Origins 

Samuel Hahnemann, a brilliant German medical doctor and chemist, developed the science of homeopathy at the end of the 18th century. He was responding, in part, to his concern that more people were dying from medical treatments than from their diseases. Hahnemann believed that the purpose of medical therapy should be to restore health quickly, gently and permanently in the least harmful manner without toxic side-affects or the suppression of symptoms which would only return. His work and principles have been carried on and developed by many dedicated homeopaths right to the present day. Homeopathy now rests on the firm foundation of Hahnemann's work and some 200 years of well-documented, successful healing experience. Hahnemann's guiding principles still apply today in the practice of classical homeopathy, but his criteria are otherwise rarely met despite all the improvements and advances in so-called modern medicine.

The True Classical Homeopathic Approach to Cure

Fundamental to classical homeopathy is the view that we are each a synergistic whole, every part of our wholistic being effecting every other part. It is the combination of all symptoms and how they are experienced by the individual which should be addressed in attempting to cure that person and their disorders. When someone has a health problem, it is the whole person that has the problem. The problem does not exist in isolation from the person. They can't simply put the problem in a box and forget it. Therefore, when attempting to cure that person it is the whole person that should be considered, not simply what is thought to be a disordered part of the person. This is the wholistic approach of classical homeopathy. 

This is in contrast to the conventional approach to disease which often oversimplifies it as one isolated symptom or group of symptoms, as a problem affecting only one part or aspect of the body and person. The "sloppy approach" to homeopathy is guilty of the same practice. 

Classical Homeopathy, by contrast, prescribes remedies on a constitutional basis, treating the entire individual, their symptoms and modalities. To arrive at the correctly chosen remedy for a chronic disorder, the detailed case of all aspects of the individual must be taken. The true classical homeopath delves into the broad collection of symptoms and peculiarities of the individual, their entire mental, emotional and physical make-up. This requires an in-depth sense of the patient, a keen sensitivity to them which is able to grasp their gestalt, that totality of the person and the matching remedies which transcends the mere sum of their parts. This is the art of finding the homeopathic constitutional remedy for the most effective and lasting cure. 

This classical approach obviously requires an appropriate amount of time for each individual, frequently involving patient visits in excess of an hour and a number of hours of work afterward for the homeopath to deeply study all aspects of the case. It is impossible to practice classical homeopathy on the assembly line basis that is so characteristic of today's "health industry." It is not in harmony with the demands of today's kind of economy, and so it can be difficult to find a real classical practitioner.

Prescribing Remedies Having closely studied the whole case of the individual, correctly chosen homeopathic remedies are selected on the basis of "the law of similars" and the principle of "curing like with like." These principles go all the way back to Hippocrates, the father of physicians. They state that any substance which, in large doses, can cause a set of specific symptoms in a healthy person can, in small doses, cure those same symptoms in an unhealthy person.  Just as the symptomatology of each person is highly complex and individual, so is the symptomatology associated with each substance or remedy. To choose the right  remedy the homeopath must grasp the

drawing by Erika Price   individual complexities of both the person and the possible remedies and discover the right match between them. This is the surest and safest way to affect a genuine and lasting cure and it is the most thoroughly wholistic approach

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The Homeopathic Remedy

The safe, wholistic science of homeopathy utilizes a special method of dilution and succussion to produce natural remedies that are made from plants, minerals, or animal substances (e.g. snake or bee venoms) in potentized infinitesimal doses. This process, developed by Samuel Hahnemann, dilutes out any vestige of harmful elements from the original substance and energizes it through the process of succussion. Succussion of the diluted substance entails banging it vigorously with impact 100 times. This captures and transmits the energy of the original substance into the diluted neutral matter (water and alcohol). Through this process, the energy of the original substance is retained, and each series of dilutions and succussions produces a more powerful and deeper acting medicine which is released as kinetic energy without toxicity. Because the remedies consist of the tiniest micro-doses, they are completely non-toxic, without side-effects, and are the safest form of medical treatment. Nothing could be safer, more natural or gentle. 

Unlike many conventional drugs, homeopathic remedies do not and can not mask or suppress symptoms, a dangerous practice which can bring temporary relief at the expense of the patient's vitality and future health. Instead, homeopathic remedies gently coax the patient back to a healthy state by stimulating the body's own defense systems to go to the root of the problem and heal itself. Our natural systems are self-healing and self-regulating. The remedies simply stimulate those natural processes. When it is pushed out of balance by disease, toxicity, foreign influences or lack of proper nurturing, the system needs help to bring itself back to its natural healthy state. The right homeopathic remedy can do this.

Homeopathy & Conventional Medicine 

Conventional allopathic medical therapies have made great strides in many areas of diagnosis and treatment. But they have also underestimated the harm to health caused by their widespread use of toxic drugs. Too often conventional medicine, in the process of killing the disease, causes damage and life threatening iatrogenic disorders (those induced by medical treatment) to their patients. In addition to the use of unhealthy drugs, there is widespread careless or inappropriate prescribing and over-prescribing. 

We live in a drug dependent society in which most of the drugging is with orthodox drugs. Antibiotics for acne and Valium and Prozac for everything else? If we were to "just say no to drugs," some of the biggest transnational corporations on the planet would go out of business. Conventional drugging has become so pandemic and dangerous that the very conventional World Health Organization only recently issued a world-wide emergency alert against the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and the grave hazards they pose to public health around the world. "Health care," medicine, and medical studies and research are all a part of a world-wide multi-billion dollar big business. Unfortunately, its profit interests are not necessarily and always in harmony with individual health. This should always be taken into account when evaluating health care options and decisions. 

Homeopathy is not always at odds with commercial medicine, however. There are times when it and some of its drugs or surgery are necessary. In these cases, homeopathic medicines can be used in conjunction with conventional medicine and to compliment it. Homeopathic remedies can greatly ease the pain and stress inherent in many drug and surgical therapies, reduce their "side-effects," and hasten a quick recovery. Homeopathic remedies assist the body's natural healing energies and can bring quicker, deeper, and more permanent recovery.