What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a natural medicine science that has been used worldwide and continues to increase in popularity. It is a safe and effective treatment for acute and chronic illnesses and can improve your immune system to help balance and restore health. It provides effective treatment for physical, mental and emotional ailments. In addition, it is beneficial for all ages ranging from pre-natal to post-natal, children, adults and seniors.

Homeopathy is the second most widely used medical treatment in the world. In England, France and Germany it is included in their National Health Services and is practiced in many other countries including Canada. One famous family that uses homeopathy is the British Royal Family and are supporters of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, which has been present in England for at least 100 years.

The natural law of homeopathy dates back to ancient Ayurveda (founded 5000 years ago), Paracelsus (1493-1541) and Hippocrates (5th century B.C.), the father of western medicine. Homeopathy was founded by a German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) over 200 years ago. The word Homeopathy is derived from the Greek origin Homöopathie where ‘homoios’ means ‘like’ and pathos means ‘suffering’. During Hahnemann’s discovery, he based his principles on the Law of Similars, “like cures like” or ‘Similia Similibus Curentur’. It was Samuel Hahnemann that reestablished and shaped this philosophy into a science of healing and made him father of Homeopathy.  The Law of Similars implies that a remedy can cause certain symptoms in a healthy person and if the same substance is administered to an unhealthy person with similar symptoms, it will cure the ailment.

Some examples of “like cures like” principles;

  • A homeopath may prescribe a remedy for a cold virus such as Allium cepa. Allium cepa is derived from red onions, which mimics cold-like symptoms consisting of watery, itchy, eyes, sneezing, profuse nasal discharge and/or congestion.
  • A person experiencing a bladder infection with symptoms of burning pains before, during and after urination with a constant desire to urinate may be administered the remedy Canthris vesicatoria.
  • A child teething with the symptoms of swollen gums, irritability, better being carried, screams and cries from the pain and has diarrhea when teething may be given the remedy Chamomilla.

Always consult a homeopath to ensure that a remedy is suitable for your specific condition.

Another principle of Hahnemann is to give the least amount of medicine to initiate a healing response. This process is called the “Minimum Dose”. Hahnemann began to succuss dilutions of the medicine where by it became therapeutic and non-toxic. Today, individuals appear to be concerned with the safety of prescription drugs. In other words, prescription medications can create internal and external problems within the body creating side effects that are overlooked and may cause serious issues.

Homeopathy is by no means a quick fix nor does it replace conventional treatment. It is an ongoing healing process to discover the patient’s unique status of health. We need to uncover any hidden obstacles from the individuals’ life, determine the signs and symptoms and incorporate the understanding of their physical, mental and emotional levels. Homeopaths are not concerned with labelling a condition but finding a similar cure that will erase all of the symptoms an individual is experiencing. Given this, a homeopath see’s many of their patient’s when they are desperate for assistance with their health. Many times homeopaths are the last resort in a patient’s recovery.

 

 

 

The Present & Past History of Homeopathy:

Homeopathy is a regulated profession in Ontario. The Traditional Council of the College of Homeopaths of Ontario was formed in 2007 in accordance with the Regulation Health Profession Act 1991 and the Homeopathic Act 2007. The College of Homeopaths of Ontario was established to allow self-regulation within the Homeopathy Act which was proclaimed on April 1, 2015. Only Homeopaths who are registered with the College of Homeopaths of Ontario are allowed to use the title “Homeopath”.

Homeopathy has been practiced in Canada since 1840 and was formerly regulated in 1859 with Homeopathic Representation on the Council of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) until 1960. In 1960 after the death of the last Homeopathic Representation of Council, Dr. Charles, the act was amended and homeopathy representation was ceased.

In Canada there were many physicians who practiced homeopathy among this were functioning homeopathic hospitals in existents in Montreal and Toronto but are no longer. In Montreal, a Homeopathic Hospital was founded in 1894 and 1951 the Montreal Hospital changed its name to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. In Toronto the first homeopathic hospital was the Medical College for Women and was established in 1883.

One of the first practicing homeopathic doctors in Canada were Dr. Fisher and Dr. Rosenstein. Dr. Joseph Lancaster (1813-1884) was the first homeopathic physician to practice in Ontario. In 1850 Dr. Lancaster was committed to having Homeopathy regulated and in 1859 a bill known as “An Act Respecting Homeopath” was approved.

One of the first female physicians in Canada to practice both conventional and homeopathic medicine was Dr. Emily Stowe (1831–1903). In 1883 Dr. Stowe established Canada’s first Medical College for Women in Ontario recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The Assessment of the Case:

Homeopaths need to look at the whole person on a physical, mental and emotional level, gathering all of the information as part of the totality of the patient’s symptoms. The pain or disease the person is experiencing is a reflection of how they are coping with stress. Disease rests on the level of what is known as the vital force or life force. We cannot see the vital force but it exists in our bodies, just like we cannot see oxygen but we know that it exists. Homeopathic remedies are able to cure disease by bringing the individual’s energy back into balance and harmony, functioning at a level which the body was at prior to the on-set of the illness. If a homeopath does not help clear away the obstacles of the disease, then it will return despite the efforts made to eliminate it. Unless you remove the original cause, modify or cope with the stressors that triggered the illness, it will recreate the same pattern of the disease all over again. This can show up in a more serious matter or is disguised as another type of illness. The two obstacles are hygienic and dynamic. Hygienic are problems dealing with the environment or life style of a person’s situation such as diet, and dynamic is the individual’s body has gotten ill and wants to operate in this mode.

It is important to understand the cause of disruption in the individual’s body. Learning to understand an individual’s lifestyle and symptoms will make the homeopath’s job successful and will benefit the patient substantially. In the Organon of the Medical Arts, Hahnemann states that disease occurs all at, “one level and one level only”. All the sign’s and symptom’s that a patient experienced in the past or present moment are all integrated into the same disease. As a result, a patient will be prescribed one remedy on the basis of all of the issues and complaints.

 

The Appointment:

Each person will be assessed according to his or her specific needs. During your appointment your health becomes my top priority. My goal is to work together with your conventional physicians and/or other health care practitioners to restore optimal health.

The first visit is typically one to two hours. During the visit, I will review your medical history and discuss all of your symptoms including the physical, mental and emotional symptoms.

The follow up visits are usually one hour in length. Initially, they are scheduled anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks apart, varying depending on your condition. At least 3 visits may be required in order to evaluate the healing results. It is important to attend follow up visits, as this will provide the most optimal results. Consistency is extremely important.

The Remedy:

Remedies are another term for medications used in homeopathy. They are prepared from many different sources such as plants, animals, minerals etc. They are diluted and due to the micro-dose used they are non-toxic in homeopathy. Remedies come in the form of small white pellets or liquid.

 

College of Homeopaths of Ontario (CHO)
http://www.collegeofhomeopaths.on.ca/

Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine (CCHM)
https://www.homeopathycanada.com/

Ontario Homeopathic Medical Association (OHMA)
http://www.theohma.com/

Accreditation Commission for Homeopathic Education in North America
(ACHENA) http://www.achena.org/