Homoeopathic System

Homoeopathy, invented by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, an allopathic doctor of the 18th century, became popular for its ability to provide protection against epidemics. It gives importance to the patient's mind and general health when dealing with an ailment — the totality of the person is more important than any laboratory report. Modern medicine is conducting extensive studies to establish links between one's mind and the disease or ailment suffered. Homoeopathy established this centuries ago, and it forms the basis for the classical approach.

Homoeopathy uses substances from nature (extracted mainly from plants, animals, and minerals) applied in very high dilutions. Because of these dilutions, the chemical effect of the remedy disappears and a dynamic effect appears instead. Modern research has shown, through Kirlian photography, that the dynamic power of a remedy increases as the substance is diluted further. The golden era of antibiotics is coming to an end, and there has also been an increase in viral diseases. The allopathic system offers only vaccinations for many of these, as most have no known medication or remedy available. Homoeopathy stands ahead in our time, offering solutions for viral diseases as well as vaccinations without side effects. There is an alarming increase in heart attacks, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, and similar conditions — homoeopathy is known to help manage chronic conditions and keep them under control.

The reluctance to take up homoeopathic treatment often comes from the myth that it is slow. In fact, it has been shown to act faster than many other medical systems. The effect can appear slow when someone takes up homoeopathy only after prolonged allopathic treatment, or after reaching a near-incurable condition. When homoeopathic treatment is taken up from the beginning of an ailment, recovery tends to happen quickly, and the condition is far less likely to become chronic. Homoeopathy aims to be a safe, reliable, and fast system of treatment, and — importantly — it remains economical with minimal side effects.

Classical Approach

In homoeopathy, the totality of the patient's symptoms is considered — the disposition to develop a disease is given more importance than the disease itself. As a living organism, the body has two elements: the physical body and the life force (dynamics). If the body is exposed to infection, the dynamics opposes the infection and helps prevent the body from succumbing to it. In a person, the dynamics is expressed through the mind. When a person develops a disease, it indicates that the dynamics is not functioning properly and is itself affected. If the dynamics is restored, the physical disease tends to resolve on its own. The aim, therefore, is to address the dynamics rather than the body directly — treating the sick person rather than the sickness. For this reason, the patient's state of mind is given prime importance during treatment, along with their general nature and disposition. A speedy recovery is often noticed when the remedy is chosen based on these considerations, though in some long-standing cases, an initial aggravation of symptoms can be seen.

Preparation of Remedies

In this system, the drug is called the remedy, extracted mainly from the plant, animal, and mineral kingdoms. The medicinal extract is diluted and potentiated to such an extent that even a trace of the original material can no longer be detected in the remedy by around the 12th potency. This is done in steps — for example, in the centesimal scale, one drop of mother tincture is mixed with 99 drops of alcohol and shaken vigorously using a fixed number of strokes; this is termed 1c. From this, one drop is again mixed with 99 drops of alcohol to produce 2c, and so on. The more diluted the remedy, the more powerful it is considered to become. Recent studies suggest that the magnetic aura of a remedy increases with potency — something that has reportedly been observed through Kirlian photography, with different auras visible around pills of different potencies. Because the remedies are diluted so many times, they are not expected to have lasting chemical side effects on the body.