Homeopathy

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a medical science developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann(1755-1843), a German physician. It is based on the principle that “like cures like”. In simple words, it means that any substance, which can produce symptoms in a healthy person, can cure similar symptoms in a person who is sick. This idea is referred to as the “Law of Similars“, and was understood by Aristotle and Hippocrates and mentioned in ancient Hindu manuscripts. It was Hahnemann, however, who turned it into a science of healing.

Here are examples of this principle:

An onion is a substance which makes your eyes water and your nose burn. If you are having an attack of hay fever with watering eyes and a burning nose, a homeopathic remedy made from onion can relieve it.
Poison ivy causes redness, intense itching, burning, blistering and sometimes stiff muscles. Homeopathically it has been used for everything from herpes and burns to eczema and arthritis.
When you are stung by a bee you feel a burning, stinging pain and the tissues surrounding the area swell up. Some relief is gained from applying cold to the area. If you had swollen tonsils with burning and stinging pain relieved by cold, a homeopathic remedy prepared from the same source could cure.

Homeopathy is a medical science developed by Dr. Currently there are three thousand substances used as homeopathic remedies to treat everything from colds and cough to arthritis and cancer. A second principle of homeopathy is that you should give the least amount of medicine necessary to evoke a healing response. This is called the “Minimum Dose”. We all know that normal medicines can cause side effects, leading to much suffering or even death. In an effort to prevent side effects, Hahnemann began successive dilution with agitation of his medicines, to find the point at which they would be therapeutic, but not toxic.

“At Least 100 Million People In India Use Homeopathic Medicines For All Of Their Health Care Needs”

— According To The Lancet (A Medical Journal)

History of Homeopathy

1789 : LEIPZIG , GERMANY A young German doctor was translating Cullen’s Materia Medica from English to German, when he came across the explanation given by Cullen about the curative powers of Peruvian ( Cinchona ) bark in curing cases of Malaria. The doctor was uneasy with the explanation which was given, so he took the crude drug himself to see how it acted. To his great surprise he soon developed symptoms like malaria. After a few days he repeated the experiments with the same results. The doctor was convinced that the drug which was the best agent to cure malaria in the sick had produced the very same symptoms of Malaria in his healthy body.

Samuel Hahnemann was born on 10th April 1755, to a porcelain painter of Meissen, Saxony Germany. He was the eldest of a family of ten. There was not enough to support a large family & therefore his father wanted him to follow the same trade as himself. But even as a child he showed an intense passion & wonderful aptitude for learning, so that even when his father removed him from school, he continued his studies on his own. Soon his teachers prevailed upon his father to allow the boy to continue his studies & they offered to forego all their fees. Such was his brilliance that by the age of 22, he had mastered 9 languages including Hebrew, Greek, English, Latin, French, Spanish & Italian. Whenever he wanted to know anything contained in a foreign language, he learned that language & obtained from it whatever he needed. In 1779, he got his M.D. & set himself in practice. Besides seeing patients, he wrote many articles on different topics. He became a recognized authority on chemistry & there are some chemical tests in use even today that were formulated by him. As a doctor too he was a physician of such mature reflection & experience, that soon he was accepted as ” one of the most distinguished physicians of Germany”.

After his experiments with the Cinchona bark in 1789, he conducted similar experiments { Provings } on himself, his family & friends during a span of 6 yrs. He recorded the symptoms thus produced & correlated them with the symptoms of the diseases they were being prescribed for. In 1796, Hahnemann published his findings in an article entitled “Essay on the new principle for ascertaining the curative power of drugs” wherein he explained his theory of Similia Similibus Curantur.

By 1810 , he proved many more drugs to be absolutely certain about his hypothesis about the mode of action of drugs. It was then that he published his most important book “The Organon of Rational Art of Healing”. In it he laid down the principles of treatment of diseases & called this system “HOMOEOPATHY”

Over the next 11 yrs. he had to move from place to place because of the opposition to his system. In 1821, he settled in Koethen , where he practiced for the next 14 yrs. In 1835, he moved to Paris where he remained till his death in 1843. After his death his pupils started to practice

Myths & Misconceptions About Homeopathy

Some common Myths & Misconceptions about Homeopathy which are prevalent are :

