Homeopathy, the 2nd largest system of medicine in the world as per the World Health Organization (WHO), being practiced in over 80 countries and used by 50 crore people worldwide, is gradually commanding the respect that it rightfully deserved. The world homeopathic market is valued at over 2.7 billion dollars with France being the largest market at approximately 405 million dollars and Germany following second at nearly 270 million dollars. With the current annual growth rate being 25%, it is estimated that the world market for Homeopathy will probably cross 11 billion dollars by 2017.
Just over 200 years old, Homeopathy was founded by the great German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796 and is thus the youngest of all the medical sciences. Homeopathic clinical practice is becoming more standardized and homeopathic pharmaceutical companies are now adhering to regulatory norms. Homeopathy is based on the law of similars, according to which, a substance capable of producing certain symptoms in a healthy individual is capable of treating similar symptoms in a diseased person. Thus, the logic is to evoke a healing response from the body itself rather than trying to suppress the disease manifestation.
Being a holistic healing science, Homeopathy has always recognised diseases to be having both physical and psychological components. This truth has been accepted by modern medicine only now. Also, the fact that diseases are not caused by the mere presence of disease-causing organisms in the internal or external environment, but rather due to the weakening of the body's defence mechanisms, was propounded by Homeopathy long before even the microscope was invented and consequently followed by the discovery of microbes. Homeopathy has had a futuristic approach right from the beginning. In fact, the vaccination concept was borrowed from Homeopathy. The amazing reality is that when Dr. Hahnemann, the founder of Homeopathy, was using the vaccination principle to treat patients, Louis Pasteur, who is given credit for the invention of vaccination, was barely seven years old.
There has been a paradigm shift in recent years with healthcare and medical professionals focusing on preventive medicine along with therapeutic medicine. The concept of working towards developing an overall sense of well being in individuals is gaining grounds rather than merely keeping people disease free. Since homeopathic remedies boost the natural defence mechanisms of the body, they play a vital role in preventive medicine. Studies have shown that a very large number of diseases are actually due to faulty dietary habits or erratic lifestyles. Simple things such as reverting back to healthy eating, resting adequately, and exercising regularly can really go a long way in restoring health. This again was something that Dr. Hahnemann had reasoned out and mentioned in his book on the philosophy of medicine called Organon, two centuries ago. He termed such diseases as indisposition and pseudochronic diseases.
Homeopathy is scientific, logical, safe, quick and extremely effective method of healing. It offers long lasting to permanent cure, treating the disease from its roots, for most of the ailments. Homeopathy is one of the most rational sciences with respect to its concepts of health, disease and cure. Homeopathy does not treat superficially by just driving away the symptoms but heals the patient from within. Undoubtedly, homeopathy is the medicine of future.
Homeopathy has a unique approach of the method of preparation of the drugs in which the end result will contain only the 'dynamic curative power' of the drug substance, devoid of any original crude substance. By a special mode of preparation called 'potentization', over 2500 homeopathic medicines are prepared from sources such as vegetables, animal, minerals, chemicals, etc. Hence homeopathic remedies with its ultra minute dose are non-toxic, absolutely harmless and bring about safe and sure cure. Homeopathic remedies are dynamic agents influencing body's energy.
Most of the children ailments like Cold, Cough, Fever, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Colic, Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Asthma, Measles, Chickenpox, Mumps, Dentition problems, etc., could be very effectively and quickly treated with homeopathy without producing any side effects whatsoever. Unlike antibiotics and other such medicines, homeopathic pills do not hamper digestion, or lower body's resistance. Neither do they cause any allergies nor cause any damage even if taken over a long period. Children, willingly ingest homeopathic pills being sweet in taste. Indeed, homeopathy is child-friendly! Besides, homeopathy is effective also in temperament and behavioral problems seen commonly in children like irritability, obstinacy, temper-tantrums, fears, phobias, destructiveness; and thumb- sucking, nail biting, bed-wetting; as well as in mentally and physically backward children.
Homeopathy is an effective alternate to antibiotics in infectious diseases, producing no toxic side effects and bringing about rapid recovery. Homeopathy has definite treatment for most of the infectious disease such as Sinusitis, Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Meningitis, Otitis media (pus from ear), Gastroenteritis (vomiting-diarrhea), Dysentery, Urinary Infections, etc.
Viral infections such as common cold, influenza, measles, chickenpox, mumps, viral hepatitis (jaundice), viral meningitis etc. are very well treated with homeopathy Allopathic system has no curative treatment for viral diseases except infusing antibiotics under the pretext of preventing secondary bacterial infection.
Homeopathy is not against surgery. Surgery is an art and science by itself. Surgery is called forth in the conditions where medicines have limited or no role, and where surgical aid, operation can cure or improve the condition. There are number of diseases which are labeled as 'surgical', where homeopathy works curatively and can avoid surgery. Some such ailments are: Septic recurrent Tonsillitis, Piles, Fissure-in-ano, Fistula, Appendicitis (except gangrenous), Chronic ear discharge, Vocal cord nodules, Polyp in nose-ear, Kidney & Biliary (small) stones, small size Uterine Fibroid, Ovarian Cysts, Warts, Corns, etc.
In modern life infections have diminished and various allergic disorders have grown rampant. Homeopathy offers very effective treatment in all allergic diseases such as various skin diseases like Urticaria, Eczema,Contact Dermatitis, as well as gives unbelievably miraculous results in Asthmatic Bronchitis.
The psychosomatic disorders like Migraine, Asthma, Acidity, Peptic ulcer, Allergy, Ulcerative colitis, etc. are successfully treated with homeopathy. Homeopathy has long recognized the psychological origin of somatic (body) symptoms. Homeopathy always examines patient's mental make-up in all cases and remedies are given acting at the level of mind and body together, thus eradicating the disease.
Perhaps no other system of medicine has such a superb approach of tackling the mind-body disorders with definite therapeutic agents. Homeopathic remedies are capable of influencing the state of mind. They can specifically act to alleviate emotional disturbance such as excessive anxiety, irritability, insecurity, obsessive traits, undue jealousy, suspicion (paranoid) fears, depression, neurosis etc. By relieving the emotions such as above, homeopathic remedies bring about harmonious state of health. Thus homeopathy demonstrates the possibility of the highest goal of medicine, the therapy for the person rather than for the disease alone. Homeopathic remedies can treat mental and emotional disturbed states.
In this scientific era of health consciousness, the time has come that for the treatment of any disease, which does not respond to any particular line of treatment, one must take a homeopathic opinion immediately. Often patients lose their early time going to one specialist to another helplessly, without permanent relief, and approach homeopathy only when other medicines fail.
To obtain the best results and full benefits of homeopathic science, one should resort to homeopathy in the early phase of sickness. Because of ignorance and lack of awareness in general public about the usefulness of homeopathy in all kinds of diseases ranging from Cold to Cancer, many patients approach homeopathy late. By this time the disease process advances to an incurable stage and homeopathy can offer little then, to the otherwise curable disorders. However timely given homeopathic treatment could be a blessing to the ailing humanity.
Homeopathy is not limited to certain diseases but is universally applicable to all kinds of diseases. It is time, when people must be made fully aware of the benefits and the scope of homeopathy in various day-to-day diseases. Homeopathy should be more and more made available to the benefit of ailing persons, as it can positively help 90% of the diseases we have today.
These are just a few of the multitudes of instances where homeopathy has successfully come to the rescue of patients - go ahead and experience for yourself the benefits of this wonderful Science and Art of Homeopathy!