History of Homeopathy

Homeopathy was founded by Samuel Hahnemann of Germany between the years 1790-1810.

The origin of homeopathy was the result of the disenchantement Samuel Hahnemann had with the contemporary medical sciences. He found that the therapies prevalent in those days were irrational often crude and seldom led to cures. As for example the methods of bloodletting, purging for the fevers or use physical violence in cases of insanity.This prompted him to look for gentler, holistic and more natural methods of treatment.

The laws and principles of homeopathy:
The law of similars:
During his practice as a doctor he discovered what is known ‘The law of similars’ and is the founding principle of homeopathy, i.e. ‘similia similibus curantur’(likes are to be cured by likes).

The basic idea behind homeopathy is to give medicines which produce similar symptoms in a healthy person as are the symptoms produced by the particular disease. For instance, ‘Belladona’ taken by a healthy person would produce features like restlessness, throbbing and pulsating pains, intense dry burning heat with intensity. Now Belladona could be prescribed to a patient who has similar symptoms like, a patient suffering from violent headache of acute onset and has a dry flushed skin.

Potentization:
All the homeopathic medicines are prepared by a process called as potentization. It consists of repeatedly diluting and succussing (shaking vigorously) the main medicine in an inert medium like alcohol. Paradoxically the process is found to increase the effect of the substance, i.e. the more diluted a medicine is the more potent it is. The process is believed to release the vital energy locked inside the molecules of the substance as well the medium.

You may be amazed to know that most of the medicines used by homeopathic practitioners are so dilute in as far as the original medicine is concerned that often there is not a single molecule of the substance is present and yet actual clinical results demonstrate that an active influence remains.

The energy medicine:
Samuel Hahnemann believed that there is an energising principle to man which animates the physical body which if disturbed causes disease. It was on this level that the potentized remedies had their initial effect. It is reffered to as the dynamic level and the energizing principle as the vital force.