What is homeopathy?

The homeopathic system of medicine was originated in the late 18th century by a German doctor Samuel Hahnemann. It is based on the idea that the human body is capable of healing itself, homeopathic remedies only help the body's 'vital force' or energy by stimulating it enough so that this inherent vital energy can bring itself back to balance, and therefore to a state of health, because disease is nothing but a disturbance of the vital energy.

Photo courtesy Dr. Denis Casey

Homeopathic remedies are prepared from different sources in nature - plants, animals, minerals, and more. Some sources are very commonly found like poison ivy (Rhus tox), marigold (Calendula), coffee (Coffea cruda) from the plant sources; or honey bee (Apis), wolf spider (Tarentula) from animal sources; or gold (Aurum met), common salt (Natrum mur), silver ore (Argentum nitricum) from the mineral kingdom. Remedies are also produced from diseased tissues like tuberculous lung tissue (Tuberculinum) or from hormones like thyroid gland (Thyroidinum).

Many of the remedy sources are highly toxic in nature, however, when prepared according to homeopathic principles using dilution and a method called succussion, these remedy sources are rendered non-toxic and when applied using the correct principles, they can heal both common ailments as well as chronic disease.

All homeopathic remedies have a number next to the name of the remedy. This number is called a potency, it indicates the power of the remedy. Potencies range from 1X to 200C to 1M and beyond, with the X potencies being a lower scale than the C or M.

Remedies are usually given as pills or pellets, but are also available as tinctures, liquid dilutions, tablets, creams, gels, and ointments.

Homeopathic remedies are easily available over-the-counter, and it is a good idea to keep a small kit at home for common ailments like colds and coughs or bumps and bruises, however, for more deep seated chronic disease, it is best to consult an expert because self-prescription in chronic illnesses can do more harm than good. And yes, homeopathic remedies do have the capacity to do harm. Isn't it a universal law that anything that does good also can be harmful? Even water can have side effects if not used properly, injecting water into the blood stream is fatal to the human body.