Gentle Medicine

Words: Dr Narayan C DESHPANDE

Homeopathy is natural, holistic medicine.

It is also, by far, the gentlest, the safest and benevolent form of medical treatment. It aims to treat the whole person rather than just the physical, or apparent, symptoms.

Homeopathy is mind/body medicine. It looks at the —

  • Connect betwixt the brain, mind, body, and behaviour
  • Emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and other factors that could directly affect us in health and illness.

Homeopathy works on the pedestal that the mind and body are so strongly connected that physical conditions cannot be successfully treated without a fundamental grasp of the individual’s personality, disposition, or temperament, as also constitution.

Homeopathy is different from conventional medicine, where individuals are diagnosed on the basis of illness, or disease, by name — and, the same medicine is given for each condition.

Homeopathy prescribes a different remedy for a given illness, depending on a multitude of factors, such as the personality, disposition, or temperament of the individual/patient, their state of mind, and lifestyle. In other words, the illness may be the same by name, but the presentation in no two individuals is the same — so, they are prescribed two different homeopathic remedies that ‘fit’ their unique personality, or individuality.

Dr Hahnemann: A Pioneer Like No Other

Dr Samuel Hahnemann, MD, the founder of homeopathy, was a highly qualified and talented conventional medical physician. He was a meticulous researcher. He followed scientific principles and methods most rigidly.

A pioneer in the area of experimental medicine, and the first to use micro-doses of natural and chemical compounds, in healthy individuals, Dr Hahnemann recorded his observations painstakingly. His conclusions are the touchstone for the development of homeopathic medicine to this day. What’s more, they have remained unchanged for 225 years and are applied by hundreds of thousands of homeopathic physicians, around the world, with continued success.

Hahnemann’s legacy adds immense credence to the scientific reliability and also homeopathy’s methodical prowess. Besides, there is also no other branch of medical therapeutics that can assert this precise, evidence-based level of solid consistency.

Less Is More Medicine

The key to homeopathy is the ability to understand and interpret the individual’s, or the patient’s, symptoms — the external signs of the internal disorder — before and after a remedy is prescribed. This constant association makes homeopathy effective in figuring out, or deciphering, the underlying causes of frequently recurring, or chronic, illnesses.

Homeopathy fulfils one of the most fundamental rules of medical treatment — viz., “do no harm.” Homeopathy empowers its adherents — so much so, most common, everyday ailments may be treated safely, gently, and effectively at home using simple, safe, highly diluted energy-laden homeopathic remedies. If a common ailment were to develop into something that one cannot handle, a homeopathic physician should be consulted promptly.

One would, of course, do well to seek the guidance of a professional homeopathic physician for ailments that ought to be quickly and effectively treated, or for any condition that requires investigations. Certain serious ailments too may, likewise, be alleviated, using homeopathic remedies, under the professional supervision of a specialist homeopathic physician.

To emphasise the point, again — individuals who may have serious illnesses should under no circumstance engage in self-treatment; they should always consult a professional homeopathic physician. Because, they would be in the best position possible to approach problems with a specialised set of skills — to distil a given case and provide in-depth understanding of how the illness may have developed and/or progressed.

It is a fact of life that no one system of medicine is exclusive and/or can cure every illness. This is also reason why we, homeopathic physicians, espouse an integrated, holistic approach to medicine. This provides a flexible and pragmatic foundation to healthcare. Homeopathy has an important role to play in this line of therapeutics — where less is more medicine.

Homeopathy is far more than just sugar pills for everyday health issues, or ailments. It provides a whole new dimension of systematic reasoning and symptom-diagnosis, including a range of time-honoured approaches to holistic healthcare — for acute and chronic diseases alike.

Dr NARAYAN C DESHPANDE, BSc, MD [Hom], was formerly Officiating Professor & HOD, A H Medical College, Bengaluru, Professor Emeritus, and former in-charge Principal, Government Homeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Bengaluru, former PG Guide, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, former PG Examiner, Mangalore University, MGR University of Health Sciences, Chennai, Health University, Salem, and former Health Expert, Karnataka Public Service Commission, Bengaluru. A recipient of the prestigious Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Award for his 35+ years of commendable service to homeopathic education and alternative healthcare, Dr Deshpande lives in Bengaluru, India.

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