What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a gentle yet powerful; individualized health care system. It supports the body’s innate ability to heal itself through energetic remedies. After consulting a homeopath, the client is given a remedy in liquid or dry pellet form.
Many people with the same problem get different remedies, based on who they are. It is a way of honoring our uniqueness by seeing the person as a whole rather than an accumulation of symptoms.
This is what drew me to homeopathy when I first heard about it: individual care.
History of Homeopathy
It was founded in the 18th century by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann. After reading medical texts, he tested the Law of Similars and found it to be true: if a substance can create symptoms of a disease in a healthy person, the same substance can also cure a person who is suffering from that disease.
If we think of our eyes tearing up, nose running, face getting red while we are peeling an onion, these are similar to some of the symptoms we get when we have a cold. If onion can create these symptoms in us while we are healthy, it can also help us when we have a cold with the same set of symptoms. There is a homeopathic remedy made from onion that is used for colds!
This is similar to a commonly used expression: to use the hair of the dog that bit you.
Homeopathy means “similar suffering”. Homeo: similar and pathos: suffering
Conditions that can be helped by homeopathy
Many questions have been asked about this topic and it is one of the hardest ones to answer. Because homeopathic care isn’t focused on a particular symptom or a disease, any condition can be helped. The degree of improvement a person will see will depend on their overall health, their age, how long they had a specific condition and other factors.
I feel very hesitant to give a list since homeopathy can help a vast range of conditions. These are some conditions I see frequently in my practice: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, mood swings, unhappiness, unfullfillment with self and life, sleep problems and many physical ailments.
How it works
We all have a universal energy running though our bodies, psyches and souls. This energy is called the vital force in homeopathy, prana in yoga, chi in Chinese medicine and other things in many other traditions.
In homeopathy, we believe that problems result from an imbalance in our vital force. The homeopathic remedy has an energetic effect on our vital force: remedies balance the vital force. Once, we are back in balance again, the rest of our symptoms fall away, everything else balances itself out as well.
We can also think of this process as, one part of a system changing and this change having “domino tile” affect on the rest.
What to expect
Depending on who they are, everyone will get different results. Below is a list of common reactions from my own experience and reports from clients, friends, family and colleagues.
Improvement of a client’s specific complaint, better sleep, sleeping for long hours the first few days (this passes over time), having vivid dreams, regular periods, pains/aches going away, general feeling of calm and well being, increased energy, increased libido, craving healthier foods/drinks, giving up some unwanted habits or decrease in use…
Some may have all or part of these reactions.