- What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine which assists the natural tendency of the human body to heal itself.
It acknowledges that all symptoms of ill health are a mere manifestation of the disharmony within the whole person
and that it is the patient that requires treatment and not the disease.
Homeopathy has been in existence worldwide for more than two hundred years and its popularity is rising in the present day. - What is the principle of Homeopathy?
Homeopathy works on the law of Similas similibus curenture.
Simply, it means: -A medicine, which can produce a state of mind in a healthy individual, can cure the similar state in a sick individual.
The medicine once taken stimulates and enhances the body’s own mechanism to fight the disease.
It corrects the body’s immunity, which in turn fights the disease - Is Homeopathy a holistic science?
Homeopathy is holistic medicine. Homeopaths do not treat physical, emotional and mental illnesses separately, but regard them as intimately connected. These are all aspects of the whole of the patient’s suffering. Further, they understand that symptoms of illnesses are evidence of the body’s natural and automatic efforts to heal itself. These clues are used to guide them when prescribing a remedy. So, the patient may be asked questions about all sorts of apparently minor deviations from health and about character and personality traits. It may appear that the homeopath is interested in matters that have little to do with the particular complaint about which the patient is most concerned. This is because, before prescribing, the homeopath wants a complete overview of the patient. A remedy is then prescribed for that individual patient and not for his or her disease. Therefore, homeopathy is truly holistic.
- Why does the interview take so long?
The homeopath aims not only to treat disease but at raising your Immune Response. To target this, he needs to know your entire personality physically, intellectually, emotionally and also your subconscious level.
A collection of all these together help in the selection of the medicine.
Hence the extensive case-taking that you undergo helps us to put all these aspects together
- how do the remedies work?
A homeopathic remedy acts as a signal which energizes or stimulates the body’s healing power, mobilizing the defence systems and working in the mental, emotional and physical aspects of the being.
Just as a television produces images of the program it has been tuned, so is a sick person very much in tune or sensitive to the correct remedy and only a minute stimulus from the correct signal (or remedy) is required.
Therefore, in homeopathy, only one remedy (or signal) is used at a time. The idea is to cure with the minimum amount of medicine and with the minimum amount of interventionFor the same reason, it is not possible to take an overdose of homeopathic remedies in the same way as in allopathy.
Homeopathic remedies are not therefore intrinsically dangerous.
Nonetheless, they are clearly capable of stimulating the body’s reactive forces powerfully and should be treated with respect Homeopathy remedies are prescribed to the Law of Similar which states” That which makes disturbed state of health shall heal”.
For instance, we know that when cutting a strong smelling onion we often experience an acrid running nose, a soreness in the throats and stinging, watery eyes. A homeopath will prescribe Allium cepa (made from onion) for patients who suffer from cold and a sore throat with similar symptoms.
This Law of Similar has been part of medical practice since ancient times but homeopathy (similar & suffering) as we know it today was first formulated two hundred years ago by a German physician, chemist and linguist, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. - Is homeopathy slow acting and to be taken life long?
No! Definitely not.
Homeopathy works as fast as any other mode of treatment.
Homeopathy works wonders in acute cases (For e.g. Fever, diarrhoea, etc.) and that too very quickly. Therefore, it acts slowly is a myth and misconception.
In some chronic cases, the time taken for cure is proportionate to the chronicity of the disease.
Homeopathy can give quick effective results within 5 to 10 minutes in any problems or severe pain like gallstone, renal and abdominal colic.
It can bring down temperatures in just 10 minutes in case of high fevers and works effectively in malaria, typhoid, dengue like viral fever etc.However in chronic cases of arthritis, skin allergies, asthma etc. affecting the patient for long times of months and years, the remedy must be given some time to treat the problem effectively and completely.
For old chronic problems, we need to restore disturbed state of mind and body to normal state of mind and normal functions of body at optimum level. For this restoration we need more time as if time difference in constructive and destructive process.
- Does homeopathy take a long time to act?
The time taken for the cure is proportionate to the chronicity of the ailment. In fact if a patient seeks homeopathic treatment at the onset of an ailment, he stands great chances of a really quick recovery. Also in acute illnesses homeopathic medicines act fast and effectively. For e.g. if “X” is suffering from bronchial asthma and he is suffering for the last 14 years and has been to various systems of medicine. Now if you give him homeopathy and say in 2 year’s time the patient is completely alright – Please tell us which one is slower? It is a myth that medicines act slowly. Its action is quick and the effect lasts much longer, often forever. The disease is cured from its roots. With most of the other systems of medicine symptoms are merely palliated or at times suppressed while in Homeopathy they are cured for good.
