Homeopathy is based on the principle of curing ‘like with like’. The skill of the Homeopath is matching the patients symptoms with their similar remedy. Because Homeopathy treats the individual, not their disease, different people with the same illness need different remedies.
HOMEOPATHY stimulates your innate healing powers by addressing underlying causes rather than suppressing symptoms. For instance, taking an anti-inflammatory for pain only eliminates the pain, not the underlying cause of the pain.
HOMEOPATHY views symptoms as the body’s attempt to heal; homeopathic remedies gently give the body a nudge so healing may be completed.
HOMEOPATHY aims to stimulate and strengthen the immune system, thereby helping the body’s natural tendency to heal itself.
HOMEOPATHY is an individualized treatment, tailored to each person. It matches your personality and symptoms to a remedy picture.
HOMEOPATHY offers healing for the whole family and treats the full range of human disease conditions including first aid situations, chronic diseases, skin conditions, digestive problems, female and male health conditions, infectious diseases, emotional stress, and even hereditary predispositions.
Daily Telegraph , August 12, 1989
Homeopathy is the safest and most reliable approach to ailments and has withstood the assaults of established medical practice for over 100 years.
“Let like be cured by like”
Homeopathy was first discovered in 1796 by a German physician by the name of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). In addition to being a talented chemist, Hahnemann was also highly respected by his fellow physicians. Hahnemann lived at a time when medicine was highly toxic. Physicians practiced carelessly… prescribing toxic amounts of medications that they rarely knew much about. Also at this time, techniques such as bloodletting were quite popular.
People believed that if you withdrew a considerable amount of blood from the patient, that this would cure or prevent a great many illnesses and diseases. Hahnemann was appalled by these practices and set forth to discover a non-toxic, practical, and gentle form of medicine that would prove more favourable. A hallmark moment came for Hahnemann when he wrote a review on the findings of cinchona bark. The latest research had suggested that cinchona bark tested positive in treating malarial intermittent fevers.. He then administered large amounts of cinchona bark to himself, to order to truly understand its capabilities.
It was not very long before Hahnemann himself, started experiencing intermittent fevers, that were very much characteristic to that of malaria. Hahnemann then questioned, “Is it possible for a substance that produces ill effects in a healthy person, to produce curative effects in a sick person with the same symptoms?”
This thought later became one of the founding principles of Homeopathy; “Similia Similibus Curentur” (Let likes be treated with Likes). If a healthy person takes a substance and develops symptoms, that substance will in turn alleviate the person naturally suffering from the similar symptom picture. Hahnemann throughout his time tested hundreds of substances in similar ways. His potency preparation evolved from his original procedures.
Namely, instead of using substances in their poisonous crude form (as he tested on himself), he used the smallest, minimum dosage (known as the homeopathic form). A toxic substance prepared homeopathically, entails NO TOXICITY at all; thus resulting in a gentle, consistent, and more permanent cure. Hahnemann recorded symptoms on the mental, emotional and physical planes. He felt that the mind and body were intertwined as one, and should be considered as a whole. He now began to determine and record the effect of a large number of substances on the human body. He gathered together a band of helpers to whom he gave remedies, interrogating them daily on sensations experienced. He called this a proving. Proving’s then, provided (and still provide today) the medicinal properties that these natural substances encompass. He was then able to produce a materia medica (book of remedies) consisting of symptoms produced in healthy volunteers. This materia medica represented a vast collection of very accurate observations. These pictures, when matched with the symptoms of a sick person, enabled him to identify the remedy which would cure the patient. He found when actually treating patients, that a small material dose of the substance would produce an aggravation of symptoms before it cured. He then started to dilute the remedies, and vigorously shake them (succussing) between dilutions. This produced a cure without the aggravation.
Homoeopathy is still based on this principle when used today, 200 years later then Hahnemann’s time. It is very different from conventional medicine and is frequently misunderstood and put down. In spite of the general scepticism of many conventional medical practitioners homoeopathy works and has a place in modern therapeutics. It has been used by the Royal Family for many years. Homoeopathic treatment can aid recovery in many conditions where a medical practitioner might wish to avoid the use of allopathic medicines. Since it stimulates the natural healing process there is less likelihood of recurrence of the condition, and homoeopathic treatment leads to an improvement in general health.
There are applications for the use of homoeopathy in some conditions which are difficult to treat by conventional means. Remedies may afford relief to sufferers who find side effects of some drugs too unpleasant. Homoeopathic remedies can be used together with allopathic drugs and other conventional treatment quite safely and effectively, they are without side effects and can be used in pregnancy, for young infants, and the elderly; they are inexpensive and treatment is cost-effective.
