Myths about Homeopathy

Homeopathy is such a great healing method, which can benefit all kind of creatures and even save lives, but it is misunderstood, opposed and ridiculed by many skeptics and healthcare providers. Somewhat I understand it, because in order to see how homeopathy works in the body and subtle mind, one needs to be sensitive enough, open minded for a new mysterious science and have curiosity to experiment. Besides some of the homeopaths are themselves a bit ignorant and dogmatic, as the science of homeopathy is not yet enough well known or developed. 

Once in nineties in Helsinki, I was collecting funds for homeopathic clinics in India. I arrived to open city square and saw lots of people talking there. I started my can collection, but almost immediately I realized that people were very negative and not giving me any donations, although usually it had not been that difficult. For my great surprise I came to know that most of the people, if not all, were doctors. They had finished some program there and after that were still standing and talking. I took it as a challenge and continued my collection and even started to feel fun while having to hear so many incredible remarks and negative claims about homeopathy. Though I still remember with great gratitude one doctor who became really interested and gave me huge donation, as if on behalf of the whole physician crowd.

In Finland the conventional doctors has found out that food allergies are best cured by giving minimal quantities of the food that the person is allergic for, and gradually increasing the amount of the food item. This is a bit similar way to cure allergies than in homeopathy, but homeopathic medicines are also still shaken up to increase their effect. 

Otherwise in Finland homeopathy is even still quite unknown comparing to India were people tend to go rather to homeopath than to conventional doctor. For 100 million people there, homeopathy is the only form of treatment. In some European countries homeopathic medicines are used quite commonly. Western homeopaths treat only few patients in a day, while in India the best homeopaths have always long queues of people and thus they have more practical experience.

I feel, although homeopaths are well educated in the West, they tend to be more conservative and dogmatic in their beliefs - i.e having commonly the policy of “only one remedy at a time” - and thus being also more inefficient. Giving only one medicine sometimes just aggravates symptoms and then there is need anyhow to give second and even third medicine when the first doesn't work enough. This takes just more time and causes unnecessary suffering. In some cases though one medicine is enough.

Logically thinking if we take Pulsatilla plant, which is made up of many constituents; sugar, gum, resin, acids, sulphate of potassium, chlorate of potassium, carbonate of lime, magnesium, and iron - as well the homeopathic Pulsatilla has those constituents and thus the patient will get many incredients at once. Homeopathic Hepar Sulph, is made out of oyster shell, which contain mainly suphur and calcium. There is no problem of taking homeopathic Sulphur or Calcarea Carb simultaneously.

I have been experimenting myself with treating my heart problems, which easily tend to get aggravated by any homeopathic medicine - and noticed that until I started to take 3-5 medicines at once, only then I got immediate relief. Before I used to experiment with “one medicine at a time” -method in order to find the right one for my heart, but I never found it. Each they just caused aggravations and partial or not even partial relief.

When I lived and studied homeopathy in London, I requested three homeopaths to give me so called constitutional remedy, which the classical homeopaths use even for curing acute problems, but they all gave me very different medicine. One gave Baryta Carbonica, the other Ignatia and third one Pulsatilla.

The other dogma is to recommend treatment for prolonged time. I faced it earlier when I didn’t know yet anything about homeopathy. I was given Sepia for half year and became almost like Sepia described in Materia Medica. That is actually how the remedies are proved. Most of the new remedies have been given first to healthy provers to be tested. They must keep taking the medicine until they develop symptoms, which are then published in Materia Medica. Anyone may observe own given medicine by writing up all changes in bodily sensations and mental feelings and comparing to symptoms described in Materia Medica. 

Besides observations by patients, there are more scientific studies, such as study at Bristol Homoeopathic Hospital, which shows that over 70% of patients with chronic diseases reported positive health changes after homeopathic treatment. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/4454856.stm. 

Many people believe that Homeopathy has only placebo effect. I am myself treating my dogs with homeopathic medicines, so it can’t be just placebo effect. One dog has had twice salivary gland inflammation on her jaw, which both times was cured with homeopathic medicines. The other dog has tendency to get eye inflammations, which also homeopathy takes care. 

At least six million people use complementary treatments each year in the United Kingdom. Homeopathy is getting more popular, thus the “Big Pharma” with the supportive media outlets is busy with discrediting homeopathy and other alternative treatments. However the huge number of insurance claims against conventional medicine practitioners - while there are not many claims filed against homepaths -proves also that “Big Pharma” itself should be discouraged.

During Helsinki University Science Days some years back, one professor answered my question about the future of homeopathy. He said that the “Big Pharma” is taking steps and making research on homeopathy in order to bring some of the medicines on the market. I got a bit scared what would the outcome be, if they would patent them and start selling for maximum profit?

Treatment by similars is not new. It is as old as civilization’s records are available from the time of Sushruta, 19 th to 18 th century B.C, who proclaimed ‘Samah samam shamayati’, similar cures similar. Aristotle and Von Hohenheim Paracelsus also mentioned it. Basil Valentine, a Benedictine monk, (1410 B.C) wrote: ‘Likes must be cured by means of their likes, as heat by heat’.

Later physicians like Boulduc, Detharding, Bertholon, Thoury, Von Stoerk and Stahl have also confirmed the homoeopathic method of cure. Hahnemann was the first to establish system of treatment based on the law “similia similibus curentur”. Source: http://hpathy.com/organon-philosophy/concepts-of-homoeopathy-with-its-principles-doctrines-and-laws-co-relation-with-modern-views/.

Furthermore source; Ancient Tamil Siddhas (spiritually elevated souls) lived long lives by using Ayervedic and homeopathic herbs and metals. Dr. Sun Mukh in his book entitled Kaya Kalpa: the Science of Rejuvenation, seem to imply that bhasmas are homeopathic; http://www.jyotish.ws/wisdom/kaya_kalpa_immortality.html.

And Hippocrates stated; ‘the disease condition is removed through remedies which produce similar symptoms to the disease. Tadarthikari or vipareetharthakari chikitsa is treatment by similars. Chinese medicine is the first system of medicine that bears many direct co-relations with the concepts used in Homoeopathy. http://www.similima.com/homoeopathy-before-after-hahnemann.

Indian scientist and spiritual leader P.R Sarkar states that homeopathic principle “Samah samam shamayati” (like cures like) has been known in India already for thousands of years, besides of Ayervedic and other natural treatments. 

According Sarkar homoeopathy incorporated the viśa cikitsá (poison treatment) about 3500 years ago. For instance, when Bhiima was poisoned by the Kaoravas - the experts gave injections of the same poison to Bhiima, by which he was cured. This proves that people had the knowledge of the principle “Samah samam shamayati” - homoeopathy in an elementary form. “The original inventor of viśa cikitsá is Lord Krśńa. Homoeopathy was not started by Mahatma Hahnemann”.

Sarkar also explains how homeopathy, ayerveda as well as surgical operations in India had their downfall: some time after Buddha, there was internal religious restrictions and simultaneously an invasion from outside India, due to which the unani (hakimii) system of medicine was rooted in India. (Sarkar, 1959-1979). 

Modi government contends that Indian systems of medicine were suppressed during colonial times. India has only now begun giving significant impetus to traditional medicine. China integrated traditional Chinese medicine into health-care system immediately after the Communist Revolution of 1949. http://www.nature.com/news/india-s-yoga-ministry-stirs-doubts-among-scientists-1.16362

You may want to read more myths about homeopathy; http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Wiki4CAM:_Myths_about_homeopathy.

And; http://proutscandinavia.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-homeopathy-works.html

Didi Annapurna