1. What is Homeopathy and what can it do for me?
Homeopathy is a healing modality that is often cross-referenced with Natural Medicine. When it comes to using medicine to treat disease, whether natural or pharmaceutical, there are two main approaches. The first approach, termed Allopathy, involves taking high doses of a medicine that is contrary to the disease. I.e in a case of an infection, taking anti-biotics or anti-microbial herbs. Or, for inflammation, taking NSAIDS, steroids or anti-inflammatory herbs. Another approach to practicing medicine, termed Homeopathy, involves giving small doses of a medicine that is symptomatically similar to the disease itself. Homeopathy is safe and gentle, has the capacity to provide long term results, and generally requires less treatment over time.
6. Do you do anything else besides Homeopathy?
4. Is a constitutional homeopathy remedy all that I need to be healthy?
My experience has been that patients who work with their constitutional homeopathic remedy are in better health, feel more like themselves and have less symptomatic quirks that detract from their everyday experience of life. Even those who take nutritional supplements find much improvement upon receiving a constitutional homeopathic remedy, one that addresses their deep underlying condition. In addition, food and supplements are better absorbed and utilized by the body after taking a constitutional homeopathic remedy. In many cases, patients can stop taking supplements that have only provided partial relief, which saves money and the aggravation of taking so many pills.
Such a scenario is likened to a person taking an acute homeopathic remedy. An acute remedy informs the sick person about the nature of his illness and like the boxer, how to properly navigate and overcome it. The result is a shorter duration of the illness with less intensity of the symptoms.
Every person has a unique mental, emotional and physical makeup known as a constitution. Corresponding to that makeup is our unique set of family genetics as it relates to our own personal strengths and weaknesses. Though no person is identical, there are general categories of constitutions. For example, someone might have thick/wide bones, gain weight easily, often be chilly, and crave dairy, sweets and eggs. Another person may be hot all the time, have issues with acne, crave meat and beer and be extremely intelligent. Yet another person may be extremely driven to succeed, rise to the top of his/her school or business, become CEO of a major company and despite all the hard work and wealth amassed, get depressed, develop heart disease and even contemplate suicide. There are hundreds of possible constitutions and each one has associated with it a number of physical ailments. It takes a learned Homeopath to be able to distinguish who needs what and to prescribe the right constitutional homeopathic remedy.
Taking a constitutional homeopathic remedy is similar to training in a sport like boxing in that it helps to correct one's inherent weaknesses. With correction of the areas that are lacking, the body reaches a level in which it is more at peace. The result is healing, better functioning and less of a need to overcompensate for its weaknesses.
3. What difference will it make for my health if I get a constitutional homeopathic remedy?
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Using a metaphor, let us Imagine someone is training to become a boxer. He trains all day and night for weeks leading up to a match. Training is likened to a constitutional homeopathic remedy in that it emphasizes the strengthening of all the weaknesses that this boxer might have. If not improved, the areas that are lacking will likely be the leading cause of his demise for the coming match. Let us say that this boxer has a weak right hook, for which he compensates by relying on his phenomenal left jab. Let us also say that he is good at blocking strikes to his head, yet in the process, he often leaves his flanks open and vulnerable. For instance, when defending himself, our boxer easily gets cornered while protecting his head and shortly thereafter is knocked down from a strong punch to his kidneys. To get the most out his training so that he can be the most well rounded and prepared for this fight, our boxer should emphasize improving his right hook and his lower body defenses.
5. What is the difference between constitutional homeopathy and acute homeopathy?
Homeopathy could be the only medicine one needs. However, given that we have physical bodies, with physical needs for particular nutrients, nutrition is also extremely vital. Most of us are nutritionally deficient in some way or another as we do not always get the adequate daily nutrition we need for optimal health. In addition, we accumulate toxins in the body, many of which are disease causing agents. As a Naturopathic Doctor, I have been trained to recommend foods and nutritional supplements that address a patient's nutritional and detoxification needs. I often times start with homeopathy in order to engage a person's innate healing ability to work at full capacity. Then, after 1-2 months of Homeopathy, I often bring nutrition into the picture. Homeopathy is sometimes all that is needed to resolve particular health issues, whereas, other times it does substantial good up to a point. Nutritional support is then addressed to bring resources to areas of deficiency and to support the body's natural detoxification pathways.
2. What is a constitutional homeopathic remedy?
It may seem like a silly question, but once you get bit by the homeopathy bug, this question may come up. First, it
should be noted that man does not live by homeopathy alone. Even though you may feel much better after taking your constitutional homeopathic remedy, i.e. more clear headed, more in tune with yourself, and less symptomatic, you still need to take care of yourself in all the obvious ways. Eating healthy, getting adequate movement/exercise and having a healthy family/social life are some examples. The good news is that constitutional homeopathy can put a person in a position where there are less mental/emotional and physical obstacles in the way of creating a healthy life. While a constitutional homeopathic remedy may not provide you everything you need to be healthy, it can be instrumental in planting a seed for healthy living.
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Now, here comes the match. Our boxer has become well rounded over these last few weeks of training. He is now stronger and better able to defend himself. Unfortunately, for our boxer, his opponent, who he has never fought before turns out to have a powerful uppercut. Though our boxer is adept at blocking and dodging uppercuts, his opponent has a way of tricking our boxer with a fake jab before sending out his upper cut. Our boxer, who has trained quite well up until now has come across someone who is able to breach his defenses. It should be noted that it is not due to an inherent weakness that our boxer is unable to defend himself from his opponent. Instead it is due to the cunning strategy of his opponent. Our boxer's coach studies the opponent and upon realizing what his strategy is, tells our boxer what to look out for. Eventually, our boxer may also figure out what his opponent's strategy is and how to overcome it, but his coach with his outside perspective understands what to do sooner. By conveying his observations and plan for retaliation, our boxer is able to have a quicker turn around and have better and quicker success at winning this fight.