Homeopathy

Background of Homeopathy

Homeopathy is considered the original “alternative medicine,” yet it is neither an herbal medicine nor a dietary regimen, but a philosophy of health and a formal system of natural therapy that traces its origins to the work of Dr Samuel Hahneman (1755 – 1843) in Germany. Hahneman called the orthodox medicine of his day to “allopathy” from the Greek words allos (different) and pathein (disease, suffering). To counter this form of treating disease, he named his system “homeopathy”, from the Greek homoion (similar) and pathein (disease, suffering). The cornerstone of Hahneman’s homeopathic doctrine is the ancient natural “Law of Similars” – like cures like. In terms of therapeutic significance, this means that a substance producing specific symptoms in large crude doses conversely will stimulate the body’s reactive and restorative processes to alleviate those same or similar symptoms when administered in minute doses. For instance, ipecac produces vomiting if taken in large quantities, but in minute doses it can alleviate vomiting; poison ivy creates rashes and itching eczema, but when taken in homeopathic doses it can help the body overcome those same symptoms.

Homeopathy sees symptoms as the body’s natural response in fighting illness. They are utilized as a source of information to guide the selection of the most appropriate homeopathic remedy for a person’s specific issues. Such remedies utilize minute amounts of the natural substances to stimulate the body’s self-healing processes and utilize its resources to resolve symptoms rather than suppress them.

Homeopathy seeks to mobilize the innate healing powers of the individual so that all the physiological systems function at their best, and the body’s innate curative powers are put to full use. Homeopathic remedies never cover up or suppress symptoms, and they have no toxic side effects. (Just for the record, there has never been a report of anyone dying of homeopathics.)

Homeopathy came to America in the 1830’s. Thousands of homeopathic remedies are in use today, mostly derived from natural sources, but any substance can be made into a homeopathic remedy.

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Homeopathy Explained In Two Minutes

- By Dana Ullman, M.P.H.

When someone asks you what is homeopathy?” what do you answer? Here is a short, under-two-minute explanation you can try.
Homeopaths believe what most physiologists believe - that symptoms are adaptations of our bodies to stress and infection; that symptoms are defenses of the body, adaptations of the body in its efforts to try and heal itself.
The body is not always strong enough to complete the process. Sometimes the bacteria, virus, or external stress is so strong that the body cannot complete the externalization so it needs a catalyst to the body’s defense-immune system.
In essence, homeopathy is a natural, pharmaceutical science that looks for a substance in nature which has the capacity to stimulate the unique defense of the organism.
Now, if you’d like to continue, therefore, the symptoms are defenses. They are not the problem, but the effort of the organism to deal with the problem. Symptoms are not the disease. They are the signs and signals of the disease. Treating symptoms is like shooting the messenger because you don’t like the message. It does not change the message. If you are driving your car and the oil light goes on, do you unplug the light? The worst thing about that solution is it seems to work and you can drive on— at least for a while—without the light shining in your face. So, symptoms are warning signals and we can choose to ignore the signals, to turn them off, or do something about them.
So, once again, homeopaths respect the body’s own defenses and one gives homeopathic remedies to a person because they want to aid the body in its own efforts to heal.
Now, if you’d still like to continue... Homeopaths have found that once you find a substance that is capable of causing symptoms similar to those the person is suffering with; the person will have a hypersensitivity to that similar substance. It’s like when you hit a “C” note on a piano, all the other “C” notes will reverberate. Substances that have similar resonance have a hypersensitivity to each other. That’s why homeopaths give micro-doses of a substance which has a similar resonance as our own resonance, our own total symptomalogical resonance. Because of this similarity the body can respond to that small dose of the substance.
So homeopathy makes use of a basic law in nature that we refer to as the Law of Similars, or scientists might refer to it as a Similars Phenomenon.
Homeopathy has been referred to as “medical Aikido”. Aikido is the martial art that teaches how to use the strength of the person attacking you to draw them to the ground rather than going at the attacker offensively. Homeopathy takes the energy of the disease and, instead of suppressing it, goes with it.

