What is Homeopathic Medicine?
What is Classical Homeopathy/ Homeopathic Medicine?
This page will better define homeopathic medicine for you so you can understand what it is, how it is used, how it differs from standard medicine and how it can be used as an integrative adjunct to holistic medical care.
Understanding Homeopathic Medicine: This is a 5 part article to better understand homeopathic treatment/care, please scroll down to find each article in sequence. If you are a client, you will be asked to read some of this before beginning treatment so you have a better understanding of care. Feel free to contact us with questions/ suggestions. Thank you for your time and consideration, we hope whomever you choose to work with, you find this useful.
Article 1: Basics of Homeopathic Medicine
Article 2: What is a Homeopathic Consultation?
Article 3: What to expect during treatment?
Article 4: Understanding Homeopathic Dosing.
Article 5: Homeopathic Psychiatry and Integrative Care.
Article 1: Basics of Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathy is a system of medicine based on the belief that the body, when energized and encouraged in ways it can understand, can find ways to heal that move to curing dis-ease within the body and mind. It was developed in the late 1700s in Germany. It’s common in many European countries, but it’s not quite as popular in the United States.
What is the Premise Homeopathic Medicine is Based On?
The practice of homeopathic medicine, or homeopathy, has existed for more than 200 years and is based on the principle of similars (loosely translated; “let likes be cured by likes”).
At its core, homeopathic medicine is centered on three complementary aspects:
- Pharmacologically-active agents, be they derived from botanical, mineral or biological substances, when administered at higher dosages to healthy individuals, produce a characteristic set of symptoms. In homeopathic medicine we put this to practice in a method called ‘provings’ that assist us in determining the best usage of a homeopathic medicine through recording of both the symptomology introduced by the agent and the results of the subsequent homeopathic proving.;
- individuals who are ill (due to any number of etiologies) also exhibit characteristic symptoms, produced by the body in an effort to heal itself that can illustrate similar patterns to those produced by provings; and
- those pharmacologically-active agents producing a characteristic set of symptoms at a higher dose can alleviate or cure similar symptoms when administered at a much lower dose (ie. the principle of similiars).
A specific example of these three processes at work in an acute (not chronic) situation could be the following:
As per #1 above: A normally healthy individual presents with bouts of acute, reactive runny nose and watery eyes due to a reaction to a new chemical in her work environment that her system doesn’t know how to respond to in a healthy manner.
As per #2 above: A raw red onion on exposure through cutting could cause similar symptoms in the individual.
As per #3 above: We can as homeopaths use the homeopathic equivalent red onion (homeopathic allium cepa) in homeopathic dosing preparations of allium cepa to relieve these same symptoms and allow the system to find balance within the work environment and over usually a very short period of time (days, weeks or months depending on severity and length of symptoms along with the current state of the individual’s system) the individual’s system will find immunity to the chemical agent as their system will learn a new and healthy map for clearing / adjusting to it and the remedy will no longer be necessary.
This is a clear difference between homeopathic care and allopathic care in that allopathic care will continue to treat the challenged system with drugs ongoing as it doesn’t attempt to cure the system, it takes over it’s processing and thereby stops the symptoms however once the medicine is stopped, the symptoms normally recur and at times, the symptoms come on stronger and/or new symptoms develop due to the body not having access to it’s normal system responsiveness for a time period.
Homeopathic care has the goal to cure the malady and strengthen the system, therefore ongoing treatment isn’t necessary unless a new situation occurs that requires it or the individual become sick for another reason and the system, in it’s newly weakened state, requires support.
Different Belief Systems on Healing Between Homeopathic and Allopathic Medicine
One of the challenges that I find explaining homeopathic medicine is that it differs so much from the belief system of standard medicine that it takes some time for people to understand how it can be effective when we’ve been trained in a western medicine culture.
Homeopathy is a very different form of medicine than allopathic / Western medicine. Much of Western medicine is focused on attacking what is within the system that it doesn’t think should be there and / or taking over processes of the body that aren’t working properly when the body has forgotten how to do so.
One area of Western medicine that focuses on attacking what is within the system would be in the care patients with Lyme disease.
