Conscious Choice: Homeopathy

February 1999

Homeopathy

The Mysterious System of Healing That Really Works

by Darlene E. Paris

Mention the word homeopathy to most Western-trained physicians and their response will include either a blank look, an audible chuckle, or a raised eyebrow. "You can go to medical school and never hear a word about homeopathy," says Dr. Pieter Van Huele, D.C., a chiropractor based in Wilmette who incorporates homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, and nutritional counseling in his practice.

"Western medicine is really a medicine for the masses...for a society. It’s about generalized testing, and everybody pretty much gets the same treatment," Van Huele says. Not so with homeopathy. The practitioners of this system of medicine believe that the body has an innate capability of healing itself, and they prescribe remedies that are suited for individuals, not groups of people.

An increasing number of patients who are disillusioned with the all- encompassing approach of conventional medicine are now turning to homeopathy because of the personalized approach its practitioners take to wellness.

According to the American Homeopathic Pharmaceutical Association located in Norwood, PA, the sale of homeopathic remedies in a year is well over $165 million.

Not only are the sales of these products consistently rising, but their availability is becoming more widespread with seven out of ten pharmaceutical outlets carrying these all natural products.

Founded in the 19th century by German physician Samuel Hahnemann, this healing art can best be explained by the law of similars. In homeopathy, an infinitesimal dose of a substance that can cause a particular symptom, like a fever or cough, for example, can cure that same symptom when taken in homeopathic form. Remedies ingested by patients range from mercury to snake venom, and are denoted by their Latin name on the package.

New patients are often perplexed that substances regarded as dangerous or harmful to the body can also be used for healing. "I had to question my doctor twice when he prescribed a remedy of poison ivy," says one patient who sees a homeopathic doctor. Once the patient was cured from her ailment she never again doubted her doctor’s advice. "The remedies used in homeopathy are a bit different from what I’m accustomed to taking," she says. "It took me awhile to get used to the idea of taking these unusual remedies, but now I wouldn’t use anything else," she says.

If homeopathic medicine is considered to be an unusual way of practicing medicine, then what accounts for the public’s growing interest in this healing art? The answer is plain and simple: homeopathy works.

"Homeopathic remedies are tested on healthy people and these healthy people report all the changes that go on in their system mentally, emotionally, and physically," says Dr. Joel Shepperd, M.D., who has practiced homeopathic medicine for over twenty years in the Chicagoland area, and is the co-founder of the Center for Integral Health, a holistic health-care facility located in Lombard, Illinois. The symptoms that patients experience after taking certain substances are found in the materia medica which is a book which contains a listing of homeopathic medicines and the symptoms that individuals experience when they take these substances in overdose and homeopathic form.

Despite all the written material available on homeopathy there is no theory that fits modern science as to why small remedies work. Still, many people have found relief from their illnesses by taking homeopathic remedies. Abdul Qaiyum, the owner of Mertz Apothecary, one of the oldest homeopathic pharmacies in the Chicago area, was trained in Western pharmacology. Although he grew up using homeopathic remedies as a child, his college training made him doubt its effectiveness. "I was not personally sold on homeopathy," says Qaiyum, who admits to being a little skeptical about homeopathy when he purchased the apothecary from the Mertz family in the early 70’s. "It was good business, but I had this allopathic training and believed in taking pills," he says.

Then Qaiyum got sick and was offered help by a medical doctor who happened to be trained in classical homeopathy. Classical homeopaths believe in using only one remedy at a time. The doctor gave Qaiyum a constitutional remedy which addresses all the symptoms a patient has experienced both in the past and present. The physician warned Qaiyum that he might experience adverse reactions to the remedy, but assured him that it was nothing to worry about since it was part of the healing process.

Qaiyum says that for the first couple of hours he had forgotten that he had even take the remedy, but later that day he felt so bad that he thought he was going to die. "I was in bed and had three or four blankets on me, and I was shaking. I was shaking so much that even the bed was shaking with me," Qaiyum says. But this reaction was just what the doctor anticipated.

