Homeopathy is an effective and scientific system of healing, which assists the natural ability of the body to heal itself.
Homeopathy recognises that the symptoms of ill-health are the expressions of imbalance in the whole person. Only by treating the individual as a whole can we hope for cure. Well-being (optimum health) is not simply an alleviation of symptoms, it is to experience a sense of optimism, freedom and joy of life.
A principle of Homeopathy, like curing like (as opposed to Allopathy, which is treating with opposites) has been known from the time of Hippocrates in Ancient Greece. In the late eighteenth century, a German doctor Samuel Hahnemann (1755 –1843), rediscovered this true approach to cure, which he called “Homeopathy” from the Greek meaning “homoios” meaning similar and “pathois” meaning suffering or disease. Hahnemann tested and successfully demonstrated the fundamental principles of nature – that if a
substance can create certain symptoms in a healthy individual, then it will heal another person suffering from similar symptoms.
In order to restore the sick to health, a homeopathic preparation is administered which is similar in effect to the symptoms experienced and expressed by the patient on an intellectual, emotional and physical level – quite simply, the “totality” of symptoms.
To achieve this enhanced medicinal action and remove the problem of side-effects, a special method of preparation of the remedies was developed by Hahnemann, called “potentisation”. The original substance from which the remedy is prepared is subjected to a series of dilutions or trituration. Between each stage of dilution or trituration, the medicinal solution is shaken, a process called “succussion”. After such preparation, remedies are referred to as “potencies” to signify the way in which the original substance has been transformed. Living organisms are particularly sensitive to remedies prepared in this dynamic way and it is precisely for this reason that they are so effective when administered according to the “law of similars”.
Samuel Hahnemann spent a lifetime defining the principles of Homeopathy based on his observations of the natural process of health and disease. The founding text of Homeopathy “The Organon of Medicine” represented through its six editions the refining of the principles of Homeopathy. It is only through a deep understanding of Hahnemann’s philosophy of cure, that we can, like the many pupils drawn to Hahnemann in his lifetime, hope to emulate the work of this and other great homeopathic physicians.
In the historical evolution of homeopathy, especially since the 1980’s, there has been a separation between Classical and the more Practical and Clinical based methodologies. The Classical approach, originally founded by Hahnemann and Kent, is from the eighteenth century, whereas the Clinical methodology, which reflects modern developments and understanding, is designed to address the changes in lifestyle and disease found in the twenty-first century.
The teaching at The Homeopathic College of East Anglia encompasses both the Classical and the Clinical methodologies of homeopathy. We provide professional homeopathic education, reflecting established homeopathic principles and methodology, yet educating and preparing students fully in modern, current homeopathic treatment methods. This combined methodology, blending old with new, ensures that our students are fully prepared to confidently apply homeopathy within today’s medical and health care environment.