Today Homeopathy is practised all over the world. It stands as the major form of alternative health care in India, Great Britain, and Europe – and is extensively practised in South America. Currently it’s gaining it’s once had popularity in North America. Even celebrities and Professional athletes are using homeopathy.
Reference – http://www.embodyhealth.ca/history.html
Homeopathy is a highly systematic, scientific method of therapy which stimulates the individuals own healing processes. It is based on a deep understanding of the person as a unique whole, and is useful in both chronic and acute diseases. Treatment is based on the health of the entire personHomeopathy homeopathic medicine remedy , not just for one part or organ system.
It is important to understand that symptoms are a sign of the individual trying to heal itself. The task of the homeopath is to gather as much information as possible in order to understand all the ways in which the person’s healing forces are already acting. A homeopathic medicine that matches a patient’s symptomatology will stimulate those healing forces and lead to a resolution of symptoms.
Homeopathic medicines are prepared from over 2000 mineral, plant, and animal sources. Each medicine has been experimentally tested on human beings, called provings, in order to determine which type of individual responds most strongly to which substance. A complete picture of symptoms is compiled based on the precise physical, emotional, and mental responses of each individual. The task of the homeopath during the interview is to match the total symptom picture and personality of the patient with the symptom picture of one of the medicines.
An acute homeopathic consult requires far less time. Acute cases require follow-up within 3 – 5 days. In acute diseases, relief can occur within a few hours to a day or two. In chronic diseases, however, improvement is typically slow, steady and gradual. The speed of improvement is mostly dependent on the severity and duration of the disease coupled with the individual’s vitality. It is important to understand that chronic disease did not occur overnight, so the complete resolution of symptoms usually takes some time.
An initial homeopathic consultation will vary in time depending on the individual. As much information as possible regarding the mental, emotional and physical health of the individual is collected. Since there are over 2000 homeopathic remedies available, it is important to thoroughly understand the individual and each symptom that is occurring in order to accurately prescribe the most effective medicine possible. A homeopathic medicine is often prescribed at the end of the initial visit. In difficult cases, there may be a need to more thoroughly study the case in order to prescribe the most indicated medicine. A return office visit is then scheduled for 4 weeks after the remedy is prescribed to assess the effectiveness of the medicine on the individual.
Our clinic offers and provides phone and email support during this time to ensure all is going well and any new questions you may have are answered.
Homeopathy is indicated in the treatment of many conditions:
After an in-depth consultation, usually lasting about two hours, that covers everything from childhood illnesses and past relationships to favorite foods and pet peeves, a single small dose of a substance called a remedy is selected.
A remedy is tailored to a very detailed symptom picture of a person– we want to know everything about you, what makes you anxious, angry, tired or sad. How you experience it your body? We want to know in detail the location and sensation of every pain. When did your problem begin? After a grief, a shock, an accident, is it an inherited problem? Treatment is individualized. Ten people with Lupus will most likely each receive a different homeopathic remedy. Most symptoms will not be identical.
A remedy is selected, which if given in large doses would cause certain symptoms in a healthy person, can prod the body to overcome similar symptoms when given in small homeopathically prepared doses to an ill person. The similarity has to be as close as possible in every way (physical, emotional and mental). In fact the word Homeopathy is Greek for “similar suffering”.
Our homeopathic software provides a huge data base providing vast libraries with information on over 2000 remedies. Every detail about you is important to us so that we can select the precise remedy which will bring your body into balance. We love to hear about very unusual symptoms which we call ‘strange, rare and peculiar’. For example a “tickling sensation inside the left knee felt only when drinking water.” It narrows down the possibilities to just one or two remedies
One of the biggest problems Homeopaths have is explaining what Homeopathy is. For instance, when someone asks, can you treat Asthma the answer is both yes and no. We can stimulate the immune system so that a person can be relieved of from Asthma. Do we treat Asthma or any other named disease? No, we do not. This is the difficult part about explaining Homeopathy.
Homeopathic medicine is built on the idea that the body actively seeks balance– and is capable of self-healing. When you strengthen a person’s inner vitality, healing occurs.
Those who merely study and treat the effect of disease are like those who imagine that they can drive away winter by brushing snow from the door.
Paracelsus, 16th century philosopher and physician.
Homeopathy is the scientific application of the Law of Similars, often referred to as like cures like. Simply stated, what a medicine can cause in a healthy person, it can cure in someone who is sick. This principle stems from Hahnemann’s real world observations of diseases and their cure, and has been verified by homeopaths ever since. For instance, most of us have experienced the effects of cutting an onion: the profuse watering of eyes and the burning nasal discharge. In Homeopathy, we use a homeopathic preparation of onion to treat ailments such as hay fever or sinus where there is irritation of the nasal passage, eyes and throat. The more closely the symptoms of the patient match those of the medicine, the greater the benefit.