In homeopathy, the healing process sometimes involves experiencing the symptoms of diseases that were suppressed with allopathic medicine from the time you were a child, says Qaiyum, who, after taking the remedy, experienced some of the symptoms of malaria, a disease he contracted when he was young. Qaiyum says that he later felt a surge of energy race through his body, and the symptoms that he had been experiencing the day before were suddenly gone. "I felt like a new man after that," he says.

Not all people who take homeopathic medicine experience such extreme bodily changes. Kyra Walsh, owner of Walsh Homeopathics, a natural pharmacy that offers a wide range of homeopathic products, including remedies for dogs, cats, and horses, says that when she was given a constitutional remedy six years ago by a homeopathic practitioner, she felt better within 15 minutes. "When you get the right remedy this bell goes off in your system energetically, and you have this clear, strong energy...it’s like all of a sudden your body is in touch with this vital force inside of you," she says.

Before prescribing a remedy, the homeopath, who may be a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, chiropractor, or certified practitioner, will ask several questions regarding your health history, like what chronic conditions run in your family, and, if you have any children, what chronic ailments do they suffer from. If your parents or grandparents are dead, they’ll want to know how they died. They’ll also ask if there are any behavioral traits you share with other members of your family, and whether you or your family members have ever been addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Some practitioners may even inquire about events that might have occurred in your mother’s life while she was pregnant with you. But most will want to know the kind of health care you received when you were a child.

Then the homeopath will ask you to describe your symptoms. Once you have given a general description of what you’ve been experiencing, the practitioner will need additional information, such as if you experience the symptoms during a particular time of day or year, or what kind of psychological state you were in before and during the time in which you noticed the symptoms.

They’ll also ask questions to determine your emotional state. During your first appointment, a practitioner might even inquire about your fears, and try to uncover events and circumstances that might make you anxious. "I sit with people for about an hour-and-a-half or two hours in my office, and we talk about what’s going on in their life or what was going on when they developed the symptoms," says Dr. Toni Bark, M.D., who is trained in classical homeopathy and runs an integrative clinic, Center for Healing Arts, in Glencoe, that also offers acupuncture, chiropractic, and nutritional counseling. "Typically when they start to cry that’s when we’ve hit upon something that’s meaningful to them. Not everyone cries, but usually there’s something [that is said during the appointment] that is an Ah ha," Bark says.

Homeopaths treat the whole person not just their disease. "Good homeopathy [requires] that you delve into what’s going on at the emotional level — even if the patient doesn’t have an emotional problem....How does this person function in the world? How do they deal with their stress? How do they deal with their anger?" Dr. Bark adds.

Unlike conventional medicine, which attempts to suppress the symptoms a person is experiencing to eradicate illness, practitioners of homeopathy look at symptoms as defenses of the body and use these symptoms to determine the kind of remedy the patient needs.

"All living organisms possess the ability to heal themselves," says Dr. Bark. "Symptoms are just your body’s attempt to achieve a new homeostasis and so what [homeopaths] do is use those symptoms as a guide."

A homeopath’s skill lies in his or her ability to choose the appropriate remedy for the patient. The remedies derive from all natural substances from the plant, animal, and mineral kingdoms. Although homeopathy does make use of herbs, it should not be mistaken for herbology. "Homeopathy is not herbal medicine," says Dr. Shepperd. "We do use medicine that is made from herbs, but the preparation is different. Compared to herbal medicines, it’s much smaller in size, and much smaller in quantity," he says.

