About Homeopathy
Let's start at the very beginning of what Homeopathy is, a few years ago I didn't know myself and kept calling it "home something". I was studying Kinesiology and Health Science at York University, working out 5 times a week, eating a super healthy diet, but still had a skin condition, diagnosed as Acne Conglobata. It is a type of acne that leaves scars.
After trying every possible solution and giving up hope on ever healing my skin, a friend recommended a homeopath. A "home of what?" But I was ready to try anything and within two sessions my acne was gone, scars were healing and I so happy and relieved I decided to study Homeopathy myself and share this medicine with others.
Homeopathic medicine is based on a single law of therapeutics called the Law of Similars, "Similia Similibus Curantur" which means "like cures like". This law states that a substance that can cause the symptoms of a disease can also cure it. In fact, that's exactly what word "Homeopathy" means: similar ("homeo") suffering ("pathy").
Homeopaths use the process of provings to identify the characteristic curative property of a substance. A group of healthy people of different ages and gender is selected to stay under observation while receiving homeopathic remedies for a period of time. The newly developed symptoms are documented, compared at the end of the process and then recorded in Materia Medica.
Coffee for example, as a remedy Coffea Cruda can be curative for insomnia but as a substance coffee can cause sleeplessness.
In Homeopathy it is recognized that a human being exists on a physical plane, a mental plane and an emotional plane. The different planes form a totality in which all of them matter when it comes to diagnosis and healing a disease. A patient is assessed as a whole being, not compartmentalized into sections, and disease is recognized as an outcome of physical and/or mental/emotional stress. Physical stress could be anything from injury, intoxication/poisoning (alcohol, smoke, drug), nutritional deficiency, dehydration, exhaustion, lack of hygiene, etc. Mental stress could be related to any life situation that is causing trauma, pain, feeling overwhelmed or depressed. Homeopath must objectively discern what the cause could be and recognize obstacles to cure. Obstacle to cure could be being in an unhealthy relationship and not able to leave the situation or hating a job but going anyway because he/she is depending on it.
Once the assessment is done, the homeopath decides if the client even needs a remedy or if the cause is a nutritional deficiency, hygiene related symptom, lack of exercise, etc. Not every client receives a remedy. Nutritional recommendations are made and in some cases patients are referred to another practitioner.
Homeopathic medicines can be prepared from soluble materials, ie plants, insects, animal secretions. These soluble substances are made into Mother Tincture (50% part of substance: 50% of alcohol). After few weeks (minimum 48 hours) this mother tincture can be further potentized (diluted and vigorously shaken).
Homeopathic remedy is anything from Mother Tincture to highly diluted solutions. It is a myth to assume that Homeopathy is only highly diluted substances. Homeopathic remedies are labelled according to their potency: MT, 1x, 6x, 1ch, 6ch, 30ch, 200ch, 1M and so on.
One homeopathic medicine can address one or more planes. For example, Bryonia can be prescribed for dryness of mucous membranes, irritability or stiffness and pain in joints. It can act on many parts of the body at once.
This concept is not new as similar action can be found in Vitamins and Minerals. Deficiency of Vitamin D3 can result in feeling sadness (depression), fat gain, bone ache, sweaty head. Iron deficiency will show by feeling tired, dizzy, weak, having twitches, hair loss and pallor as well as feeling irritable. They too work on many planes at the same time, because everything is connected and by treating a person holistically you have to take all symptoms into consideration. This further proves that one remedy can affect many organs at once and it is a myth that you have to take one remedy for each symptom.
In conclusion to clear the biggest myth, Homeopathy is not just prescribing highly diluted remedies. One can leave homeopath's office with no remedy at all, or with advice on which vitamins and minerals they should consider taking. They could also be given mother tincture or various homeopathic salves for skin disorders. Homeopathy is an art of medicine, it takes a discernment to recognize the root cause. Homeopaths believe in addressing root cause of the disease because that is how the disease disappears.
I believe our society would benefit highly from having more access to Homeopathy, which is now recognized by our governing body with many registered homeopaths in Toronto. Check your insurance plan and see if Homeopathy is covered by your benefits. And if it is not ask your insurance to add it as you have this right.
