homeopathy: my introduction

I've been wanting to write about my new interest in homeopathy but it's such an expansive topic, I wasn't sure how to write a short post!  So I'll try to make this as brief as possible. When our family was sick with the flu last month, I was googling remedies and info, and I came upon Joette Calabrese's website on homeopathy and it intrigued me. Joette teaches people how to treat acute illnesses at home (such as colds, flu, earaches, small injuries, etc.) and she publishes articles about homeopathy in my Wise Traditions Journal.  Homeopathy is a practice of remedies based on similars: like cures like. Samuel Hahnemann found over 200 years ago that a minute amount of a natural substance introduced to the body will cause a natural response similar to the body's natural response and will instigate it to cure itself.   This is not herbal medicine or holistic medicine. Each remedy has been "proved" and there is a materia medica which lists each one with all their properties. Here is the fascinating thing: to find the correct remedy, you must match the symptoms AND the emotional/mental/physical state of the person. So, if someone has the flu, there are many remedies for many different types of symptoms of the flu. These must be matched to the person. The flu is only a symptom of something deeper that is out of balance and to cure that illness, you must figure out what the specific symptoms are. So symptoms are actually celebrated... the more unique, the better the chance of finding the right remedy! Conversely, medicine of commerce only suppresses the symptoms of an illness. There usually isn't much healing going on at all. This is why antiobiotics don't work-- they take away the symptom, but leave the underlying cause and sometimes that cause grows stronger and the antiobiotics need to be stronger the next time to take away the symptoms. See how this is not a path towards true health? Medicine of commerce always has side effects too. Homeopathic remedies have no side effects! That's because they address the appropriate issue and they do not disrupt anything else in the body.

What we don't realize in the United States is that homeopathy used to be one of the prime forms of medicine in our country. There were homeopathic hospitals. It wasn't until antibiotics were discovered and the American Medical Assoc. (ADA) was formed, did medicine of commerce push homeopathy to the sidelines. Homeopathic medicine is very inexpensive and there are no patents on it. There is no big money to be made and pharmaceuticals are fueled by profit (of course!). In other countries around the world, homeopathy still exists as a leading form of medicine practiced. The Royal Family of England has used homeopathy for years and the Queen never goes on a trip without her travel case of remedies. Mother Theresa used homeopathy extensively in her ministry in India, where homeopathy is still the leading way to practice medicine. Many other famous people have elected to use homeopathy as their main form of treatment for illness, and and so have countless families who are able to heal their loved ones at home without needing to consult a doctor for the regular challenges of health. We do need homeopathic doctors to help us with the chronic conditions because there is a proper way to go through the healing process of longer term illnesses and challenges. My own niece used homeopathic drops suggested by her family doctor instead of allergy shots to heal her from her allergies. It does work!

I highly recommend Joette's website and she also sells CD's from which I'm learning a lot! I put it on my iPod and listen as I clean or do errands. I also read Miranda Castro's book The Complete Homeopathy Handbook which is a wonderful introduction to homeopathy and how to treat acute illness at home. It has it's own materia medica and reperatory so that you can figure it out. I also ordered a kit, which is necessary to have around for first aid. The first night I had it, I burnt my finger and quickly took some Arnica (2 pellets at 30c dosage each) and the burn slowly receded until you could not see it at all and there was no blister (unlike the scar I have on my arm from the oven at Christmas!). I have already cured myself of the start of an infection (that I had previously taken antibiotics for!), quickly got rid of cramps, healed Caroline of a slight acute condition, am helping Nathaniel with an issue he's had... it's just amazing! I find myself saying all the time, "I can cure that!". I've started a notebook that includes every family member (and eventually my dog Elle) to keep track of symptoms and how I've treated them so I can be on top of anything that comes along.

After spending nearly $1000.00 on tests at the doctor's office recently to see why Caroline had swollen glands for a couple months and getting NO answer, I wish I had known about homeopathy. Now, if this happens again, I just need to take her symptoms, check my repertory and materia medica and see if I can find a remedy. And if not, I can call Joette or any homeopath to help me. Cost? Probably $6.00 for a bottle of the remedy (if I don't have it) and I probably wouldn't use it all either and maybe around $100-200 max for an initial consultation with a homeopath (after that, it's a lot less because they've already done your interview for all of your basic symptoms which can take 1 1/2 to 2 hours).

All of this political bickering about medical insurance is really just a fight over who is going to pay for medicine that in the end, does not heal us. I'm not saying we don't need surgeons and medical training. But I am saying that most of it is unnecessary and all of it is way over priced! Homeopathy offers such a kind solution to illness and healing and I hope you will learn more about it too!