LESSON 5

• Alternative medicine - medical treatments that are used instead of conventional therapy
• Alternative medicine - focuses on stimulating body’s ability to heal itself via energy  alignment, herbal supplementation, and other balancing techniques
• Allopath

  medicinal treatment should produce the opposite effect of the disease or suffering.
• Allopath

  commonly referred to as Western medicine, evidence-based medicine, conventional, or mainstream medicine
• Allopath

  In the nineteenth century, allopathic medicine was based on a practice of opposites whereas the alternative branch suggested that “like cures like.” Present day differences remain but tend to revolve around a disease-centric (allopathic) versus a whole-body (alternative) approach
• Homeopath

  a system of therapeutics founded on the principle that “like cures like
• Homeopath

  a form of complementary and alternative medicine that uses very small amounts of natural substances that, at higher amounts, may cause a disease or symptom
• Homeopath

  was introduced in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann
• It started when he treated himself with a small amount of cinchona tree bark, which contains the malaria treatment quinine. It produced the symptoms of malaria without the consequences (anemia and jaundice from loss of white blood cells). He came up with the theory of like cures like.
• Homeopath

  •can improve the patient's psychological, emotional, and physical well-being
• Allopath

  •targets the body’s immunity system to relieve the symptoms
• Allopath

  •focuses on treating individual parts of the body separately, but it also comes with potential side effects that can affect overall bodily functions.
• Homeopathy is based on two theories and three principles.

  • like cures like
  • potentization
  • Law of similars
  • Principle of the single remedy
  • Principle of minimum dose
• Potency is indicated in three ways:

  • X or D (the decimal dilution scale): ratio of 1:10
  • C (the centesimal dilution scale): 1:100 ratio
  • Q (the quinquagintimillesimal scale):   1:50,000 ratio
• Homeopathy is based on rigorous dilutions and mixing, called successions. The dilution level is printed on the bottle of medicine
• A typical homeopathic dilution is 30X, where the X represents 10. So, one part toxin (such as poison ivy) is mixed with 10 parts water or alcohol. The mixture is shaken; one part of this mix is added to 10 parts of water or alcohol again; and the whole process is repeated 30 times
• The final dilution is one molecule of medicine in 10 to the 30th power (1030) of molecules of solution — or 1 in a million trillion. At this dilution level you'd need to drink 8,000 gallons of water to get one molecule of the medicine — physically possible but implausible
• Homeopathic medicine is regulated in the same way as conventional over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. But studies show that it is considerably safer than most OTC drugs, like aspirin and acetaminophen. 
• Acne: Formation of pustules; individual desires company, irritable, drowsy = Antimonium tartaricum
• Acne: Itchy eruptions; worse on face, chest, and shoulders = Kali
• Colds: Very restless, earache with a cold, hot, or bursting headache. Hoarse, croupy cough. = Aconite
• Colds: Fever, dry cough, sore throat, and throbbing pain = Belladoma
• Colds: Runny and/or stuffy nose, difficulty sleeping = Chamomilla
• Colds: Ripe cold with thick yellow-green nasal discharge. Moody, whiney, clingy disposition. Not thirsty despite a fever. = Pulsatilla
• Digestive ailments: Fullness, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, vomiting, bloating, gas, and constipation = Nux vomica
• Digestive ailments: Nausea due to travel or motion. = Cocculus indicus
• Headache: Intense, throbbing headache that is aggravated by light, noise, touch, or motion. Face is flushed or hot and pupils are dilated = Belladonna'
• Headache: Splitting pain typically in the front part of the head. Comes, goes and then returns suddenly. Irritable and wants to be alone. = Bryonia
• Stress: Nervousness, anxiety, and restlessness = Coffea cruda
• Homeopathy focuses on healing the patient; however, if a person suffers from violent episodes, even the practitioner would insist that the individual also seek the help of a psychiatrist
• Effects of Homeopathic Treatment:

  • Reducing Anxiety & Depression - assistance in fighting off or adapting to the illness
  • Treats Allergies & Asthma - focuses on the cause behind the development
  • Treats Chronic Diseases - dives into a person’s past and present health issues
• Potential Limitations and Side Effects of Homeopathy:

  • Homeopathic medicines can delay other healthcare options
  • Homeopathic medicines cannot prevent operations completely
  • Effectiveness of homeopathic medicines depends on the environment of the patient
  • Ineffective against nutritional deficiencies
  • Immunity of certain individuals to homeopathy
  • Side-effects
  • Risks such as heavy metals