What is the “Healer within” Concept of Homeopathy?

The practice of homeopathy convinces the physician to regard the body as more than a sum of its parts. Unlike a machine, it develops, carries on its function, and repairs itself independently. In this sense, everyone carries within him his own doctor. Ancient physicians were familiar with this natural power of the organism to control disease and they invented for it a beautiful expression ‘Vis Medicatrix Nature’ (Healing Power of Nature). This healing power is a function of the life force itself. Hahnemann called it Vital Force. Disease is recognized as a disturbance of this vital force. For example, out of ten people who get wet in the rain, only one developed pneumonia. Most bacteria can affect us only when our own healing power is of low resistance. Homeopathic medicine aims to correct this disturbed vital force and thus enhances the power of the body to heal itself. It does not aim at removing the symptoms of the parts affected but treats the cause and restores to health. According to Homeopathy, symptoms are a reflection of disturbed vital force.

Sickness is like a sitar whose correct tuning has been disturbed. Naturally, all the notes from such a sitar will be far more melodious. There is no use in trying to correct the individual notes. It is the disturbance in the tuning itself that has to be corrected.

What is Homeopathic Potentization?

The founder of homeopathy, Hahnemann’s scientific experiments led him to the process of potentization. A step-by-step dilution and jerking of the drug makes it extremely powerful and at the same time renders it harmless. This is in direct contrast to the toxic drugs of modern medicine, and their ‘side effects’. Potencies administered by Homeopathy range from a mother tincture to the 1,00,000th potencies. The sixth potency will have a rough dilution of one drop of the original drug substance diluted in a lake full of water. Each potency is 100 times more dilute than the previous one. Imagine the 1,00,000th dilution!

No one has been able to satisfactorily explain how the remedies act when diluted to such fantastic limits. Yet, potencies are found to act very powerfully. It seems that in the process of potentization, the stored energy of the drug is liberated.

What You can expect from Homeopathic treatment?

1. Short-Term Response

How quickly you will notice improvement, after beginning homeopathic care, depends on the specific health concern, and on whether you take a single-dose or repeated medicine. With acute problems, such as flu or a bladder infection, you should notice a significant improvement within several hours. With chronic problems, you should notice some change within a week or two after beginning treatment. You may experience a brief worsening of already existing symptoms, which is a good sign. This will be followed by an overall improvement, not only of your chief complaint, but of most or all of your symptoms. Or you may just start feeling better. We wait five to six weeks before your second appointment in order to give the healing response enough time to evaluate carefully.

2. Long-Term Response

With many conditions, we estimate at least a 70 percent improvement in symptoms in order for us to feel satisfied that your medicine is correct. Again, this depends on a variety of factors. After six months to a year, you should feel significant, even remarkably, better regarding your specific problem, energy, mental clarity, and more. We recommend that you continue with treatment for at least a year to maximize your healing. Many of our patients have continued with us for ten years or longer. In our experience, they are generally much healthier than the general population. At the beginning of treatment, your appointments will be every four weeks. As you feel better and better, they will be less often.

Can homeopathy and other systems of medicine (Ayurvedic / Unani/Allopathy) be taken together?

We do not advocate the use of Ayurvedic, Unani and homoeopathy together because both are holistic medicine. Therefore, if you take two together, we don’t know how to evaluate your progress. We will not come to know which system you are better. Same with the case with allopathy. Also, these conventional medicines change the symptoms to such an extent that their original presentation of the symptom is lost, making it difficult to gather enough accurate information to prescribe the correct homoeopathic remedy. The symptoms are the compass that a homoeopath uses to find his way to the right remedy. If you were to take conventional medication to treat symptoms after beginning homoeopathic treatment, you could stop the action of the remedy, rendering it ineffective. Most acute conditions are handled well with homoeopathy but in some exceptional conditions, we do advise the patient to take allopathic treatment.

How frequently, do we need to see the doctor during the course of Homeopathic treatment?

