Homeopathic Diseases Management

What is homeopathy

What are the benefits of homeopathic treatment ?

Who can benefit from homeopathy?

How homeopathy works ?

Legal and Scientific Basis of Homeopathy

Scope of Homeopathy

Real Homeopathy

How to get best relief with homeopathic treatment ?

Precautions about homeopathic treatment

What is homeopathy

Homeopathy is one of the most effective and popular holistic medicine. This healing system was discovered by Dr Samuel Hahnemann of Germany. For more than 250 years it has successfully treated acute and chronic diseases and helped people all over the world to live in good health. According to WHO it is the second most popular system of medicine and is important for the target of ‘Health For All’. It is benefiting more than 500 million people around the world.

It is being stated as possible future of medicine because of its safe, effective, natural, holistic, versatile, preventive and affordable merits. Contrary to some other systems which suppress symptoms, it stimulates body’s inner healing ability (immune system) to fight disease and brings on natural positive health. Homeopathy has proved its effectiveness in acute and chronic diseases, from common cold to early stages of cancer, in clinics around the world. According to various polls conducted, 75 to about 90 % people from various countries have shown satisfaction with their homeopathic treatment for ailments including arthritis, asthma, hypertension, anxiety, psoriasis IBS, PMS, sleeplessness, migraine etc. Many clinical studies have confirmed that in addition to treatment of sickness, homeopathy improves overall health and can prevent sickness. It works well both as complimentary treatment to conventional medicine and as frontline (primary) treatment.

What are the benefits of homeopathic treatment ?

• Natural – It works on Nature’s Laws of Health and therefore creates harmony of body and mind with nature. It stimulates the natural immunity and internal strength.
• Effective – Its usefulness is proved in medical, surgical, psychological and psychosomatic disorders. It works fast. In acute conditions it gives relief within minutes of administration of medicine. It is versatile and its diverse action has been effectively used in wide range of physical and psychological conditions..
• Safe – It is safe & non toxic with no side effects. There are no adverse effects reported from therapeutic use of homeopathic medicines. It is non addictive and non habit forming. It is suitable even in infants, elderly and pregnancy. It is easy and pleasant to take.
• Preventive It is proactive & preventive. It does not wait till disease occurs and damages the body. It promotes immunity & prevents sickness from developing. It is effective even before sickness become clinically apparent or tested positive by investigations.
• Positive Health – It is positive. It improves the health status thereby giving vigor to live. It rejuvenates the entire system and makes one more relaxed and energetic. It improves and stabilizes the physiological functions of the body like sleep, digestion endocrine secretion etc.
• Complimentary – There is no contradiction with allopathic / conventional medicine. It can be used as frontline treatment as well as complimentary to conventional medicine. It can be integrated well to work in a synergistic manner enhancing the overall effectiveness of treatment, reducing the requirement of medicines, reducing the side effects and giving early relief from sickness.
• Holistic – Homeopathy treats the person as a whole and gives wellbeing at physical and psychological level. It treats the sickness, heals the body and the mind & emotions to give complete and lasting state of health and happiness. It has unmatched ability to treat psychosomatic disorders like stress induced hypertension.

Who can benefit from homeopathy?

• Those who are suffering from acute or chronic disease. It treats both physical and psychological diseases.
• Those who are not finding relief in conventional medicine. It works well along with conventional system of medicine by improving overall relief and reducing side effects.
• Those who wish to avoid surgery like in nasal polyp, recurrent tonsillitis, ovarian cyst, uterine fibroids, prostate hypertrophy, kidney / gall stones, piles, warts, fistula in ano, varicose veins, gastric ulcer, vocal nodule, fibroadenoma breast etc.
• Those who wish to improve health status and move towards positive state of health with better immunity and vigor.
• It successfully treats the psychosomatic complaints (sickness with psychological cause). For example stress induced asthma / hypertension.
• Those who wish to prevent occurrence of physical or psychological diseases. If used well during pregnancy & early age, it can prevent / delay many chronic diseases like diabetes, arthritis, asthma, hypertension etc.

How homeopathy works?

Homeopathy is based on the principle that you can treat ‘like with like’, that is, a substance which causes symptoms when taken in large doses, can be used in small amounts to treat those same symptoms. Homeopathic medicines are prepared by specialist pharmacies using a careful process of dilution and succession. Homeopathic remedies are classified into three levels of potencies. X, C and M refer to 10, 100 and 1,000 in terms of the amount of dilution. The confusing and amazing aspect of Homeopathy is that the more a tincture is diluted, the more potent it becomes. So, while a C is more dilute than an X, the C is more potent. The M classification is very potent and is usually prescribed by Homeopathic physicians.

