With the exponential growth of interest and publicity about alternative medicine, increasing numbers of people are exploring new options for their personal healthcare. Yet, for many, this is a very unfamiliar world with a confusing array of therapies, theories, and practitioners.

For instance, a new patient incorrectly assumes that the term "homeopathy" implies the use of herbs and/or nutrition. In fact, while homeopaths often make use of both herbs and nutrition as part of a general treatment strategy, homeopathy itself is a distinct and quite unique system of medicine which does not include either of the two. To make matters even more confusing, even within the world of homeopathy there are differing schools of practice. Walk into a health food store or pharmacy and you will find homeopathically prepared remedies with labels like "Teething Tablets" or "Migraine". The content of these bottles, the dosing methods and the basic idea of how to prescribe them is vastly different than homeopathic remedies employed by a trained, professional homeopath. Not infrequently, chiropractors and other healthcare providers will use muscle testing or other diagnostic procedures to choose a homeopathic remedy that is designed to stimulate an organ or gland, or eliminate toxins from the patient's system. These are yet another form of homeopathic treatment.

For the sake of clarification and education, let us go back to the roots of homeopathy to understand what it actually is — and is not. Homeopathy began with a simple experiment. It was performed by a man who had one of the most penetrating minds in the history of medicine, a man whose relentless efforts to perceive fundamental principles about health, illness and cure never ceased until the day he died well into his eighth decade.

While the homeopathic world reveres Samuel Hahnemann as a patron saint and founding father, unfortunately today his name is relatively unknown and his work ignored by the medical world at large. The hallmark of his scientific career was the use of experimentation along with careful observation and record keeping of the results.

Hahnemann's initial line of inquiry was to determine what it was that made a substance a true medicine. That is, what are the innate qualities of this class of substances that facilitate cure in a sick person? Think about that question for a moment — the answer is not as obvious as it might seem and notice that Hahnemann was interested in the action of medicines that cure, i.e. totally eliminate the disease state. He was not interested in substances that acted temporarily or just masked symptoms.

His first homeopathic experiment was the ingestion of a well known malarial medicine. As a healthy person who did not suffer from malaria, Hahnemann ingested a piece of the bark of the Cinchona tree and began observing the symptoms of malaria develop throughout his body. Without actually contracting the disease, this bark had created in him a temporary state that resembled malaria. To Hahnemann, that was a remarkable reaction which he felt was not mere coincidence.

Based on this initial experience and twelve years of further research in which he, his family, and a close group of colleagues conducted similar experiments, Hahnemann made a pronouncement in the waning years of the 18th century that has come to be known as the fundamental homeopathic principle called the "Law of Similars."

To Hahnemann, this capacity to alter the state of a healthy person is the quality that every true medicine possesses. All of homeopathy begins here. The basic endeavor of all homeopaths, then, is to precisely observe the disease state of the patient in order to choose a single medicinal substance that has the greatest capacity to induce that very state in a healthy person. Thus, we are given our most fundamental tools — our medicines — through an elaborate experimental process whereby groups of people ingest a particular substance, say a mineral or plant or animal product. They are carefully watched for days, months and even years for the resulting changes that occur.

These experiments are aptly named "provings." They prove the curative nature of the substance being tested. As an example, if during a proving a mineral substance causes many people to have throbbing headaches that are preceded by nausea, then it proves to homeopaths that it will be a curative agent when a person has an illness that manifests a similar type of headache. Likewise, if during a proving a substance causes people to feel despondent with suicidal thoughts, so will it be an effective remedy for people who fall into similar state of despair due to their natural tendencies.

Provings are continually happening within the field of homeopathy and have been ongoing since its birth. This is how such a vast body of documentation has been developed which homeopaths can draw from. In many cases, it is the homeopaths and students themselves who serve as subjects in these provings, being trained to pay attention to the minutest details and take meticulous notes.

It should not be difficult to see that with these provings we have a remarkably powerful tool to understand medicinal substances. The provings are also extraordinary instruments that give us insight into the nature of the substance being proven. It goes both ways. Through provings we learn both the way the substance can help the sick and we also learn secrets about the inner nature of the substance.

Just as scientists understand a substance by learning about the chemical composition or uncovering the secrets of its molecular structure, so homeopaths can understand a substance by revealing its inner nature through provings.

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Julian Jonas, CCH, CA is a certified homeopath and licensed acupuncturist practicing in Saxtons River, VT. He can be contacted at 802-869-2883 or via email jjjonas@sover.net.

This article was originally published in Spirit of Change Magazine—not to be confused with OfSpirit.com Holistic "Internet" Magazine & Resource. We thank Spirit of Change, New England's Premiere Holistic "Print" magazine, for allowing us to give new life to this article and share it with OfSpirit.com visitors for education, entertainment and empowerment.
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