Homeopathy is one of the most popular holistic form of complementary medicine, aiming to treat the whole person rather than just the physical symptoms. It works on the principle that the mind and body are so strongly linked that physical conditions cannot be successfully treated without an understanding of the person’s constitution and character.

Homeopathy is safe, gentle and without any side effects. Its approach complies with one of the most important rules of medical intervention—namely, that it should do no harm. Many common, everyday ailments may be treated safely and effectively at home using homeopathic remedies;  Certain serious ailments may also be alleviated using homeopathic remedies, but in the treatment of these conditions, the experience of a qualified homeopathic practitioner is essential.

In general, a conventional doctor should be consulted for any ailment that can be quickly and effectively treated by conventional medicine, or for any condition that requires conventional investigation.

This site is designed to help you understand about Homeopathy in plain and simple language and to provide you with some general knowledge about most common diseases, their symptoms and indicated homeopathic remedies for the symptomatic relief.

Additionally you can browse through different over the counter preparations and remedies available from the most respected homeopathic manufacturers like Boericke and Tafel, Boiron, Hyland, Dr. Reckeweg, &c.

DISCLAIMER:

Please note that the information on this website is for general knowledge only,  it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.  The product links and references provided in this website are all over the counter natural remedies, the website owners do not undertake any warranties express or implied with respect to any of the products and/or information.

The theory behind the working of homeopathy is that the body of every human being contains a vital force within the body, which regulates the functioning of the body.

Due to reasons such as heredity, environmental conditions, stress etc, this vital force weakens causing disease. So, disease is nothing but a complex of certain symptoms observed in the human body.

The homeopathic physician makes a study of not only the symptoms the patient is complaining of, but of the entire patient himself. This leads to a picture of the patient.

The physician then prescribes homeopathic medicine, which matches this picture. Now, the medicine so prescribed would have caused the same symptoms in healthy person during ‘drug provings’.

This medicine is given in a highly diluted dose, so as to prevent side effects. This minute dose creates a similar disorder in the vital force and provokes the vital force to react to the symptoms and overcome. (The same system is used in vaccines, where vaccination against smallpox is done by injecting the smallpox disease-causing organism, so that the body can build up its natural immunity).

How can a diluted substance without traces of the original remedy still have a therapeutic effect?

For that we have only theories. According to one theory, the electro-magnetic signature is being passed on during dilution and the brain, which works using chemicals as well as electrical currents for processing information, finds it easier to read and react to the pure electro-magnetic signature than to the impure gross original substance.

Research evidence

Given the difficulties in understanding how homoeopathy may work, researchers have concentrated on establishing whether it is a placebo treatment. Current evidence suggests that this is probably not the case.

A meta-analysis, published in the Lancet, examined over 100 randomized, placebo controlled trials and found an odds ratio of 2.45 (95% confidence interval 2.05 to 2.93) in favor of homoeopathy. The authors concluded that, even allowing for publication bias, “the results of our meta-analysis are not compatible with the hypothesis that the clinical effects of homoeopathy are completely due to placebo.”

In 1854, during a cholera epidemic in London, England, the death rate of patients in allopathic hospitals reached 51.8 percent while the death rate of patients treated in the London Homeopathic Hospital reached 16.4 percent in comparison

In 1930, W. Persson proved that homeopathic substances could influence the fermentation process of starches by enzymes.

In 1931, Paterson and Boyd proved that patients showed immunity against diphtheria after being treated with Diphtherinum (a nosode made from the bacteria).

In 1950, A. Gay and J. Boiron were able to measure differences between the capacitances of pure distilled water and of sodium chloride dissolved and then diluted in distilled water to a potency that guaranteed that not a single atom remained in the homeopathic preparation.

In 1991, The British Medical Journal conducted research into 107 controlled trials and found in 81 the homeopathic substance to be effective.

In 1997, the Lancet Medical Journal published an even larger study, which also found homeopathic remedies to be effective. On an average, the homeopathic remedy proved to be 2.45 times more effective than a placebo.

Also a newer study proved that rats excreted more toxic substances when treated with a homeopathic substance than with a placebo.

Currently, there are about 200 published clinical trials mostly in support of the homeopathic remedies. One controlled study by David T. Reilly, Glasgow, Scotland proved the effect of homeopathic immunotherapy.

A randomized double-blind study done in France on over 500 patients proved the effectiveness of the homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum in the treatment of Influenza.

The response to this has been mixed. Some people remain unconvinced by the evidence, claiming that there must be another explanation, such as methodological bias, for the results. Others point out that the evidence is very strong and argue that homoeopathic medicines must work by some, as yet undefined, biophysical mechanism.

One possible explanation, currently being investigated, is that during serial dilution the complex interactions between the solvent (water) molecules are permanently altered to retain a “memory” of the original solute material.

