“Seeking the essence of a Life”….This one line beautifully sums up the homeopath’s quest when setting out to prescribe the ‘Constitutional’ remedy. I’ve used the word ‘life’ rather than ‘person’ because we know that Homeopathy works on animals and plants too. Wherever there is energy we seek to harness it for good.
First, a word on the mechanism of healing.
One thing to be very clear about is that it is our bodies that do the healing. Homeopathic remedies try to match that symptom picture in order to support and hasten the healing action of the body. This action is known as the Law of Similars, an ancient medical observation first noted in writing by Hippocrates (460-377 BC) but with its origins much further back in history when humans were developing. It means in short, ‘Like cures Like’ and is the primary axiom or law of Homeopathy. In fact the word Homeopathy in Greek comes from ‘Homeos’ = Similar, and ‘Pathos’ = Suffering or Dis-ease.
Lets first of all make sure we understand the difference between Acute and Chronic prescribing because it is often only in chronic prescribing that the homeopath has the opportunity to find the constitutional remedy. (skip this paragraph if you have read my blog titled Acute or Chronic illness – understanding Homeopathy).
When a Homeopath prescribes in an ‘acute’ situation for a condition that has arisen suddenly we look at the immediate and urgent symptoms which are usually very pronounced in acute illness. These symptoms are like little flags the body is waving at us to show how, in sickness, we are coping with a particular condition. Symptoms show us the direction the body is taking in order to deal with a threat to our equilibrium – for example we might vomit, throw a fever or cough up a lot of mucus. These are healing responses where the body is taking appropriate action to get us well again. Occasionally we get slightly stuck in these symptoms and that’s when an acute homeopathic prescription can help us along.
In a chronic condition, one which has been going on for many weeks, months or years, the homeopath has to take a far more in-depth approach in order to understand the natural healing mechanisms of the body because the chances are that we have become stuck in a pattern of repeated symptoms and our bodies cannot find the way forward without expert guidance.
So, what is ‘the essence of a life’ in terms of the homeopathic consultation and ultimate prescription of what we call a ‘Constitutional Remedy’ and why is it important to understand this?
Those of you who have experienced a full consultation will know that the homeopath asks some odd questions seemingly completely unrelated to your presenting complaint. You may be asked about lifestyle, diet, recurrent dreams, fears, worries, past traumas, as well as a comprehensive medical history. During this process you will gain a greater understanding of yourself – an added bonus! The reason we ask these things is because in order to make sense of the complexity of a disease in the body we must understand not only the physical response but also the mental and emotional picture. (See my Blog titled ‘The Remedy Picture explained.’)
The Constitutional Remedy, when found, is deep acting, it addresses our dis-ease on a fundamental level.
Lets take a cake analogy….
On the outside we see the icing, the presentation and possibly the smell, but what we really need to know is not just how it looks or even just how it tastes, we need knowledge of every single ingredient, how it was prepared and stored. Then we have the full picture – the essence of the cake.
Once this full picture is collated, with every nuance and peculiarity, and is understood by the homeopath, we find a closely matching remedy. The response to the dose in most cases gives us the energy to throw off the dis-ease. Sometimes, particularly nowadays when we take so many medicines which suppress our natural healing process, there can be many layers to peel away before we can finally see – and address, the constitutional picture.
So, please be patient with your homeopath. We work with what we observe but if we don’t 'see' the full picture straightaway, bear in mind, particularly with chronic disease, that it takes some time to understand every unique body and your symptoms cannot necessarily be resolved in a few meetings.
Every now and again we get responses from patients which are helpful to share. Here are two which I hope you find interesting:
"I took the first pill last night just as I got into bed. The reaction was instant, really within seconds. I could feel a mild burning sensation in my chest, mainly at the thymus area but really from sternum to throat. It remained even as I fell asleep and is still there now. It feels great, like a herbal poultice applied from inside. I was not expecting such a physically powerful reaction!!
And one more:
“Since I took the Calc Carb I am feeling better, more like me, so thank you. I have more energy and 'get up and go'.”
Thanks for reading this! Please visit my website for more interesting stuff like this about the gentle art of homeopathy.
コメント