Homeopathy has become very popular throughout the world because of its natural approach. It is a safe, gentle approach which complies with one of the most important rules of medical intervention that it should do no harm.
The term homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo, meaning similar, and pathos, meaning suffering or disease. Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself by giving very small doses of highly diluted substances which cause similar effects to the symptoms presented. So homeopathy may be defined as the therapeutic method of symptom-similarity. This therapeutic method was developed by a German physician Samuel C.F. Hahnemann in 1796 as an alternative to the standard medical practices of the day.
One of the fundamental tenets of homeopathy is that we do not treat a disease, we treat a patient with a disease, thus aiming to treat the whole person and not just an organ or a part. It works on the principle that the mind, emotions and body are so strongly connected that physical conditions cannot be successfully treated without an understanding of the patient’s constitution and personality. In homeopathy the remedy given to a patient may well depend on a whole host of factors for example genetic and personal health history, body type, and current physical, emotional, and mental symptoms enabling the homeopath to individualize treatment for each patient. That is why it is referred to as a holistic form of treatment. Homeopaths can treat patients of all ages and both genders, suffering from almost any ailment.
On the other hand conventional (allopathic) medicine focus on the treatment of symptoms and not the cause of the disease, therefore people diagnosed with the same condition will generally be given the same medicine. For example antibiotics seem effective at treating the symptoms of ear infection (otitis media) but it may lead to recurrent ear infections because the cause of the ear infection was not treated. Up to 50% of ear infections are viral and we know antibiotics is ineffective against viruses. Recurrent use of antibiotics leads to a disturbed intestinal flora and a weakened immune system of the patient, who is then more susceptible to the next ear infection.
It is true that no one system of medicine can cure every disease every time in every patient. However, an integrated approach to medicine can provide a flexible and pragmatic approach to healthcare, and homeopathy has an important part to play in this process. -
Dr. Yolani Grové (Homeopath)
George: Tel: 044-8732488
References:
De Schepper, L. (2006) Classical Homeopathy for the Professional, B.Jain Publishers: New Delhi
Lockie, A. (2000) Encyclopedia of Homeopathy, Dorling Kindersley: London
