Homeopathy is a non-corporate form of medicine that has been around for a long time. Even though you may not have heard much about it, homeopathy is a system of natural healthcare that has been in worldwide use for over 200 years.
Homeopathy treats each person as a unique individual with the aim of stimulating their own healing ability. A trained homeopath selects the most appropriate medicine called homeopathic remedies based on the individual’s specific symptoms and personal level of health. These non-toxic natural homeopathic remedies are specially prepared based on methodologies that have been used for over 200 years.
Homeopathy is a system of medicine used successfully by tens of millions worldwide, and the second most utilized complementary health discipline in the world (according to the World Health Organization 2005). It has a laudable 200-year clinical record of efficacy and safety.
Overview
Over thirty million people in Europe alone already benefit from homeopathic treatment. In India over 100 million benefit. Homeopathy could help you too. Its always best to see a professional homeopath for advice and recommendations for what homeopathic medicine to take for your problems.
After carefully monitoring homeopathic treatment in Switzerland and also taking an extensive overview of all scientific studies of homeopathy a government panel of medical experts and researchers concluded that “taking internal and external validity criteria into account, effectiveness of homeopathy can be supported by clinical evidence and professional and adequate application be regarded as safe”(PubMed).
Homeopathy is a gentle, holistic system of healing, suitable for everyone, young and old. Homeopathy focuses on you as an individual, concentrating on treating your specific physical and emotional symptoms, to give long lasting benefits.
- Homeopathic treatment works with your body’s own healing powers to bring health and well being.
- Patients are treated as individuals, not as a collection of disease labels.
- Homeopathy treats all your symptoms – mental, emotional and physical.
- Homeopathic remedies are specially prepared and are gentle, subtle and powerful.
Definition and Origin
Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a system of alternative medicine. The term derives from the Greek hómoios (similar) and páthos (suffering). The underlying concept of homeopathy is “like cures like” and is based on “the principle of similars”, which asserts that substances known to cause particular symptoms can also, in low and specially prepared doses, help to cure diseases that cause similar symptoms.
Some principles of homeopathy have been utilized in various forms in various medical systems for thouands of years in many diverse cultures, but they were first methodically set out by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843), who observed that a medicine sometimes evoked symptoms similar to those of the illness for which it was prescribed. He subsequently found a way of “potentizing” these substances which reduced the side effects whilst increasing their healing powers. He not only practiced this dramatically effective new medical and alternative approach, he also in a very scholarly way wrote about it.
Homeopathy has consistent principles of how to cure. In homeopathic theory written about in a book called the Organon by Samuel Hahnemann, every person and living creature is said to have a “vital force”, which promotes healing and maintains good health (the term “vital force” is akin to qi in traditional Chinese medicine). In Hahnemann’s and homeopaths’ approach, the symptoms of a disease reflect efforts of the vital force to counter disease forces such as infection, or to resist damage from various stresses. Homeopaths believe with the right gentle stimulus (minimal doses of homeopathic remedies), the body has the ability to overcome disease and move towards cure.
Homeopathic treatment attempts to strengthen this “vital force” with the help of remedies, which are extremely small doses of drugs diluted and vigorously shaken (“succussed”) in water or ethanol and dispensed in pills or liquid form. They are chosen for their ability (in large doses) to provoke the very symptoms that the remedy is intended to heal in these specially prepared smaller doses. Homeopaths believe that this “vital force” is akin to what physiologists would call the body’s “defense systems”.
Homeopathy is practiced by some medical doctors, as well as by other health professionals in virtually every country in the world. There are also homeopathic professionals that just practice homeopathy.
In addition to those homeopathic remedies prescribed by professional homeopaths, homeopathic remedies are used by consumers all over the world for self-treatment of common self-limiting ailments and injuries.
“Classical homeopathy” or “Hahnemannian homeopathy” refers to the original principles of this medical system in which a single remedy is chosen according to the physical, emotional, and mental symptoms that the sick individual is experiencing rather than only the diagnosis of a disease. “Commercial” or “user-friendly” homeopathy refers to the use of a mixture of remedies in a single formula containing individual ingredients that are generally chosen by the manufacturer for treating specific ailments.
The Professional Homeopath
There are no universal standards for homeopathic education, so licensing and regulation varies from country to country and from state to state within the U.S.A. In some countries, health professionals that use homeopathic treatments are MDs (such as France, Spain, Argentina, Colombia). Some countries have exclusively homeopathic medical schools (India, Pakistan, Mexico, Canada etc.), some have naturopathic medicine colleges in which students are taught homeopathy as part of their curriculum (Germany has its “heilpraktica”/health practitioners; the U.S.A., Canada, and Australia have naturopathic medicine schools that include homeopathy).
Some countries certify “professional homeopaths” who have attended homeopathic schools and who then pass independent examinations that grant certification as homeopaths. For example, in Canada homeopathic professionals are certified by government regulations.
Homeopathy is controversial since some science based medical and corporate drug supporters consider it implausible based on their rigid belief in only one methodology which is conventional treatment. They also object to homeopathy being contradictory to a drug based and surgical approach to every disease.
Choosing non-corporate homeopathy as a compliment to conventional treatment or as a specific treatment for a disease is a wise choice.
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See also these posts:
Official Homeopathy Resource 