Of course, not everyone’s hay fever will be cured by onion. It is important to realize that we do not all become sick in exactly the same way. While any number of different people may suffer from hay fever each will experience it differently. For instance, some may prefer warm rooms and open air, some have itching in the nose, some have itching in the back part of the mouth, some have spasmodic sneezing, some have burning eyes and others have a burning nasal discharge. Because each person has different symptoms, each will require a different medicine—the medicine that is most similar to their unique symptoms.
This information has been taken from the website of Australian Homoeopathic Association
Version: 4th February 2008
Australian Homoeopathic Association – National Office
PO Box 430, Hastings, VIC 3915 Phone: 03 5979 1558
Website: www.homeopathyoz.org
Homoeopathy is a therapy based on the theory of treating like with like. Homoeopaths treat a patient’s symptoms by giving a highly diluted form of a substance, animal, vegetable, or mineral, which, taken in a crude dose, would cause similar symptoms when given to a healthy person. In assessing the patient, homoeopaths often take into account a range of physical, emotional and
lifestyle factors.
Homoeopathy was developed over 200 years ago and is now used worldwide. It is acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as a valid form of health care. Its effectiveness has been clearly established by over 200 years of clinical experience and has a pharmacy of over 2000 medicines, which are non-toxic and non-addictive, owing to their method of preparation.
Homoeopathy is also cost effective.
Homoeopathy works by using minute doses of substances, which cause symptoms similar to the illness being treated. Examples of the application of this principle are:
The use of Ritalin, a stimulant drug for children suffering from hyperactivity, is an example of the unacknowledged application of the homoeopathic principle by contemporary orthodox medicine.
Efforts to explain scientifically how homoeopathy works have not been successful to date, but similarly some drug actions in orthodox medicine have not always been understood either. For example, the actions of salicylic acid (aspirin) and paracetamol (Panadol) have been used in orthodox medicine for over 70 years, but have only been fully understood since the 1980’s.
If a homoeopathic medicine is analysed, a pharmacologist would say it consists of water, ethanol and sugar. While such a description is true, it ignores the result that follows from taking the medicine.
A chemist, for example, would accurately describe a compact disk as an object made of plastic and various chemical coatings, but would not detect the presence of music as part of their testing process. Both descriptions are accurate but incomplete.
The system of homoeopathy is based on the selection of a medicine that causes symptoms similar to those that the sick person is experiencing. This ‘Law of Similars’, as it is called, is a practical method of finding the substance to which a person is sensitive. Wherever a set of symptoms can be obtained, a condition can be treated. For example, headaches in different patients would each be treated with different medicines, according to the patient’s individual symptoms. Therefore, homoeopathy can treat a wide range of chronic and acute illnesses.
The majority of patients seeking homoeopathic treatment have already utilised the conventional medical system for their complaint. Therefore, it is not uncommon for patients to come to a first consultation with a confirmed medical diagnosis along with results of medical investigations.
Those who use homoeopathy come from a wide range of socio-economic groups, many of whom are children and adults from educated, affluent families.
Naturopaths, chiropractors and GP’s may also prescribe homoeopathic remedies as part of their treatment, depending upon their training.
Personal referral from those who have experienced the healing potential of homoeopathy is the major source of new clientele for homoeopaths. Dissatisfaction with orthodox medical treatment is frequently given by patients as a reason for their visiting a homoeopath. The following findings provide evidence for this trend.
Advisory Committee (ADRAC) average 23 per year (Aust Journal of Pharmacy, 83, June 2002, 516-517)
Homoeopathy carries few risks in its practice, when compared to other therapies. The method of preparation of homoeopathic remedies makes them non toxic and non addictive.
Homoeopathy is used throughout the developed world. According to the WHO, 30 million Europeans use homoeopathy. In the UK, homoeopathy is available in five National Health Service (NHS) centres.
NHS is the equivalent of the Medicare system. In 1993 37% of GP’s practiced homoeopathy and 42% referred their patients to a homoeopath. A University of Exeter report found that 2696 people were members of homoeopathic practitioner organisations. The Royal family has used it since 1830 and it has a wide acceptance throughout Europe. In France, the most popular cold and flu remedy is a homoeopathic medicine. Homoeopathy is also used extensively in the developing world, due to its easy access, cost effectiveness and low risk profile. Over 10.000 doctors in India use homoeopathic medicine to treat their patients. Homoeopathy is also used in veterinary medicine, both in Australia and overseas.