*I have a passion for curing lyme disease in part because I’ve personally experienced it. For my story, please click here.
If a patient has Lyme disease, standard allopathic care provides often very high doses of chemicals meant to attack the lyme bacteria within the patient’s system with the hopes that by doing so the virus will at some point not be able to exist within the system once the medication over takes it and overwhelms it.
From a homeopathic perspective the assumptions taken by the western medicine approach are:
1) that the patient is well enough that their system can handle high doses of medication in this manner,
2) that the medication provided can add some point in time at the right dose be stronger than the illness for long enough that it can eradicate it,
3) that once the illness is eradicated the individual’s system will be able to heal from the high doses of medication.
Unfortunately most clients that I’ve seen have experiences that do not align with these beliefs in that:
1) They’re so sick by the time they take the medication their body/ system cannot handle the high and consistent doses of medicine,
2) There’s very little proof that the medications provided can ever fully eradicate the bacteria or cure the disease,
3) After treatment most clients systems are broken down in ways they have a very hard time coming back from without further care and that care is not readily provided nor understood within standard medicine.
How Homeopathic Medicine Differs In Treatment, Beliefs and Outcome
While there are many alternative care options, homeopathic medicine has a unique perspective on healing a challenging disease like Lyme in that it’s focuses not on high doses to eradicate the disease within the system, rather, empower the body and shift the way Lyme presents in the system so that as the system becomes strong enough to eradicate the bacteria the Lyme can no longer exist. Once Lyme is cured, then if needed provide additional support to do so.
In some cases simply making the body stronger allows the body to eradicate the disease on it’s own and one idea standard medicine recognizes as true as well is that once your system learns to clear a disease on it’s own, it gains some immunity toward it making it less likely to be taken down by it again.
The Potential for Integrative Care
Many of my clients have found that once they feels stronger they also make positive lifestyle changes to nutrition and other aspects of their lives which allows them to heal even more deeply and some feel that after treatment they even feel stronger than before the Lyme.
Other clients request that homeopathic care first focus on giving them strength to choose their Lyme treatment and once they are feeling stronger they choose to move to standard medicine in conjunction with alternative care as that is their belief system. This approach can be useful as well and I find It is similar in cancer treatment, many clients choose to combine homeopathic care with nutritional care and allopathic medical treatment to attempt to keep their body as healthy as possible while taking in the toxic chemicals. Then post allopathic treatment, they rely on alternative care to regain their strength.
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Article 2: What is a Homeopathic Consultation?
Homeopaths work similarly to standard medicine in that they do take a history, some genetic information and depending on the care needed may look at labwork and/or speak to your other care practitioners if requested.
The big differences in working with JenSatya for homeopathic/ integrative care are:
- The amount of time provided to explore your case and the breath of information covered to get to know your personal experience.
For most clients 90 minutes to 2 hours is provided for a first consultation. The goal is not only to understand your main symptoms, it is to understand how your system is functioning overall and through a careful questioning process, to get to know your experience of health and that of dis-ease.
Prior to the consultation clients will fill out forms and provide them to JenSatya to review so she is ready for your session. This is much different than standard medicine as she is prepared to speak with you about your case and all of the time can be spent on exploring this. This also provides JenSatya with the information needed to know how to focus the session as she sits with your information prior to get an idea of what questions to ask you in session to target your specific needs.
After your first consult, if coming in for integrative homeopathic care, you will then receive a personalized plan (in most cases, sometimes this will be provided in the first session).
The entire process can be well over 3 hours of time (though you are only charged for the consult time in most cases) as JenSatya believes clients deserve presence of care meaning, she takes the time to be fully present to your case and to assist you with clarity and consistency.
- Your homeopathic/ integrative care treatment plan is completely customized.
This is not like allopathic care where the same medicines are given to all individuals seeking care. Homeopathic remedies and treatment plans are customized to your needs. There are over 50 remedies used for allergies and each has multiple ways of dosing, a seasoned homeopath can help determine what you need and provide customized care.
- Consistent follow-up care.
