Homoeopathy (=homeopathy)
Homos+ Pathos = Similar Suffering.
It
is a science which deals with the suffering of living being &
based on the nature's Law of Cure, namely 'Like Cures Like'. This
nature's law of cure was rediscovered and applied successfully
for treating human race by a German scientist Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
in 1796, and has been verified experimentally and clinically for
200 years. Homoeopathy is the revolutionary, natural medical science.
Homoeopathy is gentle and effective system of medicine. The remedies
are prepared from natural substances to precise standards and work
by stimulating the body's own healing power.
Homoeopathy
is a therapeutic system. Its principles differ from those of conventional
medicine, as does its approach to the patient and to the concept
of ill health. However, it cannot replace all other forms of health
care. It can be used as the treatment of first choice in a wide
range of conditions and can be a useful addition, or "complement"
in other situations, for example, to support good recovery after
operations.
The
concepts of disease and healing which are described in homeopathic
books are quite similar to modern scientific concepts. Homeopathy
emphasises the importance of treating individuals as individuals
and of understanding the whole person as opposed to only understanding
a single "diseased part".
"Complementary not alternative"
The
body has many complex health-maintaining defensive mechanisms. The
immune system is an essential part of this, but other factors also
have a role to play. If thesemechanisms fail, then we sustain damage
or wounds which then have to be repaired.Homeopathy works by stimulating
both the health-maintaining and the repair mechanisms.
Modern
homeopathic doctors work in the same way as their conventional colleagues.
History taking, examination and investigation are all important
in establishing the diagnosis - in understanding just what is wrong.
However, homeopathic doctors consider a wider range of aspects of
the patient's condition - personality traits, physical features,
the effects of a variety of environmental influences, patterns of
disease within families, and family and social relationships.
Homeopathic
medicine was first described by Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755 - 1843).
Hahnemann was a German physician who was dissatisfied with the medical
therapies and theories of his day. As he was translating a book
by the Scot, Cullen, on medicines and their uses, Hahnemann challenged
the ideas about how such medicines might work. This led him to take
the substance himself so he could experience and describe its effects
on a healthy human being. Repeating this type of experiment with
other healthy volunteers (these experiments were called "provings")
led him to observe and describe the basic principles of homeopathic
medicine.
"Like
cures like"
The
first observation was that the symptoms of an illness were identical
to the symptoms experienced by a healthy individual who had been
given a drug which could treat that illness.
Although
this is quite the opposite of the way conventional doctors use drugs,
there are some modern drugs which work on exactly this principle.
Digoxin, for example, can both cause and cure heart irregularities.
The
minimum effective dose
His
second observation arose from his desire to minimise the harmful
effects of the drugs which doctors were using. He did this by repeatedly
diluting and succussing (shaking) each medicine to reduce its potential
to poison and cause harm. What surprised him in his use of these
preparations was that the more stages of dilution and succussion
the drug had gone through, the greater it’s potential
to cure quickly and harmlessly.
This
latter observation is still the most controversial one. How can
a medicine be more effective in a greater dilution? Indeed, many
homeopathic preparations have been subjected to so many stages of
this process that it is highly unlikely that any single molecules
of the original substance remain.
Current
research is focusing on the ability of water to retain an imprint
of substances which have been dissolved in it. Whatever the mechanism,
there is a substantial growing body of evidence that homeopathy
works, is safe, effective and cost-effective.
Homoeopathy: Holistic Medicine
The
concept of disease in homoeopathy is that disease is a total affection
of mind, body & Spirit, the disturbance of the whole organism.
Individual organs are not the cause of illness but disturbance at
the inner level (disturbance of the life force, the vital energy
of the body) is the cause of illness. Therefore homoeopathy does
not believe in giving different medicines for different afflicted
parts of body but rather give one single constitutional remedy which
will cover the disturbance of the whole person. Homoeopathy treats
the patient as a whole and not just the disease. Medical philosophy
is coming more and more to the conclusion that the mere treatment
of symptoms and organs can only help temporarily and that it is
the healing power of the body as whole that has to be enhanced.
Homoeopathy
works with holistic, totalistic and individualistic approach.
The
place of homeopathy in clinical care
Homeopathy
can be used to treat a wide range of conditions. It can help to
repair any damage which the body has the potential to repair, and
help restore the balances and mechanisms involved in recovery and
health. It is widely used, for example, in conditions such as asthma,
eczema and premenstrual syndrome. Despite the differences in approach,
homeopathic and conventional treatments can work very well alongside
each other. Following are the condition where Homoeopathic treatment
can do wonders;
Homoeopathy:
Excellent for Psychosomatic ailments
The
psychosomatic disorders like Migraine, Asthma, Acidity, Peptic ulcer,
Allergy, Ulcerative colitis, etc. are successfully treated with
homoeopathy. Homoeopathy has always believed the psychological origin
of somatic (body) symptoms. Homoeopaths almost always examines patient's
mental make-up in all cases and remedies are given acting at the
level of mind and body together, thus eradicating the disease.
Perhaps
no other system of medicine has such a superb approach of tackling
the mind-body disorders with definite therapeutic agents. Homoeopathic
remedies are capable of influencing the state of mind. They can
specifically act to alleviate emotional disturbance such as excessive
anxiety, irritability, insecurity, obsessive traits, undue jealousy,
suspicion (paranoid) fears, depression, neurosis etc. By relieving
the emotions such as above, homeopathic
remedies bring about harmonious state of health. Thus homoeopathy
demonstrates the possibility of the highest goal of medicine, the
therapy for the person rather than for the disease alone. Homoeopathic
remedies can positively affect mental & emotional disturbed
states.
Homoeopathy:
Ideal for Infants and Children
Most
of the children's ailments like Cold, Cough, Fever, Vomiting, Diarrhea,
Dysentery, Colic, Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Asthma, Measles, Chickenpox,
Mumps, Dentition problems, etc., could be very effectively and quickly
treated with homoeopathy without producing any side effects whatsoever.
Unlike antibiotics and other such medicines, homeopathic pills do
not hamper digestion, nor lower body's resistance. They neither
cause any allergies nor cause any damage even if taken over a long
period. Homoeopathic pills being sweet in taste, is willingly ingested
by children. Indeed, homoeopathy is child-Friendly ! Besides, homoeopathy
is effective also in temperament and behavioral problems seen commonly
in children like irritability, obstinacy, temper-tantrums, fears,
phobias, destructiveness; and thumb- sucking, nail biting, bed-wetting;
as well as in mentally & physically backward children.
Homoeopathy
offers best treatment for Viral Infections
Viral
infections such as common cold, influenza, measles, chickenpox,
mumps, viral hepatitis (jaundice), viral meningitis etc. are very
well treated with homoeopathy.
Homoeopathy:
Answer to Allergic diseases<
In
modern life infections have diminished and various allergic disorders
have grown rampant. Homoeopathy offers very effective treatment
in all allergic diseases such as various skin diseases like Urticaria,
Eczema, Contact Dermatitis, as well as gives unbelievably miraculous
results in Asthmatic Bronchitis.
|