What is homeopathy?
Maybe you know a great deal about homeopathy, or perhaps this is your first venture into this amazing therapy. As you might be a new prospective patient, or just want to know more, I will give you a brief overview of homeopathy.
Homeopathy is a form of treatment which uses natural substances (both animal, mineral and plants) to treat the "whole person". Homepaths believe that each disease suffered is unique to each person. For example, a person who is chilly and sad with a headache on the left side will require a different remedy from a person who is warm, jolly and has a headache on the right side. The homeopath is trained to assess key aspects which fit each case in its entirety. You may have heard that homeopathic remedies given often mimic the problems they endeavour to heal. A classic example of this is giving homeopathic coffee for insomnia, when most people know that caffeine is inclined to keep you awake!
How did homeopathy evolve?
Samuel Hahnemann, a traditional physician (1755-1843), having heard that cinchona bark could cure malaria, discovered that when he himself tried cinchona bark, he developed symptoms of malaria. He hypothesised that if the cinchona bark would cause these symptoms in a healthy person, it was likely that it might help in cases of maleria. He later went on to refine his hypothesis, concluding that the more dilute the substance was made, the more potent it would become. Hence, homeopathy was created!
How are the remedies made?
Each remedy is made from a natural substance and then diluted down until very little of the original substance exists. It is this "dilution" which appears to lead to the remedy action. Remedies are often given as a tablet, but can also be given in a liquid form.