Homeopathy Part I

Homeopathy is a healing modality often used by naturopathic doctors. As the office manager of a naturopathic medical office, I saw some amazing applications of homeopathy. One amazing example was the application of a homeopathic remedy to a case of gangrene. The patient was scheduled to have an amputation after a severe accident. The next day, after the patient started taking the remedy, the surgery was cancelled because so much healing had happened over night.

Let’s start with a basic explanation of what homeopathy is. This healing modality works on the level of your vital force. What does that really mean? Your vital force is the energetic field around you that makes healing possible. For example, if you get a paper cut, your body has an innate ability to heal the cut in a few days. This is the vital force. When you think of how many viruses we are exposed to in a day – bacteria like strep and staph exist on our skin, almost 98% of us come in contact with the Epstein-Barr virus. But why do some people get ill from these viruses and bacteria, and some people are able to remain healthy? The answer is in the strength of your vital force and immunity. Those of you familiar with mind-body medicine are familiar with this concept.

Illness can be seen as an imbalance in this vital force. Sometimes the imbalance is more serious in some. Sometimes the imbalance gets worse over time. The premise behind homeopathy is to help the body correct this imbalance so that it can heal itself. In this way, homeopathy does not heal you. It gives your body the push it needs to heal itself. It accomplishes this by a law called The Law of Similar. The most concise explanation of the Law of Similar is “like cures like.” This isn’t an idea that is so foreign in conventional medicine. Vaccines work on a similar principle. Vaccines give the body the very disease you wish it to build an immunity to. Homeopathy works in a similar way but is, in itself, something entirely different that a vaccine.

Homeopathy is the ingestion of a substance in an extremely dilute environment, which if given full strength would produce a particular imbalance in the body. They determine what imbalances a particular full-strength element will cause by a process called “proving”. The substance is given to a person who is considered healthy, and through observation, symptoms and imbalances are noted. When this same substance has been prepared homeopathically, it will help stimulate healing to those patients presenting with these same symptoms.

Homeopathy is affective in acute cases such as a patient presenting with a tearing back pain that is worse upon first movement, but once the person is moving around the pain recedes. It is also affective with a chronic imbalance such as a patient that presents with a sensitivity to stimuli like light and noise, a craving for cold drink and food, an aversion to storms and inclement weather. A homeopathic practitioner will take an accounting of all symptoms and choose a remedy that most closely matches the patient’s particular condition. This is called “taking a case”.

As an example, let’s take a severe back ache. There are as many ways to experience a back ach as there are patients. Many of the remedy’s cover severe back aches. A homeopath will ask him/herself what makes this back ache unique? What are the qualities of this back ache? Where does it hurt; how does it hurt; when does it hurt. What makes it better; what makes it worse. After careful inquiry into the details of the back ache, a remedy is chosen, that if taken in full-strength would produce the patient’s exact back ache. However, because it is taken homeopathically, the remedy stimulates the body to heal the injury.

How does it stimulate healing? Imagine a person taking medicine for blood pressure. The doctor tells the patient that they can’t just stop the medication because there is a chance their blood pressure will rebound and sky-rocket. This is because the body’s natural inclination is towards balance. Therefore, if pushed in one direction (the medicine lowering the blood pressure), the body will try to achieve balance by pushing back in the other direction. If the medicine is suddenly stopped, the body has “won” the pushing contest and will sky rocket. If weaned off slowly, this reaction can be monitored and controlled. Homeopathy works on the same principle. But instead of pushing the body in the opposite direction and causing resistance from the body, it pushes the body in the direction of illness, causing the body to correct the imbalance and thus heal itself.

This seems dangerous – pushing the body in the direction of the imbalance? But it isn’t. A homeopathic preparation is extremely dilute. The nudge it gives the body is very gentle and exists on an energetic level. It works on the level of the vital force. It is the dilution of the remedy’s that bring about the most criticism of homeopathy. However, studies, experiential data and years of practice have shown that homeopathy works for both humans and animals. It is safe and non-evasive. It can be used with babies and the elderly, and those who are gravely ill.

HealthyHealing.com

Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food
-- Hippocrates

Pharmaceutical ads on television come with a host of side effects and contraindications. You can help your arthritis problems as long as you don’t have a heart condition and if you can live with dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. There is something deeply disturbing in the idea that to create health in one area of your life, you must create pain in another area. An alternative to the chemicals that make up modern medicine are herbal supplements. Humans have used herbs for their non-evasive, safe and gentle healing properties.

Because the government does not regulate herbal manufacturers, some people are hesitant to use natural therapies. Being in the care of a certified Naturopathic Doctor is essential for holistic health care. In addition, it is important to use a reputable company to purchase natural remedies. There are many companies online that seem to sell the all-natural miracle cure. I am happy to recommend Healthy Healing as a site selling high quality herbal products.

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