For chronic complaints one should report to the doctor only after a month but in any acute conditions/emergency, one should get in touch with the doctor immediately.

Do we have different medicines for different complaints?

In homeopathy, we do not have separate medicine for the head, nose, ears, throat, etc. We give one single medicine which affects the patient as a whole and removes all his troubles. There is no medicine for any particular disease but there is medicine for the patient who is suffering from the disease. A single remedy is chosen on the basis of a holistic approach which treats different complaints of the same person etc.

What do we need to tell you in a follow-up?

First and foremost, you need to tell us how you feel about your chief complaint and associated complaint. Here it is very important that while reporting a chief complaint, it is better you also mention the new problems or if you have suffered from the same problem in the past because they indicate that we need to change your medicine/potency. Do mention your temperament, desires, sleep, dreams, and appetite. In the mental sphere, we need to know if anything had happened to upset you at home or at your workplace, like any quarrel, or some bad news, etc. All these symptoms when told in detail help us to treat you better.

What do we do if the complaints recur after stopping homeopathic treatment and can it be cured?

During the course of homoeopathic treatment or after it has been stopped if something happens in your day to day life at the mental or physical level to upset the balance created in your system by the homoeopathic medicine the original complaint can be felt again. But it is true that with homoeopathic treatment, the capacity of the person to handle such upset improves and relapses may not occur.

Can homeopathy aggravate your problems?

Rarely after the homoeopathic treatment is given there can be an increase in your complaints. There can be two reasons for this. First and the more common reason can be the stopping of painkillers or ointment applications which may have kept your symptoms suppressed for a long time and due to the removal of that factor, the complaints will be experienced in their actual intensity. In that case, homoeopathic medicine will gradually bring the whole thing under control. Another possibility is that after the homoeopathic treatment, there is slight and short worsening followed by rapid relief. This initial worsening is often the reaction of our body before the cure occurs and is a very good sign. Another reaction that may be noticed during the course of homoeopathic treatment is that your original problems will get better gradually and then some new symptoms may appear. These new problems may indicate that we need to change your medicine and give you something that will cover this new picture and thereby help you in achieving a holistic cure.

Why should there be a gap before and after the intake of Homeopathic medicine?

You have to keep the medicine on the tongue so that it comes in contact with the nerves. That is the reason why we say not to eat anything half an hour before or after. So that the tongue has nothing else that will interfere with the absorption of the medicine.

Do homeopathic medicines have side effects?

Our medicines are energy. They are prepared by serial dilutions and contain no material substance in them. Hence, no side effects.

Why does Homoeopathy take a long time?

It is a myth that homeopathy is slow acting. Most of the time what happens is the patient comes to us with a long history of chronic illness. Therefore the treatment takes time. Homeopathy is in fact fast acting in acute conditions such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.

Can we use homeopathy for infants? 

Homeopathy can produce excellent results in infants, even those only a few days or months old. Infant colic, fevers, colds etc. can be taken care of effectively with homeopathy.

How long can I store the Homeopathic medicine? 

Homeopathic medicines can retain their potency for a very long time if they are kept in dry conditions and away from sunlight in a cool, dark place. They must be discarded if they get moist or change color for example if they go yellow. We prescribe medication for patients who will be out of postal contract for six months at a stretch, for example, because they are traveling abroad or are planning to spend extended periods at sea. Please remember that the medication must be kept away from strong-smelling substances like camphor, mint, menthol, strong oils, and perfumes. 

Can my problem recur after the Homeopathic treatment?

The problem per se does not recur after the treatment. A mild episode of a chronic problem can recur sporadically due to undue physical or mental stress. However, these episodes will be very rare and their intensity will be minimal. This is because the medication makes you capable of handling situations better and fighting your stress better. 

What if I develop a viral infection or any acute problem during the course of Homeopathic treatment?  

