Every time I read in the newspaper that there’s no cure for the common cold or how terrible the flu season is going to be, I smile — for the papers are wrong. Folks who know about homeopathy know that there are cures for all these illnesses and more! As a mother I feel fully empowered and equipped to handle the normal (and not so normal) childhood illnesses and accidents that might come our way.
Homeopathy is an entirely different form of medicine that can cure a cold and does stop the flu. Even better, homeopathy can cure serious illnesses, alleviate chronic conditions and historically has been quite successful during the rampage of epidemics.[i]
Why not more folks?
I have often wondered why more folks don’t use homeopathy. From my point of view, there are several reasons.
- Remedies are not patentable and are therefore inexpensive — there is less financial incentive to market them.
- Homeopathy requires an expansive view of the world and the acceptance of the energetic nature of things.
- Homeopathy is in direct conflict with the Western medical (allopathic) model. It takes courage and initiative to integrate homeopathy into our other health care practices.
- Homeopathy takes time to learn and apply. Sometimes it is quite easy to identify a remedy, sometimes it is more complicated. But the results are impressive and worth the effort.
Homeopathy guides the body to heal itself with no side effects. The benefits of homeopathy over allopathic medicine are several:
- It works – we get quick relief from acute illnesses and we see long-term improvement in chronic conditions.
- There is no rebound effect. A rebound effect is when you get worse after you stop taking the medicine. That’s because your body has gotten used to the presence of the medicine and when the medicine goes away, the body has to readjust. That doesn’t happen with homeopathy – because homeopathy works with the principle “like cures like”, it stimulates the body to address the symptoms itself rather than have a drug address them. It is the exact opposite of allopathic medicine.
- There are no permanent harmful side effects. Sometimes a symptom will get worse before it gets better but that’s part of the healing process. It is possible to develop new symptoms by taking the wrong remedy for an extended period of time. But generally the wrong remedy taken a few times has no effect.
- Homeopathy helps the body get healthier over time.
What is homeopathy?[ii]
Homeopathy is a highly individualized form of medicine that improves health based on the principle that Like Cures Like. It is an energetic form of medicine that stimulates the body to heal itself using homeopathic remedies. A person’s symptoms are a guide to what remedy is needed. So for a headache, there are numerous remedies that could be taken — it all depends on the specific symptoms the person is showing.
Homeopathic remedies are made from a wide variety of substances that are diluted and succussed according to very specific guidelines. Each remedy has a set of symptoms that it will cure. There are thousands of remedies. For exposure to poison ivy, one remedy that is often used is made from poison ivy. (Like cures like ..) However there are also other remedies used to treat poison ivy. It all depends on the particular symptoms that the person is showing. The main thing to know is that there are no side effects, homeopathy uses the body’s own energetic force to heal itself, and a remedy acts like a signal to the body telling it how to heal itself.Finally, homeopathy is not the use of herbs. It is a specific form of medicine that looks at illness and cure very differently.
Ways to Get started with Homeopathy
There are several ways to start integrating homeopathy into your health care.
- Read books on homeopathy, buy a home remedy kit, and start treating minor illnesses at home yourself; or,
- Find a professional homeopath and start treatment to improve your overall health and address any chronic conditions.
To Treat Acute Conditions Yourself, You Need a Good Book and Access to Remedies
Acute conditions, conditions that are typically short-lasting such as colds, injuries, ear infections, stomach bugs, etc, are an excellent place to begin learning about and applying homeopathy at home. The top three books I use this are:
Homeopathic Self-Care by Robert Ullman and Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman;
Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants by Dana Ullman: and
The Complete Homeopathy Handbook by Miranda Castro
A Professional can Help you With Serious Ailments like ADD and Autism
If you have a child with a more serious condition like autism, ADD, allergies, etc, then a professional homeopath is needed.
There are a wide range of homeopaths currently practicing so it is important to do some research before choosing one. I work with Dr. Robert Ullman long distance – because homeopathy is so specific to each person’s emotional and mental state, it is remarkably quite effective to work by phone. The nice thing about working with a homeopath is that if there is an acute case I can’t figure out myself, I have professional back-up.
Background Reading
The Impossible Cure by Amy Lansky is a great book for beginners to homeopathy. She cured her son of autism using homeopathy. The book is an inspiring introduction into the wonders of homeopathy. Her website is: http://www.impossiblecure.com.
Ritalin-Free Kids : Safe and Effective Homeopathic Medicine for ADD and Other Behavioral and Learning Problems, and A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism: Homeopathic Care for Exceptional Kids both by Robert Ullman and Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman
These two books are helpful in reading about other children who have recovered from autism and other disorders. You can’t treat your child yourself but it does offer insights into how homeopathy works.
Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau
This book doesn’t go into detail about homeopathy but did really convince me about the toxic side effects of conventional medicine. I find the author to be a bit extreme in his language but I still learned some good things from the book.
The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto, David A. Thayne (Translator)
This book helped expand my view of the world and the power of energy. I read it recently and it was another supporting view for homeopathy.
My Favorite Online Sources for Remedy Kits
You can buy remedies at a health food store or online. You can also buy kits of 25 or 50 remedies. The price savings are substantial with a kit and it is helpful to have a basic set of remedies at home so that you are prepared. I have bought kits from three places and all three are well-regarded. There are different potencies of remedies – for home use, a 30c is considered the best. There is no guarantee that a kit will contain every remedy you will need but it’s a great way to get started. I started off with one kit of 50 remedies of 30c potency – once I decided I was serious about homeopathy, I expanded my supply to include 200C and 1M potencies. But to start, 30C is the one to buy.
Washington Homeopathics is my first choice: http://www.homeopathyworks.com
Hahnemann Labs is also an excellent source.
http://www.hahnemannlabs.com/
And I have found some other kits at http://www.a2zhomeopathy.com/
Online Course
If you are one of the people who needs to dive into detail about a subject (and are probably the only ones who read this far!), there is an online course that is a very good introduction to homeopathy. It costs $60 for a three month email course.
Sheri Naken runs it and her email is: [email protected]
– Deborah D.
P.S. Anyone can do it!
In the past five years I have moved from knowing nothing about homeopathy to using homeopathy for all of our medical needs. I treat our family for acute illnesses and when I need help, I call my homeopath. It really is possible for anyone to learn about and use homeopathy.
Of course, use common sense and talk with your health care provider.
[i] Some history of the treatment of epidemics with homeopathy by Julian Winston
http://www.homeopathic.org/crhistJW2.htm
[ii] For a more complete introduction, please see the website at: http://www.homeopathic.org/whatis.html
Photo by Agnieszka Kowalczyk
