What is Homeopathy?

Many, many years ago (12 years to be more precise) I was asking the same question!  However I wasn't so interested in the answer as finding something for my snotty baby that was more natural than anything I could get at the pharmacy.  A friend suggested a local Homeopath and away I went, got a remedy and the wee babe got better.  Honestly, I didn't see miracles.  I just saw a child recovering without antibiotics or Panadol.
​Ok so not the most riveting story or the most persuasive! Fast forward 4 years and I was passing The Heirophant in Canberra. This time I had 3 snotty children and a snotty self!  Still having no idea what homeopathy was beyond a few drops of something or other I was drawn up the stairs and into Aladdin's cave...this time there were miracles!  The following day the insane amounts of thick yellow mucus I had been blowing from my nose had gone.  Gone just like that.  I still had no idea what Homeopathy was but for the second time I saw recovery as you would like it.  We all want to get well.  We all want to avoid a sniffle becoming a chest infection and so on...you see where this is going? 
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​In short, Homeopathics are made from all kinds of substances predominantly natural.  There are some exceptions but far and away the majority of the remedies are made from plants, minerals and a few animal substances (venom and milk are the most common). The bigger question I get is 'but how does it work?'

There are lots of reasons we need to know what Homeopathy is but in the end the fact that we get relief from our ailments, that we function better in the world is answer enough. Righto I'm not trying to wriggle out of an explanation.  I'm just letting you know that if something works and it's doing no harm,  you don't always need to know exactly why or how it works.

 "Stop blathering Sarah and tell us what it is."  Ok, ok...here goes.  Two hundred and some years ago Samuel Hahneman realised that the Greek philosophers may of been onto something when they said that 'like cure like' or 'what causes will cure'.  He stumbled on the idea anecdotally but was able to continue building on it.  He also found that the smaller the amount that was given the larger the effect.  He diluted and diluted until the science of the time could no longer find any trace of the original substance.  And yet people still got better after being treated with homeopathy.  In fact the results were so astounding that others started studying what Hahneman had put together.  

For a long, long time I've heard Homeopathy described as an energetic medicine.  And yes I can see why.  Studies have been done finding that every living thing has a unique vibration.  This is one explanation I've heard given for Homeopathy.  It is often put into the vibrational medicine box.

​More recently we're seeing that water has a memory which may also explain why Homeopathy works.  The research for this is being carried out by none other than a Nobel Laureate who discovered the link between AIDS and HIV.  But the most interesting development has been nanoparticles!!  I'm not terribly mathematically minded but nano anything is significantly smaller than we have ever been able to measure before.  If you are super mathematically minded this is the article for you!  Could this be why Homeopathy has treated so many people over 200yrs?  Could this be the reason it is the second most used medical system in the world (according to the WHO)? And no, the first is not conventional medicine!  Maybe that's why millions of people world wide use it...

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BUT what can it do for me?' And this is the most important question because no matter how it works or what it is the outcome is the most important. Here's the short list of what it can be used to support:

• Headaches/migraines
• ​period pain
• ​IBS and other digestive issues
• ​eczema/psoriasis and general skin problems
• depression/anxiety
• asthma
• menopause and fertility
• varicose veins
• pregnancy issues
• injuries
• ​constipation
• ​insect bites
• allergies
• sinus problems
• ​coughs and colds
• ​gastro viruses

​Glad you asked?  So am I! Like I said this is the short list...

The areas that Homeopathy can reach are limitless because Homeopaths treat the person not the disease.  We want to know how you sleep, what you eat, when and how you've been sick, how you're feeling, what makes you tick as a human being in the world, we want to know your knicker size...sorry the last one was a step too far but you see what I mean?

There are lots of reasons to see a Homeopath but knowing what Homeopathy ​is, isn't one of them.  So have a look at what you can expect, how you take Homeopathics and if it's ok with your other meds right here!  And make that appointment!

Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist. Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation.
Always seek medical advice in emergencies.
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