Homeopathy is a powerful form of healing that helps millions of people worldwide. It is the 2nd largest form of medicine in the world, (as recognised by the World Health Organisation - WHO). It was not that long ago in the UK, that homeopathy stood shoulder to shoulder with mainstream western medicine (orthodox), but with the discovery of viruses and bacteria, orthodox medicine thought it had found all the answers and so homeopathy ‘fell out of fashion’ in the West. Nowadays we realise there is a lot more to ill health than bacteria and this has given rise to the growing popularity of homeopathy and other alternative therapies.
The homoeopathic definition of health is covered in one sentence: the freedom to adapt to change. The healthy person is able to fluctuate freely according to changing circumstances, even if the adjustment takes a little time they tend to recover rapidly. For example the symptoms of a common cold ‘caused’ by a virus, is really the body’s healthy response to an alien presence, (the virus), which in turn needs to be expelled; hence the running nose, the sweating and the need to rest. Likewise, if a healthy person suffers the grief of bereavement, after a period of mourning, they will ultimately be able to accept the loss, retaining the good of what is gone. The sick or unwell person may feel unable to cope with their loss and may turn to alcohol or anti-depressants as a substitute for the feeling of emptiness inside.
Everyday bacteria and viruses enter our bodies all the time, but only some of us get ill. The long-term aim of homeopathic treatment is not only to alleviate the immediate presenting problem, but to simultaneously strike at the underlying cause of it, the root. A bacterium in itself is not the problem to a homeopath – the weakness in the person who becomes sick because if it, is what needs to be cured.
Hippocrates, over 2,400 years ago stated there were two forms of healing: opposites and similars. Orthodox medicine works on opposites – a basic example would be that if you burnt yourself you would relieve and sooth the pain by running it under cold water. Homeopathy works on similars – for a burn you would use a burn remedy that shares the same qualities as the burn, resulting in the body amplifying its own healing response to the burn and so quickening the cure. The idea of similars is that the body knows how best to respond to a stimulus, resulting in an action that will prove to be effective in promoting healing of the body. After all whatever form of medicine that we use, it is the body that heals itself, not the medicine. In homeopathy the action must flow in the direction of the healing energy rather than attempting to move against it. Homoeopathy works at the energetic level with the innate healing intelligence of the body.
Albert Einstein spent the better part of his life attempting to create a unified field theory that would integrate electromagnetism and gravity. He did not succeed in this endeavour. However, he brilliantly and famously demonstrated to the scientific community that matter is simply another form of energy. This equivalence implies that matter is inter-convertible with other forms of energy and is the basic principle behind the atom bomb and the production of energy in nuclear reactors and starts. Today we are only just starting to understand energy - we know it is everywhere, in the invisible, in all we sense and in everything we view. Energy binds our physical world together; it holds matter in form; it brings life to plants and it animates organisms.
In homeopathic pharmacy, an equivalent process is acted out, but on a micro-scale. Remedies are made from substances in nature and while the physical content is reduced the energetic content is increased. This is called potentisiation. Potentisation is the main cause for controversy in homeopathy. Some scientists say how can a substance have any healing properties if it no longer contains any physical atoms? But if you consider the complexity of energy and how little we understand about it, is it really that hard to believe that there may be something going on that we do not understand? After all science is always learning – gravity cannot be explained although we know its effects. Homeopathy is the same, we do not know how it works but we can see it explained through its actions. Millions of people can testify they have benefited from its healing powers. All over the world homeopaths collectively have over 250 years of clinical data providing details of cured cases.
You only have to see homeopathy working first hand to be impressed. Its healing powers are easily observed in acute cases. Mums all over the UK have seen for themselves just how wonderful homeopathy can be. Acute homeopathy is actually very simple and anyone interested in looking after their family’s health can easily pick up the basics. If you don’t get the remedy right first time you re-evaluate the case and have another go. Once the remedy is right the result will be incredible. In-fact these types of mistakes actually show very clearly that homeopathy is not just a placebo. Treating babies, young children and animals brings additional confirmation that homeopathy is not just a placebo.
If you are interested in finding out more about homeopathy and would like to treat acute family ailments, you could take a short course in First Aid Homeopathy. The School of Homeopathy (0800 0439 349) has just launched an excellent course that comes complete with self-help books and a remedy kit. Acute diseases cover childhood diseases like measles and chicken pox, coughs and colds, attacks of sickness, diarrhoea, laboured breathing, earache etc. If such things recur then we are getting into the realm of chronic disease. Homoeopathy is effective in treating both types of disease – acute and chronic. However the treatment of chronic ailments is an exacting science that over many years of practice develops into an art. For chronic illnesses you would need to see a homeopath.
When you see a homeopath the first consultation usually lasts about 90 minutes. In this time the homeopath will ask you all about the chief complaint - the reason why you have come. They will want to know when it started, its location, what makes it feel better or worse, what sort of pain is associated with it, how it makes you feel, if you have any other symptoms related to it and if anything caused it. The homeopath will be interested in what was going on in your life at the time it started and what your illness stops you from doing. They will ask about dreams and fears, about family health and childhood diseases. Just having someone take such great interest in your health and wellbeing is a highly rewarding and healing process in itself. There is no need to prepare for a homeopathic consultation; just go along with an open heart and mind. We are all individuals and each homeopath’s approach and each patient’s requirements will differ.
To find a registered homeopath go to the Society of Homeopaths website www.homeopathy-soh.org. (tel. 0845 450 6611).
Homeopathy is a great subject to study, with many ‘gems and flowers’ to discover on the way. All you need to do is wonder at life, have a healthy curiosity and want to know more. Within yourself you begin to experience the rhythms and pace of life and start to understand the varying feelings and moods and what pre-cursors them. It slowly sharpens your powers of perception and makes you more aware of changes in familiar scenes. Homeopathy helps you to wonder, to be amazed, to admire and awe at life, nature, people, yourself, sickness and health.
Written by Mani Norland
Ten good reasons to use homeopathic remedies:
Safe & suitable for all ages
Gentle & effective
Without side-effects
Easy to take & carry
Affordable
Invaluable as first aid
Not tested on animals
Good value for money
Preventive and curative treatment
Two way health care
Useful contacts:
To buy your own homeopathy first aid course, call:
The School of Homeopathy 0800 0439 349
To find a good book on First Aid Homeopathy, buy Get Well Soon by Misha Norland, visit: www.schoolofhealth.com/books
To find a homeopath, visit: www.homeopathy-soh.org
For help with a quick acute problem, visit: www.homeopathyhelpline.com
To train as a professional homeopath, visit: www.homeopathyschool.com
Tags: Homeopathy | Mani Norland
This entry was posted on 01 March 2008 at 12:42 and is filed under Homeopathy.