What is Homeopathy - Homeopathic Medicine
The term 'homeopathy' comes from a combination of two Greek words, i.e. 'homeo' (omio) meaning similar, and 'pathos' meaning suffering.
Its origin as a form of therapy, comes from the ancient Greek times when Hippocrates first formulated the basics of his philosophy. However, as an organized system of drug therapeutics was elaborated by Dr. Samuel Christian Hahnemann (1755-1843) who developed in practice the original principle of 'Similia Similibus Curentur' or 'Like cures Like', by testing more than a hundred remedies on himself. Homeopathy uses the 'like' or 'similimum' remedy to effect a cure.
Nowadays, Homeopathy, is a well established healing system which is also used effectively in dental treatment and the treatment of animals. It is practiced in a large number of countries all over the world.
- Why is Homeopathy considered 'holistic'?
Homeopathy's theory and practice is 'holistic', treating the whole person as an individual whose parts, organs and levels of being are interrelated, rather than treating the symptoms or the 'disease' alone. For this reason, people with the same problems or 'disease' may often be treated with different homeopathic medicines.
Homeopathy is above all a natural healing system aiming at stimulating and encouraging the body's natural healing forces of recovery.
- How are symptoms considered in Homeopathy?
Symptoms are the language used by a living organism to denote or alert us of some form of imbalance in that organism. They are not diseases in themselves but rather pointers pointing to some kind of disorder of the various energy fields that comprise the whole of one's being.
Homeopathy stresses the fact that by treating symptoms alone, one does not get rid of the energy imbalance, with the same logic that by stopping the oil-signal light in our car's panel from flashing does not fill the reservoir with petrol! Treating the symptoms without addressing the various other parameters in one's life, will only have a temporary effect or a shifting of these symtpoms to some other organ or function in one's body or psych. The reason for this is that the central core of the problem was not dealt with. In homeopathic language this is called 'suppression'. Whereas real cure, which is of an entirely different philosophy, dealing with the real problem, has as a result the vanishing of symptoms since they are no longer needed.
- What are the homeopathic remedies and where does their therapeutic effect lie?
Homeopathic remedies are natural remedies of mineral, plant and animal origin. They are produced in a natural way thus differing themselves from chemical medicines. They are prepared by a process of gradually repeated dilution and shaking; a process which makes them capable of stimulating the body's own defense system. Thus, the homeopathic remedy works in accordance and in harmony with the system's defense functioning, that is in a similar (omoio in Greek) way without violating it or changing its original structure in any way.
- Are homeopathic remedies dangerous?
The way of working in accordance with the system's defense functioning, on the one hand, and the high degree of dilution, on the other, make the hoemopathic remedy harmless with no side effects and no violation of the system's integrity whatsoever. For these reasons, homeopathic remedies are prescribed in occasions where other medicines are considered harmful, like in pregnancy, hepatitis etc.
- Which diseases or disorders are cured by Homeopathy?
For the homeopath there are no diseases in the way we came to know the term; there are only patients suffering froma particular energy imbalance of their system which expresses itself in the form of symptoms identified by modern Medicine as 'disease'. This is not only theoretical but very practical since every case becomes individualized. This is why two patients suffering from the 'same disease' get different homeopathic remedies, taken into consideration their personality profile and their particular set of behavior and way of living.
