Homeopathic Techniques, How Homeopathy Works

Homeopathy’s popularity has grown since the first homeopathic hospital opened in 1849. It is widely used in Europe, particularly France and Germany, and in South America. It has spread, too, across continents, to Asia and India, where it is now officially recognized as a branch of medicine. In the U.S. homeopathy is becoming a recognized alternative to conventional healthcare, and homeopathic remedies are widely available in health stores.

How Homeopathy Works

Homeopathy sees symptoms of disease as a positive outward sign that the body is trying to heal itself. Therefore, it holds that the symptoms should not be suppressed (as they are in allopathic medicine), and remedies are used which will help stimulate and support the healing process. In some cases, the symptoms will worsen before they improve. A homeopath prescribes remedies for the “whole” person, basing his or her decision on Hahnemann’s principles—the law of similars, the principle of minimum dose, and prescribing for the individual.

THE LAW OF SIMILARS
Formulated in 1796, it states that a substance that, in large doses, can produce symptoms of illness in a healthy person can cure similar symptoms in a sick person if used in minute doses. Hahnemann believed this was because nature allows for the existence of two similar diseases in the body at the same time. Homeopathic remedies work by introducing a similar artificial disease that negates the original disease, and yet its own effects are so minimal it causes no suffering.

THE MINIMUM DOSE
This states that successive dilutions enhance the curative properties of a substance, while eradicating any side-effects. This means only the most minute dose of the substance is needed to help heal.

WHOLE-PERSON PRESCRIBING
Homeopaths believe that symptoms, pain, or diseases do not occur in isolation, but are an overall reflection of a person. They therefore do not just look at the problem presented to them, but at the person as a “whole.” Each person is treated as an individual, and the homeopath will consider the patient’s personality, temperament, emotional and physical state, and likes and dislikes before prescribing a treatment. In this way, a homeopath might see two people with similar symptoms, but would treat them totally differently.

Homeopaths also believe treatment works according to a set of three rules known as the Laws of Cure. These are:
• A remedy starts healing from the top of the body and works downward.
• It starts from within the body, working outward, and from major to minor organs.
• Symptoms clear up in reverse order to their appearance.

Homeopaths also believe that treatment should be prescribed according to a person’s constitution, which is made up of inherited and acquired mental, physical, and emotional characteristics. This constitutional profile corresponds to a particular remedy, and a person might therefore be known as a Sepia type, or a Lachesis type.

HOW TO TAKE AND STORE REMEDIES

• Take only one remedy at a time.
• Do not touch the remedies; empty them onto a teaspoon and put under the tongue.
• Take in a “clean mouth” at least 30 minutes after meals. If you need to take them sooner, rinse your mouth out first with water. Avoid alcoholic drinks and cigarettes, spicy or minty foods while taking the remedies.
• Store in a cool dark place in tightly closed bottle away from strong smells. Stored correctly, remedies will keep for around five years.