoms, homeopathy is able to address the root of the dysfunction. By disrupting the unhealthy pattern a true shift can take place. As a result, you will experience greater well-being and freedom in your life in addition to relief from physical complaints.
Homeopathy is Used Worldwide
I think that holistic medicine, though certainly not new, has come into its own in this era. Chronic illnesses are the rule rather than the exception these days and conventional treatments usually have no long term solution. We also have a much greater awareness now of what is good for our bodies and what is not.
Did you know that over 200 million people, worldwide, use homeopathy, either alone or in conjunction with other therapies? Studies have shown that patients using homeopathy along with conventional treatments have better outcomes, take fewer drugs, and save healthcare systems money. Much clinical research has been published in peer-reviewed journals showing positive results for the homeopathic treatment of many common conditions including: respiratory ailments, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, childhood diarrhea, attention deficit disorder, and eczema. For more information about homeopathy including the latest research, you can visit the websites of National Center for Homeopathy and Homeopathy Research Institutes
Homeopathic Remedies
Anything can theoretically be used homeopathically, from metal, to tree bark, to squid ink. The preparation of the remedies involves a unique process of progressive dilution and physical agitation, called potentization, which is extremely precise and methodical. What happens is that the material structure of the substance fades away while its energetic properties are magnified.
There are several thousand homeopathic remedies and information about their healing application is continually being added to and updated. Some substances that have been used by homeopaths for years are also used in modern medicine, such as gold in the treatment of arthritis, digitalis for heart failure, and the herb ipecacuanha for coughs.
Some are skeptical about homeopathy because of the minute amount of substance in the remedies. Like many aspects of cutting edge science, this challenges the traditionally held concept of matter. It’s fair to say, that scientists are still investigating the “how” of homeopathy but there is no question that the effects are measurable and have been replicated in numerous controlled studies. In addition to current studies, we have years and years of clinical success showing remarkable health outcomes.
Interestingly, a number of Nobel laureates in physics, immunology, and medicine who understand or have experimented themselves with potentization, have validated the science at the core of homeopathy. What seems to be happening is that during agitation of the diluted substance, the water is restructured to carry its imprint. Physicist Brian David Josephson has said “Simple-minded analysis may suggest that water, being a fluid, cannot have a structure of the kind that such a picture would demand. But cases such as that of liquid crystals, which while flowing like an ordinary fluid can maintain an ordered structure over macroscopic distances, show the limitations of such ways of thinking. There have not, to the best of my knowledge, been any refutations of homeopathy that remain valid after this particular point is taken into account.”(1)
Cost Effective and Environmentally Friendly
Homeopathic remedies are great for the environment because chemicals are not necessary for their production and the use of natural resources is kept to a minimum. Literally, thousands of doses can be made from a single substance sample, so homeopathy is ideal in terms of sustainability. Remedies are inexpensive, of high quality, and effective for many years as long as they are stored in a cool dark place. Properly prepared and prescribed, homeopathic remedies are very safe and can be given to pregnant women, babies, children, and animals.
1. Dr. Brian D. Josephson’s (Emeritus Professor, University of Cambridge) response to an article in the New Scientist (October 18, 1997) Ref: How Homeopathic Medicines Work: Nanopharmacology At Its Best
How Remedies are Made
Take a look at this video from Helios Homeopathy, a pharmacy in England, demonstrating the painstaking process of making remedies.
If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve obviously never been in bed with a mosquito.
the dalai lama
buddhist spiritual leader