Introduction to Homeopathy

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Introduction to Homeopathy

 

 

http://holistic-online.com/Homeopathy/homeo_how_it_works.htm

 

Homeopathy as a system of medicine was first devised by Samuel Hahnemann

(1755-1843). He graduated in medicine from the University of Leipzig in

1779 and very quickly made a name for himself in his chosen field. He

authored several books on mainstream medical issues before he started to

challenge the basis of the then ‘modern medicine’.

 

Hahnemann examined the methods of disease treatment at the time and

found them woefully inadequate; patients were just as likely to die from

the treatments as they were the disease. He challenged the orthodox

medical community and put forward his own new theory of disease

treatment, which was based on the fact that a substance that causes

symptoms in a healthy person could cure the same set of symptoms in a

sick person.

 

This was treated with derision and Hahnemann was drummed out of the

orthodox medical community and treated like a pariah. His response was

to throw himself even more into the development and proof of his own

system of medicine.

 

Shortly after this he produced the first edition of his Organon of

Medicine, which attempted to instruct and define the use of homeopathic

methods.

 

The word homeopathy comes from two Greek words; omeos, meaning

‘similar’, and pathos, meaning ‘suffering’. Hahnemann first formulated

the idea when he noticed that a perfectly healthy person given the bark

of the cinchona plant (a traditional treatment in the cure of malaria)

developed all of the feverish symptoms characteristically seen in

malaria. This led him to the idea that substances that cause illness in

healthy people will cure the same symptoms in sick people i.e. like can

cure like, and the phrase ‘similia similibus curentur’ was coined.

 

When Hahnemann first used crude substances in this way he found that

there were many side effects, so he decided to dilute the medicines and

shook them very hard in between dilutions (succussion) to ‘energise’ the

medicine and release its curative power.

 

By doing this he found that the side effects disappeared and the

medicines still worked. Modern science is still unable to define how

this works, but experiments have shown that substances diluted to levels

where an active ingredient of the original substance will not be present

will still influence cells if prepared in the standard homeopathic way

(a method called potentisation).

 

When Hahnemann died in 1843 he was still developing and refining the

principles of homeopathy and his work was taken up by an American doctor

called James Tyler Kent (1849-1916), the homeopathy that is taught and

used today has been largely influenced by him.

 

Homeopathy as a form of medicine has stood the test of time and now we

see homeopathy being integrated into GP practices, as well as the

existence of homeopathic hospitals such as the Royal London and the

Glasgow Homeopathic Hospitals.

 

Homeopathy is a form of energy medicine and as such it will work with

the physical body and also the mental and emotional areas, thus it has a

very wide application. It is relevant for acute conditions and First Aid

situations through to severe chronic and disabling ailments.

 

It can also be integrated into orthodox medical treatment strategies to

help combat diseases such as cancer and Aids. In this type of case it

can be used to treat the emotional trauma of coping with the condition,

secondary infections and the side effects of drug treatments.

 

Homeopathic prescriptions often surprise patients as they will

invariably be prescribed a single tablet or a very short course of

tablets. After prescribing I am often asked “Is that it?”, the answer is

“Yes” because we have to wait and see how the body responds.

 

Homeopathic remedies are not like antibiotics where a certain

concentration of the drug has to be kept in the bloodstream, they simply

need to kick-start the body in the healing process

 

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Homeopathy is a form of medicine that treats the body as a whole and

helps it to heal itself.

 

It can be used for the short term (acute) illnesses and long term

(chronic) illnesses. The objective is to prevent the patient from

getting the illnesses again (prevention).

 

The name homeopathy comes from the Greek word " homios " which means

" like " and the word " pathos " meaning " suffering " . Thus homeopathy simply

means treating like with like.

 

In the fourth century B.C., Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine,

observed that large amount of certain natural substances can produce

symptoms in healthy people resembling those caused by the disease, while

smaller doses of these same substances can relieve those symptoms.

 

in 1790's Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor, amplified this concept and

proposed the practice called homeopathy. He proposed that " Let like be

cured by like " . Homeopathy uses animal, vegetable and mineral

preparations to cure a person's illness. Millions of people in Britain,

Europe and America uses Homeopathy.

 

Homeopathy looks at each patient and develops a remedy or treatment plan

strictly for him or her. It invokes the powers of healing inherent in

individuals (our immune system) to develop a successful therapy. The

more one knows about the patient, the symptoms, likes and dislikes, what

makes them better or worse, it helps in developing a " symptom picture "

of the patient that can lead to a successful treatment.

