About
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is an alternative system of medicine being practiced across the world for more than 200 years. It was invented by a German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann.
Homeopathy is based on the principle that “Like cures Like” – means a substance that causes certain symptoms can also cure those symptoms. For example – an onion brings a tear in the eyes, so is a disease where there are tears in the eyes, a medicine made from onion can cure the disease.
How Homeopathic Medicines are Prepared?
Homeopathic medicines are prepared from various substances – like plants, minerals, animals, etc. Approximately 70% of all homeopathic medicines are derived from various herbs.
The process of homeopathic medicine creation is called potentization – where a substance is diluted with water or alcohol such that a very very small amount is left.
Homeopathic products are available in various forms – like ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets, etc. Some drops are also taken after mixing it with sugar pills which is very easy to take.
Homeopathy is best suited for a wide variety of diseases from acute – bruises, fever, toothache, nausea, ear pain, headache, cough & cold, etc. to chronic diseases – allergies, migraines, autoimmune diseases, IBS, constipation, depression, etc.
Uses of Homeopathy across the world?
Throughout the world, for alternative systems of medicines, homeopathy is the most dominated and considered a powerful ally to conventional medication.
Around the world, it is estimated that more than 300 million people across 70 countries actively use homeopathy as an alternative form of medication.
Around 10% of the Indian population – that is more than 100 million people use homeopathy for their health care as per the Indian government.
Examples of countries that recognize this alternative medicine system are – India, China, the USA, Brazil, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, Mexico, etc.
The use of homeopathy is growing in many countries since it has no side effects and is suitable for all ages and for all kinds of diseases.
Benefits of Homeopathy System of Medicine
There are many systems of medicines across the whole world and the most prevalent are Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, and Chinese.
Out of these Homeopathy is the second largest system of medicine across the world in which people believe and use.
There are some additive advantages of homeopathy over all other systems of medicines, some of which are as follows –
Second Largest System of Medicine
Homeopathy is the second largest system of medicine being used throughout the world. It treats a person in a natural way by taking various things into account like persons’ physical appearance, mind, likes, dislikes, emotions, taste.
Complete Medicine System
Homeopathy is an alternative system of medicine that has various advantages over other systems of medicine.
Homeopathy takes various factors of a person into account like persons’ physical appearance, mind, likes, dislikes, emotions, taste during diagnosis to find out the root causes.
Homeopathy focuses on removing the cause
In today’s world during the diagnosis of a disease, a physician spends very little time with the patients and he is more interested to find out the symptoms and matching the corresponding medicines.
A homeopathic physician tries to find out the cause behind the symptoms by asking many questions, which a patient may find irrelevant.
For example – a repetitive headache might be due to other issues in the body like constipation, acidity, or stress.
A homeopathic physician will try to find out the cause and remove the cause by prescribing appropriate medicines so that headache will be treated from the root.
Holistic methodology
The homeopathic physician digs into the detailed background of the patient, including physical appearance, attributes, and emotional parameters.
This diagnosis has double-fold benefits – it helps a physician to find out the root cause on the other hand it gives a patient a suitable channel to vent into the innermost thoughts & feelings, which helps in fast healing.
No side effects
Homeopathic medicines are made by a method called potentization which has mild to no-side effects because of its gentle constitution.
These medicines are derived from only natural substances and have no harmful or toxic effects on the patient. Homeopathic medicines are so gentle in nature that they can be given to newborns, small kids to pregnant ladies.
Improves Immunity
Homeopathic medicines strengthen the immune system of the human body and make it strong from the inside to protect it against various diseases.
It stimulates the body’s vital energy to heal it naturally from small to serious cases and acute to chronic diseases.
Safest Medicine
Homeopathic medicines are considered one of the safest medicine in all the available systems of medicine across the world.
These medicines can be taken along with any other medicine without causing any adverse effect or reaction to the body.
Homeopathic medicines are not addictive and do not lead to any drug dependency or substance abuse.
Preventive capacity
Homeopathy helps the human body to prevent various diseases and maintain the healthy state of a person and not be affected by harmful environmental factors.
Homeopathic Medicines can be given as preventive measures to protect a person from contracting a disease that people around him may be suffering from.
For Example – If one child is suffering from chickenpox, in order to prevent other children who might be playing with him from getting infected, a suitable homeopathic medicine can be given.
So that he will not suffer from chickenpox and even if suffers, it will be very mild in nature.
Use in Epidemic Diseases
Homeopathic medicine can be very helpful during epidemic conditions.
The remedy that is selected on the symptoms are the characteristic during the epidemic is called the Genus Epidemics.
Such carefully selected remedies can prevent society, families, or even individuals from getting infected from the epidemic disease.
The Common Myths & Facts of Homeopathy
There are some most common myths about the homeopathy system of medicine.
These myths are spread in society from mouth to mouth. We will focus on some of the most common myths and give the facts about those myths to clarify the doubts.
Myth-1: Homeopathic medicines are only sugar pills, if not why do all homeopathic medicines look and taste the same?
Fact:
These white sugar pills are not medicine, these are just carriers or vehicles of medicines.
Actual medicines come in the form of drops and are mixed with these white sugar pills by the homeopathic physician based on the diagnosis.
That is the reason, for a patient all the medicines look similar and they think it’s only sugar pills.
