Homeopathy is the oldest holistic medical system in the modern scientific era.
The origins are credited to Samuel Hahnemann who brings the subject into the foreground through his 1810 book “Organon of the Rational Healing Arts”. In this book Hahnemann lays out the basis of all medicine, Homeopathic, Antipathic, Allopathic and Isopathic.
To understand Homeopathy is to understand what it is not. Let’s look at what Antipathy refers to substances that produces a reaction opposite to the patient’s pathos, or suffering. These include antibiotics, anti-spasmodics, anti-depressives.
Allopathy, meaning suffering, is a kind of temporary bandaid. The simplest example would be taking an aspirin; a more complicated example would be the usage of steroids. Isopathy, meaning identical suffering – employs the use of the very substance that causes the illness as also being the treatment for that same illness. Homeopathy includes some isopathy. For example an allergic reaction to ragweed would use diluted ragweed pollen as the remedy. An extreme example outside of Homeopathy is the current “jab” whereby the virus that causes the illness is then injected in massive amounts into the recipient. All the nefarious aspects of the jab would need to be taken up in another article (or 2 or 3 articles!).
Allopathy and Antipathy are drug therapies – in that they do something to the individual. In regard to Homeopathy and Isopathy, the patient is doing something to the substance.
This is the first of a series of articles published weekly for Community Hubb.
Homeopathy takes into account the whole – the total person — when investigating their health. When we say holistic, we mean that all symptoms – mental, emotional, and physical – are taken into consideration. To break this down further the individual’s moral and intellectual character, mode of living and habits, social relationships, age, and sexual function are also considered. And to elaborate on the word symptom (which means signal — as in something is wrong), these symptoms could include fear, anxiety, depression along with arthritis, cancer,etc. The strength of symptoms determine the strength or weakness of Hahnemann’s term “vital force” (i.e. essential energy). We will continue to investigate Homeopathy and its valuable applications in future articles.
Robert Stewart, CCH, RS Hom (NA) has been the past president of the New York Society of Homeopaths; founder/director of the New York School of Homeopathy; past vice-president of the North American Society of Homeopaths; and has taught on the subject for over 30 years.