By - Dr. Jimish Modi

The word 'homeopathy' is derived from 'Homoeo' meaning similar and 'Pathy' or pathos or system of medicine.

The origin of homeopathy

The word 'homeopathy' is derived from 'Homoeo' meaning similar and 'Pathy' or pathos or system of medicine. It is based on "the law of similars", SIMILIA SIMILIBUS CURANTEUR, meaning , 'let likes be treated by likes'. Accordingly, if a medicine has to act as a curative for a disease, it should be able to produce the same symptoms of that disease, when administered to a healthy individual. This was discovered by a German physician, Dr.Samuel Hahnemann, in his quest for finding a very simple and humane system of medicine, which would be gentle and not barbaric as those of the old school. In his experiment with Peruvian bark/Cinchona officianlis, he found that when he took small doses of refined Peruvian bark, it produced in him the same chills, headache and fever as would occur in a person suffering from intermittent fever. When the same medicine was given to a patient of intermittent fever, he was cured. With this realization, he experimented further on himself and his followers with other medicines and formulated a new system of medicine called HOMOEOPATHY. Homeopathy thus has the distinction of being the only 'pathy' using humans as provers of medicines.
 

The principle

According to the principles of homeopathy, there is a dynamic life force called VITAL FORCE that animates every living thing. Diseases strike at the dynamic level by weakening this vital force, the innate higher principle governing the internal defense mechanism. The weakened vital force expresses its imbalances in the form of symptoms which the patient experiences on all three levels of being namely mind, emotions and body. The discerning homeopath, during case taking, closely considers all these expressions of the vital force on all these 3 levels to derive the totality of symptoms. Homeopathy heals this totality of symptoms by stimulating and energizing the vital force to overcome the disease force, thereby restoring the mind, emotions and body back to health.
 

The cure

Homeopathic medicines are prescribed on the following criteria:
 

1. Single similar medicine: The totality of symptoms is compared with the various medicines in the mataria medica and the remedy, which is strikingly closest to the patient's totality, is selected. Only one medicine is chosen at a time.
2. Minimum dose: Medicines are administered in the potentised form. Potentisation  releases the dynamic curative powers of the inert substance, which when administered as medicines help in stimulating the vital force.
3. Minimum repetition: Once the medicines have stimulated the vital force, they reorganize themselves and encourage the inner defense mechanisms to overcome the disease. At the first signs of healing, the aggravation in the patient's symptoms will decrease and an appreciable feeling of well being is perceived. Once this stage is achieved, no further stimulation is necessary and the healing process continues. Only if an obstacle to the healing process is encountered or a new remedy is indicated, the medicines are repeated or changed.

Thus cure is achieved on all 3 planes of the being in compliance with 'Nature's law of cure ', which states that: "Cure takes place from above downwards, from within outwards, from more important organs to less important organs and the symptoms disappear in the reverse order of their appearance."