The homeopathic approach is based on the laws of nature. Hence, it will not suppress your body symptoms. Rather, it will improve the body functioning and help you achieve what you wish to accomplish. When you suffer from illness, your immunity system becomes weak and the body cannot provide optimum results. These medicines aim to strengthen your immunity system.

Your body cells are being regenerated all the time. As one cell dies, another is born. You might expect that as the old one dies, the memories it carries would die with it. But it needs to pass on the function the new cell has to carry out. So all information is passed over. The cells can’t decide which useful information is and which is unhealthy. When you have an appropriate homeopathic treatment, the old, useless and unhealthy information is wiped clean from the cells So new cells now only take the information it needs to function in its role.

Homeopathy differs from conventional medicine in a number of ways.

• Homeopathy is holistic. It takes clinical, physical, psychological, environmental, life span and lifestyle assessment into consideration for selecting appropriate medicine.
• Homeopathy treats a sickness by stimulating body’s natural healing ability (immunity).
• There are no routine medicines in homeopathy. Its treatment is individualistic which is specific medicine decided by a doctor after thorough assessment of patients clinical, physical, psychological, and lifestyle status.

Homeopathy treats physical and psychological diseases by stimulating body’s inherent ability to treat itself. Nature has provided a mechanism to heal and keep us healthy. It is evident in day to day life when we see minor ailments and injuries getting better with time. This mechanism always tries to prevent & fight disease (or disorder) and bring health back to normal. But in some conditions it fails to do so. This results in progression of sickness. To understand, take for example a small wound. Observe how body tries to control bleeding and later heal the wound. Same phenomenon is confirmed during epidemic outbreak. During epidemic not everyone fall prey to it but those whose immunity is low get sick.

Immunity level of every individual differs. Major illness occurs when body’s own healing mechanism proves insufficient. This illness is expressed in the form of symptoms. If these symptoms are ignored or suppressed, sickness progresses and causes pathological damage to body organs.

Homeopathy works on the principle that in order to treat a sickness and gain health, these symptoms must not be suppressed. The treatment of sickness should be to stimulate the immunity / natural healing mechanism. In homeopathy this is achieved by dynamic homeopathic remedies. The entire working of homeopathy is based on some principles of natural healing. Some of them are :

• Law of Similia

According to this Law of Nature (like cures like) a homeopathic substance that produces a sickness (symptom totality) in a healthy person can be used in minute & safe doses to treat a sick person who has the same sickness (symptom totality). This principle is confirmed by the rebound phenomenon observed in many conditions. When a purgative is used to relieve constipation, this in turn produces more constipation. Similar rebound is seen in use of acidity or nasal congestion relieving substances.

• Individualization

According to this principle sickness of every individual is different. Every individual on this earth is different because of difference in his / her constitution. The genetic makeup and the environment / circumstances one is exposed to, both are entirely unique of that individual. There is not even a single duplication just like our finger prints. Therefore the sickness of the person is also unique. This rule out routine prescribing of medicine without taking into consideration that person’s individual constitution and uniqueness of sickness. Therefore in homeopathy in addition to clinical diagnosis it is necessary to diagnose the constitution of the person. This helps in making it possible to stimulate the natural healing mechanism of that individual person.

• Drug Dynamization

Drug dynamization is the process by which medicinal properties of a natural substance are activated. It activates dynamic energy of the substance. Our body is not a mere combination of non living chemicals & minerals. It is the dynamic organization of these chemicals, minerals and the vital force. This vital force is something that makes the difference between dead and alive. The disorder in vital force results in derangement of body functions & sickness. These disorders are treated well by dynamically activated medicinal substances. This dynamization process also reduces the possibility of side effects and aggravations.

• Singular Remedy & Minimum dose

According to this principle only one (single) medicine must be administered to a patient. The medicine dose must be least possible. The reasons of doing this are :

• To avoid suppression of sickness.
• To avoid side effects & aggravations.
• To avoid distortion of symptom totality & diagnosis.

• Drug Proving

Drug proving is the systematic investigation of pathogenic / medicinal properties of a medicine. This is done on healthy male and female volunteers. This is not done on animals to avoid cruelty against animals and also for the reason that animals can not give details of symptoms.

