Dr. Chaitali Shah

The fundamental principle of Homeopathy is the Law of Similars or 'like cures like'. Homeopathy looks at the general health condition of the person and then remedies are prescribed that can stimulate the body to function to its optimum capacity by initiating it’s natural healing processes without introducing harmful chemicals. This can naturally eliminate diseased cells and tissues from the body.

Here are 5 reasons to switch to Homeopathy:

1. Individualized treatment

 A homeopathic practitioner evaluates the patient's overall health and discusses his problems and expectations before prescribing treatment. All the homeopathic remedies are made with the individual's specific climatic conditions, allergies, stress factors, food habits and lifestyle in mind. Homeopathy also optimizes the immune system (unlike allopathy, which weakens it) and it is equally effective for physical and psychological disorders.

2. No side effects

Homeopathic medicines are made from natural substances and so they are non-toxic and free from side effects. They are given to the patient in small doses and so, the healing approach is gentle and gradual. They can also be used by people of all ages and even those in delicate conditions like pregnancy, chronic diseases etc. Even if the wrong medicine is prescribed to the patient, it does not cause much harm to the body.

3. Easily accessible

Homeopathic remedies are available in most places as they are made directly from the abundant natural resources. There are also several alternatives to a medicine depending on the kinds of plants and minerals found in a particular region. Moreover, the medicines do not have an expiration date and can be stored for a long period of time if they are kept properly.

4. Non-invasive

No homeopathic remedy involves surgical procedures or invasive techniques. So, there is absolutely no chance of infection or further complication. The medicines and therapies are also aimed at eliminating the root cause of the disorder instead of just providing temporary relief from the symptoms.

5. Not addictive

Once the disease is healed, the person can easily stop using the medicines since they have no addictive property. This is because the active ingredient is used in minute quantities in homeopathic medication. Hence, these remedies are also safe for infants, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, aged people and people with addiction problems.

The term ‘homoeopathy’ comes from ‘homoeos’ meaning similar and ‘pathos’ meaning suffering. Though considered as an alternative system of medicine, homoeopathy is the second-most leading systems of medicine in the world, recognized by most world health bodies and is practiced by physicians qualifying with equivalent education standards as compared to modern medical doctors.

Discovered by a german physician called Dr. Samuel hahnemann in the 19th century, homoeopathy regained its importance over the last century due to its ‘holistic’ approach. While treating a patient homoeopathically, not only are his physical complaints taken care of, but his mental and emotional status are addressed too.

Let us see how homoeopathy can be of help to each one of us.

As a homoeopathic practitioner, I often face many questions from patients, like…

Q1) Is homoeopathy a slow process?

No. Homoeopathy is not a slow process. If you take homoeopathic treatment for an illness which has been since a short duration, the medicines will also show results in a short time. But if you expect an age-old illness to be cured in the same period of time as a recent cough or cold, and also be cured from its ‘roots’ (the way people like to call it), then let’s just say, you are confusing homoeopathy and magic! the problem is patients choose to go to a homoeopathic physician after a lot of time has already passed and a lot of damage already done. It thus takes great efforts for the homoeopathic physician to treat the disease justly. Hence, it is only fair to give your homoeopath the time and patience he/she deserves, for an old illness to be treated correctly and wisely.

Q2) Do homoeopathic medicines have any side-effects?

No. Homoeopathic medicines have no side-effects and are extremely safe as they are made from naturally available substances and these medicinal products undergo high dilutions, thus causing no harm to the human body. However, they too are medicines, and not just sugar balls! so just like any other drug substance, a dose higher than that recommended by the physician, can surely evoke some unpleasant effects in the body.

Q3) What are the clinical conditions treated well with homeopathy?

Homoeopathy is a complete system of medicine capable of tackling every disease condition. To name a few, chronic bone and joint conditions like arthritis and chronic back pain, skin complaints like eczema, psoriasis, hairfall, acidity, asthama, migrane, parkinsons, epilepsy, etc. And also psychiatric conditions like depression, anger management, mood disorders, hyper-activity in children, learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, nervousness, lack of self confidence, etc. Respond extremely well to homoeopathic treatment.

Q4) Can I take allopathic medicines along with homoeopathic medicines?

Ideally speaking, classical homoeopathy does not advocate the use of allopathic drugs alongside homoeopathic treatment. Logically, if you take both together, you will not know which one is actually helping you and you may be continuing with both which may be unnecessary. However, practically, it sometimes becomes difficult to avoid the simultaneous use of both as very often the homoeopathic physician faces situations where the patient has been on certain allopathic drugs since a long time and suddenly stopping these may prove to be more dangerous to the patient than the disease itself! of course, with the introduction of homoeopathic medicines, regular use of drugs like painkillers, anti-depressants, anti-histaminics, psychiatric drugs, steroids, etc. That are known to cause severe side-effects in the long run, can be gradually withdrawn in due course of time, so that the patient may enjoy the benefits of the medication rather than suffering from its side-effects, thus improving the quality of life of the patient.

Q5) Are homoeopathic medicines only for children?

No. Homoeopathic medicines can be of immense help to patients of any age group and complaints related to any disease condition.

Q6) Can I use homoeopathic medicines when I am pregnant / breast-feeding?

Yes, absolutely. Homoeopathic medicines are absolutely safe to be used by pregnant women, women who are breast feeding, as well as the new born baby!

Q7) Do homoeopathic medicines contain steroids?

No. Homoeopathic drugs are manufactured by government certified pharmacological companies under strict international drug standards & regulations. Any undue substance found in these medicinal preparations, is punishable by law.

Q8) Are homoeopathic and ayurvedic medicines the same?

Ayurvedic literatures propose the preparation of medicines as mixtures and concoctions which are made from plant extracts and are used as medications in the crude forms as ‘kaadhas’. Homoeopathic medicines, on the other hand, have their origins in many of these naturally available substances; however they are highly diluted solutions used as medicinal agents. This is where the two streams differ, as the founding principles on which they are based are entirely different.

Q9) Can I have a home remedy kit with emergency medicines? is it available easily?

Yes. Homoeopathic medicines can be bought with a doctor’s prescription from any authorized homoeopathic pharmacy and can be used at times of emergencies too!

Q10) Will homoeopathy cure my illness completely or are there limitations?

For most medical conditions, homoeopathy can be trusted with complete cure of the illlness. In pathologically irreversible conditions (like certain cancers, kidney failure, etc), homoeopathy can help in arresting / slowing down the disease process and providing a good quality of life to the patient.

Every doctor and his medicine must aim at treating the individual as a whole and not just the disease. It is the patients’ complete health that should be of utmost importance to every treating physician and he must aim at achieving only that.