What are the “Plus” of Homeopathy?

When as a student, I studied homeopathy, the first impression was ‘how can anyone remember so many signs and symptoms of diseases matching to particular remedies?’ Isn’t it overwhelming to do that? Over the period of time, though I and many others like me could remember the similarity between numerous symptoms of disease and medicines, still we are firm on our initial idea of difficulty of the system. More than difficulty to study the symptoms, we find the artistic expression of diseases and drugs fascinating but hard to comprehend.

And here lies the beauty of homeopathy. If the people studying modern medicine criticize homeopathy for its numerous drugs for single disease, we say that is the crux of homeopathy and that’s what makes us unique! It doesn’t matter when every homeopath does not agree on the same genus epidemicus for a particular malady. When even during epidemics expression of disease may differ to some extent, why cannot four or five remedies be applicable in different cases? The ability of a homeopath to differentiate between different characteristic symptoms of the disease and the medicines make him a qualified or popular homeopath. The popularity obviously comes with the ability to cure.

The result-oriented systems of medicine therefore are popular among people from all genres. When you suffer from severe arthritis for years together and are not able to find relief with the best of analgesics, homeopathy offers relief. In such instances, people obviously do not think of the origins or medicines, their modus operandi, their physiological actions on the body, and their pathway to deal with the disease in question. They just know that homeopathic medicines taken regularly help them alleviate the symptoms of arthritis and they are able to walk on their own. Since times unknown, wise people have derived various substances useful for varied illnesses. Homeopathy has given a base to all these medicinal substances through the universal “law of similars” and ended all the speculations about the action of drugs.

The major plus of homeopathy known to lay people is the lack of side effects. Is it true? Well, when a qualified and expert homeopath gives a remedy for any ailment, his aims have to be understood in order to answer this question. All homeopaths say that homeopathy does not lead to suppression of diseases. But one must understand that if the remedy is given for considering the short term goal of alleviating symptoms, there might be some degree of suppression. Therefore, one must assure while prescribing that you give utmost priority to uplift the body’s natural defense mechanism and not suppress its expression. But on the whole, homeopathic system of medicines rarely leads to any complications whatsoever.

The best part of the action homeopathic medicines is the fact that it acts individually. When in the initial part of our career, we used to prescribe same medicine for different cases of any disease, for example common cold, I used to be surprised. In one person the results used to be marvelous and in another without any result at all. This is where we learn the art of not becoming “stereotyped” in practice. Being homeopaths bestows us with special responsibility of seeing each of our patients in different light from the rest. He is the person with his own charm and characteristics to us. Studying mentality of so many individuals per day definitely makes a homeopath mind reader no doubt! Most of the times, with the narration of mental symptoms and behavioral patterns of the patient, homeopath start correlating the entire picture with drug symptoms and by the end of the conversation is ready with the remedy. The art however is certainly not a joke and one has to master the art by perseverance.

No doubt God has given the special task of studying human beings to homeopaths. So, as homeopaths, we must respect His will and not get caught into the stereotyped rut of practice. Studying the artistic expression of people around is certainly an enjoyable and entertaining task. Just add a pinch of carefulness to it and prescribing will become a pleasant piece of art for you!