What is Homeopathy

Homeopathic medicine is based on the principle “like is cured by like”, referred to as the Law of Similar's. What this means is that the homeopathic remedy you should take for your symptoms, would be one that would also cause the same symptoms if you took it in excess. For example, if you had poison ivy, you could either take the remedy made from poison ivy, called Rhus Tox, or a similar remedy, one that would, in excess, cause poison ivy like symptoms. Nitroglycerin, a popular remedy used in hospitals to stop heart attacks will, if taken in excess, also cause a heart attack. By taking the right remedy, it is as if you signal the body to take care of something or react to something (poison ivy, heart attack symptoms) that for some reason, it had been neglecting. Homeopathy is also so safe to use that, to date, there are no recorded instances of anyone that has ever been harmed by it. There are no nutrients provided the body with homeopathy, as there are with herbs. Homeopathy only encourages a reaction in the body, the body itself does all the healing.

The Making of a Remedy
Most homeopathic remedies are made from dilutions of herbs, plants, or minerals. Although, some are made from poisons and are used to antidote poisonous reactions from bites, stings and drug reactions. Remedies used for the purpose of retraining the body to better absorb and utilize nutrients are made from vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or other nutrients. Homeopathic preparations, called remedies, are prepared by a unique process called "potentization", referring to a method of dilution and continual shaking. This is done by mixing a base substance with 9 drops of distilled water, alcohol or lactose sugar. Or, for a more potent remedy, one part is mixed with 99 parts of the water, alcohol, or lactose sugar. Then one part of this is taken out and mixed with another 9 or 99 parts of the water, sugar, or alcohol. This process is repeated anywhere from three times to several thousand times. The standard levels of potentization include 3, 6, 12, 30, 200, 1,000, 10,000, 50,000, 100,000 or 500,000. These are marked "C" or "X", depending on whether they were diluted with 9 parts or 99 parts of the water, alcohol, or lactose.



Homeopathic Potencies

There are as many homeopathic remedies as there are substances from which to make them. Each of these remedies can also have several different potencies. The primary difference between potencies of the same remedy is not only how they were made (dilutions) but more importantly, the level at which they elicit a response in the body. For example, a 6x potency of a remedy will work at the peripheral level, i.e., the peripheral nerves, or the skin. Examples of these include: Arnica 6x, a trauma remedy, which works on trauma at the skin level; Hypericum 6x, a nerve trauma remedy, works on trauma to the nerves in the fingers and toes; and Ferrum phos. 6x works on the tender, peripheral area of swollen glands. The 30c potency of a homeopathic remedy, depending on the remedy, works a little deeper, on the peripheral blood vessels and thin muscle tissue. A more diluted 'c' potency, such as a 90c, will work at the level of the tendons, and the 200c potency will work on deeper muscle, nerve and bone tissue.



Acute Illness
An acute illness is an illness that is 'short-lived', meaning it should clear up within 1-3 days. Acute illnesses are caused by bacteria or viruses, both of which God has fully equipped the body to eliminate, within a short period of time. Homeopathy experiences it's most successful results when used for acute illness. Besides food, it is also the safest and most successful form of 'medicine' to use for acute illness. When taking homeopathy for an acute illness, results should be seen within 10-15 minutes. If no changes occur, try taking a second dose. If no change occurs after the second dose, consult your homeopathic book for different remedy. If positive results are noted, but symptoms then return, the remedy should be repeated. Remedies for acute illness are often taken 3-6 times, six to eight minutes apart for best results. Other reasons for poor results include: severe dehydration, a ruined remedy, or in the case of a chronic illness, an immune system that is too weak to respond.



Chronic Illness
Homeopathy provides no nutrients to the body. It works by gently stimulating a positive response that will in turn promote healing of weak or damaged tissue. If the body is too weak to elicit a response, homeopathy will not help. Therefore, in the case of chronic illness, it may be necessary to build up the reserve nutrients in the body before homeopathy is implemented. A response to homeopathy can then be expected, although results will be gradual, as the body is able to heal. Watch for differences in the usual way of responding to life's situations, such as the response to stress, differences in sleep patterns, also elimination of food sensitivities, allergies, and fears. Improvement in concentration, and learning abilities may also occur. While some changes may be noticeable right away, more improvement will be noted over time.



What if a remedy doesn't work?
There are several reasons why this may happen. The remedy might have been ruined before it was taken, or was taken improperly. However, the most common cause is that the wrong remedy was taken.