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The physician’s highest and only calling
is to make the sick healthy, to cure, as it
is called.
The highest ideal of cure is the rapid,
gentle and permanent restoration of health;
that is,
the lifting and annihilation of the disease
in its entire extent in the shortest,
most reliable, and least disadvantageous
way, according to clearly realizable
principles.
- Samuel Hahnemann, The Organon of the
Medical Art, Aphorisms 1 and 2 |
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What’s In a
Name? |
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As more and more people
become aware of the choices they have to
improve their health and well-being, almost
anything outside of conventional medicine
has been termed ‘alternative’,
naturopathic’, ‘holistic’, and even
‘homeopathic’. Oftentimes these names are
used interchangeably when it is not quite
accurate to do so. This is most often the
case with the use of the words ‘homeopathy’
or ‘homeopathic’.
Generally speaking, any type
of therapy that seeks to build the health of
the body and immune system through natural,
non-invasive means is part of ‘alternative’
or ‘naturopathic’ practices. Homeopathy
falls into this category, but not all
natural therapies are homeopathic. This is
most commonly seen by those who believe that
herbs and vitamins are homeopathic. They
are naturopathic, but not homeopathic as
they (usually) do not follow homeopathic
principles. The same is true for those
products that are made by homeopathic
methods, but are used in a symptom or
disease specific fashion (i.e. those with
migraine headaches always receive Natrum
muricatum or using a combination of
several remedies for arthritis or detox,
etc.). Again this is going against the
fundamental laws of homeopathy and nature.
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The word ‘homeopathy’ is the
term that its founder, Samuel Hahnemann,
used to describe this new system of
healing. Based on the Greek words ‘homios’
and ‘pathos’, it means ‘similar
disease’ or ‘similar suffering’. So in its
name we have the first clues as to the
nature of this medical science and its most
fundamental laws.
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What’s
Homeopathy? – In a Nutshell |
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Homeopathy is a deep, yet
extremely gentle, form of healing that was
developed by the German physician and
chemist Samuel Hahnemann 200 years ago. It
is based on the principle that ‘like cures
like’, in which a substance in minute dose
heals those symptoms that it can cause in
overdose. In other words, if a substance
(for example, silver nitrate) caused severe
irritation and discharge from the eyes in
overdose, then this substance can also cure
these symptoms in a minute dose (homeopathic
silver nitrate). This fundamental principle
of homeopathy is known as the ‘Law of
Similars’ and forms the bedrock of this
medical science.
Homeopathy looks to aid the
whole person – physical, mental, emotional,
and spiritual. It goes beyond the physical
symptoms to address the underlying mental
and emotional factors that contribute to,
and oftentimes cause, acute and chronic
illnesses. It brings about health and
balance from the inside out, reaching deep
into the causes of disease and brings them
to the surface for a gentle and permanent
healing.
Homeopathy is an energetic
healing method and is based upon the same
premise as Chinese medicine and Acupuncture
- that of chi or vital energy - and is
called vital force in homeopathy.
Homeopathy works with your own
energy and healing abilities to strengthen
your system and remove illness. The key to
this is the appropriately chosen homeopathic
remedy given in the smallest dose necessary
to gently stimulate the body’s innate
healing potential. Homeopathic remedies are
safe, non-toxic, and are chosen for each
person based on their own individual needs.
This means not only the name of the remedy,
but its potency and dose are totally
individualized to each and every person who
has their case examined by the diligent
practitioner.
The need for homeopathy today
has only grown due to the ever increasing
chronic health problems of both children and
adults in this country. The overuse of
prescription and over-the-counter
medications, vaccinations, and antibiotics
has only served to either suppress symptoms
or result in damaging side-effects, instead
of restoring health and well-being. While
diet and correctly chosen nutritional
supplements help tremendously in the
restoration of health, oftentimes the deep
underlying causes of illness will not be
completely addressed with these methods.
Homeopathic therapy can then safely and
gently restore health, even for those whose
conditions have been heavily suppressed by
conventional medicine.
Even though our world has
become more stressful and toxic, not less
since Hahnemann’s time, the science he so
masterfully laid out continues to prove
itself effective in restoring health when
applied faithfully and humbly even in the
most serious of circumstances. This is the
gift of homeopathy to suffering people both
today and in the future.
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Can Homeopathy Help
Me? |
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This is a typical question
when people are concerned about whether
their particular disease or problem can be
helped with homeopathy. This will always
bring us back to a basic principle of
homeopathy – that of treating the individual
not the name of the disease. Successful
homeopathic treatment depends on
understanding the whole person. It is not
enough to know the physical symptoms or
diagnosis. In fact, the standard physical
symptoms and name of the disease do not help
much at all in finding the correct remedy.
