Homeopathy and Homeopathic Medicine
Definition
Homeopathic medicine, or homeopathy, is a holistic system of treatment that originated in the late eighteenth century. The name homeopathy is derived from two Greek words that mean "like disease" because the system is based on the notion that a medicine capable of curing a disease will mimic or imitate its symptoms. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), the founder of homeopathic medicine, used the Latin phrase similia similibus curentur, or "let like be cured with like," to summarize the underlying principle of his system. Homeopaths use the term allopathy, or "other disease," to describe the use of drugs in conventional medicine to oppose or counteract the symptom being treated.
Purpose
The purpose of homeopathy is the restoration of the body to homeostasis, or healthy balance, which is considered its natural state. The symptoms of a disease are regarded as the body's own defensive attempt to correct its imbalance, rather than as enemies to be defeated. Because a homeopath regards symptoms as positive evidence of the body's inner intelligence, he or she will prescribe a remedy designed to stimulate this internal curative process rather than suppress the symptoms.
The holistic nature of homeopathic treatment means that practitioners do not focus on isolated symptoms when treating patients. Even if the patient seeks help for only one illness, such as a cold or a skin rash, the homeopath will evaluate the disorder in the context of the patient's overall physical and psychological characteristics. It is thought that a careful assessment of all the patient's symptoms over the course of years will reflect a basic weakness specific to that person's constitution. Constitutional homeopathy is a form of treatment that focuses on recurrent patterns in the patient's medical history. In acute treatment, which is given for colds, vomiting, fever, and similar problems, the homeopath selects a remedy on the basis of the patient's symptomatic reactions to recent stresses in his or her life.
Precautions
Although a number of practitioners have written books on homeopathic self-care, these writers emphasize the limits of home treatment. The complexity of the case-taking process, and the difficulty involved in the consultation of the repertory or the materia medica persuade most patients to consult practitioners for serious illnesses rather than attempting to treat themselves.
Description
Homeopathic practice incorporates several principles besides the law of similars:
Single-medicine prescribing
Classical homeopathy prescribes only one medication at a time for the totality of the patient's symptoms. If the patient has an illness for which several different remedies have been proved, the practitioner will select the remedy that most closely fits the overall symptom profile. For example, two patients might come to the practitioner with a fever; but one might have warm, flushed skin and muscle twitching along with the fever and be given belladonna, while the other patient might have a dry skin and dry cough and so be given aconite.
Contemporary homeopaths do not always adhere strictly to the principle of single-medicine prescribing. Combination or polypharmacy homeopathy is increasingly popular in Europe. In addition, combinations of low-potency homeopathic preparations are now sold in pharmacies in the United States for use at home. Most classical homeopaths maintain that the curative powers of these combinations are lower than the single medicine that would be appropriate for the specific patient.
Minimal dosing
Because the goal of homeopathic treatment is the assistance of the body's innate capacity for self-regulation, practitioners do not give patients a second dose of medicine until the first has completed its work. It is believed that the body's ability to heal itself is sufficiently strong that only a small amount of medication is needed to begin the process.
Potentization of medicines
The most controversial aspect of Hahnemann's system is his theory of potentization in the preparation of medicines. Potentization is a process of increasing the potency of a remedy by a process of dilution and succussion, or shaking on a special machine or by hand. A homeopathic medication is formulated by preparing what is called a mother tincture, which is made by soaking plant, animal, or mineral materials in a solution of alcohol. The mother tincture is then diluted with either 10 or 100 parts of alcohol and succussed on the machine. The process of dilution and succussion is repeated many times in order to achieve the desired potency. Homeopaths maintain that succussion is necessary to transfer the energy of the natural substance to the solution. In addition, the potency of the remedy is regarded to increase with each dilution. After the tincture has been diluted to the prescribed potency, the resulting solution is added to a bottle of sucrose/lactose tablets, which are stored in a cool, dark place. If the remedy is not soluble in water, it is ground to a fine powder and mixed with powdered lactose (called trituration) to achieve the desired potency.
Preparation:
Case-taking
The first stage in homeopathic treatment is the practitioner's detailed notation of the patient's symptoms. Homeopathic case- taking includes not only the symptoms directly associated with the illness but other physical complaints that the patient may have and his or her psychological reactions. The reader should note that homeopathy uses the word symptom in a broader sense than mainstream medicine. In homeopathy, symptoms include any physical or emotional change that is observed during the course of an illness. In addition to noting the location and severity of the symptoms, the homeopath will ask about its modalities. The modalities are the circumstances or factors (e.g., weather, time of day, behavior or activity, etc.) that make the symptom either better or worse.
Selection of remedy
The practitioner will choose the medication by matching the patient's symptom profile with the symptoms that the remedy has been proved to cause in healthy people. Dose repetition or change of medication is based on observation of the patient's response. The principle of minimal dosing implies that the dose should not be repeated until the previous dose has ceased to act.
Risks
There are few risks associated with homeopathic treatment in the United States. In terms of training, many homeopaths are licensed graduates of conventional medical schools in many fields. Homeopaths include naturopaths, registered nurses, and physicians. There are also lay practitioners of homeopathy whose practice should be more limited than licensed professionals.
The remedies are safe in terms of their chemical composition and have far fewer side effects than conventional medications. However, a exacerbation of symptoms can occur with initial dosage of a remedy. Because of the extensive and detailed documentation in homeopathic materia medica, erroneous prescriptions are relatively uncommon. In addition, the dilution of homeopathic remedies prevents the patient from being harmed by an incorrectly prescribed medication.
Normal results
Normal results of homeopathic treatment are successful treatment and/or the strengthening of the patient's constitution.
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