ABOUT CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY
The practice of homeopathic medicine is based upon a particular set of principals’. Outlined below are some of the most important.
1. Treating like with like, treating illness through the application of “similars”:
A person who is unwell will have a range of symptoms that are unique and individual to them. The symptoms are experienced across the emotional, mental and physical selves. Homeopaths call this range of presenting symptoms the “image” of the person’s sickness.
In order to treat the person the homeopath will use a medicine that best matches this particular image. The use of similars in homeopathy is giving a medicine to a sick person that when given to a group of healthy people produced those same or similar symptoms. To discover the image or range of symptoms that a medicine can treat homeopaths use a process called “proving”. This process is where a group of healthy people are systematically administered a medicine, this medicine will affect the emotional, mental and physical aspects of these people. The symptoms this group of “provers” experience are written down as if one person had experienced them. This then creates what is called an image of that medicine. When the image of this medicine is matched to the image of the sick person and administered it is then called a “homeopathic remedy”. A medicine is any substance that can change or alter the way a person feels, thinks, or experiences physical sensations. A remedy is only homeopathic when it has been applied to match the image or symptoms of sick person.
Homeo – Similar. Pathy – Suffering.
2. The single remedy:
In the proving process only one medicine is given. This means that each medicine image is based upon only one medicine, never a mixture. It is therefore not possible to know what symptom image a mixture of medicines will produce. Therefore a homeopath should only use one medicine at a time to match the unique image of the person at the time it is prescribed.
3. The potentised dose.
In the beginning the founder of homeopathy started the process of “proving” using large material doses. He saw that most of what people experienced were the toxic effects of these doses, so he started to experiment using a process whereby he reduced the amount of the original substance, he called this process potentisation. At each stage of reducing the amount of material he vigorously shook the substance. He observed that this process released an inner essence of the original material. The process of potentisation makes the medicines absolutely safe whilst still retaining their inner medicinal effects.
4. The Vital Force:
Through the process of potentisation, and the effect that non material doses had on people he came to the conclusion that the medicine was working on the level of the vital force. This force exists in each of us and ensures that every aspect of us, emotions, thoughts and physical processes, operate in a state of harmony. When we are in a state of dis-ease the symptoms that we experience are a sign the vital force is endeavouring to restore harmony and keep us in health. Homeopathic prescriptions act on the vital force and act in a way that enables the vital force to overcome this dis-ease and restore harmony.
A key point to understand is that at all times our organism is in a process of self-regulation. The symptoms we experience, although unpleasant, uncomfortable, and sometime painful are in fact our best response to our dis-eased state. Paradoxically it is our suffering that is helping to keep us in life.
5. Avoidance of suppression:
As stated the symptoms we are displaying are our best response to the situation we are in in. This concept is well explained in Trevor Gunn’s book “The Science of Health”. He outlines how the human organism is highly intelligent and is continually working to maintain optimum health.
Homeopathy is a process of healing that works with the persons vitality to support this process and encourage the organisms best efforts. The symptom is our best possible response to a particular situation, and the vital force is always trying to express the internal disorder in the least harmful way. Homeopaths have observed there is a hierarchy within each of us that runs from our emotional/ mental selves, through to our internal organs and finally to the external or skin. If a symptom is suppressed, for example putting cream on a skin rash, this then is fighting against the organisms efforts of trying to express a symptom on the most external part of us. Homeopaths see that when suppression takes place the organism takes this dis-ease expression to a more internal level. It is well known in both homeopathic and orthodox medicine that treating eczema on the skin with creams and steroids is associated with people developing asthma.