Homeopathy:

Although formally conceived by Samuel Hahnemann, MD, a brilliant German physician in 1800, the roots of homeopathy go back to Hippocrates, Paracelsus, the Mayans, Chinese, Greeks, Indians (Asian & American), and Egyptians.

All used the philosophy of like cures like. Hippocrates and other Greek physicians observed that if a person chronically ill with one disease was infected with a more severe disease that had similar symptoms - the chronic disease would disappear upon recovery from the acute, stronger disease. All older medicinal systems that have persisted through the ages share recognition of an underlying energy component to the individual. Pranna, Chi, Spirit & other names indicate their beliefs. Hahnemann was the first to combine the spirit like principle and the principle of like cures like to create well organized system of medicine capable of treating most ailments, even treating the underlying tendency to become ill.

The basic principles of homeopathic practice are:

1. Knowledge of disease: The sum total of all the symptoms, past and present represents the underlying imbalance that needs to be corrected.
2. Knowledge of medicines: Homeopathic preparations of herbs, minerals and body substances are tested on humans who report all changes occurring as a result of taking the homeopathic remedy.
3. Ability to match the remedy to the individual in the right strength (potency), amount and frequency.
4. Knowledge of obstacles to recovery: For each individual, learning what practices are detrimental to continued health. Nutrition, vaccination, environment, other drugs, changes, etc.
5. Knowledge of the possible outcomes of treatment

The basic tools we use in homeopathic practice are:

1. Materia medicas - books reporting the symptoms from the provings and from clinicians’ clinical experience.
2. Repertories - indexes of the materia medicas. lists of symptoms with the remedies known to impact on those symptoms.
3. Remedies - purchased from reliable pharmacies.
4. Clinical judgment - from veterinary training, or by working with a veterinarian, from many years experience with a particular species.
5. Study, courses, reading, and learning, learning, learning.

To summarize: the homeopathic practitioner will use questioning, materia medicas and repertories to select a homeopathic remedy that is similar to the energy imbalance in the animal.

They will give or have you give the homeopathically prepared medicine in a potency (strength) that matches the level of energy (vital force) and amount of tissue damage in this particular animal. They will tell you how to avoid obstacles to cure and know how to evaluate the response of the animal to your treatment. By periodically reevaluating the animal, they will know what to do next. Your job will be to be sure your evaluation agrees with the professional’s. If not, you need to seek another veterinarian.

Go to: SELECTING A HOLISTIC VETERINARIAN

Many courses are offered now in homeopathy so you can learn the process that a trained homeopath is using to treat your animal. You could learn how to treat some problems with your animals yourself. Check the courses section of the site to attend courses on animal homeopathy for professional and lay people. If you would like to host a course in homeopathy or holistic medicine, email us at info@vetadviceline.com.