After a first session, you will be able to communicate with JenSatya between sessions via email and if needed 15 min phone sessions can be scheduled. You do not need to wonder or hold questions to your next appt. Beth, JenSatya’s assistant for over 15 years, will be available to field questions as well.
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Article 3: What to expect during treatment?
What to Expect from Your Homeopathic Treatment
It is an honor to work with you and I’m looking forward to watching your body/ mind/ emotions heal as we move forward in your treatment. I’ve written the below to better understand what you might feel during treatment. Please read before beginning your remedy or the first week of your remedy so you are aware of what to anticipate and how to respond.
As a homeopath I believe that illness in part occurs because too many layers of blocks to the vital force – mental/ emotional or physical – have occurred over time and this has suppressed your vital force to the degree it cannot clear the illness (mental, emotional or physical) itself. Homeopathy clears the blocks to the vital force and renew your inner healing capacities.
Understanding your Homeopathic Treatment
Homeopathy isn’t like taking allopathic medicine. It’s not meant to suppress symptoms, it’s meant to release the blocks to the vital force, support the immune system and support your vital force’s natural energy to heal.
At times we also use homeopathy to retrain the system to heal if it has ‘forgotten’ or never learned how to do something – such as when someone has been on steroids for long periods of time or has taken a medication, such a thyroid supplement, that has been used to take over the function of an organ so long the system has forgotten it’s natural process.
A few things that usually occur during treatment:
- There is an initial feeling that something is changing for the better, though it’s subtle so the individual may not be able to pinpoint why they feel this way…this is the vital force getting stronger.
- Symptoms change/release/ disappear and it can almost feel like the individual forgets they had the symptoms at all.
- Symptoms that seemed less aggravating, now that other symptoms are gone, seem more important and ready to heal. This we call working through the layers of illness.
While not a part of treatment, if you get a cold or flu during treatment, please reach out if you would like alternative treatment and/or choose allopathic treatment so I can ensure your homeopathic treatment is effectively utilized for your optimal health as you heal.
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Article 4: Understanding Homeopathic Dosing.
As a homeopath, I have three aspects of homeopathic treatment that determine your dose:
- Remedy chosen: different remedies work differently at different doses for different reasons. For example, if someone has an acute injury, I may give them a 30c dose in pellet form, whereas a long-term joint pain may require a liquid or skin dose of a 30x or 1LM potency. Which gets into my next point…
- Form and administration method of remedy: I can use liquid, dry pellets, dry tablets or creams for dosing remedies and some of my more sensitive clients I can do skin dosing, olfactory dosing or even holding the remedy to introduce it to the system. The form of the remedy and the way I administer it is based on the needs of the individual.
- Dosing plan: Normally the first time I treat someone we do 1-3 doses and then checkin so I’m certain the dosing plan is adequate for their system. Some remedies require 1-14 doses, some more and the timeframe for dosing is unique to the client case.
- Diluting a Remedy: for some clients, I may offer to dilute the remedy in water or alcohol to allow the body to take it in gently.
- Potentizing a remedy: remedies are energy medicine, potentizing a remedy wakes it up and additional potentizations can make it stronger.For more on potentizing your remedy, see our videos here.
Individualized care means individualized dosing options and your client plan will be clear on how and when to take your remedy. All clients are always welcome to checkin with questions or to provide their experience of the remedy at anytime during treatment.
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Article 5: Homeopathic Psychiatry and Integrative Care for PTSD.
Psychiatric care Is an area of homeopathy that most people aren’t aware of. When people tell me that they’ve been depressed, anxious, tired, dealing with trauma or PTSD and I offer alternative options for care they often look at me quizzically.
How can alternative care provide help for my emotions in mind?
It might help to start with a story…(I received permission from the client prior to posting and am posting anonymously)
Many years ago I had the honor of working with the first soldier I ever had the opportunity to assist. He had been given the diagnosis of PTSD by his doctor and after trying nearly a dozen medications that all made him feel worse and at times suicidal he did some research and found papers on homeopathic treatment for PTSD. That was when he contacted me.
