A DOSE OF GOOD HEALTH

In my previous article, The Art of Healing, I briefly discussed the avenues that led to Samuel Hahnemann's discovery of Homoeopathy and his specialised method for producing remedies. Hahnemann also formulated several laws that apply to the manner in which the human body develops disease and how it heals. Although this is a very extensive topic I will give an overview of these theories to illustrate how Homoeopathy works.

Hahnemann postulated that all illness came from a common beginning and multiplied in its complexity and severity over time and generations to produce many more potential symptoms and outcomes. He categorised how the diseases formed, their possible manifestations, and described points of recognition for treatment by his remedies. He named these classifications, miasms, and wrote very detailed and specific records to determine the constitution of the individual according to the possible miasm acting within.

When taking the case of a patient Hahnemann would study all aspects of the client from their history of illness, their families' history, their work and daily lives, their likes and dislikes, emotions etc. and he wanted very precise and detailed description of the symptom causing the current problem. By closely studying the symptoms and the patient in general he could find the most suitable (similar remedy-being the principle behind Hom. prescribing) treatment to effect a cure.

Hahnemann discovered that when more than one disease existed in the body, only the strongest would manifest symptoms and the weaker would go into dormancy, forming layers. Then traditional allopathic treatments would suppress the symptom, resulting in the disease being driven deeper and made more serious only to reappear again later in a different form. Over time a patient may exhibit a changing and worsening picture of what was initially a minor problem that through wrong handling developed into a serious or life-threatening condition.

Homoeopathic treatments were chosen and taken according to the presenting symptoms and then a period of time elapsed until the preceding symptoms appeared, sometimes less than a day or could take much longer. These new presenting symptoms indicate that the previous symptom has been cured and the next layer of disease exposed- a sign of correct remedy selection and condition improvement. Ideally, the case would be followed and ongoing treatment would eventually result in a complete cure and return to good health. The definition of good health was when the individual had no presenting symptoms, a positive and happy state of mind and active lifestyle.

The principles and methods of Hahnemann's are still in existence today and strictly followed by "Classical Homoepaths." The underlining Law of Similars-"that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual can treat a sick individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms", the method of repertorisation (the manner in which a remedy is selected) and the miasmic diagnosis remain as definites within this doctrine. There have been a some new alternative approaches in selecting appropriate potency and frequency of dosage, in combining more than one remedy, and hundreds of new materials proven and documented as remedies, since Hahnemann's day. The procedure for potentising the remedies has been mechanised and some technologies made available that can replicate the energy pattern of a particular substance to administer by radionic means.

The gentle and highly effective curative act of potentised and homoeopathic materials is becoming more widely accepted and many hospitals now encorporate alternative medicines into their routines. I have been using Homoeopathic practitioners, remedies and methods both personally and on my family, friends and animals for nearly ten years and consistently find them to be powerful yet subtle for curing on a permanent basis and also for ameliorating the acute symptoms in the short term.

By undertaking a program of maintaining good health and preventative measures, utillising the therapies that are readily available and keeping a positive attitude will minimise the susceptibility to illness and improve the immune response, thereby ensuring "more life in your years and more years in your life."

THE ART OF HEALING

Samuel Hahnemann was born in 1755 and died aged 88 in 1843.

He was a dedicated scholar and had learned five languages by twenty years of age. Over the course of his life he learned a further three. He earned his living translating books and teaching languages but his real passion was medicine. By age 27 he had gained his Doctor of Medicine.

In 1790 after only eight years of practice he told of his disillusionment with the allopathic methods and dangerous treatments in a letter to an acquaintance. His claim was they were barbaric and did serious damage to patients, often fatally. He then gave up his medical work and studied chemistry.

He translated a Materia Medica for Cullen and was intrigued by Cullen's use of Cinchona Bark to cure malaria. Hahnemann began experimenting on himself and after six years he published his findings. He had discovered the "Law of Similars".

He hypothesised; "that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual can treat a sick individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms."

Hahnemann accidently discovered a special method to produce his remedies. He termed it, "potentization". Potentization energised the substances to effect a cure on the dynamic level.

During the Cholera epidemic of 1831 - 1832 he treated 184 victims and they all survived. The other Doctors he had trained in his methods achieved similar success with an average of 3-5% mortality rate compared to approximately 50% with the allopathic treatments.

Hahnemann emphasised the assessment of the human being as a whole, and placed great importance on the mental state and emotional symptoms. His findings were developed through careful experimentation and experience and he kept meticulous patient journals from as early as 1799.

Long before Pastuer, Hahnemann insisted that sanitation and hygiene were imperative and burnt the bed linen and clothing of infected people.

This brilliant man published over 130 works in his life and translated nearly 9500 pages in twenty nine years. He continued to learn and refine his Homoeopathic method and was a scrupulous and conscientious scientist, chemist, botanist, sanitarian and physician and a father of eleven.

Homoeopathy remains popular all over the world despite the rigorous smear campaign and slanderous opposition that began as early as Hahnemann's theories were made public.

J. Swift said, "When a true genius appears in this world you may know him by this sign; that the dunces are all in confederancy against him."

Einstein put it this way, "Great minds have always met with severe adversity from smaller minds."

To demonstrate and compare, Allopathic medicine can be defined as; "A method of treating disease with remedies that produce effects different from those caused by the disease itself." (The American Science Dictionary).

The medicines are normally given in huge doses that create problems elsewhere in the system and often the symptoms redevelop later even more severely. The purpose is to suppress the symptoms, not actually to heal or cure them.

The definition of Homoeopathy; "A system for treating and preventing disease, using minute amounts of a substance that in large amounts causes disease symptoms when given to healthy individuals. This is thought to enhance the body's natural defenses." (The American Science Heritage Dictionary). The remedies remove the blockages to healing by acting on the vital force or life force energy.

To this day skeptics argue that there is no scientific evidence that Homoeopathy works and yet there is widespread agreement that the recovery and survival rates in hospitals are noticeably improved when a patient has been prayed for.

When we look at the statistics that were provided in an "Australian Bulletin" magazine in 2006 that stated, "18,000 Australians die each year in hospitals from mishap (my emphasis -can be read as -misdiagnosis and mistreatment) and half at least are preventable..." it is obvious that the conventional methods are far from perfect.

Our understanding of Quantum Physics is still incomplete and it is in this arena that Homoeopathy will be eventually be validated.

TO BE CONTINUED...