 

If we think about the principle of homeopathy, it has a lot in common

with our present understanding of immunizations. To prevent us from

catching small pox, a vaccine is prepared which is a mild form of the

virus that causes the disease.

 

The principle is that introduction of this small amount of the virus in

our body system will set out our body's defenses so that when the actual

virus shows up, our body will have enough barriers or fighting power to

prevent the virus from entering our body.

Homeopathy practitioners believe that when we introduce a very very

small amount of the deadly material into the body, our body will unleash

enough defenses to prevent the disease from recurring again.

 

However, there are significant differences between the concepts used in

Western medicine and those of homeopathy. Vaccines are not rendered more

potent when they are diluted like homeopathic preparations. In

conventional treatment, there is a minimum dosage that need to be given

before the medication becomes effective in treating the underlying

problem. For example, when taking antibiotics, we have to take the whole

course at regular intervals to maintain a potency level in the

bloodstream to kill the bacteria.

 

Homeopathic remedies, which are made from naturally occurring plant,

animal, or mineral substances, are recognized and regulated by the Food

and Drug Administration (FDA) and are manufactured by established

pharmaceutical companies under strict guidelines.

 

There are over 2000 homeopathic remedies that are usually referred to by

their abbreviated name. (For example Arg nit. stands for Argentum

nitricum). These are derived from such exotic sources as bee stings,

snake venoms, arsenic, gold and silica, and even compounds from diseases

tissue.

 

Homeopaths also prescribes tissue salts. Tissue salts are prepared from

mineral sources. Homeopathic remedies are diluted to such an extent that

there can be no possible side effects from even the most toxic

substances.

 

The dilution process is known as 'potentation' Taken in this ultra

diluted form, Homeopathic remedies have no side effects and are

perfectly safe, non-toxic and non-addictive.

 

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Post subject: How Do Homeopathic Remedies Work?

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Many of the homeopathic remedies are so diluted that according to the

known laws of physics and chemistry, they couldn't possibly have any

effect. Once you get beyond a certain point-24x or 12c -there is

probably not even one single molecule of the original active substance

remaining. This fact is often pointed to by critics of homeopathy as

they dismiss the effect of homeopathy as merely due to placebo effect.

 

And yet, according to homeopathic doctrine and experience, the more

diluted the solution, the more potent it is.

 

Homeopaths contend that the remedies work and they see no reason to

stop using them simply because we do not understand how they work. They

often argue that pharmacologists cannot explain exactly how most

conventional drugs work.

For example, even aspirin is not fully understood in terms of how it

works, but physicians have no difficulty in recommending its use.

Over the years several theories have been proposed to explain the action

on homeopathic potentization.

 

Hormesis

 

The effects of microdoses have been known for a long time, and there are

a number of examples that support the idea that very diluted

concentrations of a substance will have a measurable and sometimes

profound effect. Scientists call this phenomenon: hormesis.

 

Scientists from Michigan State University have shown how hormesis work

in nature. They used microdoses of a fertilizer to stimulate crop

production. In a dose equivalent to a 9x dilution, the fertilizer

increased tomato yield by 30 percent, carrots were 21 percent bigger,

and corn yield increased by 25 percent.

 

Our own bodies secrete minute amounts of hormones that have powerful

effects. Thyroid hormone is present in our blood at only 1 part per 10

billion-yet this is enough to regulate the rate of our entire

metabolism. Many animal studies show that low doses of some substances

elicit a beneficial response while high doses are harmful. This

phenomenon has been documented to occur with radiation, antibiotics, and

heavy metals.

 

Pheromones

 

Pheromones are powerful aromatic hormone-like substances that creatures

secrete to attract one another. One molecule of moth pheromone is so

potent, it will attract another moth from miles away and trigger a

cascade of physical reactions. Though well documented, the exact

mechanism for pheromones remains unknown.

 

Homeopathic Remedies Work in Spiritual/Energy Plane and Not in Physical

Plane

 

Homeopathic remedies are believed to work in the spiritual plane as

opposed to the physical plane as we are used to think and measure.

Hahnemann believed that dilution and succussion released a spirit- like

power that worked on the spiritual level of the vital force in humans.

We are familiar with the formerly invisible, immeasurable, unknowable

energy forms, such as electromagnetic radiation and subatomic particles.

