What
are Homeopathic Medicines and how are
they different than herbs, vitamins
and other supplements? Most homeopathic
remedies are derived from natural substances
that come from plants or minerals. A
remedy is prepared by diluting the substance
in a series of steps. Homeopathy asserts
that this process can maintain a substance's
healing properties regardless of how
many times it has been diluted. Many
homeopathic remedies are so highly diluted
that not one molecule of the original
natural substance remains.
Key Points
* In homeopathy, a
key premise is that every person has
energy called a vital force or self-healing
response. When this energy is disrupted
or imbalanced, health problems develop.
Homeopathy aims to stimulate the body's
own healing responses.
* Homeopathic treatment involves giving
extremely small doses of substances
that produce characteristic symptoms
of illness in healthy people when
given in larger doses. This approach
is called "like cures like."
Homeopathy is the world's
second leading form of medicine; Chinese
medicine ranks #1 and Western medine
ranks #4. Homeopathy utilizes minute
doses of ingredients to stimulate the
body's natural capacity to heal itself
safely and naturally. Unlike herbs,
vitamins and other supplements, homeopathic
medicines are regulated in the United
States by the FDA as drug products.
The individual ingredients have undergone
extensive Provings in order to be listed
in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of
the United States (HPUS). The HPUS is
one of the official publications cited
in the Federal Food and Drug Laws and
it contains hundreds of monographs for
homeopathic ingredients that have been
found to be both safe and effective.
Because of this drug
classification, homeopathic medicines
are labeled with clear indications for
their therapeutic effects. Homeopathics
are designed for symptom relief and
promotion of healing and are to be used
at the onset of symptoms. Herbals are
preventative and support the defense
system or specific body functions; they
should be used during key periods of
imbalance or stress. Vitamins are designed
for daily nutritional support and can
be taken year round.
How do homeopathic remedies work?
Frequently the dilution is so great that
no chemical trace of the original substance
remains but, if no chemical trace remains,
how do the remedies work? A precise answer
is likely to be found outside the chemistry
laboratory in the field of physics, especially
electro-magnetism. The process of dilution
and succussion apparently imprints the
characteristic energy pattern, or blueprint,
of the original substance onto the water
in which it is diluted. This may be likened
to the transmission of television signals,
where the original scene is converted
into an electro-magnetic energy pattern
(a signal) which can then be broadcast
to your receiver.
There is abundant proof that the remedies
do work but homeopaths and scientists
have yet to discover exactly why they
work.
A homeopathic remedy acts as a signal
which energizes or stimulates the body's
self-healing powers, mobilizing the defence
systems and working on the mental, emotional
and physical aspects of the body.
Top
Treating
like with like, or the Law of Similars
Homeopathic remedies are
prescribed according to the Law of Similars.
This law states, 'That which makes sick
shall heal'. This means that the symptoms
caused by an overdose (too much) of a
substance are the symptoms that can also
be cured with a small dose of that substance.
For instance, we know that when cutting
a strong onion we often experience an
acrid runny nose, a particular soreness
in the throat and stinging, runny eyes;
so a homeopath will prescribe Allium cepa
(the homeopathic remedy made from onion)
for the patient who has a cold and bad
throat with these particular symptoms.
Homeopaths sometimes simplify the Law
of Similars by saying that they treat
'like with like'. The name homeopathy
comes from the same idea. It is derived
from two Greek words, meaning 'similar
+ suffering'. The Law of Similars has
been a part of medical practice at least
since the time of classical Greece, but
homeopathy as we know it today was first
formulated two hundred years ago by Samuel
Hahnemann, a German physician, chemist
and linguist.
Top
What
are self-healing powers?
Since medicine began it has been recognized
that there is a capacity for self-healing
within the human organism. In acute illnesses
such as colds, chicken pox etc., the body
naturally resists infection and, in time,
gets better through mobilizing its own
defences, helped by rest, fresh air and
the right food. In more long-lasting chronic
illnesses, such as repeated migraine or
depression, the body's vitality is often
too depleted to do this without assistance.
In these cases the right remedy will stimulate
the body's self-healing powers to start
the process of cure.
Over many years this self-healing power
has been given various names in different
cultures. It has been called prana in
India, chi in China and the vital force
in Europe. Researchers have attempted
to localise it in what is called, in modern
medical terminology, the immune system.
It is not yet completely clear to anyone
what exactly it is in us that heals disease,
though we often see demonstrations of
its power.
Top
Powerful
Physician Tested Formulas
Each natural ingredient is selected by
its clinical results. We have developed
synergistic combinations of the finest
natural ingredients found most effective
for today's health problems. The comprehensive
ingredients in a given formula are selected
for their ability to complement the other
formulas, creating an advanced therapeutic
effect that is greater than the sum of
the parts.
Top
Purity:
We use purified water that is mixed with
our homeopathic remedies. Our medicines
taste just like pure drinking water. We
bypassed adding any flavorings to the
water because if you are taking a medicine
over long periods of time many people
would get tired of the taste. Toniqa®
Medicinal Waters
are the purest medicine in both its actual
ingredients and its therapeutic action.
Homeopathy is considered to be one of the
safest forms of OTC medicines available
as the active ingredients are present in
extremely low concentrations. Homeopathy
is renowned as being safe, non-toxic and
non-addictive and is prepared in laboratories
licensed by the FDA to stringent quality
standards.
It is not possible to overdose on homeopathic
medicines and side effects are extremely
rare. As with all conditions treated over
the counter, patients should seek the help
of their homeopathic practitioner or doctor
if their symptoms persist or deteriorate.
