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Homeopathy: Compassionate Medicine
Copyright © 2008 by Tricia Stuart
More than a decade ago, when I suffered badly from illness I went to my General
Practitioner for treatment, and he recommended I see specialists, who put me through all
kinds of tests, many of them invasive (some painful), and they prescribed drugs. Soon, I
felt like a microscopic animal in a college laboratory experiment, where no one knew
what he was doing, and really didn't care. A few things became clear to me: They had
no idea what was wrong with me, they were guessing when they prescribed drugs, they
lied to me that I could quit the drugs at any time, the drugs all had side effects that made
me feel worse, I felt worse as time went on anyway, none of them looked at me as a
whole person; they certainly didn't value me, the office visits and the drugs were costing
a lot of money, and I had better take responsibility for my own health before the doctors
killed me with their experimentation.
Thus began my journey toward alternative medicine -a journey of self-
preservation -and rebellion. I no longer go to a doctor and say, "Give me a pill that will
cure me." I have questions, I want answers, I want to be treated as a whole person, I will take responsibility for my own health, I must be respected, and I want to be treated as the
intelligent person I am. And, so there.
We humans, after all, are not a configuration of interchangeable pieces and parts.
It would be so much simpler if we could request a new starter when our energy gives out,
a new set of tires when the feet hurt, or a new engine if we have stomach problems. If it
could all be accomplished quickly, and with no pain, thank you very much, that would be
wonderful. But, we humans are complex, and so if our various parts are similar, we are
still unique, and things like how we handle stress, our heredity, our diet and habits, our
temperament, and how we interact with the world, all come into play to make each of us
express and deal with illness -and life- uniquely. We are all special.
I researched medicinal herbs, nutrition, and homeopathy, I read, and I learned. I
tried an acupuncturist, and at one point, lying on the table with my body perfectly
straight, my arms outstretched, and needles sticking out of my feet, hands, and forehead, I
felt like Christ.
Surprisingly, I felt somewhat better, after several treatments.
I saw a few N.D.s (Naturopathic Doctors) who were educated in homeopathy.
Some are better than some others. (Beware the M.D. who sits behind his oversized desk,
asks questions like an M.D., doesn't waste much of his precious time with listening, flips
through a well-worn Materia Medica, and then gives you a homeopathic remedy that
must be taken in one dose, and never tells you what it is. Beware the feeling that you are
afraid to ask questions of this medical god. Yes, that was a small letter G.)
After trial and error, I got lucky and found an excellent N.D. who is a caring,
talented and skilled health practitioner; he taught me a great deal, and he cured me. But
the search for a good Naturopathic Doctor shouldn't be based on luck. Information about
how to find a good N.D. is at the end of this article.
What is homeopathy? It is a holistic practice that looks at and treats the whole
person and the whole body. Homeopathy, unlike allopathy (traditional medicine),
doesn't treat illness; it treats people. It is non-invasive. Mental and emotional health,
from the homeopathic viewpoint, is just as important as physical health -and the whole
symptom picture- is taken into consideration for treatment. The first visit to a
Naturopathic Doctor should be at least one-and-a-half hours. Subsequent visits should be
fifty minutes. A good Naturopathic Doctor won't ship you in and out of his or her office
in fifteen minutes (or less) like a parcel on an assembly line.
A Naturopathic Doctor will ask you how your life is going, along with wanting to
know about all of your symptoms. Your mental outlook, your diet, how you sleep, what
you eat, how often you eat and when, if you are hungry or not, thirsty or not, what your
habits are, the symptoms of all your vital organs, elimination, your limbs, how your face
and skin look, if you are under stress and what kind of stress; whether your symptoms get
better or worse at certain times of day or under certain conditions, are all important. The
question, "How do you feel?" takes on a whole new meaning in the naturopathic world.
The rule of homeopathy is: First, do no harm.
What are the remedies? Remedies are derived from plants, animals, or minerals.
Remedies aren't the whole substance, but a small quantity of the substance -or the
essence of it. Doses are very small. In homeopathy, less is more. Treatment is based on
the Law of Similars. That is to say, the remedy causes reactions that are similar to the
symptom picture, instead of going against the symptoms. For comparison, allopathy uses
anti-histamine, anti-biotic, anti-coagulant, anti-inflammatory, etc. The homeopathic
philosophy says, "If you have a problem with your radio, you don't cut the wires to fix
it." Homeopathy treats like with like. If you have swelling with stinging pain, depending
on the whole symptom picture, homeopathy may treat with apis mellifica, which is the
essence from the honey bee, or a different remedy that will treat your unique symptom
picture that includes swelling. The remedy alerts the parts of the body that are suffering
to rush to the areas in need, causing the body to heal itself. Unlike allopathy,
homeopathy is centering. Homeopathy doesn't offer a quick fix. If a condition has
existed for a long time, the healing may take a long time, and if the condition is of a short
duration, then the healing may take a short time. Most homeopathic remedies do not
have side effects.
If you want to use a Medical Doctor and a Naturopathic Doctor, you can do that.
Alternative medicine is about options, not restrictions. But be aware that Medical
Doctors, for the most part, tend to be ignorant of and skeptical of alternative treatments.
They usually think homeopathy isn't scientific, but the remedies have been proven to be
effective, even in double blind studies that the allopathic community values.
Along with prescribing a homeopathic remedy, an N.D. will give instruction for
self-care, such as foods to eat to aid healing, herbal teas, ointments or compresses,
extracts, and hydrotherapy, if applicable.
Naturopathic Doctors can be found in the yellow pages of the phone directory
under the headings of "Holistic" or "Naturopathic" and on the Internet sites at the end of
this article, but it's important to know how well they have been trained, and where they
got their training. Well-trained Naturopathic Doctors have done much more than simply
take a battery of correspondence courses; they have graduated from a naturopathic
college and they are well trained in the biomedical sciences and clinical diagnostics. For
more information about accreditation of Naturopathic Doctors and naturopathic colleges,
see the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC): http://www.aanmc.org.
This is only a miniature portrait in the landscape of alternative medicine and
homeopathy. The Internet sources, below, will give you a larger picture of alternative
medicine and information about finding a Naturopathic Doctor:
Articles, products and services, Homeopathy magazine, homeopathic
practitioners, and more information about Homeopathy:
The National Center for Homeopathy:
http://nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org
About naturopathy, how it works, and to find a Naturopathic Doctor:
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians:
http://www.naturopathic.org
Alternative health information by topic:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
http://nccam.nih.gov
A great source for homeopathic remedies and books can be found at Washington
Homeopathic Products:
http://www.homeopathyworks.com
Disclaimer:
This article is not exhaustive information about homeopathy or naturopathy and it
is not meant as a substitute for medical advice or counseling. Please seek the doctor(s) of
your choice who have the philosophy and treatments that are compatible with who you
are and with your medical needs.
Good health to you! | 
