  Understanding how homoeopathy works is a complex issue, as homoeopathy is more than just a system of medicine – it is an approach to health and disease that cannot be summed up in the matter of a few words.
Simply put, Homoeopathy is a safe, effective and increasingly popular from of medicine. “Homoeo” means “like” and “pathy” means “disease” so a substance that can produce a set of symptoms if taken in toxic amounts by a healthy person, will cure those same symptoms if they appear in a diseased person. Here’s a simple example: a sensitive person who drinks a few cups of coffee will become nervous, jittery, hyped up and sleepless. So, the Homoeopathic remedy Coffea is effective in cases of insomnia with increased mental activity.
Heal yourself
The philosophy underlying Homoeopahy recognises that the body is a vital, self-healing organism. Homoeopathic remedies are therefore prepared in such a way as to stimulate this innate healing ability. The homoeopathic way of thinking differs greatly from the allopathic or traditional medical system. According to allopathy, most diseases are either a result of an infection caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi; or some malfunction in the person’s own metabolic processes. Allopathic drugs are prepared so as to kill the microbes that caused the infection or to compensate for the abnormal metabolic processes.
The problem with allopathic drugs is that they have very undesirable side effects on the body:
- Firstly, they are concentrates of substances that are mostly foreign to the body and therefore the body treats them as toxins. Large amounts of toxins put a strain on the body especially on the liver and kidneys.
- Secondly, the drugs are usually broad spectrum so instead of just killing the bad microbes, those that are necessary for the body to function are killed as well. That is why nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are common side effects of most drugs
- Lastly, the allopathic drugs treat only aspects of the whole disease. So antibiotics kill bacteria but don’t treat fever. So patients have to take a combination of drugs to treat the disease – each with its own side effects.
While this sort of treatment may be lifesaving in some cases, it can very often be avoided with a different approach.
We all know that we are unique, and that when we are sick, we experience illness slightly differently from those around us. The key to homoeopathy is that no two people suffer the same disease. We each have our own highly individual ways of reacting to the stresses of life and maintaining our inner harmony. For some, when they are sick, they want to be left alone in a darkened room; for others, they want to be looked after and comforted. For some, a sore throat will feel better for small sips of cold water, whilst others would prefer warm drinks. This individuality is the key to selecting the correct homoeopathic remedy. Each homoeopathic remedy has a unique mental, emotional and physical ‘picture’, which when matched to a person of the same ‘picture’ will bring about cure. From this we can see that there is not only one remedy for each disease, as each case of the disease is different and requires a different remedy.
The weaker, the stronger
The second important tenet of Homoeopathy is potency. Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homoeopathy, found that by diluting and shaking medicines, their effects were enhanced rather than diminished as one might expect, and that their toxic effects were eliminated. Strange as it sounds, the more dilute and potentised a remedy is, the deeper and more powerfully it works. Once past a certain dilution, there are no longer any actual molecules of the original substance left. So how does the remedy work?
If we understand that symptoms of disease are just the body’s way of healing and balancing itself, it logically follows that a medicine should be given that is capable of bringing about that same process. Homoeopathic medicines help to speed up recovery by stimulating the vital force (the force or energy responsible for the healthy running of the body), which can be depressed due to stress, mental exertion, toxins, emotions, and so on. The vital force is resilient and is more than capable of bouncing back. The medicines energise the vital force to rid the body of disease, helping it to return to its healthy state by enhancing the elimination of toxins from the body and by revitalising the organs of the body. Homeopathic medicines stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms and therefore prevent the recurrence of illness.
Taking the extra time
You can expect that a homoeopathic consultation will be longer than one with a GP. You will be asked about your current symptoms, with emphasis being out on the modalities of the situation – what makes you feel better or worse – and on your mental and emotional symptoms. A homoeopath will also ask many questions about your medical background because in that way we can track your tendencies towards certain disease states and conditions. The first consultation is normally 45 minutes to an hour, and subsequent visits about half an hour. The treatment given will always be a homeopathic medicine, which is either in powder, liquid, or granule form and you may also be given some herbal remedies to assist the homeopathic treatment.
Homoeopathy is completely safe for everyone, including pregnant women, infants and people with serious illness. It can be used to treat almost any disease or condition including arthritis, migraines, asthma, eczema, chronic fatigue, PMS, insomnia and depression.
 Dr Taryn Turner a registered homoeopath and qualified doula, operating from Montclair Medical Centre is Durban. She can be contacted on 084 455 5529 or
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Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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