WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY?
….And Why it Should be Part of your Health Strategy
Homeopathy is a system of medicine that has been used all over the world for centuries. It is fundamentally different from conventional/western (allopathic) medicine. Whereas conventional medicine focuses on suppression of symptoms, homeopathy seeks to correct the underlying imbalance that caused the symptoms in the first place. Homeopathy achieves this by strengthening the body's own defenses, thereby allowing the body to heal itself. It can treat acute conditions such as strep throat, sinus infections or injuries and much more! Just a few examples of chronic conditions that it can uproot are psoriasis, asthma, keratosis pilaris, anxiety and depression. Read to the end to learn more examples of conditions I have witnessed homeopathy be able to uproot and treat first-hand!
It’s unfortunate that the word homeopathy has the prefix “home” in it because it gives the impression that homeopathy is synonymous with home remedies, food supplements, vitamins and herbs. In fact, homeopathy does not incorporate any of these modalities. It is medicine used to treat pathology in the body (disease, disorders, conditions etc.).
Homeopathy is derived from the Greek word “homeo” meaning like or similar, and “pathos” meaning pathology or illness. The literal meaning of homeopathy is “similar illness”. This means that a homeopathic medicine is administered based upon its ability to mimic the disease state. A fundamental tenet of homeopathy is the “Law of Similars”, also known as “like cures like”. This means that a substance that will produce symptoms in a healthy person can actually cure those same symptoms in an ill person.
Homeopathy is the practice of compounding small doses of natural substances from plant, animal, or mineral sources into homeopathic remedies (or medicines). The completed remedy contains only a tiny amount of the original substance, which carries information to the body to gently stimulate the healing process. This information works on a nano-particle level (very minute amount!) as the homeopathic medicines are highly diluted. The process of manufacturing, which includes dilution and succussion (shaking), is unique to homeopathic preparations.
Here is an example of the Law of Similars with the homeopathic remedy, Allium Cepa (Latin for onion). If you chop an onion, you will most likely experience watery or burning eyes, a runny nose, and sometimes sneezing. Where else do we see this constellation of symptoms? If you thought seasonal allergies, then you are right! If your seasonal allergies present with burning, watery eyes and a runny nose, then the homeopathic preparation of an onion – Allium Cepa – could effectively treat your seasonal allergies. This is the principle of homeopathy, “like cures like”. For the remedy Allium Cepa, the onion is highly diluted to make a homeopathic remedy. Whereas exposure to an onion can cause symptoms like watery/burning eyes, a runny nose and sometimes sneezing, taking a homeopathic diluted form of the onion can eliminate those same symptoms in someone who has seasonal allergies.
Homeopathy has been practiced for over 230 years, and the World Health Organization reports that it is the second most widely used primary health care modality in the world. Today, homeopathy is the fastest growing method of medicine throughout the world!
500 million people every year receive homeopathic treatment
5,000 French physicians prescribe homeopathy regularly
21 out of 24 Colleges of Pharmacy in France teach homeopathy
The royal family of England has been under homeopathic care since the 1930s
There are over 100 homeopathic medical schools in India and to be a trained homeopath in India, you must also be trained as a medical doctor (MD)
In Germany, over 25 percent of family physicians use homeopathy
Homeopathy had its beginning in eighteenth century Germany with its founder Samuel Hahnemann, a physician and scholar whose practice included aristocracy and royalty. Disappointed in the results of the medicine that he and his colleagues were then using, Hahnemann left his prominent practice. He went on to discover a profound natural law, the Law of Similars, which became the foundation for homeopathy
Unfortunately, the medical community in the U.S. in the twenty-first century has strayed far from the use of nontoxic, inexpensive, efficient natural medicines, despite the fact that homeopathy is not associated with any known side effects.
How did I get Interested in Homeopathy? Tasting Success…
I was first introduced to homeopathy in 2014 when an Osteopathic doctor recommended that I use it for my daughter’s broken toe. My interest peaked in learning this form of medicine in 2018 when a colleague of mine repetitively kept talking to me about it, peaking my curiosity to learn more. My first ah-ha was using it to treat my child’s strep throat successfully without antibiotics. I have taken several continuing education courses to learn more.
I have successfully used it for many conditions with my family and clients since then. Some examples of how I have seen homeopathy first-hand heal and uproot conditions in my family and clients include:
Why Do I Incorporate Homeopathy into my Nutritional Therapy Practice?
The success I have witnessed first hand with my family, friends and clients has convinced me that it is an effective modality. In addition, homeopathy is easy, relatively inexpensive, and without side effects. It can completely uproot a chronic condition or eliminate an acute condition, without needing to stay on the homeopathic medicine forever.
Homeopathy can be used alongside Nutritional Therapy for the best long-term outcomes for my clients. Both Nutritional Therapy and homeopathy have the ability to uproot chronic health conditions. Homeopathy is a fantastic go-to for acute conditions to avoid the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Through learning the principles of Nutritional Therapy, clients can support their body to be in balance and prevent the onset of pathology (disease, disorders and conditions).
With conventional medicine, mismanaged treatment of acute conditions often leads to chronic conditions (i.e. how pharmaceutical drugs used for an acute situation can lead to new chronic conditions developing). This is not so with homeopathy. Acute conditions that are treated with homeopathy resolve the problem without damaging the body in the process.
For example, the conventional approach to strep throat is antibiotics. This may temporarily relieve the pain associated with strep throat, but for many people, the strep throat returns again and again, with more and more rounds of antibiotics required. A well-known determiner of health is gut flora (your beneficial bacteria). Antibiotics given for strep throat will destroy beneficial bacteria and devastate the ecosystem of the gut. It is naïve to think that you can restore your healthy gut flora by taking a probiotic or eating yogurt after taking antibiotics. Many strains will never return to repopulate your gut with a round of broad-spectrum antibiotics and a much more involved process is required to support the gut after antibiotics. A loss of diversity of beneficial bacteria sets the stage for many health conditions – allergic conditions, neurological/mental health conditions, autoimmune disease and so on. Homeopathy can successfully treat strep throat with homeopathic medicine, without the side effects that something like antibiotics carries for your long-term health.
The Bottom Line about Homeopathy
It works! When you use the correct homeopathic remedy at the correct potency and frequency, it is truly an amazing medicine. It can uproot conditions for good, without needing to stay on the remedy for the rest of your life.
Still skeptical? Read more here to learn about how the father of American homeopathy started out as a skeptic himself.