Homeopathic remedies are specially prepared in a process which involves the dilution of the substance followed by succussion, which simply means that the substance is vigorously shakend. According to Dana Ullman, M.P.H., who gives workshops and has written several books to help laypersons better understand homeopathy, the remedy is diluted in distilled water either one part to nine parts water (1:10), or one part to ninety-nine parts water (1:100). The potency of the remedy is indicated on the package using the Roman numerals X(10) or C(100). If the strength of the remedy is listed as 6X, for example, this means that the substance has been diluted 1:10 six times. If the potency on a package reads 30C this means that the substance has been diluted 1:100 thirty times. Homeopaths believe that no matter how many times a substance is diluted, the energy, or "vibrational pattern" — which stimulates healing — is retained. In homeopathy, the stronger remedies are the ones that have been diluted the most. But if you’re self-medicating, be warned. Dr. Toni Bark, M.D., says you should choose a more potent remedy only if you are sure that the remedy you have selected is the right one. "If you’re not sure, you shouldn’t go higher than 30C," she says.

If you are not comfortable figuring out which remedy to use, or determining what potency is best for you, you may want to try pre packaged combination remedies. Buying homeopathic remedies for conditions that you would normally self-treat with over-the counter medicine is perfectly acceptable, says Dr. Shepperd. There are several products available at healthfood stores and natural pharmacies that many people find particularly helpful, including remedies for colds and allergies.

"Self treatment has always been encouraged throughout the history of homeopathic medicine; a person should be educated and informed and know the limitations," says Dr. Shepperd. "If [people] are going to the health food store and looking for a key word on the label of a bottle then they could get in trouble. They could be ignoring treatment that is more efficient or they could be taking the wrong remedy," he says.

If you are suffering with a chronic condition, you should seek advice from a homeopathic doctor. Some parents choose homeopathic physicians for their children’s health care needs because of their concern regarding the repeated use of antibiotics on their child’s health. Also, an increasing number of individuals are becoming more alert to the fact that pharmaceuticals may help alleviate symptoms, but not without causing other health problems.

Homeopathic remedies are known to be safe, but Dr. Shepperd warns that you must still be alert when taking these remedies. "Homeopathic remedies are so small [in quantity] that they’re safe most of the time, but there are always exceptions. In a population of people there will always be those who are more sensitve and could have bad reactions."

Individuals who are interested in this kind of treatment can learn more about it by reading books and attending classes on the subject. Natural pharmacies and health food stores, for example, carry a variety of books on homeopthy. Kyra Walsh, owner of Walsh Homeopathics, recommends three books for the those who are new to the healing art: Homeopathic Self-Care by Robert Ullman; The Family Guide to Homeopathy: Symptoms and Natural Solutions by Dr. Andrew Lockie, and The Family Health Guide to Homeopathy by Dr. Barry Rose.

The Infinity Foundation, located in Highland Park, offers courses on homeopathy taught by Dr. Bark. One of the classes helps people to put together a homeopathic remedy kit. Her latest class offering is aimed at individuals considering studying homeopathy on a professional level and will be offered some time this year. However, no matter how many books you read, or classes you take on the subject, you will never find out the mystery behind exactly how homeopathy works. People who practice this healing art and those who have been healed by it say that doesn’t matter.

"Homeopathy is scientific in its coherence," says Dr. Shepperd. "That is, we apply the same principles, same rules, over and over again with consistency...and for 200 years, we’ve been getting results."

Darlene E. Paris is the author of Healthy and Natural Living in Chicago: The Best Alternative Resources in the City and Suburbs.

Visit these resources for homeopathic remedies and homeopathic health care
Dr. Toni Bark, M.D., Classical Homeopathy, Center for the Healing Arts, 650 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, IL; 847-835-6207

Dr. Joel Shepperd, M.D., Classical Homeopathy, Center for Integral Health, 400 E. 22nd Street, Suite F, Lombard, IL; 630-792-9311

Mertz Apothecary, 4716 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL; 773-989-0900

Walsh Homeopathics, 2116-1/2 Central Street, Evanston, IL; 847-864-1600

These places offer classes in homeopathy:
Infinity Foundation, 1282 Old Skokie Road, Highland Park, IL; 847-831-8828

National Center for Homeopathy, 801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 306, Alexandria, VA; 703-548-7790

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