Homeopathic Medicines –
Their Preventative Use
Considering everything that is happening in the world right now, I want to present, for your thought and consideration, some once well-known facts.
Homeopathy, as a form of medicine, through the better part of the 19th century, was the medical care approach of choice in the United States.
Homeopathy began in the late 1700s in Germany through the work of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a trained physician in Germany, who found a different – but historically sound approach for healing. Based on the principle of “Like cures like” (“Similia Similbus Curantur”), which was first introduced by Hippocrates himself, Hahnemann studied this the better part of his life, proving substances plant, animal, and mineral, in a very specific manner to get to the energies of these, so that these can speak to the body, helping the body do what it innately desires to do – and this is to be well.
Homeopathy considers health not just from a physical standpoint, but from an emotional and mental/spiritual one as well.
Homeopathic medicines each go through what are, within homeopathy, termed as “provings”, to ascertain and record the symptoms each substance will produce in a healthy person – these symptoms being each of these – physical, emotional, and mental. Thus evolved the homeopathic trademark of, “A substance which can cause a symptom in a healthy person can cure a similar symptom in a person afflicted by it.”
In 1799, Hahnemann was asked to go to a village not far from his home because an outbreak of scarlet fever (scarlatina) was beginning. While there, he came across a further idea within the parameters of homeopathy – that a substance that can cause certain symptoms can actually prevent these symptoms. He expressed his feelings about this discovery in his Lesser Writings, saying:
“Who can deny that the perfect prevention of infection . . . would offer infinite advantages over any mode of treatment, be it of the most incomparable kind soever?” Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, “Cure and Prevention of Scarlet Fever” (1801), from The Lesser Writings, pg. 377
And the idea of using homeopathic medicines for prophylactic – or preventative – purposes was born.
Interesting that this began at the same time that Jenner came across cowpox – and the idea of creating a vaccine (from the word “vacca” for cow) for smallpox.
Hahnemann was at first intrigued by the idea of a vaccine. However, through his own observation and study, he concluded that the “vaccination” idea could not actually fully work with the body, as homeopathic medicines do. And he was so impressed with what he was seeing with homeopathy that he continued building upon this his entire life.
Indeed, as far as homeopathic medicines for prophylactic use, he expanded this beyond scarlet fever. In his Lesser Writings, he also shares about his experiences with prophylaxis for cholera, occurrences of which were also widespread at his time as well.
Research into homeopathic medicines for prophylactic – or, again, preventative – use continue today. In many cases, these studies are involving millions of people, children to adult. And the effectiveness of these trials is standing consistently at right about 90%, when known exposure to disease has taken place.
More will be shared regarding homeoprophylaxis (“HP”) as well as how effectively homeopathic medicines have been in cases of epidemics and pandemics. References will be shared – further research encouraged.
It is simply time that mankind knows about and acknowledges that homeopathic medicines are not only gentle, but highly effective, for treatment as well as prevention.
So here we go.
