Homeopathic Insights

Using principles from Hippocrates in the fifth century BC of “like can cure like” and at that time developing several hundred remedies, the science emerged later in the first through fifth century in Rome. In the Dark Ages of Europe, the Swiss doctor, Paracelsus, described the “doctrine of similars” where the external appearance of a plant gave indication of what the plant could treat relative to the human body. Herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years but the science of homeopathy was more fully researched and described in 1755 by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in Dresden, Germany.

Dr. Hahnemann would match individual symptoms with various natural substances with recommendations for treatments. He developed different potencies dependent on the severity and acuity of the imbalance in the body. His basic premise was to find the right dilution of the natural substance to neutralize the disease. As everything in the body has an energetic blueprint, the subtle energy in the body responds to the tiniest provocation from the remedies for the body to heal itself. Thus the science of homeopathy emerged and has been widely used in European countries and their colonies.

Even in 1790, Dr. Hahnemann was disillusioned with “conventional” medical practices so studied the vital force of people (and animals) and determined the cause of disease to include stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, hereditary problems and environmental challenges. These would cause illness as the outward manifestation of the attempt of the body to restore order to the imbalance. Homeopathic remedies help to hasten recovery by energetically stimulating the vital force to help neutralize the imbalance, treat the essence of the disease instead of just the symptoms and help the body heal itself.

The American homeopathic physician, Dr. Constantine Hering from 1800-1880 described the law of cures. Dr. Kent (1849-1916) observed different kinds of people responding to different remedies, even though they suffered from the same disease. He discovered that we are born with a basic, inherited constitution which can predispose us to certain body types, personalities and imbalances. It is thought with modern day homeopathy that curing the basic constitutional imbalance can cure up to 75% of diseases.

Thus the interview of a person, how they think, how they feel, how they respond to stress, significant physical markers as well as presenting symptoms can help guide the use of effective homeopathic remedies. Homeopathy can be used for acute situations such as viruses, bacterial infections and allergies, chronic conditions and emotional states.

In my practice, we spend a good time with the client interview to identify predispositions, symptoms and emotions. Often we screen for the appropriate remedy and frequency of dilution using meridian stress assessment in order to more closely target the cause of imbalances. We attempt to maximize the energetic blueprint of the body so as to maximize healing and suggest a remedy specific for each person. Homeopathic remedies have profound and life saving effects on people (my own life saved by homeopathic virotox when I contracted deadly viral meningitis…the symptoms were reversed immediately!). It is fascinating to see how balance is achieved with very few, if any, side effects when using homeopathy and thus is an important factor in creating a plan of self care.

Please note: homeopathic influence is immediately neutralized by strong scents and flavors such as coffee, mint, raw onions, raw garlic and strong aromas. Traditional homeopathists recommend discontinuing the use of these while others recommend taking remedy 10 minutes after the ingestion of these substances.