Article reprinted by permission.
Permission to reprint this article is given.

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Homeopathy: Frequently Asked Questions

--by Dana Ullman, M.P.H.

What is homeopathy?
Homeopathic medicine is a natural pharmaceutical science that uses various plant, mineral or animal materials in very small doses to stimulate a sick person’s natural defenses. The medicines are individually chosen for their ability to cause in overdose similar symptoms to those the person is experiencing. Homoios in Greek means similar and pathos means disease or suffering. Since symptoms are actually efforts of the organism to re-establish homeostasis or balance, it is logical to seek a substance that would, in overdose, cause similar symptoms. The medicines thus go with, rather than against, the person’s natural defenses.
Homeopathy is composed of two highly systematic methods: toxicology and case-taking. First, homeopaths find out the specific physical, emotional and mental symptoms that various substances cause in overdose. Homeopathic texts have more detail on toxicology than any other source. Second, homeopaths interview their patients in great detail to discover the totality of physical, emotional and mental symptoms. The homeopath seeks to find a substance that would cause similar symptoms and then gives it in a small, specially prepared dose.

Isn’t it illogical to give doses of substances that cause symptoms similar to those the sick person has in order to cure them?
Homeopaths, like many other modern physiologists, recognize that symptoms represent the best efforts of the organism to adapt to a stress and defend itself. The body is not always successful in dealing with a specific stress, and thus it is important to find a substance in nature that has the capacity to mimic the symptoms the person is experiencing in order to aid the body in its efforts to deal with stresses and ultimately cure itself.
The “law of similars,” the basic principal of homeopathy, is even used in some conventional medical therapies such as immunizations and allergy treatments. These treatments, however, are not pure homeopathy since homeopathic medicines are more individually prescribed, given in smaller doses, and used to treat sick people and to prevent disease.

How can such small doses possibly have any physiological effects?
Although we don’t understand how the homeopathic medicines work, there is clear evidence that the medicines are active and can heal. Homeopathy became popular in this country and in Europe during the 1800s because of its success in treating the many infectious diseases that raged during that time, including yellow fever, scarlet fever, cholera, and many others. The death rate in homeopathic hospitals was between one-half to one-eighth of those in conventional medical hospitals.
Homeopathic medicines have also been shown to work on infants and on various animals (including dogs, cats, horses and even cows) where it is highly unlikely that they are acting only as a placebo. Homeopaths also find that people who are being treated with homeopathic medicine for a chronic disease sometimes experience a temporary exacerbation in their symptoms as the body’s defenses are being stimulated. Homeopaths have found that a “healing crisis” is sometimes necessary to achieve healing. It is highly unlikely that this temporary worsening of symptoms is the result of a placebo response.
There has also been some good scientific research published. Some of this research has been on human beings, some of it has been on animals and some of it has been on plants. This research concludes that the small doses definitely have an effect when properly prescribed.

If a person believes that homeopathy or another therapy will work, this certainly will help. However, belief is not necessary to receive benefit from homeopathic medicines.
The small doses used by homeopaths only have an effect when a person has a hypersensitivity to the specific medicine given. The homeopath finds the medicine to which the person will be hypersensitive by looking for a substance that has the capacity to cause in overdose the specific symptoms the person is experiencing. If the wrong medicine is given, nothing happens. If the correct medicine is given, the medicine acts as a catalyst to the person’s defenses.

