Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a system of healing which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognises that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient who needs treatment not the disease.

Homeopathic remedies are prescribed according to the Law of Similars. This law states, 'That which makes sick shall heal'. This means that the symptoms caused by an overdose (too much) of a substance are the symptoms that can also be cured with a small dose of that substance.

Homeopaths do not treat physical, emotional and mental or even spiritual illnesses separately, but regard them as intimately connected, since all are aspects of the whole of the patient's suffering.

Holistic

When starting homeopathic treatment, the patient may not realise the relevance of some of the questions being asked. It may appear that the homeopath is interested in matters which have little to do with the particular complaint about which the patient is most concerned. The information gleaned is used to prescribe a remedy for that individual patient, not merely for his or her disease but for the person's whole state. Thus, homeopathy is truly holistic.

This fundamental principle of homeopathy, that of the individual prescription, explains why two patients with apparently similar illnesses may be treated with a different remedy. In other words, two patients might have headaches but the way they have their headaches can be different, their overall state of health can be different, the way they cope with life can be different and so on.

Remedies

The remedies which homeopaths use come from many different sources. Most are derived from plants, but minerals, metals and some poisons which have been used medicinally for generations are also used.

After initial preparation of the raw material the remedies are made by serial dilution and succussion (vigorous shaking) in a solution of alcohol and water. This is done a few (three to four) times or up to many thousands of times. The liquid dilution is then used itself as a remedy or soaked into tablets or granules for convenience. The diluted remedies are described as being 'potentized', in recognition of the dynamic healing power they can stimulate.