- Do the medicines have any side effects?
Homeopathic medication if taken without the supervision of a qualified
Homeopath can have proving effects.The reasons why our medication has no side-effects are as follows:
- The quantity is minimum.
- The remedy is prepared by serial dilutions to liberate its healing energies. This process is called potentization where its physical quantity is reduced and its potential energy is enhanced.
- he homeopath goes through a painstaking case taking procedure to find the remedy most suited to your entire personality.
- It is this intricate detailed Similarity between the patient and his medication that nullifies any chances of side effects. - What should I avoid during the treatment?
Avoid only those things which are sure to you that those things are disturbing your health.
Do not stop any other medication on your own.
These medications have to be tapered down under medical supervision along with improvement of homeopathic medicines. - Do I take the medication on an empty stomach?
Not compulsory.
Our medication can be taken on empty stomach, after breakfast, after lunch or at anytime of the day.
The only precaution is to keep the mouth clean before the dose.
This is necessary to allow proper absorption of the medication through the sensory nerves and other cells. - Is it true that my problems will increase before settling down completely?
Not true.
An old complaint that has been not taken care off might recur for a certain period of time during the course of the treatment.
Do not panic but inform your doctor immediately if you find any discomfort. These symptoms settle down completely.
- Why do some people develop a skin rash during treatment?
Sometimes a skin rash may appear during the course of the treatment but that will not creat more discomfort.
This is because as the treatment progress the disease is thrown from a more important internal organ to a less important outer part like the skin.
Patients develop old skin problems like ringworm, eczema, boils, etc. depending on their susceptibility.
By this time the internal problem has been resolved, the general level of well being is restored and the skin rash is also resolved in a short period of time. - What should we expect from the treatment?
You should find an improvement in all spheres:
• The intensity and frequency of your chief complaint.
• Your general criteria -appetite, sleep, dreams, energy levels.
• Your moods, temperaments,
• Your capacity to deal with stress, sensitive issues and your overall mental state. - What if I develop a viral infection or any acute problem during the course of treatment?
We can help in every acute problem very effectively and you will not need to resort to any other form of treatment.
The medicines given at this time are fast-acting and can relieve you of any discomfort ,pain etc.
At times these episodes are very characteristic to the individual and help in understanding the long standing complaint in a better way.
Consequently the long-standing problem is helped better and the frequency of such acute episodes also reduces.
Inform to doctor if you have any acute problems. - What about times of travel or emergencies?
In case of emergency you may use the SOS PACKET provided to you by the doctor after consulting them on phone
- Can my problem recur after the treatment?
The problem per se does not recur after the complete treatment.
A mild episode of a chronic problem can recur sporadically due to undue physical or mental stress.However these episodes will be very rare and their intensity will be minimal. This is because the medication makes you capable of handling situations better and fighting your stress better because of you will have total self-control over your mind emotions to get free within next minutes.
- How long does the medication last?
Homeopathic medication can last very long when preserved in dry conditions and away from sunlight in a cool dark place.
We prescribe medication for overseas patients, patients on ship etc, for six months at a stretch.
Please remember that the medication must be kept away from strong smelling substances like camphor, mint, menthol, strong oils and perfumes etc. - Can we use Homeopathy for infants?
Homeopathy has excellent result in infants even few days or months old. Infant colic, fevers, colds etc. can be well taken care of.
- Can pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and new-born babies use homeopathy?
Homeopathy has no side effects. Hence, it can safely be given to the new born and pregnant women. It will eventually help them strengthen their immunity enabling them to cope with conditions better.
- Do Homeopathic Medicines contain steroids?
NO!!
A well-selected Homeopathic remedy has the capacity to bring about a drastic change in the patients complaints.
People at time feel that a steroid is used to bring about this change.
But its not true, when the right remedy works, the patient not only sees a change in the complaints but also at the level of his general state, general wellbeing which doesn’t happen when on steroids.
Also long term use of steroids have their side effects like weight gain, moon face, excessive body hair to name a few.
The commonly performed test to find out steroids is the “Colorimetric Method” test which gives a false positive result for any reducing sugar, aldehyde (Homeopathic medicines are sugar , lactose & alcohol based).