If the medicines are so effective, why isn’t homeopathy more popular today?
Actually, it is quite popular in many countries. As for homeopathy in the U.S., it has been very popular here. At the turn of the century, 20-25% of physicians in urban areas were homeopathic physicians. The American Medical Association felt seriously threatened clinically, philosophically and economically by homeopaths. As distinct from other unorthodox practitioners, homeopaths graduated from respected medical schools. From 1860 to the early 1900s, a conventional physician would lose membership in the A.M.A. if he simply consulted with a homeopath. The A.M.A. also applied pressure on various funding sources so that the homeopathic schools had difficulty staying alive. Despite the strong pressure from the A.M.A. and the drug companies, homeopathy has survived and has flourished throughout the world.

Where is homeopathy most popular?
Homeopathy is particularly popular in France, England, Germany, Greece, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and South Africa. In France, there are approximately 6,000 MDs who practice it regularly. In Germany, over one-third of the medical doctors at least occasionally use homeopathic medicines. In India, there are over 120 four-year homeopathic medical schools. Homeopathy is growing rapidly in most of these countries. An amazing study was published in the British Medical Journal in 1983 that found that 80% of a random group of 100 young physicians expressed interest in being trained in homeopathy, acupuncture or hypnosis.

Is homeopathy legal in the U.S.?
Certainly! Most of its practitioners are conventionally trained medical doctors who have furthered their training with the study of homeopathy. Some practitioners are other types of health professionals including dentists, podiatrists, psychologists, physicians’ assistants, nurses, chiropractors, even veterinarians. There are also some lay people who have seriously studied homeopathy and are very good practitioners. Also, some clergymen practice homeopathy.
The homeopathic medicines are officially recognized by the F.D.A. as “over-the-counter-drugs” and thus any person can order them without a prescription. Because they are recognized as drugs, their manufacture is strictly regulated by the F.D.A. to assure consumers that they are getting what they ordered.

Are homeopathic medicines safe?
The small doses used in homeopathic medicines make them extremely safe. Of course, anything can be taken in overdose, and if you don’t know what you are doing, you can create some problems. The book I co-authored, Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (J.P. Tarcher, 1984), provides step-by-step information on how to use the medicines and when it is necessary to seek medical care.

If a person is using homeopathic medicines, can they use conventional drugs at the same time?
Generally, one will not need to take conventional drugs if the homeopathic medicine is correct. It is possible to take them together. However, some conventional medicines are so strong that they inhibit any action of the homeopathic medicine. In such situations the individual must decide whether to use conventional or homeopathic medicine.

There are homeopathic medicines available that are supposedly for specific problems, if homeopathy is based on finding a medicine individually suited to the person, are these medicines really homeopathic?
“Combination medicines” have between 3 to 8 different homeopathic medicines mixed together. The various manufacturers choose the medicines most commonly prescribed for a specific illness and assume that one of them will help cure the illness. These combination medicines are popular in the U.S. and in Europe because they sometimes work and because they are so easy to self-prescribe. Since these medicines are much safer than conventional drugs, they are preferable to a growing number of people.
Homeopaths have found that a single medicine individually chosen for the person tends to work more often and more deeply. Homeopaths also assert that when two or more medicines are mixed together, it is then unknown what this new mixture causes in over-dose and thus what it cures in small dose. Homeopaths generally encourage people to prescribe for themselves for acute illnesses but strongly discourage attempts to treat any chronic disease. Such chronic conditions require professional attention and too-frequent use of combinations may sometimes make it more difficult for the homeopath to find the individual medicine.

Dana Ullman, M.P.H., has made significant contributions enabling homeopathic medicine and alternative health care to gain increasing recognition and popularity.
He has written over 30 published articles in a variety of respected publications including
Western Journal of Medicine, Social Policy, Journal of Alternative Human Services, California Living (the Sunday supplement magazine to the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner), as well as numerous alternative health care and homeopathic journals and newsletters.
He has co-authored Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine (Tarcher, 1984), edited Monograph on Homeopathic Research and served as publisher of five major texts in homeopathy by other authors. He directs Homeopathic Educational Services, which is the largest distributor of homeopathic books, tapes and medicine kits in the country.

Article reprinted by permission.
Permission to reprint this article is given.

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