We can help in every acute situation very effectively and you will not need to resort to any other form of treatment. The medicines given at this time are fast-acting and can relieve you of any discomfort, pain, etc. Sometimes these episodes are very characteristic of the individual and help in understanding the long-standing complaint better. This enables us to help more effectively with the long-standing problem and the frequency of such acute episodes also reduces. We refer you to a specialist if there is a crisis situation that calls for this. 

What should I expect from the Homeopathic treatment?

You should find an improvement in all spheres:

• The intensity and frequency of your chief complaint. 
• Your general wellness: appetite, sleep, dreams, energy levels. 
• Your moods, temperaments 
• Your capacity to deal with stress, sensitive issues, and your overall mental state.   

Is it true that my problems will increase before settling down completely? Why do some people develop a skin rash during treatment?  

In some cases, we see what is known as homeopathic aggravation. This is a good sign in the course of your treatment. At such times the symptoms intensify to a certain degree before the problem settles down completely. An old complaint that has been not taken care of might recur for a certain period of time during the course of the treatment. This is an important part of the healing process. Do not panic but inform your homeopath immediately. These symptoms will settle down completely. Sometimes a skin rash may appear during the course of the treatment. This is because as the treatment progress, the disease is thrown from a more important internal organ to a less important outer part like the skin. Patients may have recurrences of old skin problems like ringworm, eczema, boils, etc. depending on their susceptibility. These are an indication that the internal problem has been resolved and the general level of well-being is restored. The skin rash will also resolve in a short period of time. 

Do I take Homeopathic medicine on an empty stomach?

 Our medication can be taken on an empty stomach, after breakfast, after lunch, or at any time of the day. The only precaution is to keep the mouth clean for 15-20 minutes before and after the dose. This is necessary to allow proper absorption of the medication through the tongue. 

What should I avoid during Homeopathic treatment? 

Avoid the use of any balms, ointments, and suchlike which contain camphor or menthol. These are known to antidote the effect of the remedy and help only by causing counter irritation and diversion from the pain. Avoid strong perfumes. You can continue drinking your regular tea and coffee if you already do so, but don’t take them up during the course of the treatment. Do not stop taking any allopathic medication on your own. These medications have to be tapered down under medical supervision. 

Do Homeopathic medicines have any side effects? 

Any medicine that works has the potential for side effects. Homeopathic medication, if taken without the supervision of a qualified homeopath, can have adverse effects.

The reasons why what we prescribe for you will not have any no side-effects are as follows:

• The quantity is minimum. 
• The remedy is prepared by serial dilutions to liberate its healing properties, a process known as potentisation. Potentisation reduces the physical quantity while enhancing its potential. 
• The homeopath goes through a lengthy and painstaking process to find the remedy most suited to your entire personality. It is this intricate detailed Similarity between the patient and the prescription that removes the risk of side effects. 

Is Homeopathy always a slow-acting medicine that I will have to take for the rest of my life? 

This is not true!

Homeopathy can give quick effective results within 5 to 10 minutes in severe cases of gallstones, and renal and abdominal colic. It can bring down your temperature in just 10 minutes in case of high fever and works effectively for chronic conditions such as arthritis, skin allergies, or asthma which have affected the patient for 15 or 20 years. The remedy will need to be given for six months to a year to treat the problem effectively. 

Why does a patient interview for homeopathic treatment take so long?

The homeopath does not focus on the disease but rather on raising your immune response. To do this, they need to get to know their entire being: physical, intellectual, emotional as well as subconscious. Assessing all these together help in the selection of the medicine. The extensive case-taking you participate in helps us to put all these aspects together. 

What is the principle of Homeopathy? 

There are two ways of treating the sick individual. One is by the law of opposites and the other is by the law of similars. Homeopathy works on the law of similars. Simply put, this means that a medicine, which can produce sleeplessness in a healthy individual can cure the complaint of sleeplessness in a sick individual. And a medicine that can produce diarrhea in a healthy individual can cure a person suffering from diarrhea. Taking the medicine stimulates and enhances the body’s own mechanism to fight the disease. It corrects the body’s immunity, which in turn fights the disease.