Samuel Hahnemann, the father of Homeopathy, explains that Dis-ease is merely a misalignment and off-balance state caused by an interruption, weakness, breakage or blockage in the life force that manifests as symptoms in the physical body as well as in the emotions and thoughts, causing discomfort. These constellations of symptoms are clues to solving the puzzle. Homeopathy has evidenced that treating an energy disturbance with something that has a similar energy field or frequency, stimulates the body into self-regulation or balance. Even though remedies are diluted, they are potentiated in a way similar to compounding interest on a loan where less can lead to more. Homeopathy takes a holistic approach which encompasses the whole being, and treats sequentially from top to bottom and from the inside out.
Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German physician trained in medicine and chemistry, formulated the system of medicine known as homeopathy. Working as a doctor in the late 18th century, he was dissatisfied with the conventional harsh medical practices of his day: blood-letting, purging, and giving patients large doses of toxic materials such as arsenic and lead. Following the theory and practice of Hippocrates, a Greek philosopher who believed in viewing the whole person in regards to finding a cause of disease, and using the laws of nature to induce cure. Hahnemann investigated the effects of various medicinal substances on himself and other healthy volunteers. In the 1790s, he undertook an experiment with Peruvian bark, the source of quinine, which is now used to treat malaria.
Twice a day he gave himself a dose of quinine bark, and soon developed symptoms of malaria. When he stopped taking the bark, the symptoms went away. He theorized that the same substance, taken in smaller doses by someone suffering from malaria, might stimulate the body’s own healing and regenerative capacity to fight the disease and restore health. In this way, he developed the principle Law of Similars, or “like cures like”, meaning that a substance that produces certain symptoms in a healthy person can be used to cure similar symptoms in a sick person.
Hahnemann chose the word homeopathy for his discipline (derived from the Greek words homoios, which means “like / similar” and patheia which means “suffering”), an appropriate designation, considering his foundational principle, “like cures like”, which assumes that the body knows what it is doing and that symptoms are the body’s way of taking action to overcome illness. This healing response is automatic in living organisms; we term it the vital response. Health is characterized by a flow of vitality. The similar medicine acts as a stimulus to the natural vital response, giving it the information it needs to complete its healing work. Since the initial action of the vital response plus the medicine is to increase the strength of the symptoms, this is the first indication of internal healing taking place, of diseases being cured from within – pushed outwards along the established routes of past and present symptoms.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of homeopathy was its success in treating the devastating epidemics of the time. Death rates for some of these diseases were markedly lower among patients treated in homeopathic hospitals. In her book, “Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine”, Dana Ullman pointed out that during an 1849 cholera epidemic in Cincinnati, only 3 percent of the patients treated homeopathically died, compared with 40 to 70 percent among those treated with conventional medicine.
All Remedies have been “proven” by human volunteers who carefully described their symptoms while taking them. Resulting symptoms have all been catalogued and cross-referenced to be available when a homeopath needs to find the appropriate remedy for a patient’s unique totality of symptoms.
The foundational principles of Naturopathy and Homeopathy both date back to Hippocrates who believed in:
Naturopathy is an alternative form of medicine employing a wide variety of “natural” modalities, including Fasting, Nutrition, Dietary and Lifestyle advice, Exercise, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Flower Essences, Bio-Resonance, Ozone therapy, Mud therapy, Colon Hydrotherapy, Detoxification and IV therapy, to treat and prevent acute and chronic illness. Most often, naturopaths focus on building the immune system through supplements so that the body can heal itself and help reduce reliance upon prescription medications with all of their side effects.
Naturopathy’s effectiveness is greatly reduced when used alongside conventional medicines because the drugs/medications can cancel the benefits of supplements. Certain vitamins and herbs can cause extreme aggravation so dosages are complex and need to be used intermittently, rather than daily over extended periods of time. Vitamins need to be whole food sourced because the body doesn’t absorb what it needs from synthetic vitamins. If a naturopath has completed his regimen of treatment and it did not remediate the problem, a new approach is required.
Unlike naturopathy, homeopathy can work alongside any allopathic treatment without reducing its effectiveness. Homeopathy treats the patient and not the disease, so it is more focused on the current state and previous history of every individual. Its remedies are diluted which greatly reduces potential side effects. Homeopathic remedies strengthen the immune system and prevent symptoms and illnesses from reoccurring. Homeopaths also recommend changes to diet and lifestyle within their scope of practice.
Since childhood, Hannah knew that she had a purpose in life and that this purpose involved service or helping others. Being born with lactose intolerance and allergies to almost everything, she was fed fresh pressed carrot juice instead of milk as an infant to survive. She suffered a lot of symptoms which doctors were not able to resolve and was told she would “just have to live with it”. After studying varying alternative therapies and approaches to holistic healing in China, Japan, India and Africa, and practising a number of alternative modalities over the last 20 years, Hannah found profound changes in her personal health and wellness through homeopathic treatment and was inspired to train at The Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine to become a homeopath, where she recently graduated with honours.
Hannah is enthusiastic to share her knowledge and experience of homeopathy with others, helping them discover new safe, gentle, natural and non-invasive ways to help their body use its own energy to heal itself. Watching patients overcome chronic conditions they have been living with for years, or helping someone with severe acute symptoms to contain them or diminish them to zero, is not only amazing, but extremely gratifying. Homeopathy is able to change a person’s individual health profile in a most profound way and is an excellent complementary treatment.
Hannah recently travelled to Tanzania to work with Homeopaths for Health in Africa, working with patients who had HIV/AIDS and other ailments. Homeopathic treatment stabilized their lives, improved their energy, allowing them to go back to work to support their families.
At Clear Living Clinic, we specialize in helping you live a healthy lifestyle by allowing your body to detoxify, energize, and rejuvenate. Schedule an appointment today to regain a strong sense of balance and vitality.
