Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, that is based on the principle of „like cures like“. The term homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo, which means similar, and pathos, which means suffering. In homeopathic treatment, extremely small doses of substances are given, that produce similar symptoms of illness in healthy people, when given in larger doses. By giving these substances, homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s defense processes in order to prevent or treat illness.
History of Homeopathy
It was Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German physician, chemist, and linguist, who first described homeopathy. It is reported that he was translating a herbal text and read about cinchona bark being used to cure malaria. He took some cinchona bark himself and developed symptoms that were similar to malaria symptoms. This led Hahnemann to the conclusion that the symptoms of an illness were identical to the symptoms experienced by a healthy person who had been given a drug which could treat that illness.
He also wished to minimize the harmful effects of drugs and started to repeatedly dilute and shake (succussion) each medicine to reduce its potential to cause harm. To his surprise he found that the more stages of dilution and succussion a drug had gone through, the greater its healing potential. This principle of homeopathy which is called potentization, is the most characteristic and at the same time the most controversial one, as it is believed that the more dilutions and succussions a substance has undergone, the higher the potency will be. In other words, the solution that has been diluted past the point that molecules of the original substance could be found in it, is said to be the most effective in treating diseases.
Homeopathic Potencies
Homeopathic potencies are designated by the combination of a number and a letter, for example, 6X or 30C (X and C standing for the Roman numbers 10 and 100). The number refers to the number of dilutions the solution has undergone and the letter refers to the propotions used in each dilution, as well as the number of succussions the solution has undergone in each successive stage.
For example, to prepare a 6X potency of a substance, one part of the substance mother tincture is combined in a vial with nine parts of the carrier liquid (alcohol or water) and is succussed ten times, making a 2X solution. The process is repeated four more times for a total of six dilutions and succussions, resulting in a 6X potency of the substance. To make a 30C potency, one part of the substance is combined with ninety-nine parts of the carrier liquid and succussed 100 times in each of thirty steps. Finally, there are pellets, tablets, or powders make out of the potentized liquid, but the remedy can also be taken in liquid form.
The more dilutions and successions a substance has undergone, the higher the potency will be and the more effective the remedy. The 6 potency is the lowest strength generally available and it works very gently. It is used for conditions that normally improve slowly. The 30 potency is the most common strength for acute ailments and often an improvement is seen after the first dose already. The 200 potency and higher potencies are too strong for general use but may be recommended for acute conditions and only if the remedy is known to be the right one.
As 30 and higher potencies have been diluted past the point that molecules of the original substance can be found in it, and therefore most probably contain only water, many people are skeptic about homeopathy. Practitioners of homeopathy, however, believe that this water still retains some essential property of the substance which it had contaced in the past and that this essential property works on an energetic level to stimulate the body to heal itself.
Diagnosis and Treatment with Homeopathy
The initial visit to the homeopath can take from one hour to an hour and a half. As homeopaths treat the whole person rather than the illness, the practitioner interviews the patient at length. He will want to know about the patient’s state of mind, including anxieties, fears, or general attitudes, about the patient’s sleep pattern, about color, consistency, and regularity of his stool, where exactly the problem is located, what makes a particular symptom feel better or worse, when did the symptoms first occur and what brought them on, what the patient is sensitive to, for instance, cold, heat, drafts, light, touch, criticism, etc., and for female patients, where they are on their monthly cycle. Further, the homeopath will also examine the patient physically and will sometimes also want to have laboratory work done.
After the homeopath has gained enough information on the patient, he will prescribe one or more remedies. During followup visits, the patient reports how he or she is responding to the remedies, which helps the practitioner make decisions about further treatment.
Conditions that respond well to homeopathic treatment include eczema and other types of skin rashes, diarrhea, asthma, ear infection, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and hot flashes.
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