Step one for me was to take the case of this individual as I would any individual coming to me for homeopathic treatment. I found out that along with the behavioral challenges, he also had digestive issues, chronic insomnia, unusual fears, twitching of the left eye, and bouts of catatonia. I asked him to explain to me who he was before the PTSD and he said he couldn’t remember anything from before it. He also felt that the memories that he was recalling we’re being recalled as if they were from someone else’s eyes and he offered that he felt the memories directly in his stomach. He said anytime that he recalled something he would feel it in stomach as if something was alive there. For a homeopath, these types of symptoms that are so unusual and specific help us to zone in on the remedies that will be most helpful for the individual and the specific symptom let me down the right path for him.
I gave him the first remedy, and we stayed in touch every few days to see how he was doing. The first few doses gave him some memories back that we’re uncomfortable for him at first, and he mentioned that even with having the memories back he felt stronger and strong enough to face them now. He mentioned never feeling overwhelmed and treatment and unlike standard medicine he felt like he was always in control even when something was healing. This was important for him based on experiences had where he felt very out-of-control, and was part of what led me to the homeopathic treatment that I offered.
Approximately 45 days after treatment began we met again and I felt like I met a brand-new individual. He was in his body now, and while the memories hadn’t gone away on their own you no longer felt they ran his life. For the session his wife came as well and she gave me her feedback and what she had become aware of during treatment. She said the first two weeks were rough, and at the same time for the first time since his return from overseas in those two weeks she saw him coming back to her so she was willing to go to the rough spots. She said the anger that came up during the first two weeks disappeared greatly in the following two and he was able to actually talk to her about what he was remembering which he had never done before since returning home from war.
She said after the first month she could see the difference from the treatment dramatically. She said the person he was now was who he was hoping to be on the medications he tried. He wasn’t fully healed from the trauma, and he wasn’t wrapped up in it and getting triggered every minute by external sources.
She said another thing she noticed was he was starting to become affectionate again. They both discussed the lack of affection when he came home and how it had changed since treatment.
After getting the update from both of them I then went through a bit more of an intake to ensure that I understood the physical symptoms that were going on for him
now as they changed since treatment. He was no longer having digestive issues at all, and the insomnia had improved, however, and now he was having stronger dreams and he asked if I could help as the dreams were causing him to wake up throughout the night. He also said that some joint symptoms had returns that had been there during this time overseas but not since he’s been home. This is called homeopathic unwinding when old symptoms return that were never healed but were covered up by new symptoms that took over the system temporarily, be they emotional or physical. I believe his psychic stress overloaded his system and made it impossible for him to have the symptoms at the same time as it would’ve been too much for him to bear. Now that he was feeling better emotionally and feeling stronger, the symptoms can come up to be healed.
I gave a new remedy as it seemed like the first one had completed its action and we made plans to see each other in six weeks.
In the follow-up session we found a new remedy has assisted even more on the emotional sphere and the pains in the joints were improving however not gone. He had forgotten about the dreams by this point so they had improved as well, and he was noticing things that he wanted to work in this life as he had his motivation back.
I had him continue on the remedy for another month with every other day dosing instead of daily to help retrain the system to hold new patterns.
When we followed up the next month he felt everything had improved to the point that he was ready to completely pack the treatment for now. We decided to me forward with some of the trauma release work which is a method of counseling to release the memories that hold the trauma and then we followed up with coaching for dealing with trauma in the future as a couple. I then worked with his new marital therapist who he and his wife chose to work with through reconnection work.
Additional Thoughts
As a homeopath treating psychiatric issues is not only about the emotions that are occurring. My goal is not to shut the person down, it’s to relieve some of the stress of the symptoms. Trauma is held in the body in certain ways and each individual is different. As always, as a homeopath, I treat the whole person and when the emotional symptoms improve I expect the physical ones to as well.
Along with homeopathic treatment I provided treatment called trauma release therapy to help him release the memories he was stuck in, however, I waited to do this until the homeopathic remedies had supported the system enough that accessing those memories would not cause re-traumatizing of the system.
I hope this was helpful in providing some ideas on homeopathic care for PTSD and psychiatric/ emotional challenges.
If you are ready to schedule a consultation, or wish for further information, please contact us.