History

Homeopathy has been around since the late 1800s. It was discovered by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann. Dr. Hahnemann left a lucrative medical practice because he was dissatisfied with the conventional medical methods of the time. Namely, bloodletting, Sulphur baths and mercury. Hahnemann felt these methods caused more harm than good, so he decided to leave his practice and take a job translating medical texts.

While translating work by a Scottish physician named William Cullen, Hahnemann was curious about a claim Cullen made. According to Cullen, bark from the cinchona plant helped heal malaria. Hahnemann was skeptical so he ate the bark from the tree and promptly came down with symptoms of malaria like fatigue, fever, and weakness. From this experiment and Cullen?s findings, Hahnemann concluded ?like cures like.? This was the beginning of using plant, animal (eg: bee venom, dog?s milk, etc.), and mineral substances in homeopathic preparation to resolve a variety of health conditions.

Methods

The current method of preparing homeopathic remedies is very precise and done using good manufacturing practices (GMP). The process involves diluting one-part of the natural substance that has been ground down, like clubmoss, and adding to water and alcohol. The original substance is then removed leaving the energetic imprint of the substance. Diluting the substance creates a gentle, yet profound healing effect. It signals the body?s own healing abilities (immune response) to respond to the illness or dis-ease.

Classical homeopathy refers to the concept of taking one remedy at a time and only taking the appropriate remedy when conditions arise. It is rarely used as a preventative measure.

Remedies can be taken in spray, pellet, or tablet form.

In Practice

A naturopath or homeopath provides an in-depth questionnaire that is discussed during the appointment which typically lasts 60-90 minutes. Depending on the complexity of the case, a remedy may be offered in office or later once the information has been evaluated.

Dosing and frequency often depend on the nature of the complaint and how long it has been occurring. For acute conditions such as recent cough, poison ivy, fever, bruises, etc., remedies are taken more frequently. Dosing is spread out for chronic conditions to ensure the condition is not aggravated and temporarily worsened.

Homeopathic remedies can work very quickly and effectively when the right one is determined. They are a very affordable resource for fast relief without side effects.