Legal and Scientific Basis of Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a scientific healing system which is very well proved in clinical studies. Practice of homeopathy is equivalent to practice of conventional medicine. It is as recognized as allopathy / conventional medicine. It is taught in government recognized medical colleges & hospitals as a university level course. Doctor’s from these medical colleges are licensed to practice homeopathy legally and are registered in government recognized medical council. In USA, Congress passed a law in 1938 declaring that homeopathic remedies are to be regulated by the FDA in the same manner as nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. In United Kingdom it is part of NHS and is recognized by the Act of Parliament. Time and again research has confirmed the beneficial effects of homeopathy in various diseases. To read about some of these research one can visit official websites like :

www.ccrhindia.org           or        www.trusthomeopathy.org

Scope and levels of Homeopathy

Homeopathy treats at three levels.

1. First Aid Treatment

Level one is the First Aid where it treats cuts, bruises, sprains, burns, food poisoning etc. It is a useful support in every home for minor injuries & ailments. Some commonly used medicines are :

1. Arnica – For blunt injury and bruises.
2. Calendula – For cuts & wounds
3. Rhus Tox & Ruta – For sprains & strains
4. Ledum – For punctured wounds as by nail.
5. Staphysagria – For Sharp cut wounds as by glass or blade.
6. Symphytum – For bone injury
7. Hypericum – For nerve injury
8. Cantharis – For minor burns
9. Apis Mel – For insect bite or sting.

Although homeopathic first aid is easy and safe, one should understand basic homeopathic working before using them. (Contact Us for guidelines on correct homeopathic working.).

2. Treatment for Acute Diseases

Level two is the treatment of acute conditions like common cold and cough, acute fever, acute diarrhea etc. It gives quick relief and also improves immunity to reduce frequent occurrence of such acute diseases.

3. Constitutional Treatment for Chronic Diseases

Level three is the treatment of chronic progressive diseases like hypertension, diabetes, asthma arthritis etc.. Constitution is the complete organization of a human being comprising of psychological and physical system and including body organs and body functions. Mental health and physical health affect each other. Even in physical conditions, disease of one organ / system can affect other parts of the body. Body has a natural healing mechanism which try to correct diseases and disorders by which it is affected. But sometimes it is unable to do so of its own. Constitutional treatment treats disease as well as improves the health status (both physical and psychological) by stimulating this natural healing mechanism. Treatment of chronic conditions (which is constitutional) depends on stage and state of disease. Homeopathy cures the curable conditions. In conditions which are beyond the scope of cure because of much pathological damage, it relieves the suffering and slows down the progress of disease. In such conditions homeopathy is a good long term management therapy without side effects. Good management and the judicious use of therapy & medicines according to the status of sick and sickness will give the best possible relief including cure.

Real Homeopathy

Real homeopathy given by the founder Dr Samuel Hahnemann is one which satisfies the following criteria:

• Classical, based on its principles

Real Homeopathy is one which was discovered by Dr Samuel Hahnemann. He laid down certain principles known as philosophy of homeopathy. These principles were based on nature’s law of health. Homeopathy is safe and effective only when these principles are followed. This is called the classical homeopathy. Unfortunately quack, hobby doctors and even some qualified doctors do not adhere to these principles resulting in suppression of sickness and harm to patient’s health.

• Constitutional

Real homeopathy takes into consideration complete details of factors affecting health especially in chronic cases. This includes major complaints, state of body functions, state of mental health, environmental conditions, habits, life events etc. All this is required to know exact state of disorder and find correct medicine. Missing some information leads to choice of incorrect medicine.

• Clinical

This is another mistake by some doctors who swear by homeopathy but fail to understand significance of clinical status of sickness. Clinical diagnosis and investigations must be given due consideration in case management. This also helps in monitoring the progression of treatment in correct direction.

• Individualistic and Specific

Real homeopathy is individualistic and specific. This means unlike allopathy / conventional medicine, there are no generalized medicines X for asthma, Y for arthritis and Z for diabetes. In real homeopathic treatment, for every case at every step a specific medicine is selected.  For example in ten cases of asthma there can be different medicines selected in different potency (commonly called power) with different frequency of repetition (dosage). This is called indicated remedy. According to real homeopathy indicated remedy is Similar Singular and Smallest. This means medicine must be specific for sickness, only one medicine to be used at a time and in least possible amount and dosage. That’s where many doctors who prescribe many medicines at random repetitions err against real homeopathy.