Homeopathy, from the Greek, consists of the words homoion and pathein, which translates into “similar and disease”.

Homeopathy is the system of medicine, which works on the principle of ‘like cures like’ (Similia Similibus curanter). This system of holistic healing was founded by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, (1755-1843), a German physician who first began his pioneering experiments in the 1790s.

The theory that like can be treated with like can be traced back as far as Hypocrites (468 -377 BC), but it wasn’t until the work of Samuel Hahnemann that the theory developed into a usable practice.

Hahnemann, who was translating the book on the medicinal properties of drugs, was reading the properties of the medicine Cinchona, when he read that Cinchona cures malaria, because of its bitter taste.

Hahnemann was surprised by this statement and when he read on, he found a footnote, which said that cinchona poisoning leads to malaria-like symptoms. This set him thinking and he decided to test the medicine on himself.

He experienced the symptoms of malaria; by repeatedly taking the Cinchona medicine and after continuing his experiments found that those medicines, which cause disease-like symptoms in healthy individuals, are capable of curing the diseased individuals.

Drugs, meant to heal, sometimes rather aggravate the symptoms of the patient. Hahnemann tried to bypass these unwanted side effects by reducing the dosages. He observed that smaller dosages may have the same effect but without the side effects.

Therefore, to find the required minimum dosage became one of the most important aspects of Homeopathy. It became obvious that substances that can do harm or even kill a patient in large quantities can lead to a cure in small quantities.

To arrive at these smallest quantities, Homeopathy goes through a process called “Potentization”. An original substance is mixed and diluted, sometimes up to a point where virtually nothing of the original substance could be left in the final potentized remedy.

Hahneman’s proving consisted in giving doses of various substances to both himself and his healthy volunteers, and noting the effects in detail.

For safety reasons, the substances taken were very dilute, and it is here that Hahnemann chanced upon one of the more puzzling aspects of Homeopathy.

The more dilute a homeopathic medicine is, the more effective it is in treating illness.

In essence, this means that a substance that causes nausea can be used to treat nausea. Thus observing the symptoms of a disease is the most important aspect in treating diseases with homeopathic remedies.

Hahneman’s work was continued by James Tyler Kent in 1877-78. Kent’s interest in Homoeopathic medicine was prompted by his wife’s serious illness, which failed to respond to any other form of medicine available at the time.

Kent’s position as Professor of Anatomy (at the American Medical College, St. Louis) placed him perfectly to observe the effects of substances in precise detail.

Kent’s research into Homoeopathy became his life’s work, and he conducted proving on some 650 materials, observing over 64,000 symptoms. Even today, Kent’s is still the most widely used repertory in Homeopathy.

The same principle is widespread in mainstream medicine, the most notable examples being antidotes and vaccines.

So, homeopathy relies on the Materia Medica – a book containing the properties of medicines, properties that have been proved on healthy individuals.

Homeopathic doctors rely on the Materia Medica as the authority for it contains not empty theories, but details of symptoms that were experienced by hundreds of provers. It is thus a system based on sound principles and as a result of solid experiments.

Similia Similibus Curantur

This is the law of similars. It states that ‘that which can cause can cure’. The onion, which produces tears in the eye and irritation (similar to a cold), can be used as a homeopathic medicine to cure colds, which have irritating tears.

The early Indians recognised this principle and states that Vishasya Vishamevam Aushadam and Samaha Samena Shantihi, but it was Dr.Samuel Hahnemann, who through his studies and experiments on the various medicines available in nature, practically proved the law.

Simplex Similimum Minimum

This principle consists of three words.

The first is Simplex i.e.: simple medicines not compound should be prescribed. This is the doctrine of single remedy. Mixture of medicines or polypharmacy is not allowed. Only one medicine must be given at a time.

The second is Similimum – As discussed previously the totality of symptoms of the patient must be taken. This will yield a picture, which corresponds to one medicine, the similimum, which must be given. That medicine which has been tested on various provers and has produced similar symptoms as that of the patient is the similar remedy.

The third is Minimum – A low dosage of medicine is recommended. In homeopathy less is more, so medicines of low potency and given at long intervals have a better impact. Hahnemann, in fact used to give just one dose of the medicine and wait to see the reaction over a period of time.

However, conventional medicine is a wide label, and not all conventional medicine is beneficial. While in most cases symptoms are relieved, many allopathic medicines do a lot of harm to your body.

The symptoms of a disease, for a Homeopath, are your body’s attempt to cure itself. By contrast, conventional medicine generally works by suppressing your body’s natural reactions. For example:

A cough is usually the result of foreign bodies in the lungs; the muscles spasm in an attempt to remove it. Cough medicine simply stops this reflex.