The best test to find out if the medicine contains steroids is the “Liebermann Bur chard” test. Thin layer chromatography method & a UV absorption method. This method helps in differentiating & finding out if the substance indeed contains steroids.
Homeopathy does not! Contain steroid.This is again a misconception.
Steroids have a different mode of action, unlike homeopathy.Homeopathy acts via the PNEI (psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunological axis), thereby increasing one’s immunity and helping the body fight back the diseases. Whereas the role and action of steroids are very different.
If a patient is being given steroids (cortisone) for a long time (more than 30 days), then there would be side effects like swelling of the face or puffiness of the face, osteoporosis, development of diabetes, but none of such symptoms are seen in any patient as such indicating homoeopathy is free of steroids.
After a long-term homeopathic treatment, one can expect progressive improvement in their disease condition, decrease in the frequency of their acute ailments, better energy levels, improvement in their sleep, appetite and overall general well being and health. - Could homeopathic medicines be taken with allopathic medication?
Yes, it can be taken.
In today’s world, so many people are suffering from disease conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hormonal and autoimmune diseases and mainly rely on allopathic medication as their first line of treatment.
Therefore, discontinuing allopathic medicines altogether may have an adverse [withdrawal] effect.
So the best way would be to continue them along with Homeopathic medicines and then gradually reduce the allopathic dosage under the guidance of an expert. - What conditions can homeopathy treat?
Homeopathy is in itself a complete science and could be used to treat any age group, disease and at times as a preventive in healthy individuals to boost their immunity.
Homeopathy can help most of the conditions. It not only cures the diseases but also successful in treating the drug-induced diseases as well.
Homeopathy gives good results even in irreversible diseases conditions like in cancer for palliative mode of recovery
Homeopathy enhance fast recovery for after surgery or before surgery also. - Why do homeopathy doctor do not tell name of medicine ?
Management of patient after giving selected medicine is different and individual to every patient.
If the patient wants a copy of case record can be provided to the patient but at the end of the treatment, when patient has completely recovered or decides to stop or change the physician. - Are there any food restrictions during homeopathic treatment ?
No restriction specially, but its individual to every patients have different health state
Patients has to be careful according to their personal sensitivity. - Is it true that homeopathic medicines are only placebo?
No its not true.
Placebos, do work – for a limited range of conditions and for limited time.
Placebos cannot cure and make you healthy for long time with stable mind-set and positive outlook.
Just think – homeopathy start works to cure many diseases conditions which are not curable by any other system of medicines,
Can placebo can make you healthy? Is it possible? - Does the homeopathy give same white pills to everyone ?
No.
There are more than 3000 medicines and 10 variable potencies (powers of medicines) of each medicine so minimum 30,000 various permutation and combinations are utilized.
Homeopathic pills are only vehicle - As medicine, a drop of the highly diluted substance is placed on the sugar tablet.
Every person has individual medicine different from other patient even in same disease condition according to his/her disturbed state of mind and body – prakruti – svabhav. - Why does interview take long?
We treat man in diseases.
To understand you as an individual person to restore your disturbed state of mind and body to happy healthy state of mind and physical health.
This process needs time to understand you as person what do have internal experience of discomfort in your life as same as you feel - Does homeopathy believe in disease diagnosis and the pathological investigations?
Yes.
It is very essential to diagnose a disease, but for the selection of the remedy we require to know the characteristic symptoms of the patient and not the disease symptoms.
For e.g. If a person is having an attack of asthma, he will be having wheezing and congestion of the chest and he gets relief only if he throws his head backwards. Wheezing and congestion of chest are symptoms of the disease but for the selection of the remedy the important symptom is ‘relief by throwing head backwards’. Hence to differentiate the disease symptoms with the individual characteristic symptoms good knowledge of disease is important.
The pathological investigations are also important to judge the improvement, know disease diagnosis and the prognosis. - Does one have to take the medicines for a long time?
Usually not.
The duration of the treatment depends upon the nature of the disease and the fighting capacity of the patient’s body.
The treatment is required for a certain time period so as to improve the resistance of the body to fight diseases.
Taking into consideration all these factors the treatment is continued for a certain time frame for the benefit of the patient.
Once the patient feels complete well feeling at mind and body level, we stop the medicines and the natural immunity and control mechanism of the body will take care.