Actual medicines are alcohol-based which may taste bitter but when they are mixed with sugar pills, it is absorbed in these pills and become easy to take.
Myth-2: Homeopathic medicines are only placebos and have no medicinal value
Fact:
Homeopathy is sustained in more than 70 countries for 200 years. If it was placebo it would have been finished long back.
Coming to the fact – homeopathic medicines are prepared from various natural substances like – plants, minerals, microbes, bacteria, animal kingdoms, etc.
These medicines are prepared by a process called potentisation in which ultra dilution is prepared with the dynamic conversion of crude drug substances.
There have been researches and case studies across the world and has been seen the effectiveness of homeopathy.
Myth-3: Homeopathy is slow in its action and takes a very long time to cure a disease
Fact:
Homeopathy is not a slow medicine system.
Usually, most people chose homeopathy in case of chronic diseases when it gets worsen and they could not find a cure in other systems of medicine.
Since chronic diseases are lingering with a person for a long time and become so deep that it takes their own course of time and the patient feels it’s very slow.
Myth-4: Homeopathy is only for chronic cases and is not effective in acute diseases
Fact:
Homeopathy is equally effective in case of all acute cases like fever, cough, cold, vomiting, food poison, ear pain, diarrhea, etc.
Usually, in these cases, most people take allopathic medicines over the counter which are easily available.
And a pattern is set in the society that homeopathy is only for chronic cases.
Myth-5: Homeopathy is a magical system to cure all kinds of diseases
Fact:
Homoeopathy, like any other system of medicine, has its own limitations.
Homeopathy can not treat the cases where pathological changes have come in the body, in some surgical cases, in some medical emergency conditions homeopathy can not be the first option.
In fact, homeopathy can complement other systems of medicines even in these cases.
Myth-6: Homeopathy always aggravate the disease condition then start healing the body
Fact:
This is not correct and the fun fact is that it is exaggerated by the people and spread from mouth to mouth.
If Homeopathic medicine is selected by a qualified homeopath then it is based on the complete diagnosis of a patient and there is no chance of aggravation.
In very specific diseases like eczema, it has been observed that if medicines are not selected properly then also only 5% of cases may aggravate.
This is the fact of any system of medicine if a selection is not done correctly it can aggravate.
Myth-7: Homeopathy allows any person to do self-medication because it is harmless
Fact:
It is spread in our society that homeopathic medicines have no side effects so that anyone can do the self-medication.
Opposite to allopathy in homeopathy, each and every medicine has a wide range of actions and applications and only a qualified homeopath can judge the correct medicine after complete diagnosis.
Just after reading from here and there and knowing some homeopathic medicines’ names do not qualify anyone to do self-medication.
Myth-8: Homeopathy imposes too many restrictions on food and lifestyle habits while taking the medicine
Fact:
Homeopathy treatment itself does not impose any restrictions on food and lifestyle habits. All the restrictions come as a lifestyle management portion of that particular disease.
For example – If a person is suffering from fatty liver, he should avoid fatty food and it is not the restriction from medicine but the disease itself.
Only the fact is since homeopathy medicines are taken in the mouth and absorbed by the tongue so it is advised to avoid any food which has a strong taste – like garlic, clove, onion, etc.
At least for 1 hour before/after taking homeopathic medicines. In particular coffee acts as antidotes to the homeopathic medicines are advised to avoid in the course of treatment.
Myth-9: Homeopathy does not require investigation like blood tests, MRIs, X-rays, etc.
Fact:
Homeopathy treatment itself does not impose any restrictions on food and lifestyle habits. All the restrictions come as a lifestyle management portion of that particular disease.
For example – If a person is suffering from fatty liver, he should avoid fatty food and it is not the restriction from medicine but the disease itself.
Only the fact is since homeopathy medicines are taken in the mouth and absorbed by the tongue so it is advised to avoid any food which has a strong taste – like garlic, clove, onion, etc.
At least for 1 hour before/after taking homeopathic medicines. In particular coffee acts as antidotes to the homeopathic medicines are advised to avoid in the course of treatment.
Myth-10: Multivitamin, iron-tonic, health supplements are not required if you are taking homeopathic medicines
Fact:
Homeopathy is not magic and if the body is suffering from nutrition homeopathy can not fulfill it.
In order to maintain the optimum level of nutrition, a person has to be dependent on food or supplements.
So if required these supplements can be taken along with homeopathic medicines.
Myth-11: Allopathic or other systems of medicines can not be taken along with homeopathy
Fact:
This is a misconception that if a person can not take allopathic, ayurvedic, or any other form of medicine along with homeopathic medicines.
These medicines very much can be taken together just to make sure to keep a proper gap between these medicines as prescribed by your homeopath.
In fact, if someone is already taking hormonal medicines or life-saving medicines, it must not be stopped and homeopathic medicines can be continued along with this.
Once the situation is better then slowly-2 those medicines can be cut down but not immediately.
Myth-12: Only Single Homeopathic Medicine should be given by the homeopathic physician
Fact:
This is a common misconception that only single medicine can cure the disease completely.
This was true some 100 years ago when food was simple, lifestyle was simple and people were sufferings from uncomplex diseases.
In the last 50 years, there has been extensive research in homeopathy and due to the complex nature of diseases in the modern era, it is recommended to give multiple medicines.
There are a lot of patient medicines by renowned companies across the world which provide poly-remedies.