HOMEOPATHY

Born in Meissen, a town in Southeast Germany, to Christian Gottfried and Johanna Christian Hahnemann, Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, kown to the world as Samuel Hahnemann (in order to avoid any confusion with his father's name), grew up to become a doctor and chemist. In the 1790's he founded a system of medicine based on the principles that a drug that can create symptoms in a healthy human being when administered in large amounts can cure the same symptoms when given in smaller amounts to the sick.

 

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As a specific form of medicine, homeopathy has been around since the late 1700's and was founded in Europe by a German doctor and chemist by the name of 'Samuel Hahnemann'. (see picture above). In principle however, the concept of homeopathy is as old as the teachings of Hippocrates the reknowned Greek healer of the 5th century BC. In fact the very word comes from Greek origin. The root words 'omeos' meaning similar and 'pathos' meaning suffering. Hence the term homeopathy, defined as treatment of ill persons with substances that will actually produce similar symptoms when given to a healthy individual. In this we find the law of similars...like cures like

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To try and understand Homeopathy it helps to ask and answer some interesting questions.

How do we get ill?

Illness is our bodies response to a stress or a stressor. The stress can come from, show up or manifest in, the physcial, mental, emotional, or spiritual areas of our existence, and many times in combinations. These are the planes of human existance.

The body's natural defense system responds to an illness by producing what we call symptoms. It is important to note that these symptoms are the expression of the body's natural defenses and outward signs that our defense system is functioning. For example, a cough is the body's response to the perception that mucous needs to be cleared out of the throat or respiratory tract. Pain occurs to warn us of danger to an injured part of our body. Without pain telling us to stop and heal, our bodies would soon be in a useless condition. In another example, when our emotions have reached their limit, we may break down and cry in order to release the tension and restore emotional balance. So our totality of symptoms is simply the manifest expression of our immune system's response to stress.

Under specific conditions of stress, our bodies exhibit specific symptoms. These symptoms are unique to the stressor that causes them. For instance, when 100 people eat small amounts of the same poison, they exhibit a certain commonality of symptoms that is unique to that poison. These common symptoms represent a universal human response towards that specific poison. The poison then has a relationship to a unique set of symptoms. Hahneman discovered that this relationship conforms to the law of similars. Like cures Like.

While translating medical texts, Hahnemann came across a passage written by Dr. William Cullen a British physician. Cullen had stated that quinine, a product extracted from the South American cinchona tree, was a good curative for malaria because of its bitter and astringent properties. Being a chemist, Hahnemann understood that there were many substances existing at that time in the pharmacies of Germany, that were more astringent than quinine and which had no effect on malaria whatsoever. Investigating further, Hahnemann began taking measured dosages of quinine himself and recorded his reactions. To his astonishment, he discovered that he began developing the symptoms of malaria.

He began testing his discovery on others to see if they also developed similar reactions. Through this technique called 'Provings', he discovered that each substance he tested had a commonality of symptoms. Some of these symptoms were very strong and prevalent in most of the people tested, some were less strong and less common, and some were unique only to a few individuals. Recording and grading theses symptoms he began the production of the Homeopathic Materia Medica, which today has expanded to over 2000 remedies.

How does homeopathy work?

THE THEORY OF RESONANCE

In physics the natural vibrating frequency of a system can be called its resonant frequency. A resonant frequency can be diminished or amplified. An interesting example can be seen in the act of pushing a child on swing. If you were to push the child without looking, or at a random frequency the swing would bounce around in all directions and reach no great amplitude. If you were to push against the natural frequency of the swing, the swinging would diminish. But if you push with a frequency equal to that of the naturally occuring frequency of the swing then the amplitude of the swinging would greatly increase.

Thus when we treat with a substance which has a similar resonant frequency to the body's immune system or defense response, we are increasing the amplitude or force of that response, thus healing the person by increasing the strength of their own immune system. Truly a natural medicinal approach.

 

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THE CORRECT USE OF HOMEOPATHY

The key for correct homeopathic prescription is to match the individual's current symptom picture (mental, emotional and physical), to the unique remedy that produces the closest or most similar picture, and thereby produce a curative response according to the law of similars. This is the daunting task of the homeopathic physician, for there are thousands of substances in the homeopathic materia medica.

In acute conditions such as colds and flus, people can consult a knowledgeable homeopathic pharmacist or study up and treat themselves. In chronic disease (longer term problems), or mental emotional difficulties, the practice of homeopathy becomes an extremely technical and complicated art of healing and is best left for a well trained, experienced, professional homeopath. Mastering the art of homeopathy requires nothing less than a lifetime of dedication and study.

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