What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a complementary or alternative medical system that originated in Germany. Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s ability by giving very small doses of highly diluted substances that larger doses would produce illness or symptoms (an approach called likes cures likes). In homeopathy, a key premise is that every person has energy called a vital force or self-healing response. When this energy is disrupted or imbalanced, health problems develop. Homeopathy aims to stimulate the body’s own healing responses and encourage the body to return to a natural state of balance and health.
Millions of people across the world use and rely on homeopathic remedies. In many European countries and in India there is a growing trend of medical doctors referring patients to homeopathic physicians.
What are the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of homeopathy?
Homeopathy is based on the philosophy that the body, mind, and emotions are not separate and distinct, but are fully integrated. A homeopath seeks a remedy that fits all of a patient’s physical and psychological symptoms. Although some people’s symptoms may be complex, a well-trained homeopath will know which symptoms should be specially noted, and can choose an effective, individualized remedy.
Prolonged emotional stress can cause physical problems, such as difficulty in digesting foods, weaker immune system, etc. The opposite is also true. Illness and physical problems can result in anxiety or emotional uneasiness. Therefore, it is important for a homeopath to conduct an in-depth interview of a patient to ensure a proper, all encompassing remedy.
What are the three levels of homeopathic therapy?
Level 1: First Aid Homeopathy can be used to safely treat common ailments and occurrences, such as sprains and bruises, skin irritations, teething pain, etc.
Level 2: Homeopathy in Acute Conditions treats temporary conditions, such as colds, flu, coughs, etc. Homeopathy can also be used to assist sensitive conditions such as pregnancy and very safe for infants and children.
Level 3: Constitutional Homeopathy refers to the treatment of a person as a whole, including past and present symptoms. Homeopathy can be extremely effective in treating chronic and long-term health problems. Recurrent ear infections, for example, can be treated with a homeopathic remedy strengthening the body’s immune system.
What is the relationship between symptoms and homeopathy?
Symptoms are the language of a disease, the body’s attempt to balance itself. Without symptoms, a person could have a potentially life threatening illness with no way of identifying it. Did you know that a fever is the body’s attempt to activate the immune system’s white blood cells and defend itself from infection? If a person is given a symptom-suppressing medication, fighting the fever too soon, they will be less able to fight the actual infection.
Homeopathy does not seek to remove or suppress symptoms. Its goal is to recognize and remove the underlying cause of these symptoms.
How can the correct homeopathic remedy be found?
Finding the appropriate homeopathic remedy depends upon gaining a complete understanding of the patient as a whole person. This means that the homeopath must take note of the physical, mental, and emotional levels of each person before deciding on a correct remedy.
Homeopathic remedies have been described as “designer medicines.” While this might seem like a simplistic and trendy view, it is true that remedies are specially “designed” for individuals based upon their unique, and sometimes complex, state of being.
Take for example migraine headaches. We could easily demonstrate that one person might have pain on one side of their head, while another person had pain on both sides. Still another person could have nausea accompanying the migraine, and yet another could have dizziness. It is important to recognize that there are underlying psychological and emotional aspects as well.
What is the patient’s role?
While it is the homeopath’s job to elicit relevant information by asking probing questions, the patient can expect a higher chance of receiving an effective homeopathic remedy if he or she is open and truthful in describing physical and psychological symptoms.
What you will experience when you receive the correct remedy can include the disappearance of specific symptoms, more energy, stronger immune system functions, and a sense of increased well-being. Homeopathic treatments have rapid and far-reaching effects. Even if the changes require time to develop, they usually are long-lasting.
Rina Valia, consulting homeopath at Pacific Homeopathy, is presently running a Free Flu Clinic. Contact her at (408) 835-7420, or rina@pacifichomeopathy.com. Visit her website at www.pacifichomeopathy.com.