Dr. Samuel Hahnemann developed a system of medicine called homeopathy, which has been further developed and used successfully for the last 200 years. The word “homeopathy” means “alike to the suffering.” Its main principle is the Law of Similars, which means "Let like cure like." It is a notion that has been accepted for centuries and survives in expressions such as “hair of the dog that bit you”, which refers to curing a hangover with the same drink next morning. (I don’t suggest you try. Better not have the hangover in the first place. Or take a homeopathic remedy.)
The basic philosophy of homeopathy is that all symptoms represent the body's efforts to restore itself to health. Homeopathy attempts to stimulate the body and mind to heal itself by using a remedy which, when given to a healthy person, produces symptoms most closely resembling those of the ill person. For example, instead of trying to stop a flu with suppressants, a homeopath will give a remedy that will cause flu-like symptoms in a healthy person, and thus stimulate the ill body to restore itself.
Homeopathic remedies are made from plant, mineral and animal origins. A tincture is made by adding the original material to alcohol, then shaking or banging it (succussion) and diluting it again. The process is repeated until various “potencies” are reached (the strength of the remedy). A medical comparison is somewhat like making vaccines or antidotes for snake bites. The operative word here is “somewhat”, since of course, they are not homeopathically prepared which renders these substances harmless.
Established western medicine has long ridiculed homeopathic remedies as the "infinitesimal nothingness" until recently, when nano-photography showed structures similar to ice crystals in homeopathic remedies, formed as result of succussion. These crystals presumably carry the information from the original matter, whereas no physical component of it remains in the remedy, all of its information has been transferred to the medium (water or alcohol). It is this information that the “vital force” (ki, chi, prana) uses to regain its balance.
Homeopathy is one of the greatest ways to help a person regain their health. When the case is easy, in other words, it falls into a well known and well documented pattern, choosing the right remedy is a cinch. However, in complicated or rarer situations finding the correct remedy amid several thousand known remedies (and infinite unknown possibilities) can be quite difficult. I use homeopathy as an adjunctive therapy when I’m sure of the remedy and I believe giving it will benefit the client and speed up the healing process.