Magnets exerted their force long before science could explain the

mechanism. Physicists are still trying to explain gravity and the nature

of matter, still discovering phenomena such as the " strong force " and

the " weak force. "

 

Homeopathy is an energy medicine, as are acupuncture and therapeutic

touch. Homeopaths believe that although the physical molecules of the

original substance may be gone, dilution and succussion leaves something

behind-an imprint of its essence, or its energy pattern-that gives it a

kind of healing charge. Potentization does not occur if you simply

dilute the substance, even if you dilute it repeatedly. Nor does it

occur if you only shake the substance vigorously. There is something

about each process that builds sequentially upon the other, causing the

power to be retained and progressively intensified.

 

But how does the information in such a minute amount of substance get

transferred to the body? Some theorists suggest the repeated succussion

creates an electrochemical pattern that is stored in the water carrier

and then spreads like liquid crystallization through the body's own

water; others say the dilution process triggers an electromagnetic

imprinting that directly affects the electro- magnetic field of the

body. This concept is used in other therapies also. For example,

Ayurveda suggests taking water that has been potentizated by precious

metals such as gold. The water is believed to possess curative power as

a result of coming in contact with gold and other gemstones although no

molecular transfer takes place. The healing power of crystals and

magnets are believed to come from their effect on the energy pattern or

vibration frequency. So, the suggestion of the homeopathic remedies as

working on the energy plane may not be as far fetched as we may think at

the first glance.

 

Homeopathic Remedies Activate the Vital Force

 

Homeopaths believe that it is the energy or " vibrational pattern " of the

remedy, rather than the chemical content, that stimulates the healing by

activating what Hahnemann called the Vital force. Vital force is the

healing power or energy that exists within us all. It is called by the

name Chi by Chinese and Prana by Indian Ayurveda. The vital force fuels

the mind, body, emotions and mind. It keeps us healthy and balanced.

When the balance of the vital force is disturbed by factors such as

stress, pollution, improper diet and lack of exercise, it becomes

weakened resulting in the person getting sick. (For a description of the

Chinese philosophy of the vital force, please refer to the section on

Acupuncture. For the Ayurvedic concept of the vital force, please read

the corresponding section of the Ayurveda.)

 

Scientists who accept the potential benefits of homeopathic theory

suggest several theories to explain how highly diluted homeopathic

medicines may act. Using recent developments in quantum physics, they

have proposed that electromagnetic energy in the medicines may interact

with the body on some level. Researchers in physical chemistry have

proposed the " memory of water " theory, whereby the structure of the

water-alcohol solution is altered by the medicine during the process of

dilution and retains this structure even after none of the actual

substance remains.

 

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Post subject: Clinical Studies:

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Homeopaths point to the nearly two hundred years of clinical experience

of convinced doctors and satisfied patients. Homeopathic remedies are

believed to be effective in treating a wide variety of illnesses:

infectious diseases such as flu and colds; chronic conditions such as

allergies, asthma, migraines, and PMS. Conventional medicine has not had

much of success in treating many of these conditions.

 

Several clinical studies exist that show the effectiveness of

homeopathic remedies. Many of these studies employed double blind

studies, accepted by scientists. Recent clinical trials suggest that

homeopathic medicines have a positive effect on allergic rhinitis,

asthma, treatment of dermatological complaints, fibrositis, influenza,

and for the treatment of migraine.

 

In 1994, the first study that involved homeopathy was published in a

peer-reviewed American scientific journal. Jennifer Jacobs, M.D., led

the study, which was conducted in Nicaragua and included eighty-one

children with acute diarrhea.

All the children received standard antidehydration treatment for

diarrhea, consisting of water containing salt and sugar.

In addition, half the children received homeopathic treatment and half

received a placebo.

 

The study confirmed homeopathy's effectiveness: the recovery time for

children receiving homeopathic treatment was 20 percent faster than

those receiving the placebo, reducing the bout of diarrhea by one day.

These results are heartening because diarrhea is the leading cause of

death in developing countries such as Nicaragua.

 

In 1991, the British Medical Journal published an analysis of 107

clinical studies published between 1966 and 1990. The authors found that

in 81 of the experiments, the homeopathic treatments were successful.

 

Even when they included only the 23 studies that they considered to be

of the highest quality, the vast majority of these (15) showed positive

results. Here's how the results broke down: 13 out of the 19 trials of

respiratory infection treatment were effective, 6 out of 7 were positive

for other infections, 5 out of 7 were positive for digestive system

treatment, 5 out of 5 were successful for hay fever, 5 out of 7 showed

accelerated recovery after surgery, 4 out of 6 helped in rheumatological

disease, 18 of 20 were beneficial for pain or traumatic injury; and 8

out of 10 worked for mental or psychological problems.

