Homeopathic medicine is a natural healing approach that uses naturally occurring substances of plant, mineral, or animal origin, which are taken in very small doses stimulating a person’s natural defenses or innate healing powers. The medicines are individually chosen for their ability to cause in large doses, symptoms similar to those a person is experiencing. Because of this, homeopathy’s basic principle is called the law of similars. The name homeopathy is derived from the Greek words: "homoios" meaning similar and "pathos" meaning disease or suffering.

Homeopathy products support, rather than suppress the body’s inherent efforts to heal its self. A homeopath is a person who practices the healing art of homeopathy. While it is good in some cases to visit a homeopath if one happens to be in your area, it is not necessary to derive the benefits of homeopathic products. Leading companies have produced incredible homeopathy products that are available in most leading stores. They are formulas created to aid with every major body dysfunction. You can use homeopathy products along with mainstream medicine usually with no side effects. We offer one of the best lines of homeopathy products both for humans and animals. Please look under Pet Herbals and Healing Supply section in our catalog for a listing of our homeopathy products for cats and dogs. Our version for humans is listed under the general homeopathy section in our catalog.

The Origins of Homeopathic Thought (taken from Castro, 1990 page 3)

"In the fifth century BC Hippocrates (c.470-400 BC) the ‘father of medicine’, wrote that there were two methods of healing, by ‘contraries’ and by ‘similars’. His writings show his insistence on a high ethical standard, on accuracy of observation and clarity of recording cases rather than on theory and symptomatology. He refuted the common idea that illness was punishment from the gods: ‘Every disease has its own nature and arises from external causes, from cold, from the sun, from the changing winds.’ He advised against meddlesome interference saying, ‘Our natures are the physicians for the diseases’. His observations on cure by ‘similars’ were not followed by the medical profession and over the next one thousand years seemed to lie dormant-except, of course, that country people throughout the world have used this principle successfully in their own folk-medicines for many hundreds of years."

The Founder of Homeopathy: Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843)

Hahnemann practiced medicine and chemistry through the University of Leipzig. He practiced medicine as a doctor in 1791 and did this for about nine years. Due to the painful, cruel, and mostly ineffective medical treatments of his time (purgings, bleeding a patient, and drugs with horrible side effects), he gave up his profession as a doctor and proceeded to continue with his research, study, and translations. Through one particular translation, a work called A Treatise on Materia Medica, authored by Dr. William Cullin, Hahnemann encountered a testimonial about the healing properties of Peruvian bark (also called Cinchoina) from which quinine, the treatment for malaria is derived. This work presented the concept of like curing like; it became the beginning of Hahnemann’s work into homeopathy. His work was outstanding. By the latter part of his life, he had produced about a hundred remedies, wrote over seventy original works and translated about twenty-four English, French, Italian, and Latin texts on a wide array of subjects. He also corresponded with homeopaths, colleagues and friends throughout the world; in addition to the work he did daily with his vast medical practices based on his homeopathy discovered cures.

Followers of Hahnemann include Constantine Hering (1800-1880) and James Tyler Kent (1849-1916). By the time of Hahnemann’s death in 1843, homeopathy was established throughout the world. There was a great deal of conflict between homeopaths and mainstream doctors (called allopaths to this day).

Today, homeopathy is popular over much of Asia. In India, it is now officially recognized as a separate branch of medicine and flourishes there, being fully supported by the Indian government. India has 300,000 full time homeopaths, the largest number in the world. West Germany, the birthplace of homeopathy has several practitioners.

Homeopathy is on the increase in the United States, after suffering a slight decrease here due to the powerful influence of the American Medical Association moved in 1911 to close many of the homeopathic schools due to their belief they provided a poor standard of education. The AMA created a large anti-homeopathy propaganda campaign. By 1918 the number of homeopathic hospitals in the USA had dwindled to seven.

In the modern time period, from 2000 and onward, it is believed there will be an incredible move by the people of the world back to natural medicine. The power will be removed from big government and big organizations like the AMA. That is why there are so many problems today with the AMA starting the same kind of scare tactics up against all of the various natural healing schools. They will not succeed. The public is now informed and this time, homeopathy along with her healing cousins will not be silenced.

How are Homeopathic products made?

Distinctly different from herbal products, homeopathic products are manufactures through a specific pharmacological procedure called potentization. Potentization is a process of diluting, then shaking; and then repeating the diluting and shaking again. This process is continued anywhere from a single time to over a million times. Most commonly the products are potentized to a stage of 3,6, 12, 30, 200 or more. When a homeopathic product is diluted one part to nine parts, it is called an "x" potency (i.e. 3x, 6x, 9x and so on). When a similar product is diluted one part in ninety-nine parts, it is called a "c" potency (i.e. 3c, 6c, or 30c).

The more a homeopathic product is potentized, the longer it acts, the more intense it reacts, and fewer doses are generally required.

References

Castro, Miranda. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook". St. Martin’s Press; New York. 1990.