Hippocrates, generally considered the father of medicine, wrote, “By similar things a disease is produced, and through the application of the like it is cured.” Dr. Hahnemann, in 1791, described the Law of Similars as “Let likes be treated with likes.” Homeopathy is the treatment of disease with a similar substance to create a curative process within the vital body.

Unlike most forms of natural medicine which can bolster the body’s natural defenses and make the body’s vital energy stronger prophylactically, homeopathy MUST treat the symptoms that are presenting at any given moment. The symptom must be present first in order for the homeopathic remedy to be effective.

Homeopathic remedies are made from substances that would create the same symptoms that you are trying to correct in a healthy body. For example, arsenicum album is basically arsenic, a fairly deadly poison. If a healthy individual were to take arsenic, it would produce symptoms of nausea, vomiting and convulsions. However, if an individual with these symptoms were to take the homeopathic remedy arsenicum album, these same symptoms would be reversed and a level of homeostatic balance would be achieved.

Homeopathy is an excellent addition to your natural medicine chest. They work well with essential oils as well as herbs... just be sure to treat the symptoms as they are presenting.

In addition to using the principle of “like cures like”, you must also take into consideration the vital energy of the patient when you are using homeopathics. A person is said to be suffering from disease when their vital energy is out of balance. Many factors need to be considered when determining how the vital energy has become imbalanced. One of the most important factors is heredity. Specific disease patterns can be passed from parent to child energetically. These tendencies can lie dormant in the child until some external factor causes them to awaken. Once awakened, these symptoms are treated with the appropriate remedy. Vital energy is also upset by emotional trauma. Emotional wounds, left untreated, can create chronic ailments in the physical body. Once the physical body is weakened, a specific symptom picture is presented which should be addressed with the appropriate remedy. Exposure to toxic substances as well as serious injuries also alter the body’s vital energy and should be dealt with as quickly as possible.

After treatment with the right homeopathic remedy, it is essential to know in what direction the healing will occur. The direction of the cure will always be from the inside out and from the upper part of the body to the lower. Improvements in the vital energy must come first. With a balanced vital energy, improvements are made in the mental and emotional aspects of the individual. Finally, the physical body responds. Change will occur in the deeper organs first moving to the surface as well as starting in the upper part of the body and moving downward. The order of the healing will be in a reverse order of the appearance of the symptoms. This means that the most recent symptom will disappear first and the first symptom will disappear last.

One final thought: Never repeat a homeopathic remedy as long as it is continuing to act. It is acting as long as the symptoms have dissipated. When the symptoms reoccur, then reevaluate the symptoms and treat with the appropriate remedy.