A headache tablet is a painkiller and simply suppresses the feeling of pain, leaving the body to undergo whatever torment it was before, but divorced from our consciousness. This is a very bad thing. For example, many headaches are due to dehydration – once the headache isn’t felt, the patient no longer feels the need to stop running around, working up a sweat and dehydrating further.

The conventional approach to treating infections is antibiotics. Antibiotics simply eat other bacteria. Our body also has bacteria that serve the same function (indeed, there are many types of bacteria naturally occurring in the body, all of which are beneficial) alas these are also consumed by antibiotics. In addition, a widespread concern is that bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Antidepressants generally work by blocking emotional responses. Unlike homeopathic remedies, dependence builds up quickly, and once a course of antidepressants has begun, it is often a step down a long, slippery slope to dependency.

Conventional medicine is a very blunt instrument. Part of its success lies in this very general nature.

The sheer numbers of possible factors that need to be considered for effective treatment with homeopathic remedies have meant that it has required a long, and often expensive consultation with a trained specialist. In contrast, regardless of the type of pain, or even where it is, the conventional relief is a painkiller. Compare that to homeopathy – we describe nearly 5,000 types of headaches.

Despite the best efforts of pharmaceutical companies, the research into medicines and their side effects is often woefully inadequate. The most famous case of this is thalidomide – a drug prescribed for morning sickness, which produced severe birth defects.

The approach of conventional medicine denies our body’s efforts to heal itself and damages these systems.

Homeopathy does not work in the same way; how it does work remains a mystery. Chemists have concluded that in the very high homeopathic potencies there is actually none of the original substance left. Theories explaining homeopathy have been put forward, resting on vibrations, electromagnetism, or the memory of water.

However, is it not fitting that your body, a miracle way beyond understanding, can be cured by something, which is also out of the reach of your rational mind?

Homoeopaths treat disease using very low dose preparations administered according to the principle that “like should be cured with like.”

Practitioners select a drug that would, if given to a healthy volunteer, cause the presenting symptoms of the patient.

For example, the homoeopathic remedy Allium cepa is derived from the common onion. Contact with raw onions typically causes lacrimation, stinging and irritation around the eyes and nose, and clear nasal discharge.

Allium cepa might be prescribed to patients with hay fever, especially if both nose and eyes are affected.

Homeopathy uses an array of medicines whose source ranges from animals to plants and chemicals.

Common homeopathic medicines include those made from plants such as Belladonna, Arnica, and Chamomile; Plants like Onion (Allium), Capsicum, Belladonna, Cactus, etc are used for preparation of homeopathic medicines.

A large number of chemicals like Nitric acid, Arsenious acid, Iron, Phosphorous are popular homeopathic remedies, and, more rarely, biochemical substances such as histamine or human growth factor.

There are also a large number of animal sourced medicines like Naja & Lachesis, which are snake poisons. Medicines are also prepared from substance like milk (Lac def) and sand (Silica), minerals such as mercury and sulphur.

The products of diseases are used to prepare homeopathic medicines called as nosodes.These nosodes include Carcinosin (prepared from the cancer cells), Tuberculinum (prepared from the cells of the lungs of cow infected by tuberculosis), etc.

While there may be a few people who are apprehensive of taking such medicines, they need not fear, because the process of preparing homeopathic medicines ensures that they are diluted such that they lose their original form and are rendered harmless.

Prescribing strategies in homoeopathy vary considerably. In what is often termed “classical” homeopathy, practitioners attempt to identify the single medicine that corresponds to a patient’s general “constitution”a complex picture incorporating current illness, medical history, personality, and behavior.

Two patients with identical conventional diagnoses may receive very different homeopathic medicines

Other practitioners prescribe combinations of medicines (“complex homeopathy”) or prescribe on the basis of conventional diagnosis alone.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES

Examples of “drug pictures” of commonly prescribed homoeopathic medicines

Aconite (Aconitum napellus) – Shock

Sudden or violent onset

Ailments from shock, fright, or fear

Intense fear. Terror stricken. Predicts the time of death

Restlessness with fear of death

Ailments from exposure to cold, dry wind

Worse with violent emotions, cold, night (especially around midnight)

Better with open air, wine

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) Teething infant

Child wants to be carried and is then quieter

Twitching and convulsions during teething

Frantic irritability with intolerance of pain

Ugly, cross, uncivil, and quarrelsome

Colic after anger

Worse with anger, night, dentition, coffee

Better with being carried, warm wet weather

Rhus toxicodendron

Joint pains worse with first movement and rest and better with motion

Pain and stiffness worse in damp weather

Irritability and restlessness at night, driving out of bed

Back pains and stiffness compelling constant movement in bed

Urticaria, vesicles. Cold air makes skin painful

Asthma alternating with skin eruptions

Worse with exposure to wet, cold, before storms, rest, first movement

Better with heat, continued motion, rubbing, hot bath

Examples of symptomatic homoeopathic prescribing