People come to homeopaths or Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) with a variety of health concerns from depression and complicated/chronic ailments to frequent colds and generally lowered vitality.
Homeopathy: Is an independent science and art of healing
developed over 200 years ago by German physician and a scientist, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. Homeopathy spread in popularity and is practiced all over the world.
The basic premise of homeopathy is that “like cures like”. A substance that is capable of eliciting symptoms similar to the ones that are limiting to the patient and creating suffering, pain and illness is the most similar, and will be capable of eliminating the problem and initiating wellness.
Homeopathic Medicines: (called “remedies”) are derived from plant, mineral and animal sources and are prepared by homeopathic pharmacies in successive steps of dilution and succussion, such that an active, healing principle of the medicine remains intact and imprinted on the carrying inert medium (a water/alcohol solution and/or homeopathic granules) without the harmful effects of a crude substance.
Homeopathic medicines are first tested in a manner somewhat similar to double-blind studies of pharmaceuticals, in that healthy volunteers don’t know the nature of the substance they are taking. During such “proving” studies, subject to well-outlined controls and parameters, the mental, emotional, and physical scope of action and application of a medicine is carefully collected and recorded. Other subtleties of the healing potential of a substance may be further elicited in clinical practice and added to the Materia Medica of homeopathic medicines.
The Process: Similarly to the philosophy of naturopathic medicine, homeopathy treats the whole person, and not a disease. Therefore, it is important for a homeopath to have an in-depth interview with a patient to uncover his/her whole health history and life experiences, to construct a time-line of important events and illnesses, so that an appreciation of how problems originated/came about could be gained, which may provide clues to treatment strategies. Homeopaths can typically spend two hours during the first visit and up to an hour for a follow-up.