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A Little at a Time

Homeopathy for You and Those You Love

John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

What Is Homeopathy, How Did It Start, Who Uses It?

Before I describe what Homeopathy is, I would like to tell you what it is not.

It's not herbalism, even though a lot of the remedies we use are made from herbs.

It's not always practised by doctors, even though numbers of doctors are trained in it.

It's not expensive, even though paying to see a Homeopathic practitioner might be, depending on what you classify as expensive: about the price of a pair of inexpensive trainers.

It's not like aromatherapy or massage as we don't make physical contact with our clients. They talk to us, and we listen.

It's not, and certainly never will be 'mainstream' medicine, and comes under the banner of an 'alternative' therapy or, to give it its current name, Complementary or Alternative Medicine (CAM).

Let Like Treat Like

Homeopathy is a system of medicine that takes into account the person, not just the disease, and matches like with like. If you were suffering from a high fever, we'd use a remedy that would produce a fever in a healthy person. It's a well-established form of medicine and has been around for 300 years or so.

Short History of Homeopathy

The word Homeopathy comes from the Greek words [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] or homoios meaning 'similar', and [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] or pathos meaning 'suffering'.

There are two spellings in use: Homoeopathy and the more modern Homeopathy.

Homeopathy started in the late 1700s when Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor born in 1755, discovered the first principle of Homeopathy, that Like Cures Like.

After qualifying in medicine Samuel supplemented his income by translating various medical texts. In 1789 when he was 34, Cullen, the author of one of the texts he was working on, stated that the reason Cinchona Bark (Cortex Peruvianus) cured malaria was 'because it was bitter'.

In his usual questioning way, Hahnemann didn't agree with this hypothesis, as plenty of other herbs were bitter, but they didn't cure malaria. So he decided to take some doses of Cinchona Bark himself and discovered:

I became languid and drowsy; then my heart began to palpitate; my pulse became quick and hard; an intolerable anxiety and trembling; prostration in all limbs; pulsation in the head; redness of cheeks; thirst. Briefly, these were all the symptoms usually associated with intermittent fever and they all made their appearance. These symptoms lasted from two to three hours every time and recurred only when I repeated the dose. I discontinued the medicine and I was once more in good health.

The symptoms that the Cinchona Bark produced were exactly the same as the symptoms of malaria. What an amazing discovery! The fact that it produced the same symptoms as malaria itself was the reason it cured malaria. Bingo! This then set Hahnemann on a mission that lasted for the rest of his life.

Minute but Potent

The body is an extremely intelligent thing. It constantly aims for 'homeostasis', a balance in the body so we don't get too hot, or too cold, and we don't fall asleep at our desks (unless we've been out the night before!).

It puts up with lots of abuse from cigarettes, alcohol, lack of sleep and stress; it digests vast amounts of food and sends the by-products exactly where we need them, and it breathes without us having to tell it what to do. Most of the time, for most people, the body works effectively and is always trying to find the best way to keep us alive.

If you've ever watched someone take their last few breaths before death, the struggle the body makes to continue to breathe is mind-boggling. It does all of these things naturally without us having to 'do' anything.

Homeopathy is a safe and effective system of medicine that helps the body's own efforts to heal itself by dosing it with minute 'potentised' quantities of a plant, mineral or animal by-product capable in their undiluted state of creating similar symptoms to those presented by the patient.

Dr Samuel Hahnemann qualified as a medical practitioner in Germany in 1779. During his years as a general physician he grew more and more disillusioned with the profession. He was appalled by the inhumanity and barbarism displayed by the medical practice of his day. Doctors then would use 'treatments' such as bloodletting, using sharp knives or leeches, and massive amounts of laxatives and large doses of medicines, many of which caused serious side-effects. His life's mission was to establish a more humane and natural system of treatment. His pioneering efforts in the face of prejudice and resistance to change brought into being a system of medicine that swept the world and continues to prove effective today.

Having discovered this unusual form of medical treatment, he then devoted the rest of his life to bringing it to as many people as he could. After his first wife died in 1830 he established the first Homeopathic hospital in Leipzig with his friend and assistant Dr Gottfried Lehmann and then spent his final years with his second wife in Paris before he died in July 1843.

Before he died he passed on his experience and ideas to his wife Marie Mélanie d'Hervilly Gohier Hahnemann, to Dr Constantine Hering in the USA, Dr Frederick Quin in the UK, Baron Clemens von Boenninghausen in Germany, and various other doctors and practitioners.

