Natura Medica
The Center for Natural Medicine
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a natural holistic healing method that has been practiced worldwide for over 200 years. It is a gentle yet powerful healing process, which functions by recognizing and working with the dynamic and sturdy recuperative powers innate in the human organism.
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In conventional "western" medicine, the aim of treatment is to eliminate the external causative factors (like bacteria), and to eliminate or alter the normal physiologic response (like inflammation), that leads to symptoms. Homeopathy, in contrast, respects the body's intelligence in the production of symptoms, reasoning that symptoms result from the efforts of the defense mechanism to restore order, and we seek to support the effort (to render it more effective). So, rather than giving a medicine that suppresses the intelligence of the body, the homeopath will choose a remedy that can best strengthen the body's defenses and allow healing to occur naturally.
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Homeopathic remedies are derived from natural sources such as plants, minerals, and other natural substances. They are prepared by a special process of step-by-step dilution and succussion (shaking) under strict pharmacy conditions. This process is called "potentization". It unlocks the "energy" of the substance and is responsible for the homeopathic remedy's remarkable healing properties. Homeopathic remedies are remarkably safe. They can be used during pregnancy and will not interact adversely with conventional medications.
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The remedies are chosen based upon the "Law of Similars," which states that a medicine which produces a set of symptoms in a healthy person will cure the same set of symptoms in a sick person. Each homeopathic remedy has been carefully tested on large numbers of healthy people (an experiment known as a proving) to discover what symptoms are produced, and thus we also know what symptoms it is capable of curing. We are not matching single symptoms but the whole pattern or "totality" of symptoms. In this way, homeopathic remedies are used to treat a wide-variety of acute and chronic conditions, both physical and emotional.
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The challenge in homeopathic practice is to select the correct medicine. While there are probably several medicines which have some degree of similarity, there is one whose degree of similarity is so strong as to unlock the full healing power of the organism. Finding this medicine can be a challenging process, requiring time and effort for both doctor and patient. When the correct medicine is given, however, the response is often dramatic, far-reaching, and prolonged.