If you’re looking for a homeopathic pharmacy online and eager to explore holistic approaches to health, it pays to know exactly what you’re getting into. Although not widespread, homeopathy has a notable presence in Australia. A 2018 study published in Nature showed that nearly 7% of Australians — well over a million people — engage in the practice, or had been practitioners at some point in their lives.
So what is the homeopathic path to better health? As part of the broader complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) space, the practice has become quite popular across the country. Its main points are outlined in the book The Organon of Healing Art by German physician Samuel Hahnemann, who developed its foundational principles. In this primer, we go over the most notable of these, as well as homeopathic philosophy and doctrine.
Similia Similibus Curentur or the “Law of Similars”
During his time spent in research and study, Hahnemann observed that malaria could be treated with cinchona bark, which itself produced malaria-like symptoms when administered to a healthy person. This led to the proposition that “like cures like”, which is to say substances which produce symptoms of a disease in the healthy, can in fact be used to treat those symptoms in the sick. Other examples of these include:
- Leopard’s bane (Arnica montana) is toxic when undiluted, and can cause symptoms like bruising, muscle soreness, and swelling. Homeopaths have seen success using leopard’s bane for injuries like sprains, migraines, and inflammation caused by recent surgeries or physical trauma.
- Red onion (Allium cepa) commonly causes sneezing, a runny nose, or even watery eyes with exposure to the respiratory system. Red onion is often used by practitioners to calm the symptoms of hay fever, the common cold, and even the sneezing fits triggered by plant or pet hair allergies.
- Honeybee (Apis mellifica) honeybee stings are typically accompanied by sharp, stinging pain followed by swelling, redness, or heat. The remedy Apis mellifica is used to treat conditions with similar symptoms, such as hives, rosacea, or rashes caused by allergic reactions.
The Law of Minimum Dose
Homeopathic remedies are prepared in keeping with the idea that the lower the dose of medication, the more effective it is. To enhance the vital properties of a formulation while minimising toxicity, it’s prepared via a process known as potentisation. This consists of two main steps:
- Serial dilution reduces the concentration of a substance by diluting it in a solvent such as alcohol or water. A common dilution ratio is 1 to 100, or one part substance mixed with ninety-nine parts solvent. The centesimal scale — often represented by “C” — represents each dilution step a formulation has gone through to indicate potency.
A 30C potency remedy, for example, will have undergone a 1:100 dilution thirty times. It’s worth remembering that the more diluted a final preparation is, the more potent it’s considered to be by practitioners.
- Succussion describes the process of striking and/or shaking a dilution at each step of serial dilution. The former involves “striking” the container against a hard surface with some elasticity, such as a leatherbound book, while the latter is the process of vigorously shaking the preparation for varying periods. Practitioners do this to “dynamise” the remedy, transferring the spirit or vital energy of the chief substance into the solvent.
Individuation and Totality
Go into any homeopathic pharmacy in Sydney and you’ll find yourself in a consultation going over your lifestyle, history of mental distress, or even recent traumatic experiences. This is because homeopathy emphasises treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Due to the thorough nature of the initial consultation, it’s not uncommon for two people with similar ailments to receive different remedies, each for their unique totality of symptoms.
Vital Force Doctrine
Finally, practitioners believe in Hahnemann’s proposition that life energy or “vital force” is what determines the overall health of a living organism, and that disease is a manifestation of its disturbance. The role of remedies isn’t to attack a disease head-on, but rather to spur on a person’s vital force to restore balance, thus healing itself.
Professional organisations for homeopaths in Australia include AROH and AHA, both of which require practitioners to adhere to a code of conduct as well as the practice’s fundamental principles. While far from universally accepted by mainstream medical institutions, homeopathy has become fairly well-established over the years as a form of complementary treatment.