• Research based

Real homeopathy has grown stronger with research including clinical trials and meta analysis. Its results have been shown to have significant effect. And this is done based on principles of homeopathy. This further proves the value and effectiveness of real homeopathy that is classical homeopathy based on its principles.

How to get best relief with homeopathic treatment? (Patient’s role in homeopathic management)

It is important for patients to understand and realize that they too have a role in treatment of sickness. This improves the result and helps in early and better relief.

• Awareness about health & sickness

It is useful to for everyone to have basic awareness about health & sickness. Ignoring signals of disease or not taking regular & proper treatment allows sickness to grow and damage health. Similarly suppressing symptoms to get temporary relief will only damage health and give rise to many dangerous diseases.

• Awareness about homeopathy

One must know that unlike some other system of treatment, homeopathy stimulates the natural healing mechanism and strengthen internal health. There are no routine medicines to suppress symptoms. For every patient medicine are carefully selected depending on stage & state of sickness.

• Information about sickness

Homeopathic diagnosis is holistic. In acute cases it focuses on prominent symptoms of current sickness. In chronic sickness it includes clinical, physical, psychological, social as well as lifestyle assessment. Patient must give all such information in detail.  Some questions in homeopathic assessment may sound irrelevant to sickness but they are not. They help in diagnosis of body constitution and in selection of right medicine.

• Medicine

Taking medicine in right dose & repetition is very important in homeopathy. This should be strictly in accordance with prescription. Remember taking more medicine will not remove your sickness more ‘quickly’. On the contrary it will spoil the medicine action.

• Progress of relief & good health

Patient must give right and clear details of progress of relief in follow up consultations. This forms the basis of further medication. One must avoid exaggeration of complaints as well as giving false signal of ‘somewhat’ better. Explain clearly what is better, what is more, if any thing new has come up etc. In some cases there are temporary symptoms like increased discharge (stool, sweating, nasal discharge, expectoration etc) or resurfacing of some older complaints. These are indicators of right treatment and body getting rid of toxins & sickness. Watch for improvement in terms of lesser suffering, better energy levels, better sleep and other body functions.

Precautions about homeopathic treatment

• Classical Homeopathy / Mixopathy

The real homeopathy is classical homeopathy. Classical homeopathy refers to homeopathic management strictly according to the principles of homeopathy. Homeopathy is based on the principle of Similar Singular Smallest. Similar refers to selection of medicine on the basis of holistic diagnosis & individualization. Singular refers to use of one medicine for treatment. Smallest refers to treatment of sickness with minimum possible medicine to avoid suppression & aggravation. Sometimes multiple medicines are used in mixture or alternating medicines with frequent repetitions. This is not correct and result in suppression of sickness which later strikes back with more intensity and in more dangerous form.

• Self Medication

Homeopathy is very safe. This has resulted in self treatment by many people taking help of books or using same medicine for your sickness which might have helped someone else. This is not a good practice. In addition to failure of treatment, this results in suppression of sickness as well as distortion of clinical presentation of sickness. This also makes the sickness ‘resistant’ to treatment. Always take homeopathic treatment under supervision of a qualified homeopathic doctor.

Misconceptions about homeopathy

1. It is slow to act

No, homeopathy is not slow. It works instantly in acute diseases. In chronic diseases it takes some time to give relief as these medicines are not suppressing symptoms / complaints. They act curatively by stimulating healing mechanism of the body which may take time depending upon type and stage of disease but give lasting relief.

2. It is symptomatic

These therapies are not symptomatic but are symptom based. In symptomatic treatment symptoms are suppressed but after some time disease strike back with more intensity or in more dangerous form. This is what homeopathy is totally against. Homeopathy gives utmost consideration to symptoms. It takes into account symptoms as surface manifestation of sickness and cures the disease in a holistic manner.

3. Its effects are psychological (like placebo)

The effects produced by these medicines are not psychological. This is proved by the scientific studies. Homeopathic medicines have given good results in diseases with pathological changes as well as their action has been seen on infants, unconscious patients, animals etc which can never be psychological.

4. It is good for chronic disease only

These therapies are equally good for acute and chronic conditions. In fact when acute conditions are treated by homeopathy, this decreases the possibility of development of chronic sickness.

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