Homeopathy is a medical method, science and art that centers on a comprehensive view of the individual, which allows treatment and healing on the deepest possible physical, emotional and spiritual levels. It is based on the principle of “like cures like,” which has a documented history of application dating back to Hippocrates, and even 2,500 years ago to Moses and the Old Testament. The substance that creates the symptoms of a specific illness in a healthy person is used in a very diluted form to heal that disease in a sick person; thus, “like cures like.”
In 1810, Samuel Hahnemann, M.D., became the first “modern” physician to apply this principle and develop a scientific method of selecting and prescribing the one single correct “remedy” for each individual case. He did this by conducting clinical trials that he called “provings”: giving a particular substance to healthy people with no symptoms and observing any effects that occurred. By noting in detail the effects of each substance on the physical, emotional, and mental characteristics of various healthy individuals, he started compiling a precise portfolio for the prescribing indications of each of these substances, which he then called “remedies.”
Hahnemann also detailed the precise method for making these remedies, which involves a series of steps for diluting the original substance to be able to gain all the good effects while avoiding any toxic side effects. Each particular “remedy” is made into a liquid dilution that is then placed onto and absorbed into small white pellets, which are then taken by dissolving under the tongue. The homeopathic medicine chest now contains these precise portraits and indications for over 2,000 remedies or substances. The methods and principles of homeopathic medicine were meticulously detailed in Hahnemann’s treatise, The Organon of Medicine, which was first published in 1810 and continues to be published today. Healing on the deepest physical, emotional and spiritual level can occur when homeopathic medicine is applied and prescribed correctly according to Hahnemann’s methods and principles.
The homeopath’s job is to select and prescribe one precise remedy for an individual’s illness based on that person’s physical, emotional, and mental characteristics. The homeopath should also take into account the spiritual patterns that are reflected in that individual’s life. The one single correct remedy prescribed by the homeopath is called a “constitutional” remedy. It has the potential, over time, to treat all aspects of the individual and heal the deeper emotional and spiritual disturbances that usually lie at the origin of physical symptoms and disorders.
There is a great deal of variation in the way that homeopathic medicine is utilized by doctors and practitioners. Some use the remedies in a superficial way, aiming them at symptom relief much as a medical doctor would use a pharmaceutical drug. This is not the way homeopathic treatments were intended to be applied. It is important to find a homeopath who is trained in “Hahnemannian Homeopathy” and prescribes homeopathic remedies from a constitutional perspective.
Homeopathic Treatment Principles and Methods:
- Observe and evaluate all physical, emotional, mental and spiritual characteristics and patterns of the patient.
- Based on this evaluation, select and prescribe one of the 2,000 homeopathic remedies. This one single (“constitutional”) remedy is the substance that best matches all of the individual’s characteristics.
- The “constitutional” remedy is taken daily or periodically at a specific dosage and potency that is adjusted as healing occurs.
- Homeopathic remedies can also be given for acute situations such as a cold, cough, sore throat, food poisoning, after an injury or after surgery to assist healing.
Consequences:
- Healing in the most thorough and natural way without any unwanted side effects.
Pros:
- Potential for complete healing in the deepest possible way, with long-lasting benefits
- Healing of current conditions and maintenance of true health and vitality
- Over time, a change in the actions or attitudes that may have been contributing to discord and disease
Cons:
- The full benefits of “constitutional” homeopathy occur over time; it is a process that takes understanding and patience.
- The correct “constitutional” remedy needs to be prescribed by a well-educated and experienced homeopath.
“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” – Ralph Emerson