What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a gentle, effective and non-toxic form of medicine that was developed over 200 years ago by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann.
It is recognised as the second most widely used system of medicine in the world (source: the World Health Organisation) and is used extensively in India, Italy, Germany, Holland, Scotland, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Europe, Britain, Brazil, Chile, Argentina.
It has been used by the Royal Family since Queen Victoria (1830).
There are 5 homeopathic hospitals in Great Britain which are run by the British National Health Service.
Law of SimilarsHahnemann rediscovered the law of similars, which was first established by Hippocrates 2,500 years ago. Through experimentation, he discovered that minute dilutions of a substance would cure his patients of the symptoms that a larger dose would cause.
This is known as the law of similars or 'like cures like'. All homeopathic medicines are prescribed according to this law of similars and minute doses are used.
Example: Coffea
In its crude form, coffee stimulates the nervous system and can cause sleeplessness if taken last thing at night. Some people take it with the specific purpose of staying awake and alert. Coffea, the homeopathic remedy, when taken in minute doses has the opposite effect. Coffea is one of the remedies commonly used for those suffering with insomnia, to soothe the nerves and promote sleep.
Treating the Cause
Homeopathy differs from conventional medicine in that it does not view symptoms as a disease to be suppressed. Instead, symptoms are seen as a sign of imbalance and ill health. Homeopathy seeks to treat the symptoms and thereby the cause of illness, by strengthening the individual (physically, mentally and emotionally), thereby releasing energy, and enabling the body to heal itself and get back into balance.
Why is Homeopathy so popular?Recent years have seen a huge growth of interest in homeopathy. This is part of the surge of interest in complementary therapies driven by worries about environmental problems such as chemicals in food, and concerns about the side effects and failings of many conventional drugs and treatments. People would like to be treated as individuals and want their practitioners to take time to listen.
- Remedies are based on natural ingredients only and are not tested on animals – all homeopathic medicines are tested through systematic trials with healthy human volunteers.
- Homeopathy is safe. For everyone including babies and pregnant women.
- It addresses the person, not the 'disease'. A homeopath considers the complaints of a patient in totality. You are considered to be a whole entity, not a collection of body parts, or a disease label, so you don't have to visit ten different specialists for each part. Thus homeopathy saves time, money and health.
- Homeopathy works in harmony with your immune system, unlike some conventional medicines that suppress the immune system. (For example, cough medicines suppress the cough reflex, which is your body's attempt to clear the lungs.)
- It is a complementary therapy, and can be taken alongside other medication as well as on its own.
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