ABOUT HOMEOPATHY

ABOUT HOMEOPATHY

Natural Health For Mind And Body

Columbine

Aquilegia

Used for lice control.

What Is Homeopathy?

What Conditions Can Homeopathy Help?

When To Self Treat?

When To Seek Professional Homeopathic Care?

What Is Homeopathy?

The principles of homeopathy have been used for centuries. The Greeks, Romans and Persians originally used these principles. In 1755, German physician, Samuel Hahnemann, developed the principles into a system of medicine called homeopathy. Homeopathy spread quickly throughout industrialized Europe and the rest of the world, including the United States.

Homeopathy is based on the Law of Similars. That is, if a substance can cause symptoms of a disease in a healthy person, then it can cure a sick person suffering with similar symptoms.

Samuel Hahnemann described this principle by using a Latin phrase: Similia Similibus Curentur, which translates: "Let likes cure likes." The word "homeopathy" means "similar suffering". The truth of this law has been verified experimentally and clinically for the last 200 years.

Let's look at some examples. If your child accidentally ingests certain poisons, you may be advised to administer Syrup of Ipecac to induce vomiting. Ipecac is derived from the root of a South American plant called Ipecacuanha. The name, in the native language, means "the plant by the road which makes you throw up." Eating the plant causes vomiting. When a group of healthy volunteers took this substance to determine the effects of this drug, they found that the drug induced other symptoms as well. The mouth retained much saliva. The tongue was very clean. There was a cough so severe that it led to gagging and vomiting. There was incessant nausea. While it is expected that vomiting would usually relieve the nausea, this was not the case.

Such an experiment, using healthy volunteers, is called a proving, and it is the homeopath's source of information about the action of a drug. Of what use could this plant be? If a person were suffering from a gagging cough after a cold, or a woman were experiencing morning sickness with incessant nausea that is not relieved by vomiting, then Ipecacuanha, administered in a minute dose, especially prepared by a homeopathic pharmacy in accordance with FDA APPROVED GUIDELINES, CAN ALLAY THE "SIMILAR" SUFFERING.

Another example: Suppose a person has hay fever, with watery eyes and a burning nasal discharge. Instead of giving an antihistamine to dry up the drainage, a homeopath might suggest ALLIUM CEPA—a tiny dose of red onion, homeopathically prepared. Allium Cepa can cause watery eyes and burning nasal discharge, as everyone who has cut onions will testify.

Homeopathy regards symptoms as the body's healthy attempt to restore itself to balance. A homeopath will choose a remedy (medication) that is similar to your symptoms rather than by opposing or suppressing them as in conventional medicine. In addition, homeopathy uses the least amount of remedy necessary to affect cure.

Homeopathy is a healing system that treats the whole person- physically, mentally and emotionally- and treats each person individually. It focuses on giving you emotional and physical freedom from the limits that pain or other symptoms bring. The patient and practitioner work together to strengthen the body and remove susceptibility to disease. On the physical level this means freedom from having to put undue attention to the body; on the emotional level health means having the capacity to feel all emotions without being trapped by them; on the mental level health is clarity of thinking and dynamic creativity.

Homeopathic medicines are called remedies and are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. They are non-toxic and, when properly administered, can be safely used with infants, children and adults. There are no known or suspected contra-indications or drug interactions between homeopathic and conventional medicines.

Homeopathy is not herbalism or a nutritional supplement program. Homeopaths use herbs but prepare and recommend them differently than an herbalist. They will sometimes recommend that you take a nutritional supplement. However, homeopathy focuses on helping your body to heal thereby using the nutrients in your food to the best advantage for you.

Many veterinarians and animal caretakers get good results using homeopathic remedies for animals.

The exact mechanism by which homeopathy works is unknown, but 200 + years of clinical experience and research studies published in such medical journals as the Lancet, Pediatrics, and the British medical journal confirm homeopathy's effectiveness.

What Conditions Can Homeopathy Help?

Broadly stated, homeopathy has effectively treated any chronic or self-limiting illness people have experienced. Much depends on concurrent health concerns that you may be experiencing and interventions that you may be using. Sinus problems, migraines, ear infections, glandular swelling, intestinal disorders, vomiting, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, bronchitis, pneumonia, hormonal disorders, some cancers, skin diseases, warts, depression, childhood behavior disorders, asthma, allergies, and bed wetting are some examples of conditions successfully treated with homeopathy.

When To Self Treat?

Self-care for uncomplicated ailments like colds and flu and minor injuries is great. In fact, when Beth teaches introductory homeopathy classes, she talks about a number of remedies that can be easily used for colds, coughs and minor injuries. These are acute conditions, ailments that will get better over time with no interventions, like a cold or a sprained ankle.