 

In one study published in Lancet by Dr. David Taylor Reilly and his

colleagues compared the effects of a homeopathic hay-fever remedy with a

placebo.

 

In this double-blind controlled study, Dr. Reilly found that those who

received the homeopathic remedy had six times fewer symptoms and were

able to cut their use of antihistamines in half.

 

Another study published in 1989 in the British Medical Journal dealt

with fibromyalgia. The double- blind, controlled trial was also " crossed

over, " meaning the treatment lots were switched after one month so the

subjects could be compared, not only with each other, but also with

themselves.

 

The results were evaluated by a rheumatology professional who was not a

homeopath. The study found that the homeopathic remedy provided highly

statistically significant improvement in both subjective and objective

symptoms.

 

In a double-blind controlled study conducted in Britain in 1980, 82

percent of those receiving the homeopathic remedy enjoyed improvements

in rheumatoid arthritis versus 21 percent of the control group on

placebo. The subjects in this study received remedies that were

individually prescribed.

 

Other significant positive studies show homeopathy helps in pain

following tooth extraction (76 percent versus 40 percent for a placebo};

reduces vertigo and nausea; reduces labor time in pregnant women (5.1

hours versus 8.5 hours}; and reduces risk of abnormal labor (11.3

percent versus 40 percent).

 

Two double-blind studies compared Quietude, a combination of

homeopathically prepared plant extracts that has been very popular in

France, with diazepam (Valium). The subjects were adults and children

who were nervous and suffered from sleeplessness.

 

The results showed that the homeopathic product increased sleep time,

reduced interruptions during sleep, and reduced nervousness. Both

products relieved insomnia and minor nervous tension 63 percent of the

time. However, the homeopathic remedy produced no side effects: there

was no daytime dizziness, as opposed to 13 percent of the diazepam

group.

 

Homeopathic remedy group suffered no daytime drowsiness, but 53 percent

of the diazepam group felt drowsy. In addition, Quietude was better at

reducing children's nightmares, and 74 percent of the Quietude patients

said the product was better than other treatments, as opposed to 48

percent of the diazepam group who felt this way.

 

A study, conducted in 1985, found that patients who took the homeopathic

product Oscillococcinum, derived from duck heart and liver, experienced

reduction in their fever much rapidly (in two days ) than those who took

placebo.

Shivering disappeared by day four.

 

In another controlled study, published in 1989 in the British Journal of

Clinical Pharmacology, 66 percent more of the Oscillococcinum group

recovered within forty-eight hours as compared to the placebo group.

Clinical studies show the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies in

treating infectious diseases.

 

In a French study published in 1987, silica, prepared homeopathically to

the 10c potency, stimulated macrophage activity by nearly 70 percent.

 

Macrophages are white cells belonging to the immune defense system that

destroy harmful cells and microorganisms. Homeopathic remedies were also

shown to be effective in correcting immunological disorders in mice.

 

In other studies, eight out of ten homeopathic remedies tested were

able to inhibit the growth of viruses (in chicken embryos) by 50 to 100

percent.

 

Other studies show the usefulness of homeopathic remedies in treating

diabetes. A 1992 study examined sixty people with retinal problems due

to diabetes.

 

In approximately half of the patients taking the homeopathic remedy

(Arnica), the eye condition improved; only 1 percent of the subjects

receiving placebo improved a like amount.

 

The subjects were evaluated using objective measuring instruments,

indicating that homeopathy may prove valuable in helping this group of

diabetics preserve their sight.

 

Conventional physicians often belittle homeopathic remedies and their

effectiveness to placebo effect. However, several studies on animals and

infants show that homeopathic remedies do work.

 

Obviously, animals and infants are less likely to be influenced by

placebo. In Germany, poultry farmers are treating their hens with

homeopathic remedies instead of antibiotics for coughs, colds, and

digestive problems.

 

Farmers also treat their cats, dogs, horses, cattle, and birds

homeopathically.

 

http://holistic-online.com/Homeopathy/homeo_clinical.htm

 

Other animal studies add to the evidence. A 3x potency of Chelidonium

lowered cholesterol in rabbits by 25 percent. Microdoses of Arsenicum

(10x up to 30x; and 5c up to 15c) helped rats eliminate toxic doses of

arsenic from their systems,

a study that has important implications for humans who are increasingly

exposed to many heavy metals in the environment.

 

And pigs given Caulophyllum had half as many stillbirths as those who

received a placebo.

 

Homeopaths have been reporting good results when treating infants for

common health problems such as teething, colic, eczema, and fever.