by Vivienne Bradshaw-Black

The word homoeopathy (spelt "homeopathy" in America) comes from the Greek "homoios" meaning like and "pathos" meaning disease.

Until the arrival of the pharmaceutical companies and their patented allopathic drugs, herbal and homoeopathic remedies were major systems of treatment for ill health, and taught in many medical schools. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) became dissatisfied with the medical practice of the day, which was largely bleeding, purging and administration of drug mixtures. He was not the first, or the only, proponent of homoeopathic medicine but he was the one who was basically responsible for teaching it and so has become known as the so-called ‘father of homoeopathy’. Hahnemann’s four foundational tenets are:

(a) the Law of Similars 

(b) the single remedy

(c) the minimum dose

(d) the direction of cure (Hering’s Law)

Using the above four tenets, Hahnemann looked for the remedy which would produce the closest match to the sufferer’s symptoms and give a minute dose of that singular remedy.  This Law of Similars is expressed in the dictum similia similibus curentur (like cures like) and describes using a very small amount of a substance that, in a healthy person, would induce symptoms of the disease - a bit like applying the opposite in nature and the two cancel each other out. Something a little like the ‘hair of the dog’.

The same substance in a very small dose can be used to treat toxicity caused by that substance (e.g. mercury for mercury poisoning), or to treat the same symptom picture as caused by that substance (e.g. Belladonna for Scarlet Fever), by working on the body’s information and resonance fields. If there is not resonance (echo, reflection or vibration) between remedy and body tissue then the homoeopathic preparation will have no effect. This can be understood by considering that if there is no compatible receiver then the radio waves present in the atmosphere will ‘transmit in vain’. It is also important to have the right remedy/remedies in the right potency/ies in order for resonance to occur. If the potency is too low (nearing the substance end of the spectrum), then the problem could be made worse. This must not be confused with a temporary apparent worsening of symptoms caused by effective detoxification where dose adjustment usually solves the problem.

As pharmacy was taken out of the hands of the administering doctors and put into the hands of independent pharmacists via manufacturing drug companies, there came into existence a ‘new’ brand of science which was based on animal experimentation and clinical trials with the objective of producing patentable pills for all ills. Alleviation of symptoms, by way of chemical suppression, became the new dogma in treating health problems and this was intimately tied to Louis Pasteur’s theory of external microbes being causal factors in illness. This theory was disputed by contemporaries of Pasteur, notably Antoine Bechamp, and has since been proven false by many modern scientists. However, a massive multi-trillion £$ sickness industry has been founded on this false premise and now underpins the whole of today’s society on an international level. The understanding of natural corrective bodily mechanisms, along with the importance of diet and lifestyle took a back seat to chemical pharmacy. The ‘clinical trial’ and ‘research’ were born. 

Research always has an objective and the objective in medical research has become the sanctioning of drugs for the alleviation of specific symptoms, usually procured by suppression. Understanding the premise of research is most important. When a research project is commissioned, an hypothesis  is stated.  In good science, research is carried out to either validate or fail to validate, that hypothesis.

In bad science (which is usually commercially motivated) the objective is often to validate the hypothesis at all costs. If two objectives are stated which are opposites, and two different research teams carry out the work, each team will produce data to back up its own stated hypotheses. This partially explains why so many contradictory research papers are available. The vested interest behind the research determines the conclusion to be validated. All research has to be funded, either commercially or non-commercially. If the research team is not working to validate the stated objective of a commercial funding body, then the researcher will find the funding is stopped. This happened to Jacques Benveniste, in France, where he inadvertently proved the potential efficacy of homoeopathic remedies. This was clearly against the funded objective of the ‘powers that be’ and he, like many others, lost his funding. Scientists who think that ‘science’ is a benevolence for the service of mankind rather than a politico-economic servant might learn the hard way that this is not so.

The administration of drugs introduces chemicals into the body in order to alter biochemical function with the objective of silencing the body’s intricate ‘warning system’ which we all know as symptoms. Homoeopathy works on a subtle chemical/energetic level in low potency, produced by dilution and succussion where substances can be detected, and on an energetic level in higher potencies, produced by dilution and succussion where substances can no longer be detected, in order to not only potentially alleviate symptoms (similar to a warning light on a car dash board), but potentially put right the cause of the necessity for the symptom. An example of this would be in using an amalgam nosode for toxicity from amalgam fillings. 