When To Seek Professional Homeopathic Care?

Sorting out what to self-treat and when to seek professional homeopathic care can be difficult. Here are seven primary indications when professional homeopathic care is recommended:

1. Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: A constitutional homeopathic remedy can help "tune up" a person on many levels, mentally, physically and emotionally, to help them experience vibrant health, energy and well being.

2. Genetic Disorders: Although homeopathic remedies cannot heal genetics, it can help to reduce the severity and often the onset of related complications.

3. Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum: Homeopathy helps both mom and baby. It can lead to quicker conception, especially if both prospective parents receive homeopathic care. It helps with nausea, hemorrhoids and heartburn during pregnancy as well. Many people use remedies very effectively to manage pain during labor and delivery.

4. Recurrent, Subtle Symptoms: A person may not have any clearly diagnosable condition but may not be as healthy as he or she could be. That person may have subtle, vague and seemingly unrelated symptoms such as low energy, sore throats, poor sleep, headaches, poor digestion, irritability, etc.

5. Serious Acute Symptoms:

While conventional medicine can be effective in dealing with serious acute symptoms such as injuries or fast moving infections, one can often use homeopathy with great results. Classical Homeopathy recognizes when you need to use antibiotics and when a remedy is sufficient.

6. Recurrent Injuries:

This refers to situations were people re-injure themselves in the same spot months or years after the initial injury. The person may have an internal weakness that makes him or her susceptible to such injuries. Not only does homeopathy provide deep healing to the injury itself but it can also help remove the susceptibility to easy injury. It can also help you to recover from auto accidents and similar situations.

7. Chronic Ailments:

Homeopathy is very useful and effective for most chronic diseases: asthma, hormonal problems, depression and allergies are all treatable with homeopathy over time. Many people with chronic diseases eventually use homeopathy because conventional medications often create side effects that are more difficult to manage than the original disease.

Marigold

(Calendula)

Used to help heal skin scrapes.

Did You Know

Business leader Charles Kettering (GM AND NCR) AND PHYSICIAN Charles Menninger (co-founder of the Menninger clinic) were supporters of homeopathy.

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958), General Motors & National Cash Register

Charles ("Boss") Kettering served as Vice President of General Motors, and was widely recognized as the greatest American inventor and engineer since Thomas Edison. He held over 300 patents. Some of his inventions included the all-electric starting ignition, ethyl gasoline, and Duco paint (a trade name of a lacquer paint used on cars). He also started the Delco Company (which creates car batteries and which GM PURCHASED).

Early in Kettering's career, he worked for National Cash Register, a company that maintained a clinic for their employees that was staffed by homeopathic doctors. Kettering publicly acknowledged the health benefits he received due to the skills of Thomas Addison (T.A.) McCann, MD (1858-1943), HIS HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN FROM Dayton, Ohio.

In 1914 Ohio State University (OSU) FORMALLY DECIDED TO OPEN A College of Homeopathic Medicine. In 1920 Kettering gave a $1,000,000 contribution to Ohio State University with a stipulation that it be used to create a homeopathic research laboratory. This action enraged the AMA AND THE Carnegie Foundation and thrust them into further proactive efforts to stop this homeopathic department.

However, shortly after this contribution, representatives from the A.M.A. visited the school's president and warned him that teaching homeopathic medicine could result in loss of their medical accreditation status. Shortly after this meeting, Ohio State University returned Kettering's entire contribution because they decided to close down the school of homeopathic medicine.

Charles Frederick Menninger, MD (1862-1953)

Charles Frederick Menninger, MD WAS THE ORIGINAL COFOUNDER (WITH HIS SON, Karl Menninger, MD) OF THE FAMED Menninger Clinic, the internationally respected mental health clinic, initially located in Topeka, Kansas. He was a homeopathic physician and the head of his local homeopathic medical society. He also authored numerous articles published in homeopathic medical journals. In one of these articles, he stated with vigor, "Homeopathy is wholly capable of satisfying the therapeutic demands of this age better than any other system or school of medicine." He goes on to assert, "it is imperative that we exhaust the homeopathic healing art before resorting to any other mode of treatment, if we wish to accomplish the greatest success possible."

Find out more detailed information of Dr. Menninger's involvement in and commitment to homeopathy and find out which other leading physicians, scientists, and cultural heroes have used and/or appreciated homeopathic medicines in Dana Ullman's Homeopathy Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy (available October 2007; published by North Atlantic Books and Random House). See a copy of the Table of Contents, a sample chapter on "Literary Greats," and a series of supportive quotes for the book from professors at Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, and others at

homeopathicrevolution.com Courtesy National Center For Homeopathy

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