“THAT” Homeopathy is very slow acting & of use only in chronic illnesses. “HOWEVER “, in fact even in acute situations & conditions e.g. fevers, acute sore throats, injuries, burns, insect bites etc. , correct observation & eliciting appropriate symptoms & a keen eye & open mind help in prescribing for these acute conditions.
“THAT” Homeopathy is just ‘ sweet pills’ with only placebo effect. “HOWEVER “ scientific double blind randomised clinical trials & carefully conducted clinical provings of these dilutions ( Homeopathic medicines ) prove otherwise & these trials have been duly recorded & can be repeated.
“THAT” while taking Homeopathic medicines one is forbidden a no. of things such as raw onions, garlic, coffee, spices , tea , alcohol or smoking. “HOWEVER” since all Homeopathic medicines are absorbed from the tongue & buccal mucosa ( inner lining of the mouth ) — which is abundantly supplied with nerve endings, it is advised to patients that they refrain from eating or drinking anything for 15 minutes before & after taking the Homeopathic medicine. Also it is wiser to rinse one’s mouth if one has eaten anything strong smelling such ar garlic onion etc. Excess of coffee, alcohol, tobacco are restricted ( as they are stimulants) esp. in patients who are restless or anxious.
“THAT” swith Homeopathy, other conventional medicines such as anti-Hypertensive or Anti-diabetic drugs have to be totally discontinued. “HOWEVER” this in fact is not a fact. Homeopathy treats the individual patient as a whole human being in context of the long term health & well being & even with conventional medicines, it is imperitive that patients continue their medication which are acting on the physiological plane, but do so judiciously & under the guidance of experienced physicians.
“THAT” Homeopathic medicines contain STEROIDS When appropriate Homeopathic medicines act fast & help acute conditions, people often ask or feel that the physicians are using steroids in the garb of Homeopathy for quick results, irrespective of its sequelae or side effects.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE.
A good Homeopathic prescription which is geared towards stimulating & helping the body’s defense system ( Immune System ) & works as an immuno-modulator, gives very satisfying results in acute cases as well. Homeopathic remedies which are by & large derived from the plant kingdom do have certain alkaloids that are as effective as steroids & these are extracted & made into Homeopathic medicines. These however ARE NOT STEROIDS & DO NOT GIVE RISE TO ANY STEROID LIKE SIDE EFFECTS.
“THAT” Homeopathy is not safe & cannot be prescribed during pregnancy or to lactating/nursing mothers.
“HOWEVER”, these infinitesmal minute doses, which have been prepared in dilutions which donot cause any toxicity, pathogenic; but on the contrary help the person’s individual constitution & immune system & are useful for the Mother-to-be’s general resistance as well as for problems encountered during pregnancy like nausea, vomiting etc. without any iatrogenic risk.
“THAT” in Cancers, Homeopathy is not advisable esp. in conjunction with radio- & chemotherapy.
“HOWEVER” the prime role of helping the patient’s immune status & promoting & restoring health is highlighted when Homeopathic medicines are used to help such patients whose blood counts reduce after chemotherapy & these wonderful piils boost their general resistance.
“THAT” Homoeopathy can make one grow tall or make one lose those extra kilos & make you slim & trim. Wish it was so !!!
What if with consuming sugar pills one could have an Arnold Schwartzneggar physique or grow tall like the basketball players. Unfortunately that isn’t so, for genetics, as well as environmental factors govern the growth, weight etc. & these medicines do not necessarily modify these influences; but help promote health & help the nature in doing so.

Homeopathy's place in Modern Science

Homeopathy is not a cure-all & it does not reject the great discoveries of modern medical science, but only its commercial abuse. Homoeopathy is more concerned with the sick individual & his sickness rather than the mere names of diseases. Thus, great success & curative reactions have been effected in patients

suffering from allergies, intestinal diseases & various auto-immune disorders like Alopecia areata, Rheumatoid Arthritis etc.

People suffering from common infections tend to get rid of their recurrence when treated Homeopathically because their immune system is strengthened. In other diseases Homeopathy can prevent surgery in case of Piles, Fissure, Tonsillitis, Adenoiditis, Calculi (Kidney Stones) etc. provided these have not grown beyond the capability of the patient’s immune system or have created undesirable mechanical pressure or very gross pathology. Even in frank surgical cases, homeopathic medicines can help lessen post-operative shock & hasten healing & recovery