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What is Homeopathy?
by: Karen Jonas, FSHomMed e-mail: naturaldoctor@yahoo.com
Homeopathy is a safe and effective system of natural healing that has been verified experimentally and clinically in the everyday lives of millions
of people around the world for over 200 years. It is based on the principle that ‘like cures like’. If a substance can cause symptoms in a healthy person, then it can also treat and remove similar
symptoms in a sick person.
We know that drinking many cups of full strength coffee will likely lead to a sleepless night. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, discovered
that giving diluted coffee to a healthy person who had no trouble falling asleep, soon gave them so many thoughts racing through their mind that they could not sleep. The diluted coffee was then given to
someone with similar sleep problems and their racing thoughts slowed down so they could fall asleep quickly.
Hahnemann labeled this discovery – Homeopathy. Homeo – meaning similar and Pathy – meaning suffering. Over 200 years of clinical experience along with research published in medical journals The Lancet and the British Medical Journal have confirmed homeopathy’s effectiveness. Vaccination or allergy treatments incorporate the principle of similars, by employing small amounts of the offending substance as part of the treatment for symptoms produced as a result of exposure to the actual substance.
Homeopathy offers you the opportunity to take charge of your health. It assumes that you and your experience of the world around you are unique. Your
first visit usually lasts 1-2 hours and allows you to describe yourself and your symptoms in your own words. Only you know how a cold wet day in November or a hot humid summer day makes you feel. Your
homeopath will then analyse all the information you have provided and choose a homeopathic remedy that most closely matches your physical, mental and emotional characteristics. This effort can take some time
since there are over 2500 remedies to choose from.
Monthly follow-up visits are much shorter that your first visit but are critical to the success of your treatment. A good remedy will push your body to
heal itself and a professional homeopath knows how to evaluate your body’s response to the remedy. Each follow-up tells the homeopath if your body is still healing or if it needs another boost – much like
a car running out of gas needs a fill-up so it can be driven further.
Homeopathic remedies are made from extremely small quantities of natural substances. They are non-toxic and when properly administered by a trained
homeopathic practitioner can be safely used with infants, children, adults and during pregnancy. Your pet or animal livestock can also be treated homeopathically. There are no known or
suspected contraindications or drug interactions between homeopathic remedies and conventional medicines.
Anyone can learn how to treat simple first aid situations with homeopathy in a matter of hours, but consulting a professional homeopath for intense (acute) or
chronic conditions will yield much quicker and effective results than self-treatment.
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