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Treating Like with Like

Homeopathy began in the 1700s when Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, discovered it by chance. He read a book that claimed Peruvian bark could cure malarial fever due to its astringent and tonic properties. He was skeptical — after all, other substances had these properties but didn’t help fevers. Curious, he took large amounts of the bark to see how it would affect him as a healthy person. Within days, he began getting symptoms of malarial fever. This fascinated him. If a healthy person could take a substance and develop symptoms, then what if you gave that substance to a person who was already sick with those symptoms? This is how Hahnemann formed his first hypothesis: could you “treat like with like”? Could the substance that causes disease symptoms also cure those same symptoms? 

The concept is simple: a healthy person who takes coffee might have a heightened state of mind and sleeplessness. For a person sick with sleeplessness and anxiety, a homeopath might prescribe a homeopathic remedy that mirrors these symptoms.

Over his lifetime, Dr. Hahnemann tested this hypothesis with an array of natural substances on a number of healthy and sick subjects. In doing so, he learned he was correct. He also discovered that healing took place on all levels: physical, emotional and mental. He concluded that these substances could stimulate the body’s own natural healing (life force), which he believed existed within us.

Over his lifetime, Dr. Hahnemann made the science of homeopathy his life’s work. He learned that what can present as a sudden, acute condition (like a cold) can actually be part of a larger, more chronic picture. He also realized that different people can have the same disease, but react differently to it.

Finally, he developed a technique to dilute substances to make them 100% safe to ingest. These methods continue to be used by chemists today to create remedies, and by homeopaths to create the liquid and pellet remedies we use today.

Unique to You

When homeopathy first emerged, it was used to treat acute conditions like bronchitis, ear complaints, menstrual problems, indigestion and colds. However, it was noted that, over time, patients would return with these same conditions. For that reason, the conditions were no longer considered acute, but rather chronic.

That’s when homeopathy evolved its holistic approach to include an understanding the whole person, even when they weren’t having a specific attack. The thinking was that people developed certain diseases, including recurring ones, due to susceptibility, whether inherited, acquired over our lifetime, or both. That’s why all aspects of the person are considered and the reason a homeopath looks beyond present symptoms and physical health.

People are unique. Five people can have the same “disease,” but each one could manifest very differently. Consider all the different ways people get a simple flu. Some need blankets, some need to cool off; some feel worse in the morning, while others feel worse at night. Some people feel defeated and helpless; others get angry and impatient.

The constitution, and what makes you unique, is where the disease arises in relationship to external factors. An external factor in itself is not the cause — otherwise, everyone would react the same way. The true cause of disease lies in the individual’s susceptibility to that factor.

For this reason, homeopaths treat your unique constitution as a whole. Our consultations are comprehensive and the remedies we prescribe are unique to you. By understanding your unique being, a homeopath can select a remedy that strengthens your constitution and mitigates your susceptibility to these factors.

A Remedy for All

The first consultation with a classical homeopath lasts about two hours. During a consultation, your homeopath not only focuses on your chief complaint, but on your whole being and how you behave within your environment.

Here’s just a small sample of questions we ask:

• What makes the chief complaint better or worse?

• When did it start?

• What was going on in your life at that time?

• Have you had mental or emotional upheavals?

• How do you sleep? What are your dreams?

• What are your fears, stressors and anxieties?

• What foods do you crave or dislike?

• What’s your family history?

• What medications, herbs or supplements are you taking?

A homeopath collects information and looks for patterns within it.  From there, we explore aspects that make your illness individual to you. The purpose of collecting all the information and studying it is to find the one homeopathic treatment specifically suited for you at that time

There are over 2000 homeopathic remedies from which a homeopath will choose. A homeopath may give you a remedy immediately after the consultation, but it could also take a week or so to study all the information before choosing the right treatment for your unique condition.

It’s All About You

Generally, people feel better soon after they begin treatment. How long it takes for a cure, however, is impossible to say. Just as the remedy choice is individual, the duration and extent of cure is also individual. The more complex the condition, the longer it can take.

The purpose of homeopathy is to cure, not to manage or control symptoms. True cure from the inside out takes time. As a very general rule, try to see your homeopath every four to six weeks for the first three months.

Homeopathy looks only at the individual and therefore has no formulas. This is one of the hardest things for us to understand and makes it very demanding for the practitioner. It’s also the most beautiful aspect of this wonderful system of healing.

Homeopathy is truly all about you. What could be more healing?

Energy is Infinitesimal

A lot has been said about homeopathy — and not all of it is positive. While there are communities, and even countries, that swear by its healing powers, many traditional doctors and people in the media maintain skepticism. Some attribute its success to the placebo effect. Who can blame them?

In truth, the science of homeopathy is energy-based and the energy is infinitesimal. How does one measure what barely exists? Remedies are mainly derived from plants, minerals and the milk of animals. They are repeatedly diluted to remove all toxicity while stimulating the energy of the original substance. What’s more, traditional methods of testing don’t work on an alternative treatment. It’s like testing for apple pectin in oranges.

What we can do is assure you that each of us here at the Vancouver Centre for Homeopathy discovered homeopathy in time of need, and it worked. We’ve all since witnessed it work on thousands of others. We believe so strongly in its ability to generate lasting health that we’ve all made it our life’s work.

We invite you to discover it yourself.