What is Homeopathy?
Energetic medicine is a mystery for a lot of people mostly because the complexity of the idea of energetics doesn’t fit into most people’s concepts of medicine. It’s commonly toted as being all placebo effect, just sugar pills, or a waste of time and money. The irony of it is that companies such as Walgreens and Kroger MAKE PRODUCTS WITH HOMEOPATHICS IN THEM. If homeopathy were hogwash, why are these companies making products with homeopathic remedies in them, and why do people who have been ill find wellness? Why did my patient who experienced migraines for over 20 years find the relief they haven’t had since they were a young adult? How did a 3-year-old with debilitating eczema that tried every pharmaceutical on the market have it clear up after taking a homeopathic remedy?
If people did not find the health they are looking for with homeopathic medicine, I would not use it, study it, or take stock in it, but PEOPLE GET BETTER.
I am here to tell you that 1, it is real, and 2, it works when you take the right remedy for you.
Homeopathy has been around since BEFORE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE WAS A THING. Did you know clinical trials were created about testing homeopathic remedies back in the early 1800s? Dr. Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician who created homeopathic medicine to treat his patients and was the first doctor to perform trials to test the efficacy of the remedies.
Homeopathy means the treatment of a person with a disease with minute dosages of a substance that resembles the person as a whole as well as the illness or imbalance the person is experiencing. In other words, it is a substance that has been diluted so much that the physical properties of that substance are taken away. Still, as we do this, the energetics of that substance becomes more robust through a process called succussion. Succussion is the act of physically moving the particles in a tube to increase its energetic properties. This idea is nothing new. Hippocrates wrote about it back in the day!
We give the body the energetics of the remedy to help it heal its self and to bring balance back to an area that has become out of balance. We get imbalances when we expose our bodies to an insult such as stress, toxins, harmful or processed foods, trauma, or illness. When we feel whole and one with the world around us, we are what we consider in a state of homeostasis. We get ourselves out of this area of homeostasis when we introduce an insult and get into a state of dis-ease. From the state of dis-ease, we treat with a homeopathic remedy to help our body heal from it the way it is trying to versus suppressing it as we see with pharmaceuticals.
Yup. That was heavy. Let me give you an example.
Have you ever met someone for the first time, and they seem like they drank a whole pot of coffee? They have the sweats, are jittery, talk fast, seem anxious and nervous, and are sensitive and edgy? This person would be someone who may need the homeopathic remedy of coffee to bring them back into balance and in a state of homeostasis. When someone who acts like coffee has been given coffee, it stops the mental, emotional, and even physical symptoms this person is experiencing. Maybe our over-caffeinated coffee person experiences diarrhea, insomnia, trembling of hands or feet, elevated blood pressure. These symptoms would be symptoms of someone who has had too much coffee, and a few reasons we would give this person this particular remedy.
Now, this is just one example of the use of coffee. Now, have you ever met someone that could be described as a ‘salty’ character? You are right; salt is a homeopathic remedy also.
There are over 40,000 remedies out there, which makes this form of medicine quite the art for those that practice it. Practitioners trained in homeopathic prescribing are trained to use their resources to find the remedy that matches the whole person, not just the disease they are experiencing. Homeopathic remedies can be anything from a plant, such as Arnica, to a metal such as aluminum or copper. With this many remedies possible, it can make finding the specific homeopathic remedy for someone a journey.
So, why do so many people want to dismiss homeopathy as an invalid form of medicine? Well, it is because you cannot perform what people consider adequate 21st-century clinical trials. To effectively do this, we would need a LARGE group of people that all act the same, experience illness the same way, and think the same way… how do you think that would work? And how do you find all of these people to do a study? Exactly. Hard.
Homeopathic medicine is based on the INDIVIDUAL and the individual alone. Each person responds differently to it. Just as we each have specific physical attributes, mental attributes, and emotional attributes, we each have a precise way of responding to our environment. With this being said, finding the one specific remedy is essential.
Everyone experiences illnesses differently
Medicine should be based on the individual, not the general public
Here is another example to describe what I am saying. Have you heard about Arnica? Arnica Montana is a plant that has been used for generations to heal bruises and blunt force trauma wounds. Well, arnica cream, gel, or even the oral pellets have been toted as remedies that help with bruises and bruising pains. Have you tried it? Well, either it worked for you, or it didn’t. I am one of those people where Arnica doesn’t help heal my bruises. Why is this? This occurs because we all experience bruises differently, and they may feel different to different people. You might like putting pressure on your bruise, but the next person may hate pressure, or you may like ice on your bruise, but the next person thinks heat makes it feel better. So for Arnica, I do not experience bruising the way someone who finds Arnica helpful. Does a migraine feel the same to all people who have migraines? Absolutely not, therefore, there is no one size fits all remedy for people with migraines or people with bruises.
When the right remedy is taken, you will feel the vitality be restored not only in the complaint you are experiencing but usually also in another realm such as mental, physical, or emotional.
Homeopathic remedies ARE safe to use in all ages and for those on medications because it will never counteract them as the energetics of the substance is applied, not the actual substance.
Now, I know a lot of you have probably seen ALL different kinds of homeopathic remedies at the natural foods store out there. There are the classic individuals in the little blue or green vials with tiny pellets. There are other larger sugary tablets in containers, and they also make them in tincture bottles. No matter the carrier method, you are still getting that remedy within. What does make a big difference is the number and letter that follows the remedy. For example, you see an arnica 6C and a 30C. The 6C is a weaker version of Arnica and can generally be taken daily, whereas the 30C is a more potent remedy that should only be taken usually once per day for up to 7 days. Remedies do go lower in potency, or strength, and go much farther up in potency but generally should be left up to a trained practitioner to help you decide the potency and dosage.
Homeopathy is certainly not the be all end all treatment but combined in with individualized dietary, lifestyle, and other supplemental recommendations, it helps healing happen quicker and more efficiently.
I hope that this article brings you clarity and light to a topic of much mystical debate.
HERE TO EMPOWER YOU WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HAPPINESS AND HEALTHINESS,
DR. MEG
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. There are no financial ties to any supplement companies, pharmaceutical companies, or to any of the products mentioned in this post. This post is not meant to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose conditions or diseases and is meant for educational purposes. As always, please consult your doctor before trying any new treatments or supplements.
