What Is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a system of medicine developed by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann in the early 1800s. It uses medicines made primarily from natural substances (mostly herbs, also minerals) which have been diluted so many times that the original remedy substance is no longer present. Instead, its vibrational pattern has been imprinted on the water it was dissolved in. It is this energetic imprint which the remedy imparts to your body’s Vital Force or chi (healing energy), stimulating it to react against your health condition and push it out of the body for good.
As an energy-based healing system, homeopathy has many advantages over conventional medicine. There are no side effects or adverse reactions; it stimulates and strengthens the body’s healing energy, instead of weakening it and lowering the immune system; it is especially well-suited for people who are extremely sensitive (to medications, environmental toxins, etc.); it can address mental and emotional as well as physical symptoms; the remedies are inexpensive and do not need to be taken indefinitely.
What Is It Good For?
Homeopathy is good for a wide variety of conditions in people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly, and even for pets. (The fact that it works in infants and pets tends to dispel the notion of the placebo effect!)
And it works for a wide variety of conditions, whether acute (such as colds, flu, bee stings, cuts, bruises) or chronic (arthritis, allergies, hypothyroidism). The problem may be physical or mental (such as learning disabilities in the young or loss of memory in the elderly), emotional (depression, anxiety, low self-esteem), behavioral (addictive behaviors, ODD) or energetic (hyperactivity, fatigue).
It works especially well when there is a strong mind-body component (such as in stress-related conditions like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, or in women’s issues like menopause). It also works well for any condition when there is a clear “Never Well Since”, in other words when the patient can say “I’ve never really felt the same since my mother died [or my husband left me, my business partner betrayed me, etc].”
However, it can work well in many conditions when these factors are not a part of the picture. And many times the homeopathic process helps people discover such connections between their emotions, their life-traumas, and their symptoms.
How Do We Know It Works?
Homeopathy is part of the conventional health care system in many countries around the world, including England, France, Germany, Russia, India, and much of South America. Medical doctors in these countries commonly use homeopathic medicines or refer patients to their colleagues trained at homeopathic medical schools. Two hundred years of clinical experience have demonstrated the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies.
In addition, their activity has been demonstrated by scientific studies. We still see statements in the popular press, even in medical journals, that homeopathy is unscientific and unproven. There has been extensive testing of homeopathy; unfortunately, nearly all of the studies have been conducted abroad, due to lack of funding for research in alternative medicine. The most promising type of research is called outcomes research, which indicates that for many health conditions, homeopathy provides better results, at lower cost, with fewer side effects and greater patient satisfaction. Unfortunately, most doctors in the US remain unaware of homeopathy’s scientific status because, until recently, complementary medicine was not taught in American medical schools.
For more information about homeopathy: www.homeopathic.org and www.homeopathic.com, both of which include information about research in homeopathy; and please also see the enjoyable and informative newsletters written by our teacher, Dr. Luc De Schepper, on his website, www.drluc.com.
For a homeopathy appointment , please contact
Ronald Cruickshank, Lic.Ac.,
who also incorporates Chinese medicine and nutrition when beneficial
for the patient, at (617) 547-4133; or Begabati
Lennihan, RN, who specializes in homeopathy for women and
children, at (617) 547-8500. |
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