Classical homeopathy is based on a number of ground rules
Classical homeopathy is a natural medicine, a method that has been developed through much research and experience.
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) is the founder of classical homeopathy.
He discovered through thorough and lengthy research that his patients’ symptoms were cured by substances that caused similar symptoms in healthy subjects.
In short, the like is healed by the like.
This is called the similarity principle and is the core of classical homeopathy.
When treating his patients, Hahnemann found that treatment was most successful when he compared all of the patient’s symptoms, including emotional and mental particularities, with his knowledge of the natural medicines.
The “whole” person has to be treated, not the individual ailments.
It is man as a whole that is central to classical homeopathy.
It is not the disease that is treated, but the whole sick person. All signs and symptoms of the patient are not to be examined separately, but treated as a whole.
The initial consultation will take about one to one and a half hour. This time is necessary to make a detailed description of your whole well-being. In addition to the physical and important aspects of your temperament (e.g. hypersensitivity, reduced to tears quickly, shy, anxious), I also look for a possible cause that exacerbates or improves these complaints.
Furthermore, information about diet, temperature sensitivity (are you quickly cold or warm?), details about sleep, dreams, mental functioning (memory, ability to concentrate) etc. are important.
Often, after the consultation the classical homeopath subjects the overall impression he has of the patient to a deeper analysis in order to arrive at a responsible choice of the best suitable medicine. It takes a lot of time and great care.
The homeopathic medicines are used to stimulate the self-healing ability of the patient. On a physical level we know it as the “resistance” or as the “immunity system”.
Also on an emotional and mental level one recognizes the presence of a so-called “life force” that naturally promotes recovery.
It strengthens the life force; the vitality.
The life force cannot be seen, touched or measured, but everyone can see it functioning.
When there is no life force, the body disintegrates into its chemical elements.
The “life force” ensures that the body is maintained. Without doing anything about it, your heart beats, your body is kept warm, incredibly complicated chemical reactions take place in your digestive system, in your nerves, etc. etc.
Your cells die and new ones are formed on their own. All this is controlled by the “life force”.
This “life force” also activates your immune system.
We see this when we become sick or when we get a wound. A small wound “closes” by itself. With good vitality, the body will repel viruses, bacteria and the like without help.
If the life force is disturbed, complaints arise.
For example, you may notice this if you have slept badly. Your vitality will then decrease. A reaction to this could be a headache and loss of concentration; another becomes shaky and drops everything out of his hands; yet another gets a cold and gets irritated more quickly. A good night’s sleep restores vitality and in all cases will help reduce any complaints.
If your vitality is disturbed for other reasons, you will also become susceptible to other complaints. The consequences of a reduced vitality can differ per individual, but in all cases the threshold for incoming – pathogenic – stimuli is lowered.
Suddenly you become susceptible to a virus or bacteria that you were previously not susceptible to.
When examining an illness, we first look for an identifiable cause.
In the above case of sleep deprivation, there is only one cure and that is natural sleep.
In other cases, if the life force is too weak to deal with a certain pathogenic stimulus, it can be helped by using the appropriate homeopathic remedy.
The resistance is increased and causes that would make you sick before have no more influence on you.