Get closer to Homeopathy

Get closer to Homeopathy

Dr Leow Chee Seng

Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy,

Regional Director of British Institute of Homeopathy.

The media often refer to particular disease as being “incurable”, yet a lot of homeopaths are often consulted by patients who have those very same conditions, and who are well on the way to recovery once they have started homeopathic treatment. It is so sad that people do not realize homeopathy could help them and that they do not have to put up with so much unnecessary suffering. It is quite surprising how little people know about homeopathy. There are misunderstanding concepts that people think it is similar to herbalism or to do with nutrition and diet; sadly some other are simply dismissive or condescending about it without actually knowing what it is; and others think it is only suitable for minor ailments and that it is essential to take the “right” medicine for something serious. All such ideas are totally incorrect and invariably occur when people know little or nothing about homeopathy or its philosophy.

Needs of homeopathy

Homeopathy has been used since the late 18^th century to treat a variety of conditions. A 1999 BBC telephone survey reported that 17% of a random selection of 1204 adults in Britain had used homeopathy in the previous year.

People tend to turn to homoeopathy or other alternative therapies because they have tried orthodox medicine and it has either failed them completely or they have had to cope with unpleasant or serious side effects from the drugs. Others have felt tired and below par for many years (symptoms which often precede more serious conditions) but, despite many tests and sometimes unpleasant investigations, it has not been possible for a diagnosis to be made for them. Since homoeopathy treats the individual as a whole, rather than just the disease, it is possible to treat people successfully who are feeling very unwell, in pain, or with unpleasant symptoms, but for whom there is as yet no orthodox diagnosis. In this way homoeopathy can prevent the onset of many serious conditions. Many things contribute to disease: the toxic load we acquire through daily life, weaknesses and tendencies towards certain diseases which we may inherit, and all sorts of stresses both emotional and physical — all these result in the body’s natural healing powers failing; the body runs out of the energy to heal itself and the homoeopathic remedy acts as a stimulus which boosts this energy and so assists in the healing process.

Definition of homeopathy

The word “homeopathy” is derived from two Greek words: “homoios” which means SIMILAR and “pathos” which means SUFFERING. Homeopathy’s basic premise is called the “principle of similars,” and it refers to recurrent observation and experience that a medicinal substance will elicit a healing response for the specific syndrome of symptoms (or suffering) that it has been proven to cause when given to healthy people in overdose.

Homoeopathic remedies are made in a very special way which involves giving only a very minute dose of the substance. This means that the remedies are not addictive, and do not have side effects.

Principle of homeopathy

The beauty of the principle of similars is that it not only initiates a healing response, but it encourages a respect for the body's wisdom. Because symptoms represent the best efforts of our body in its defenses against infection or stress, it makes sense to utilize a medicine that helps and mimics this defense rather than that inhibits or suppresses it. The principle of similars may be one of nature's laws that, when used well, can be one of our most sophisticated healing strategies.

It is important to note that immunizations and allergy treatments are two of the very few applications in modern medicine today that actually stimulate the body’s own defenses in the prevention or treatment of specific diseases, and it is NOT simply a coincidence that both of these treatments are derived from the homeopathic principle of similars.

How does Homeopathy works?

The human body is truly amazing! It possesses the capability to heal itself in many situations. Even long-standing complaints can be reversed once the body knows how to heal itself.

This is a very important concept to grasp. The homeopathic remedy does not itself cure sickness or alleviate symptoms. The remedy tells the vital force what is wrong and empowers the vital force to do something about it!

Homeopathy is based on the notion of treating like with like i.e. a substance that can cause certain symptoms can also be used to resolve similar symptoms. Patients are treated with very low dose preparations of substances, which produce symptoms similar to those experienced by the patient. Patients’ symptoms are then monitored, and treatment is adjusted accordingly. As a result treatment is highly individualised and will vary from patient to patient and also between practitioners.

Conditions that are commonly treated with homeopathy include the following:

· where there is no known diagnosis and tests are normal but the patient feels unwell

· chronic conditions where there may be poor prognosis without sufficiently effective treatments

· conditions where drug treatments are poorly tolerated or contra-indicated

· those who suffer from repeated episodes of acute illnesses

Now, there are two organisations in Malaysia that provide information and promote homeopathy practice, British Institute of Homeopathy, Malaysia Regional Office and The Faculty of Homeopathy Malaysia.