Homeopathy Today

OK, that's Homeopathy's past. What about today? Where is it used and by whom?

In 1999 the BBC conducted a survey to find out what percentage of the UK population uses Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).

Seventeen per cent of the British population use Homeopathic medicines. This survey also found that the average amount of money each CAM user spent on CAM was approximately £14 ($22) per month with a large proportion of users (37%) spending less than £5 ($8) per month.

In the UK there are four Homeopathic hospitals. The one in London is now called The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, when it was originally called The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, but to keep the baying hounds at bay, the name was wisely changed.

We still have one in Bristol: The Bristol Homeopathic Hospital, which is near to where I live in Bath and I have referred a number of my patients to their tender, loving care.

There is also one in Glasgow: The Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, and there is a small one in Liverpool. Just how long they will survive is anyone's guess.

Legally there is no restriction to you having Homeopathic treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). Long may that continue.

The Legal Status of Homeopathy and Homeopathic Practitioners

Homeopathy in Europe

Homeopathy is tolerated in all European countries. Its practice by medical doctors is tolerated in all countries. Practice by professional Homeopaths is also tolerated in a majority of European countries. Only in a small minority of countries, which by law restrict the practice of all medicine to medical doctors, are professional Homeopaths legally unable to practise. Neither the European Commission nor the European Parliament have produced any position statement on who may or may not practise Homeopathy. The delivery of health care services is considered to be a concern of each member state rather than one of the European Union.

Homeopathy in the USA

In the USA there are, as in the UK, medically trained and non-medically trained Homeopaths. Certain states allow it to be practised provided the applicant has also trained in either medicine or osteopathy or veterinary medicine. Thirteen states license naturopathic physicians, and Homeopathy is included within their scope of practice. This exists in the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Kansas, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, and in Washington DC.

There are no laws about self-prescribing as the remedies are licensed Homeopathic remedies and are recognised and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies under strict guidelines.

Well, It's All Just Placebo, Isn't It?

Actually, Homeopathy isn't 'just' placebo.

Here is the official statement from two separate meta-analyses of Homeopathic clinical research trials in 1992 and 1997 which both concluded that

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that the effects of homeopathic treatment cannot be explained by calling them mere placebo effect but that more research of greater quality needs to be carried out before final proof can be established.

Placebo is the Latin term for 'to please' and implies that a physician is not prescribing a true medicine, but a dummy pill, to keep the patient quiet and happy. But placebos have been proven to be more effective in numerous trials if the prescribing physician is sympathetic and understanding. You know what it's like. You see your doctor and he or she is grumpy and rushes you out of the door. The prescription he/she makes will be ineffective if you have built up an internal resistance to their 'expertise'. Then you visit the locum a few weeks later, and he or she carefully listens to your symptoms; they're sympathetic, caring and understanding about your troubles and you faithfully follow their guidance to the letter.

Which physician will assist your recovery more effectively? Grumpy GP (general practitioner) or Sympathetic Locum?

But Homeopathy isn't 'just' placebo. Remedies can be prescribed to farm animals, babies, plants, domestic pets, racehorses, the unconscious ... and they still work!

Research

The European Network for Homeopathy Researchers (ENHR) was established in 2004 with support from the European Council for Classical Homeopathy (ECCH). The ENHR consists of 66 individuals from 15 different countries involved in or with a special interest in Homeopathy research.

Homeopathy and Herbalism

Now, quite a lot of people get confused with what is Homeopathy and what is Herbalism. Homeopathic remedies can be made from anything and are sourced from the animal, vegetable or mineral kingdom, with the majority of Homeopathic remedies made from flowers or herbs. The difference between a Herbal medicine and a Homeopathic one is the Herbal will be made directly from the flower or herb, while the Homeopathic will have been diluted and energetically altered. We still use the same sources of plants and flowers but the Homeopathically prepared remedy will have had extra processing to remove side-effects or dangerous poisoning possibilities as some of the flowers and plants we use can kill in their raw state. Remedies like Aconite and Belladonna, which are lethal if ingested, were used by Hahnemann and are still used today, and people are living happy lives from having used them.

Who Uses Homeopathy?

All sorts of people use Homeopathy.

From my case files here is a random sample of the types of people that want to use this natural, gentle treatment. People like you.

