What is the History of Homeopathy?

Frustrations and Limitations of Modern Medicine

In recent years important changes in thinking about health and disease have been occurring in our society.  Increasingly, the public has educated itself about healthy diet, exercise, and a wide variety of alternative medical therapies.  Frustration with the limitations of modern medicine has pushed both medical professionals and lay people to look for safer, more effective therapies.  In particular, people are looking not only for control of symptoms, but moreover, for restoration of health.  It is interesting to note that this way of thinking is not new.  It was critical in the medical philosophy of such great civilizations as ancient Egypt, Greece and China, several thousand years ago.

An essential element of this way of looking at things is the idea that every human being is an integrated whole.  In reality, a person cannot be divided into separate parts; each one assigned a specific disease or ill ness, and each disease a different treatment.  A true medicine of healing will consider the physical, mental and emotional elements in a unified manner.  Homeopathy is an important medical system which is based on this approach.

"LIKE CURES LIKE" OR "sames must be cured by same"

An example of a Homeopathic remedy is the use of the plant extract, belladonna for the treatment of scarlet fever.  The effects of belladonna poisoning include flushed face, dilated pupils, dry mouth and a high fever.  These symptoms are typical of scarlet fever; very small doses of belladonna have many times been effective in curing this illness.   In ancient Greece, Hippocrates, who has been called “the Father of Medicine”, wrote of healing by the Law of Similars: Through the like, disease is produced, and through the application of the like, it is cured.”  The Swiss physician, Paracelsus wrote in the 16^th century that “sames must be cured by sames”.

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Dr. Samuel Hahnemann – Founder of Homeopathy

In the late 18^th century, a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann, rediscovered the principle of homeopathy and developed it systematically.

Hahnemann experimented on himself by taking natural substances while he was healthy.  He discovered that when he took small doses of cinchona bark (a tree which grows in South America), which contain large amounts of the drug quinine; he developed symptoms similar to malaria.  Interestingly, he noted that this drug had been used for some time, for the treatment of malaria.  He wondered if cinchona helped malaria by stimulating the body’s vitality and natural healing powers, because it could cause the same symptoms in a healthy person.

Hahnemann continued to experiment with various substances, noting that every herb, animal product or mineral he took produced a distinct pattern of symptoms.  Each substance produced its own unique set of symptoms affecting the body, mind and emotions.  Thee experiments were called “provings”; it is through carefully done provings that Hahnemann identified the character of each homeopathic medicine, and thus, which medicine might be most helpful in any given sick patient.  Hahnemann eventually began to treat sick patients based on the principle of like cures like with excellent results.

Hahnemann also experimented with dosage in an effort to reduce the toxic effects of the medicines.  He discovered that diluting each medicine and shaking it vigorously eliminated the toxicity while maintaining the beneficial, therapeutic effects.

Homeopathy is an effective and scientific system of healing which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognizes that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person, and that it is the patient who needs treatment, not just the disease.

The word “homeopathy” is derived from the Greek word homoious, meaning “like” or “similar” and pathos, meaning “disease” or “suffering”.  Their combined meaning is “like disease” or “like suffering”, which expresses the basic principle of homeopathy – the treatment of like with like, which is Homeopathic ….The Law of Similars.

A mineral, a plant extract or an animal product given to a healthy person will cause that person to develop symptoms in a specific pattern.  That is, each substance produces unique symptoms in healthy people.  The same substance will cure the illness of a person who has a similar pattern of symptoms.  For example, everyone knows hat happens when slicing an onion.  The eyes water and burn, there is sneezing and the nose runs like a faucet.  If a patient with hay fever presented these symptoms, he may be treated with a homeopathic remedy made from onion.