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| Samuel J. Hahnemann |
How did the practice of Homeopathy originate?
The actual practice of homeopathy dates to the late 1700's when a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann discovered that
a cure for malaria was cinchona bark (also known as quinine). The explanation he found while translating medical documents
was that the bitter quality of the bark was what provided the medicinal aspect in treating malaria.
Doubting that the bitter quality of quinine was alone the explanation of its cure for malaria, Hahnemann used himself as the
first prover by ingesting the bark daily, so he actually was able to manifest the symptoms of malaria: the sweats, the chills,
the fever, the anxiety, the weakness, etc. When he stopped ingesting the bark, the symptoms gradually subsided. He realized,
from his reading of Hippocrates (of the 5th Century B.C.) who spoke of healing by likes and healing by opposites, that Hippocrates
was referring to Homeopathy and Allopathy. Homeo=like and pathos=suffering. Allopathy, or what is now known as traditional
western medicine, means allo=against or opposite, pathos=suffering.
So Hahnemann saw that as he was able to mimic in himself the symptoms of the disease malaria by the Peruvian bark, this same
substance was able to cure patients with the disease. This was the birth of homeopathy. By giving a substance to a sensitive,
healthy person which produces symptoms, it was found that a sick person with those same symptoms could be cured with the same
substance.
Dr. Hahnemann went on to research hundreds of other plant, mineral and animal substances and to document the healing properties
of each on the mental and emotional as well as physical aspects of patients. There are now over 2,000 homeopathic medicines
(or remedies).
When did Homeopathy come to the U.S.?
Homeopathy at first spread slowly in Europe due to strong skepticism (not unlike in the U.S. today). As its effectiveness
was witnessed, more M.D.s began to convert their practice of medicine. By the early 20th century, homeopathy had become quite
popular in America. There were over 100 homeopathic hospitals, 50 homeopathic medical schools and one if five M.D.s were homeopaths.
Homeopathy saw great success in the treatment of many epidemics in the late 1800s e.g. typhoid, influenza, cholera, malaria,
etc. It wasn't until the birth of the pharmaceutical industry and its marriage with the AMA (American Medical Association)
that the homeopathic profession saw itself on the brink of extinction in this country. While homeopathy continued to flourish
in Europe, India, and South America, in this country it was nearly extinguished. Slowly, in the 1970s, homeopathy began to
experience a resurgence in this country as professionals of all medical specialties began to study the information that had
been preserved and to experience the benefits on their patients. Now there are excellent homeopaths who are medical doctors
(M.D.s), naturopathic doctors (N.M.D.s), chiropractors (D.C.s ), osteopathic doctors (D.O.s ), nurse practitioners, etc.
Is this the same as the over-the-counter homeopathic remedies one finds in health food stores?
As always, people looking for shortcuts in healing have formulated combination homeopathic preparations sold in drug and health
food stores. These are at best good for temporary symptomatic relief and are not deep acting, which means they will not change
the underlying predisposition for a health problem, nor do they work on the mental and emotional aspects of an individual.
What is Classical Homeopathy?
Computers and electronic diagnostic machines have also been developed to facilitate the ease of finding the correct remedy.
Even Samuel Hahnemann realized the most effective treatment was in treating the whole individual, not just the symptoms. We
call this constitutional prescribing, treating the whole constitution of the patient. The classical approach is according
to the principles set forth by Hahnemann, using a single preparation of the precise potency (strength) to match the individual
and his or her suffering. The practitioner needs to carefully listen and observe the patient to best understand his/her suffering
whether she/he is an infant, child or adult. Once the appropriate remedy has been given, the practitioner needs to understand
the healing process as it unfolds in the patient. Even though the patient may remain on the same remedy for many years, the
challenge is to maintain the proper continuity and flow of the progress without disrupting the process, and to know how to
treat acute crises and ailments that arise in the course of treatment.
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