Homeopathy is a holistic approach to health and disease, one which considers the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of a person in order to determine treatment. Based upon the idea that a substance which causes certain symptoms in a healthy person will treat those same symptoms in a sick person, homeopathy may be employed to heal both acute and chronic problems. Homeopathic remedies prepared specifically for the individual who is sick will often cure the problem, rather than merely alleviate the symptoms.

Frustrated with the accepted approaches to healing in his day, eighteenth-century German physician Samuel Hahnemann can be credited with developing the homeopathic system of medicine. While translating medical texts to earn extra money, he read that the bark of the cinchona tree was considered effective in treating malaria due to its bitter taste. Doubting this reasoning, he experimented on himself. Although he did not have malaria, he ate the bark. He began to develop symptoms similar to that of the disease, but these symptoms disappeared when he stopped eating the bark. He based further experiments on the premise that a substance which causes a certain reaction in a healthy person may benefit a person who is sick with those symptoms. Hahnemann began researching this hypothesis with other plants and minerals. This led him to further develop his theories which now form the basis of modern homeopathy.

Homeopathic medicine's main principle is easily demonstrated in the homeopathic remedy Allium cepa, which is made from onion. Most people are familiar with the “symptoms” associated with chopping onions: watering, burning eyes and a runny nose. Allium cepa treats a person who has a cold with these symptoms. A cold with different symptoms, however, would require a different homeopathic remedy.

Homeopathic remedies are prepared by homeopathic pharmaceutical companies that are regulated by the FDA. These homeopathic remedies are extremely dilute preparations of the original botanical or mineral material. Through a standardized process of repeated dilutions and succusions (shaking with impact), the final dilution is typically applied to a small sugar pellet. A dose of the remedy is usually taken by dissolving a pellet or two under the tongue.

Because processing brings out properties not seen in doses of the crude substance, taking the homeopathic remedy Allium cepa, for instance, is not the same as eating onion itself. The homeopathic remedy has a completely different set of therapeutic actions and indications. Amazingly, many of the remedies are so dilute that it is unlikely that even one molecule of the original substance remains. However, the energetic "signature" of the original substance is maintained in the dilution as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance scanning, an extremely sensitive method of detection.

Due to their dilution, homeopathic remedies are extraordinarily safe. Unlike drugs, herbals or supplements, homeopathic remedies have no side effects and do not interact with any other medicines. They can safely be taken by children, pregnant women, elderly persons and even the family pet. An incorrect remedy has no dangerous effects. With a basic understanding of homeopathy, remedies found in health food stores may be safely self-administered for acute conditions such as a cold, flu or small injury. A professional homeopath should be consulted for chronic problems, however.

The correct homeopathic remedy will frequently cure a chronic condition. The goal of homeopathy is to eliminate disease and restore health, not merely manage symptoms. It can treat many common ailments such as asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, menopausal and menstrual disorders, depression, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, allergies, attention deficit disorder, eczema, fibromyalgia, chronic ear infections and just about anything that would cause a person to visit a physician.

Using the unique homeopathic approach, the individual is treated, not the specific "disease" per se. A homeopath asks questions about troublesome symptoms, and then evaluates how the individual interacts with their environment. Relevant information includes sleep patterns, foods craved, fears, the effects of weather and much more. The homeopath is trained to determine a single remedy to treat all of the individual's ailments. Determining the correct homeopathic remedy out of about 2500 possible remedies for chronic diseases requires time and skill. Different people with the same disease often require different remedies because we all express disease uniquely.

All health conditions, whether they be acute or chronic, are known to respond favorably to homeopathic medicine. More and more, people are adding homeopathy to their tools for good health.

To learn more about homeopathy, consider joining a free homeopathic study group. Visit the National Center for Homeopathy's website at www.homeopathic.org or call (703) 548-7790. The book Impossible Cure by Amy Lansky is an excellent source of information about the basics of homeopathy.
Karin Cseak, DO, is an osteopathic and homeopathic physician in private practice in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She and her staff at Family Holistic Health also offer craniosacral therapy and polarity therapy. They can be reached at (330) 923-3060.

Picture of Samuel Hahnemann courtesy of Julian Winston, Homeopathic Archives, Tawa NZ, www.julianwinston.com.