In homoeopathic medicine, the Arndt-Schulz law is operative, which states:

1 A small stimulus will provoke positively

2 A larger stimulus has no further beneficial effect

3 A very large stimulus has a detrimental effect

One area where this law has been demonstrated is in the treating of cancer cells with drugs which should supposedly slow cancer growth rates. All too often however,  the drugs actually promoted the cancer cell growth rate. It is widely acknowledged that both chemotherapy and radiation treatment promote cancer by damaging the immune system. Certain cells might be damaged at the time, along with the immune system as a whole, but within a short time the same problem occurs in the same place or a different place (especially if surgery makes it impossible for recurrence in the same place) because the cause of the problem was not addressed. Thankfully however, not all fall into this category, especially if changes have occurred because of the severity of the situation and these changes have helped to address underlying causes.

Homoeopathy can be used to suppress symptoms, in the same way that drugs can, or it can be used in conjunction with getting to the cause of disease. Just because homoeopathy adheres very much closer to the first tenet of the Hippocratic Oath, ‘first do no harm’, does not mean that it is always used in accordance with the body’s natural physiological function and recuperative methods. The philosophy behind the treatment determines the way in which it is used and because of this, all treatments can be used allopathically, alternatively or holistically. However, when used correctly, homoeopathy will address the cause of disease and follow Hering’s Law which states that:

1 Healing is from the inside to outside

2 Healing is from top to bottom

3 Healing takes place from the most important organ towards the least important

There are two ‘camps’ in homoeopathic circles, classical and complex. Classical homeopaths adhere rigidly to one remedy at one potency at a time whilst complex homeopaths use combinations of remedies and potencies. I wonder whether Hahnemann himself would have moved on, in time, from his basic ‘classical’ stand as he gained further knowledge and experience. This is the problem when following another and the ‘dogma of the time’ becomes ‘cast in stone’, so to speak. When this happens, progress gives way to rigid adherence to understanding on a matter, which existed at a specific time and place in history. 

We see this in religion, also, where someone understands a principle, like John Wesley or Luther and then others, with blinkered vision, adhere rigidly to the understanding that these men had in a particular area at a particular time and, in so doing, block their ability to move on and gather understanding of their own, in order to add to what they have learned from others. It is not uncommon for such camps to squabble over dictum and minutiae (rigid opinion and minor detail) whether in homoeopathy, religion or whatever.

Classical homoeopathy also subscribes to constitutional remedies. These are somewhat similar to finding the overall ‘disease state’ picture and matching it with the substance which will produce the nearest effect when administered in its gross (overall) state. Then a potency of that substance is given as a remedy. With the constitutional remedies, the whole persona is classified into certain categories and then the remedy chosen which most closely matches the whole person picture. Because people are complex and individual this is not always easy and more than one constitutional remedy might be appropriate. However, appropriate for what? 

If the cause of a problem is lack of water, or dehydration, then water is the remedy not homoeopathy. If mercury toxicity from amalgam fillings is stopping uptake of water, then an amalgam nosode is an appropriate remedy, along with water. The prerequisite step of removal of the offending fillings is of primary importance here to prevent further intake of mercury. This must be done properly and fillings replaced with non-fluoride white material. If water uptake is ineffective because of nutritional deficiencies, such as unrefined salt to balance intra- and extra-cellular osmotic pressure and/or essential fatty acids, then these should be taken rather than a homoeopathic remedy although one or more homoeopathic remedies might be relevant as well  However, the causes of health problems are multiple and intertwined and water, nutrition, detoxification and other aspects of getting to the cause(s) all have to be considered for successful and long term results.

We are now seeing disease states which Hahnemann could not have imagined in his day. It is a great blessing that this generation, which sadly witnesses the disease states of the 21st Century, also has men and women of great understanding and learning, but who are not necessarily strict adherents of the theories of Hahnemann’s day. They, too, treat homoeopathically and there is much to learn from them. Complex homoeopathy certainly does appropriate itself to the complexities of modern day health problems if used correctly as an aid to correcting the cause of the problem(s). Just as vitamin C can only correct a vitamin C deficiency, so can homoeopathy truly stand alone if the cause of the problem is lack of homoeopathy. This is never the case. 

Homoeopathic remedies can be made in liquid, pill and powder form, alcohol usually being the preservative in the liquid form, sugar (lactose, sucrose, fructose) in the pill and powder forms. Learning how to make low potency homoeopathic remedies is a very useful tool. Herbs can be diluted and succussed in this way and so can antidotes be made to allergens and poisons. Being able to determine correct remedies and potencies and make your own homoeopathic form, is a most valuable asset as an aid to healing. Homoeopathic preparations differ widely in their effects according to the potencies.