Jackie is 45 and has been depressed since her boyfriend left her 3 years ago. Her marriage split in 2001 so she could be with her boyfriend. His leaving has devastated her more than her marriage break-up. Her presenting complaints are: depression, headaches, bad digestion and lack of energy. She has no interest in the physical world.

Rialdo is 32 years old and has come about his stress levels. He is the manager of a sports retailer and is feeling out of control in his work situation.

He is presenting with chest pains and a feeling of tightness in his chest, which he is finding scary and he is very worried. This started 3 to 4 weeks ago and he is feeling more and more tired. He says he has 'let his guard down'.

Rialdo has stopped training. He runs, enters marathons and is very fit. He enjoys physical experiences, mountain climbing, and camping. Very much an outdoor type. His ambition is to live in a cottage by the sea. He talks at length about how he prefers the sea to mountains. He dislikes lots of people, preferring to be in the company of his wife. Due to the nature of his job, he is in constant contact with lots of people and he is having trouble delegating to others and trusting his team to carry out his wishes. At work he is a perfectionist, wanting to run the best shop in town. He gets on well with his parents and is very close to his dad. His brother recently became engaged and this has caused some family friction. His only fear is of losing his wife.

Georgina is 37 years old. She had an ectopic pregnancy 2 years ago, a termination 5 years ago and a stillbirth last year. She works full time as an administrator for a large government organisation. She has recently given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Since then she has had repeated water/urinary infections, which are making her life miserable.

Lucy is 14 and has had eczema since she was 18 months old. She has it all over her body: ankles, arms, hands, neck, face, in her hair and on her ears and very dry skin on her face. She says it is annoying her and she hates it. She comes from an 'allergic' family: her father had eczema and her older sister has a nut allergy. The pregnancy and birth were fine and she was breastfed. At 1 year old she became allergic to eggs and her lips swelled up. At 4 years old she began to have sleep problems. At 7 years her dog died and her eczema got much worse. She had asthma and was admitted to hospital.

She has had a range of conventional medicines to alleviate her symptoms including Benovate, Ventolin, Diprobase and ultraviolet treatment. She has also tried acupuncture and Chinese medicine. She doesn't like her parents arguing and hates being teased by her dad. She's into horse riding and likes to be outside and active. She's happy when her friends and family are happy.

Claire is 19 years old and studying for a degree at the local university. She has an older sister and two stepbrothers. She has terrible premenstrual tension (PMT) and an irregular menstrual cycle. She grinds her teeth and has to wear a mouth guard at night. She has come about her skin, which makes her feel 'absolute rubbish'. She never drinks alcohol, but she drinks 2 litres of coke or bottled fizzy lemonade a day. She was prescribed a systemic anti-fungal treatment for her skin, but this has made her feel worse. Her stomach is bloated and she feels hungry all the time.

All of these people came to see me for help with their symptoms. They all recovered and are now leading happy, 'normal' lives.

Homeopathy helped.

The major difference between Homeopathic treatment and conventional medicine, or 'Allopathy' as Hahnemann called it, is that we want to understand fully the person with the condition or complaint. We don't treat all cases of eczema the same way, as one person might be itchy all the time, and another might only be itchy at night.

We'd select a remedy that has in its profile picture the key symptom 'itchy-all-the-time' for the first patient and 'itchy-in-bed/at-night' for the second.

And how do we know how each of these different remedies will work in different ways?

Because ALL Homeopathic remedies are trialled out on healthy human volunteers before they're used in medical practice and a detailed record is kept of the ways the volunteers reacted to the remedy, which, if we remember that Homeopathic principle, demonstrates what Hahnemann discovered after eating the Cinchona Bark, that Like Cures Like.

It's not only the man in the street who uses Homeopathy; rich and famous people, including the British royal family, do too and when you think about that, it makes you wonder: If Homeopathy was rubbish, why would people pay good money to buy remedies or visit practitioners if the system of treatment didn't work or was ineffective?

Making Sick People Well

So, let's put to one side the idea that Homeopathy is ineffective or useless and go forward with the correct notion that it's an excellent way to regain your health, has no side-effects, is cheap, doesn't hurt the planet, people are not exploited to make the remedies, and all practitioners are motivated by one true desire, the same one that motivated Hahnemann: to make sick people well.

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Excerpted from A Little at a Time by Mary English. Copyright © 2014 Mary English. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
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