Homoeopathy
Homoeopathy or “Homo” literally means “Similar” and “pathy” literally means “to treat”, that is, to treat with similar medicines. In German it is called “Similia Similibus Curentur” or “let the likes be treated by the likes”. The medicine which has the power to produce certain set of signs and symptoms in a healthy individual, has the power to cure the same set of signs and symptoms in a diseased individual.
It treats the patients not only through holistic approach but also considers individualistic characteristics of the person. This concept of ‘law of similars' was also enunciated by Hippocrates and Paracelsus but Dr. Hahnemann established it on a scientific footing despite the fact that he lived in an age when modern laboratory methods were almost unknown.
Homoeopathic medicines are prepared by a standard method called dynamisation or potentisation, which comprises of successive dilutions and succussions to raise the inherent curative power of the drugs to maximum. The medicines thus prepared through ‘potentisation', attain their potential enhanced enormously to combat ailments while at the same time absence of toxicity is assured.
The biggest difference between Homoeopathy and Modern medicine is that the medicines are usually proved in healthy human beings, to ascertain their curative properties. In modern medicine, the medicine undergoes trial on rats and other animals. This doesn’t help us understand the exactness of the action of the medicines.
The system believes in the existence of a self- regulating force in the organism, which plays a vital role during health, disease and cure. The symptoms are considered as the body's natural reaction to the illness and help to find a remedy against the illness. The remedies work by stimulating the body's defence mechanism to correct itself naturally. This therapy adopts an individualistic and holistic approach towards the sick individual. A homoeopathic doctor does not treat in the name of disease, rather the treatment is targeted against the “patient” who is suffering from a particular disease. The physician perceives all the derangements at physical and mental levels of the patient, brings about conceptual image of the patient through totality of symptoms and selects the medicine, which is most similar to the symptomatic totality of the patient.
The scope of Homoeopathy is very surprising. Many times we think of illnesses which are incurable have been cured with the science and magic of Homoeopathy. Thus, to restrict Homoeopathy to a certain set of ailments would be illogical. Let us explore this new science and art of healing the sick with all the faith!