Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine used by over 200 million people worldwide to treat both acute and chronic conditions. It is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’. In other words, a substance taken in small amounts will cure the same symptoms it causes if it were taken in large amounts.
The holistic nature of homeopathy means each person is treated as a unique individual and their body, mind, spirit and emotions are all considered in the management and prevention of disease. Taking all these factors into account a homeopath will select the most appropriate medicine based on the individual’s specific symptoms and personal level of health to stimulate their own healing ability.
Homeopathic medicines are safe to use as they rarely cause side-effects. This means when used appropriately under the guidance of a qualified homeopath they can be taken by people of all ages, including babies, children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Wondering why it would be beneficial to use homeopathic substances to help treat an illness or health problem if the same substance seems to also contribute to illness? The idea is that this practice helps stimulate the immune system and the body’s natural ability to heal. As the School Of Homeopathy states, “that which a substance is capable of causing, it is also capable of curing.
One of the most important principles of homeopathic medicine is that treatments must be “individualized” and tailored to each person’s specific symptoms, history, body and needs. Even if two people are battling the same illness, they can receive completely different commendations from their homeopathic doctors based on their unique situation and how their body would be expected to respond.
What makes homeopathy very different from conventional medicine is that a patient’s emotions and personality are highly important. It’s common for a homeopathic doctor to talk in depth with a patient about their stress levels, relationships, personal characteristics, family and so on. Patients respond differently to a range of doses of homeopathic medicines, some needing much higher doses than others based on their current situation. Homeopathic remedies — whether adaptogen herbs , minerals, medicinal mushrooms or animal products, for example — are diluted to a certain potency depending on the patient’s needs, and the goal is to always use the minimum dose possible that will still offer benefits.
One of the most important principles of homeopathic medicine is that treatments must be “individualised” and tailored to each person’s specific symptoms, history, body and needs. Even if two people are battling the same illness, they can receive completely different commendations from their homeopathic doctors based on their unique situation and how their body would be expected to respond.
What makes homeopathy very different from conventional medicine is that a patient’s emotions and personality are highly important. It’s common for a homeopathic doctor to talk in depth with a patient about their stress levels, relationships, personal characteristics, family and so on. Patients respond differently to a range of doses of homeopathic medicines, some needing much higher doses than others based on their current situation. Homeopathic remedies — whether adaptogen herbs , minerals, medicinal mushrooms or animal products, for example — are diluted to a certain potency depending on the patient’s needs, and the goal is to always use the minimum dose
Here are some key facts about homeopathy and an overview of how this system works:
Homeopathic doctors first evaluate a patient and identify symptoms of an illness in order to “match” them with a remedy. Symptoms are usually graded depending on their intensity and frequency, and then specific remedies are assigned.
Because homeopathy is a “holistic” practice, the patient’s entire lifestyle, habits and background are considered. There’s a very strong emphasis on emotional symptoms and conditions that might be contributing to an illness. For example, homeopathy takes into account that emotional stress can trigger tension headache and a lack of sleep can contribute to digestive issues.
A core belief in homeopathy is that mental and emotional symptoms are so important that they even outweigh many physical symptoms. The reason for this belief is that someone’s personality, beliefs and mental/emotional symptoms are characteristic of the entire individual and affects their ability to heal.
Many homeopathic remedies have names written in Latin (after their animal, mineral or plant source) and are assigned a number and ratio to describe how strong the solution is.
It’s common for homeopathic medicines to be called “tinctures” or “mother tinctures,” which are simply solutions made from either grinding, distilling or extracting active ingredients in to some sort of carrier (usually either alcohol or water).
Based on the number of “potentization steps” needed, a homeopathic remedy is diluted to a certain degree and assigned based on intensity of symptoms. Decimal potency numbers or ratios are given to each remedy, in order to state the ratio of active chemical ingredients in relation to either water or alcohol.
In homeopathic medicine, there is an important distinction between “potency” and “strength” of a remedy. A remedy is not always considered to be stronger or better if it’s more potent, since each person’s reaction to a potency will be different.
Many homeopathic substances are capable of causing toxicity, poisoning or negative reactions if taken in high enough doses (like mercury, arsenic or even snake venom, for example). Therefore, very low doses are usually administered — even doses so low that the substance itself if practically unidentifiable due to be being heavily diluted.