This is the topic of many discussions about homoeopathy. Homoeopathy is effective on animals and children, which discounts the placebo theory. Research data is available in The Lancet Linde, K. et al. (1997). “Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effect? A meta-analysis of placebo controlled trials.” Lancet vol. 350 pp. 834-843. The trend of the studies is that homoeopathy is effective above placebo and requires further study.
The first homoeopath to come to Australia was Englishman Dr Stephen Simpson, who arrived in Sydney in 1840.
Homoeopathy started to become very popular in Australia during the time of the gold rush in the 1850s, which brought more doctors, some of whom used homoeopathy, and other settlers who carried their own homoeopathic supplies.
More information about the history of homoeopathy in Australia may be obtained from the AHA’s website: www.homeopathyoz.org
Homoeopathy has gained increasing acceptance in Britain, Europe and the United States since the 19th century owing to its success in treating people during various infectious disease epidemics. The death rates from cholera, scarlet fever, typhoid, and yellow fever, following homoeopathic treatment were significantly lower than from the orthodox medical treatment of the era.
For example, of 61 patients treated homoeopathically at the London Homoeopathic Hospital during the cholera epidemic of 1854, there were 15 deaths – whereas at the Middlesex hospital, where conventional treatments were given, there were 123 deaths from 231 cases. The comparative death rates were 16.4% for homoeopathic treatment and 53.2% for conventional treatment. (British Homoeopathic Journal, October 1989, Vol.78)
The yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans and the Mississippi Valley in 1878 is another example of homoeopathic success. In New Orleans, 1945 cases were treated homoeopathically with 110 deaths (mortality of 5.6%). In the rest of the South, 1969 cases were treated homoeopathically with 151 deaths (mortality of 7.7%). This is a favourable comparison with a mortality rate for conventional treatment of at least 16%. (Harris Coulter, [1982, 2nd edition] Divided Legacy: The Conflict between Homoeopathy and the American Medical Association, pp.298-302)
The effectiveness of homoeopathic treatment for the 1918 ‘flu epidemic in USA is particularly striking.
Julian Winston’s [1999] The Faces of Homoeopathy: An illustrated history of the first 200 years (pp.236- 237) quotes from the findings in W.A. Dewey’s article “A Chorus of Fifty in Harmony” in the Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy in 1921:
1. A Philadelphian Homoeopath, Dean Pearson collected 26,795 cases treated homoeopathically with a mortality rate of 1.05% compared with a rate of 30% for conventional treatment.
2. Frank Wieland M.D. of Chicago told how in a plant of 8000 workers there was only one death. Gelsemium was practically the only remedy prescribed and neither aspirin nor vaccines were used.
Contemporary examples of Homoeopathy’s effectiveness are outlined in the next two sections.
The term homoeopathic vaccination is a misnomer. Vaccination, a well understood medical term, relies on antibody formation. Homoeopathic medicines do not rely on antibody formation. They affect the patient’s initial pre-disposition to an illness, rather than the antibody/antigen reaction.
There is a long history in homoeopathy of disease prevention, using miniscule doses of the disease material for disease protection. When a homoeopathic medicine is given to help protect the patient against infectious diseases, the correct description is “Homoeoprophylaxis”.
Homoeoprophylaxis has been used for 200 years in homoeopathy and precedes modern vaccination. There are numerous documented examples of the successful use of homoeoprophylaxis throughout history.
There are two contemporary examples of its use in Brazil:
Australian studies on homoeoprophylaxis have also been undertaken by homoeopath and statistician Isaac Golden. He completed a PhD on this topic with Swinburne University in Melbourne in 2005. His findings include the results of a ten-year longitudinal study and are documented in the books:
Vaccination ? A Review of Risks and Alternatives 5th Ed 1997 ISBN 0-7316 8099-5 National Library Canberra (02) 62621434
Homoeoprophylaxis: A Ten Year Clinical Study ISBN 0-646-32054 National Library Canberra
Homoeoprophylaxis: A Practical and Philosophical Review ISBN 0-646-19529-8 National Library
Canberra
PhD Thesis, Swinburne University, Melbourne
It is interesting to note that some pharmacological agents which are currently used in conventional medicine to augment a person’s immune system – immunisation and allergy treatments, are based on the ancient (and modern) pharmacological principle of “similars.” This, as already outlined, is the basis of the homoeopathic theory and practice.
Homoeopathy has been practised for two hundred years. Throughout its history it has experienced an uneasy relationship with orthodox medicine. This has not been homoeopathy’s choice. Its successes have been belittled or ignored.
Those critics who maintain that homoeopathy is ‘useless’, ‘quackery’, ‘purely placebo’ need to ask themselves why it is used more widely than ever. Its claims and record of safe use deserve objective assessment rather than prejudiced opposition.
All major health funds except Medibank Private provide cover for homoeopathic treatment.
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