A comprehensive survey of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) called the National Health Interview Survey in 2007, reported that almost five million adults and children used homeopathy in 2006. Five million people are quite a few people.
I was first introduced to homeopathy in 1992, when my mother suggested that I go see a naturopathic doctor that specialized in treating patients using nutrition, herbs and most specifically homeopathy. At that time I was in my early twenties and I didn’t have any real health problems however there were a few symptoms that bothered me from time to time.
Emotionally I was drained because I worked one of the top five consulting firms in the nation and I easily worked 80-100 hours per week. During my first visit, my doctor who later became a mentor for me, Dr. Andrea Sullivan, asked me questions about my mental, emotional, physical, relationships and spiritual life for about two hours. She wrote down many things I told her and then started flipping through this thick book as I continued to talk.
At the end of the visit she pulled out a small bottle with white pellets and asked me to open my mouth so she could pour three or four of the pellets under my tongue and she sent me home. I had no idea what she had given me I just trusted she knew what she was doing. I responded and continue to respond well to homeopathy, believing that it has wonderful healing properties when correctly prescribed.
The small pellets are called a homeopathic remedy which are sugar pellets that have minuscule amounts of either a mineral, plant or animal substances on them. The substances are made through the process of potentization.
Potentization is the step-wise dilution of a substance with a vigorous shaking process between each step of the dilution. This process causes the essence or the energy of the plant to remain as part of the final product. This essence is said to stimulate the body’s innate ability to heal.
Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States (HPUS) which was written in 1938 outlines the guidelines for preparation of homeopathic remedies. The preparation is regulated in the same way as other over-the-counter medications with the exception that, since there is little to no active agent, that they do not require safety and efficacy testing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also requires that homeopathic remedies meet certain requirements as well.
There is no national licensure or certifications for practitioners of homeopathy. Naturopathic physicians are required to have two years of training and are supervised on how to prescribe it to patients during their medical training. In Arizona, Connecticut, and Nevada licensure is available as a homeopathic physician for medical and osteopathic doctors.
My believe is that homeopathy is a wonderful form of medicine. When it is prescribed correctly it really can have a quick and lasting response in the body.
When it is not prescribed correctly it doesn’t stimulation the body to produce healing and it seems ineffective. The key to effective homeopathic is finding a naturopathic doctor or another medical health care professional who knows how to use this medicine well.
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.com
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.healthydaes.com
Sources:
"Definition of Homeopathy." MedicineNet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3775.
"Homeopathy: An Introduction [NCCAM Backgrounder]." National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM] - nccam.nih.gov Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011.
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/homeopathy.
Dr. Dae's Bio:
“Dr. Dae" (pronounced Dr. Day) Daemon Jones is a Naturopathic Physician who treats the whole person using safe and effective combinations of traditional and natural methods to produce optimal health and well-being in the lives of her patients.
Reviewed December 27, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith