Homeopathy

Jane Lindsay

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine which has been used by many different cultures around the world over the centuries, including the Byzantine, Mayan, Chinese, Greek, Indian and Native American Indian. Over the last 200 years since the work of Samuel Hahnemann, homeopathy has spread around the world and is now practiced in virtually every country.

This is a gentle, holistic system of healing, suitable for everyone, young and old.  Homeopathic remedies are safe, effective, non-toxic, non-habit forming, free of side effects. They are also relatively inexpensive and can be taken with drugs, herbs, vitamins, and other dietary supplements.  They can be safely taken by pregnant women, nursing mothers, babies and infants, also the elderly and those taking other forms of medication.

How do homeopaths prognose?

Homoeopathic physicians use a medical history, examination and investigation to develop an understanding of a patient’s condition. The physician will make a study of the symptoms the patient is complaining of, but will also study the patient’s environmental sensitivities, medical history, weather tolerances, dietary preferences, personality, relationship patterns and life style etc, so that a holistic image of the patient is developed. This understanding is then matched to a homeopathic medicine with similar characteristics, one that will resonate with the patient’s immune system.

What remedies are used?

There are some 3000 different homeopathic remedies derived from the mineral, vegetable, animal and chemical kingdoms. The law of ‘Similars’ or ‘Like curing Like’ applies to the Homeopathic principle of using potentised micro-doses of substance that, if capable of producing symptoms in a healthy person, can also be used to cure the same symptoms in an unhealthy individual.  The active ingredients are given in highly diluted form, ensuring they are completely safe. 

Body and Mind

Homoeopaths understand that establishing good health involves treating both mind and body, so time is taken to listen to your emotional as well as your physical symptoms. Homeopathy also recognizes that disease symptoms are actually an attempt by the body to heal itself. The priority is to understand and nurture the patient as a whole person not just as a collection of symptoms.

Conditions Frequently Treated

Homoeopathy is successful in treating a wide range of conditions, and it can integrate well with conventional medicine. It has a wide application, from acute fevers, sore throats and toothache, to chronic illnesses such as arthritis, eczema, asthma, anxiety, mild depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Many childhood illnesses respond very well to homeopathy, as do many symptoms caused by hormonal imbalance, or by a disturbance of the nervous or immune systems. The primary focus of homeopathic medicine is the stimulus of the body’s nervous and immune systems, to support a return to health. With this approach a vast array of both physical and emotional problems can be effectively treated.