It can help us to understand the type
of pathology, its depth, and miasmatic
background [Click here for Homeopathy
Articles for more info], but that is usually
the limit of its usefulness. This is very
different from conventional medicine where
the diagnosis is of utmost importance and
leads to the standard protocol [drugs,
surgery, chemotherapy, etc]. The homeopath
wants to know who you are – mental,
emotional, spiritual, and physical and how
this totality and uniqueness manifests
itself in your particular case.
What this means to you is
that regardless of your diagnosis, or lack
thereof, homeopathy can help you.
While full restoration of health (‘cure’) is
not always possible in some cases [Click
here for Homeopathy Articles for more info],
homeopathy can still benefit these more rare
instances through palliation. A person is
always considered to be treatable until
evidence to the contrary is found.
So whether you suffer from
Arthritis, Asthma, Autism, Diabetes,
Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, PMS,
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or any other
condition, homeopathy can be the key to
unlocking your innate healing potential.
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Do I Need Homeopathic
Treatment? |
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This is a common question as
many people are not as familiar with
homeopathy as with the use of therapies such
as acupuncture or nutritional supplements.
So who needs homeopathic therapy?
The answer, quite simply, is everyone!
This is because homeopathic therapy is both
preventative and restorative.
So, if you are already feeling well, you can
use homeopathy to strengthen your immune
system and handle life’s stresses. But, if
you are dealing with either an acute or
chronic health problem, then homeopathy has
much to offer you on the road back to
health.
At Holistic Solutions we
integrate homeopathic therapy on a case by
case basis. No two people are the same
therefore no two health plans are
identical. The choice of assessments and
therapies to be used is made only after
a through case history is taken and
having a clear understanding of your health
goals. This will determine when a
homeopathic workup and treatment will take
place.
The majority of people
seeking homeopathic therapy have a chronic
health problem for which they have usually
tried many other forms of treatment, both
conventional and holistic, before coming to
the homeopath. Homeopathy can shine
brilliantly in these cases where oftentimes
frustration has set in due to the long term
nature of these issues. To be clear though,
homeopathy is not a ‘magic bullet’ or
instantaneous solution to chronic health
issues. The goal of homeopathic treatments
is always to be gentle, rapid, and
permanent, but rapid does not mean
overnight. Complex, long standing problems
take time, but homeopathy has the ability to
reach deeper and more gently than any other
therapy.
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What Type of
Homeopathy Is Used? |
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Many forms of Homeopathy have
surfaced since Hahnemann’s time, each with
their own changes to the original philosophy
and practice of this science. While each of
these groups has many followers and their
methods are taught at numerous schools, they
ultimately are not in line with the
principles that Hahnemann and other early
homeopaths spent lifetimes validating. The
reasons for this are varied, but can be
boiled down to essentially two factors: 1.)
a lack of understanding and study of the
Organon (thru 6th edition)
and Chronic Diseases and 2.) a desire
to add one’s own stamp of innovation to this
science. Neither reason is acceptable for
throwing out the body of work that has been
meticulously and diligently validated for
200 years. Due to these variations and
reworkings we need to define and clarify the
principles and methods of true Hahnemannian
homeopathy, otherwise known as Classical
Homeopathy.
Classical Homeopathy
is the practice of homeopathy as found in
the Organon of Samuel Hahnemann. It
adheres to the principles of:
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Using only one
remedy at a time
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Using remedies only when
they are proven
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The smallest possible
dose of the highly potentized remedy
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Taking a thorough case
history of all factors affecting the
person – physical, mental, and emotional
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Repertorizing the case to
determine the simillimum (correct
remedy) in potency and dose
This is where most classical
homeopaths stop and is based on the 4th
edition of the Organon. But it was
not until the 5th and 6th
editions of the Organon that
Hahnemann developed and refined his system
to be even more effective and gentle. These
methods are now known as the Advanced
Methods and include:
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Only remedies given in
water (Remedy Solution Bottles;
Split-dose method)
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Repeating the dose
only after a test dose is given
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Use of LM potencies (in
addition to centesimals)
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Taking the miasmatic
background into consideration
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Obtaining a detailed
family history and personal history
(including a timeline with all important
events and treatments)
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Determining layers and a
‘Never Well Since’ factor for each layer
based on timeline
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Simillimum for each layer
– not just one chronic constitutional
remedy
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Close management of the
case
These are the methods that
are used by Holistic Solutions, LLC and
should be the guide for any individual who
wishes to pursue homeopathic therapy. These
methods are proven to be the most gentle and
effective means to help even the most
serious of health issues. While some
homeopaths and their patients believe that
they have to feel worse before they feel
better, this is not necessary.
Slight aggravations are always possible, but
are greatly reduced with the Advanced
Methods, and are safe for infants to the
elderly and everyone in between. So whether
you are dealing with a chronic health issue,
a brand new problem, or just want to stay
healthy with a strong immune system,
Homeopathy can most assuredly benefit you.
For more information, see
Homeopathic
Consultations.
Also available -- Homeopathic
Articles and Links.
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