The energy pattern of a substance, in homoeopathic potency, can also be transferred to liquid, pill or powder forms electronically by equipment which copies the remedy information signature into a carrier base. This is known as electronic homoeopathy or vibrational medicine. Some forms of flower remedies are also made in this way. It is also possible to add remedy signatures to creams and lotions in this way. With the addition of hand-held extensions it is also possible to have direct treatment via electronic and computer equipment. Jacques Benveniste is one who has glimpsed the ramifications of electronic medicine and surmised that one day, treatments could be obtained over the telephone or with ‘cards’ like credit cards. A man before his time?

It is vital to grasp the principle that nothing happens in the physical realm until it has been caused to happen by the energetic realm. Energy always precedes substance. For those who doubt the above statement, see if you can come up with anything at all which did not have an energetic cause. There is no effect without a cause and that is just simply a law of physics.

Homoeopathic and vibrational remedies are similar but strictly speaking, not the same. Homoeopathic remedies are made from substance whereas vibrational medicine copies or uses the energy pattern of the substance without its presence. Some other ways in which homoeopathy is used, and some useful terms,  are listed below:

Homoeopathy -  affects the energetic system which initiates biochemical, physiological and psychological reactions. Where homoeopathy is used for detoxification purposes, it is a most effective inroad to cellular toxicity and maximised where dehydration, electrolyte imbalance (notably unrefined salt deficiency - see ICHC Salt article) and essential fatty acid deficiency are corrected. The human body is over three quarters water and homoeopathic remedies resonate in this fluid medium. Dehydration at a cellular level can be lack of water intake and/or water uptake.  

Classical - one remedy, at one potency, at any one time, basically because Hahnemann remedy did so.

Kinesiology, or muscle response testing, is a useful tool to test remedies for suitability and for combination compatibility. Homoeopathy is scientific and neutral in nature but can be used or misused just as anything else can. One of the laws of health is that it is on three levels, spirit, soul (or mind) and body. Another is that of cause and effect. If homoeopathy is used where it is an appropriate tool for the job (finding the cause of a problem and correcting it) then it is likely to be very successful. 

Homoeopathic remedies seem to be more effective if they are given prior to need. This can be demonstrated in the true story where a family of four went out for a meal and all ate the same food. Three of them got food poisoning from their trip to the restaurant. The fourth family member happened to be on a personally tailored detoxification programme which incidentally included a salmonella nosode. He did not get food poisoning despite eating the same food.

This principle also holds true where an amalgam nosode is given prior to mercury removal for replacement fillings. Where the immune system takes a ‘knock’ in mercury removal, it is wise to give a 30c of the white filling replacement material also in order to avoid potential immune reaction to the new material. 

Nosodes are in a league of their own as far as today’s toxic lifestyle is concerned. They are extremely useful in the prevention and treatment of childhood vaccinations. They could well be used as a matter of course because even if parents decide not to vaccinate their children, they will be mixing with others who are vaccinated and the ‘opportunity to detoxify’ is ever present in this situation. Nosode precaution is a choice and so is treatment of naturally caught childhood diseases which are the wise natural mechanism for getting rid of inherited ‘baggage’ and a child often has a growth spurt after such a detoxification episode. A measles nosode will minimise the effects of measles whilst maximising the detoxification associated with it. 

Where vaccine damage is treated the nosode would be of the vaccine material itself (e.g. measles vaccine 30), rather than the nosode of the naturally occurring ‘disease’ (e.g. measles 30). Specific target areas can be supported with a sarcodes (e.g. mucous membrane, eye 30) and constitutional remedies.

The use of homoeopathic treatment is open to great creativity by a practitioner. Each person taking remedies is also an individual and response to remedies can only be seen after they are given. The potency of homoeopathic treatment sometimes has to be seen to be believed in both people and animals. Homoeopathically prepared herbs presents a wonderfully powerful treatment mode which opens scope for powerful combinations and usages.

There are various guidelines which have to be adhered to for successful employment of homoeopathic remedies:

8 Stimulate lymphatic drainage by massage of lymphatic reflexes (see lymphatic reflex points diagram) or rebounding (but barely leaving the rebounder) if possible for five minutes daily (see Lymphatic System article).

Vivienne Bradshaw-Black has a background working with the following therapies: Shiatsu, Holistic Health Care, Kinesiology, Body Balance, Massage, Emotional Stress Release, Oxygen Therapies, Allergy testing, Homeopathy, to name but a few. Vivienne is currently studying for The Higher International Diploma in Herbalism with The School of Natural Health Sciences.

This article is an extract from the Informed Choice Health Course ©1996. 
For ICHC Workshop information contact Vivienne Bradshaw-Black,
Fax +44 (0)1476 567420
E-mail: VivshawUK@aol.com