by Kathleen Soudant
Homeopathy has a different paradigm than convention medicine. While both attempt to heal a patient of their ailments homeopathy seeks to offer more long-term benefits in the realm of overall health and well being.
A homeopathic remedy works by stimulating your own body’s ability to heal itself. Remedies work gently to move, change and eliminate your symptoms - permanently.
The philosophy of homeopathy tells us that our symptoms are not good or bad, but merely guideposts to let us know there is something to address in our lives. It is by these sign-posts that we can learn how to change and grow to journey through our lives finding more meaning, healing and acceptance of life and all it has to offer.
With that philosophical basis, what exactly happens? Let's start at the beginning. One goes to a homeopath for the first time to get relief from a symptom or presenting problem. Our body is stating a need to find something to move it forward out of this painful place.
When you go through the consultation, much focus is placed on your symptom and your individual experience of how, what, where, etc. This focus will help the homeopath find the right remedy for you. Looking closely at your symptoms will help you become more aware of how your particular symptom fits in or connects with your own life experience. Often times you find awareness by expressing your case to the homeopath. It is important that you become empowered in your journey towards health and it begins here.
After taking the remedy, it is important to know that a 'miracle cure' will not occur (not usually, though in some instances it can seem like one). For treatment of chronic symptoms that have been with you for a long time - it usually takes time for a remedy to 'act' in a way that is recognizable to you as healing. The vibration of the remedy needs to 'meet' the vibration of YOUR ENERGY to move your symptom. Technically, a challenge ensues to balance your energy vibration and the vibrational energy of the remedy. Much like how a tuning fork is used in music.
In this path towards wellness, a patient can experience a number of things:
- you can experience an aggravation of the presenting symptom (i.e. a joint pain might get a bit worse for a short time)
- you might find that your changes direction, i.e. a rash moves down your body rather than goes away
- you might get a cold
- you might get a return of old symptoms that will pass quickly.
All these possibilities are GOOD signs that the remedy is working. There is a law in homeopathic philosophy called 'Hering's Law' that was developed by the father of American homeopathy, Dr. Constantine Hering. Healing, Hering observed, takes place in three directions: from top to bottom, from inside to out and going back through past illnesses.
While initially this may not sound like something you want to go through just think what one automatically accepts to 'go through' when having a conventional medical operation do you expect to hop off the operating table, cured? NO. How much time do doctors recommend taking off for something as simple as an appendectomy? All healing takes time.
In fact, if you as a patient understands and knows what to expect in your homeopathic healing process, you may feel almost as if it is happening 'outside' of your inner core. This allows you to be less 'attached' to what is going on thus, feeling confident about the healing process. So whatever the reaction, it is nothing to be afraid of in fact, it is something to help you focus more intently on your own healing.
And always remember homeopathy is holistic it treats the whole person body, mind and spirit. So any new symptom that may appear must be told to your homeopath, i.e. if you went for symptoms of depression and develop a cold tell your homeopath. All your symptoms are important and related to your healing journey and remedy prescription.
If you openly allow the process to unfold without interference from other drugs or added new treatments, the results will come. It is very important that you do not take any other medications, begin supplements or start new treatments without discussing it with your homeopath first. If the presenting problem was a chronic lung infection, and a rash occurs after taking the remedy, do NOT treat the rash the remedy is working on the WHOLE person and this may be part of the process Hering's Law of Homeopathy direction of cure inside to out.
Interfering with the process will may stop the healing process and you may experience a slower recovery. Release from one's symptoms may be quick or lengthy depending on the individual and their unique circumstances. It is always manageable. - THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING AT THEM How about: Trusting the healing process will enable your strongest recovery. The length of time depends on the individual and their unique circu
Another change that can occur after taking a remedy that is above and beyond the healing of your symptoms is a developed sense of inner happiness, balance or a feeling of ease with yourself and your surroundings. You eventually become more in tune with and aware of your thoughts/feelings/perceptions and your reaction to them becomes more appropriate. Your challenges become less personal and you are more able to handle things that caused you inner turmoil previously.
Sometimes your healing is so subtle it takes a follow up to become aware of the changes that have taken place. Part of the healing process is developing awareness.
We often times focus only on the 'physical' and 'miss' the emotional and mental healing that takes place. Sometimes when a symptom disappears we forget that we even had it.
The goal in homeopathy is to help you look at your day as an amazing adventure waiting to happen. Awareness and synchronicity begin to take on a new dimension in your life. Events might come that were totally unexpected, or phone calls, opportunities, chance
meetings may occur more readily. Even though life will continue with challenges, your intuition might also increase and life takes on a new flow, with development of flexibility in your attitude. That is good health and the real success of homeopathy.
Visit www.innerhealth.us for more information
Homeopathy: Natural Mind-Body Healing by Begabati Lennihan, RN, CCH
Journal of Psychosocial and Mental Health Nursing, July 2004
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Article Topics:
Postpartum depression
Endogenous depression
Depression following a grief
Medicine customized to the individual patient
Historical perspective
Comparison with herbal medicine
Safety concerns and legal status
Drug-drug interactions
Advantages of homeopathy
Limitations of homeopathy
Appropriate conditions for referral
Evaluating a homeopath for referral
Research studies
Trying homeopathy at home
Dosage and delivery forms
Conclusion of Case Study: In primary care, homeopathic treatment for acute respiratory and ear complaints was not inferior to conventional treatment.
