What is Homeopathy?

Many people ask me this question when I introduce myself as a homeopath. I have studied homeopathy for four years and have been learning about it even longer, and I still have to think carefully on how to answer it. Maybe because homeopathy has such a deep and extensive philosophy, it is hard to put it all in a sentence or two, without losing any important points. Or maybe because it is so important to me that I could talk about it for hours, and I appreciate that not everyone is ready to dive that deep straight away...

So, what is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a holistic healing system, where minute doses of natural substances are used to stimulate the body’s own healing responses and bring it back to balance.

Homeopathy is based on the principle “like cures like” - a substance, capable of producing certain symptoms in a healthy individual, will cure the same symptoms in the sick. This principle was known for ages and was mentioned in the works of Hippocrates and Paracelsus, however was largely ignored by their followers, and medical treatment, right up to this day, was mostly based on the law of opposites, where the symptoms are suppressed by a substance, causing the opposite effect - i.e. giving laxatives for constipation, or Paracetamol for fever; also each symptom is treated as an isolated entity.

In the late 19th century a German doctor Samuel Hahnemann developed an entire new system, based on the law of similars - homeopathy. His book “Organon of the Medical Art” gives clear principles and guidance for practising, and is still widely used to this day.

After practising as a medical doctor for a while, S. Hahnemann realised, that the medical treatment of his days was making people more sick, so he stopped practising and made a living from translating books. While working on a translation of “A Treatise on Materia Medica” by Dr William Cullen he came across a chapter on Peruvian bark, used for the treatment of malaria. He got intrigued and started taking the bark himself and soon developed malaria-like symptoms, which disappeared after the last dose of the bark was taken.  He then started experimenting with other substances, like Arsenicum and Belladonna, giving them to healthy people and recording the symptoms produced. This process is known as a "proving," and is used to identify the curative properties of each remedy.

Using these poisonous substances was not without risks, so S. Hahnemann was trying to minimise the dose to avoid any side effects. He developed a new method called potentization - using trituration, dilution and succussion (vigorous shaking) to dynamically increase the curative power of the medicine, at the same time making them less material and eliminating toxicity. Homeopathic remedies work by gently stimulating the body’s vital force to restore balance, rather than suppressing the symptoms.

Contrary to conventional medicine, homeopathy treats a person as a whole and takes into consideration the totality of all symptoms experienced, together with circumstances, personality traits, food and temperature preferences, childhood history and many more. That is why homeopathic consultation can last 1-2 hours and is so in-depth. Quite often I get people surprised at the questions I ask - “How does that have anything to do with my sore knee?”- in particular if they have never experienced homeopathic treatment before. But “the sore knee” is always a result of a much broader picture and is only a small part of a jigsaw puzzle, leading to the correct remedy.

Some people tend to have the opinion that homeopathy can only treat physical symptoms, but this is not true. In fact, it can be incredibly powerful for mental and emotional issues - often the root cause of physical symptoms. I truly believe that many chronic conditions stem from emotional stress, trauma, or even small events from our childhood. The fact is, that we react to things very differently and what may seem like a small event to some, may feel like a significant trauma to others, that is where homeopathy is excellent in accounting for those differences and fitting in perfectly with our responses.

In homeopathic philosophy, the disease can not be seen as a separate entity from the whole organism. We get ill when our vital force (something similar to modern term of “immune system”) is mistuned by external influences, like stress or trauma, and can no longer maintain the balance. A well-chosen homeopathic remedy helps to nudge this vital force back into harmony.

Although S. Hahnemann laid out all the principles of homeopathy, he never attempted to explain how it worked. One of the most outstanding modern homeopaths George Vithoulkas in “The Science of Homeopathy” offers some perspective on that.

He suggests, that the deteriorating health of our modern society is mainly due to two reasons - violating the laws of nature and the loss of inner awareness, which would allow us to correct it. He backs his thoughts with the works of modern physicists, who state that the universe is one whole, and material objects are not separate entities but are linked to their environment and their properties can only be understood through their interaction with it. Vithoulkas cites F.Capra and A.Einstein, who both claim that matter is only a dense condensation of the underlying quantum field, which is a fundamental entity and is continuously present everywhere in space. He describes the vital force as an electromagnetic field with a unique vibrational frequency, which determines the susceptibility to diseases. Disease occurs when something disrupts that vibration and changes the level of susceptibility. The healing happens when a remedy resonates with this vibration and helps to restore the balance.

The results of homeopathic treatment can be quite astonishing. Quite often people coming for help with physical symptoms walk out much stronger on all levels, they feel more empowered mentally, more in touch with themselves and those around them, with much better immune system and physical health. However, the homeopathic journey is a long process and it may take quite a few consultations and different remedies to see the desired results. Personally, I found homeopathy life-changing - from treating my children and seeing their improved health to treating my own depression and other struggles - it led to me falling in love with it and becoming a homeopath myself, so I could offer people the support which was so much needed for me. And I still see my homeopath, as my journey of healing and growth continues.

Bibliography

Coulter H.L. (1980) - Homeopathic Science & Modern Medicine, The Physics of Healing with Microdoses, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, 1981

Hahnemann S. (1842) - Organon of the Medical Art, Sixth Edition, edited by O’Reilly. W.B., Palo Alto, California, 1996

Lockie. A. and Geddes. N. (1995) - Complete Guide to Homeopathy - The Principles and Practice of Treatment, Format, 1995

Vithoulkas G. (1981) - The Science of Homeopathy, Grove Press, New York, 1981