Homeopathy is an effective and scientific system of healing which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognizes that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient who needs treatment not the disease.

In 1796 a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann, discovered a different approach to the cure of the sick which he called homeopathy (from the Greek words meaning 'similar suffering'). There are two ways of treating illness, the way of opposites and the way of similars (or likes treating likes).

Take for example, a case of insomnia. The way of opposites, (conventional medicine or allopathy), is to treat this by giving a drug to bring on an artificial sleep. This frequently involves the use of large or regular doses of drugs which can sometimes cause side effects or addiction.

The homeopathic way is to give the patient a minute dose of a substance, such as coffee, which in large doses causes insomnia in many people. This will help the patient to sleep naturally. Most homeopaths today, use machines that add the electromagnetic vibration to a substance, not the actual substance itself. This is an amazing machine!

Homeopathic remedies cannot cause side effects and you cannot become addicted to them. This is because only a very minute amount of the active ingredient (or its electromagnetic vibration) is used in a formula called a remedy. Occassionally there will be a minor aggravation (or worsening) of the symptoms. This is a sign the remedy is working, but the dosage may need to be adjusted. Call your homeopath for instructions.

Your homeopath will give you a homeopathic medicine or remedy which matches your symptoms as you experience them. This also takes account of you as a person - your individual characteristics emotionally as well as physically.

Homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body's own healing power. This stimulus will assist your own system to clear itself of any expressions of imbalance. The aim is to get you to a level of health so that eventually you will require little or infrequent treatment.

After taking your remedy you may notice some changes. Some patients experience a period of exceptional well being and optimism. Sometimes your symptoms can appear to get worse for a short time. This is a good sign that the remedy is taking effect. Sometimes a cold, rash or some form of discharge may appear as a 'spring cleaning' effect which means your system is going through a cleaning stage. Similarly, old symptoms can reappear, usually for a short period, especially if you are treating the entire body. These symptoms will pass, and must not be treated as they are a very important part of the healing process. You need plenty of rest during this cleansing time, as well as drinking plenty of fluids. If any response to your treatment concerns you or seems to last too long, you should contact your practioner as soon as possible.

How quickly you recover depends on the symptoms you have, how long you have experienced them, as well as the other individual characteristics of your case. It is possible to say that a slowly developing symptom, or one that has been around for a long time, will not disappear immediately although there may be a response and some improvement quite soon. Other acute complaints may get better more quickly. Homeopathic remedies are very effective for colds, flu, poison oak, etc. It is also very effective in the treatment of cancer.

Homeopathy cures from the inside, and often outer symptoms such as a skin complaint, are the last to clear. In the long term it is much better for you to be cured of both the cause of your illness and its symptoms, rather than merely relieving or suppressing the symptoms. Remember that every case is different, and no two patients are alike.

There has been some good scientific research published in medical journals and other scientific publications. The LANCET (September 20, 1997) published a review of 89 double-blind or randomized placebo- controlled clinical trials. The authors conclude that the clinical effects of homeopathic medicines are not simply the results of placebo. In fact, they found that homeopathic medicines had a 2.45 times greater effect than placebo.

Another survey of research published in the British Medical Journal (February 9, 1991) indicated that there have been 107 controlled clinical trials, 81 of which showed that the homeopathic medicines had beneficial results.

Homeopathy is popular in many countries in the world. In the United States it was popular in the late 1800s. At the turn of the century, 15% of physicians were homeopathic physicians. The A.M.A. was seriously threatened by homeopaths and began to work against the method. The A.M.A. was so threatened by homeopathy that from 1860 to the early 1900s a physician would lose their membership in the A.M.A if they even consulted with a homeopath. The A.M.A. also applied pressure on various funding sources so that the homeopathic schools had difficulty staying alive.

Homeopathy is popular in France, England, Germany, Greece, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and South Africa. Approximately 40% of the French public have used homeopathic medicines, and 39% of the French physicians have prescribed the medicines. About 20% of German physicians occasionally utilize these natural medicines, and 45% of Dutch physicians consider them effective. According to a survey in the British Medical Journal (June 7, 1986), 42% of British physicians survey refer patients to homeopathic physicians, and a New York Times article reported that visits to British homeopaths is growing at a rate of 39% a year. It has been reported that the royal family visits homeopaths.

The growth of homeopathy in the United States is slowly growing as more people realize that this method of healing is superior in many ways to traditional medicine. The side effects of many medications are serious and even life threatening. This is not the case with homeopathic rememdies. You never need to worry about side effects!

Click here to return to www.teachingwithwisdom.com
Click here to return to www.parentingwithwisdom.com