Homeopathic Medicine For Life and Wellness

In Today's society, Instant Gratification has become our Mantra. Gone are the days when steady work over many years yielded a sense of satisfaction for a job well-done. We want our results Now, and if not now, very soon. Nowhere has this been a truer observation than in the practice of medicine. With the advances that have occurred over the past few years in technology and surgical techniques, patients are beginning to believe that no matter what ailment they develop, no matter how progressed or severe, some treatment or some modern advance is available to cure them quickly and completely. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from reality.

Our bodies need steady and continued care and nurturing to give us good health and service over a long lifetime of 80 or 90 years. Our health is actually dependent on several factors: our genetics determines to a large extent the maximum level of health we may attain and our vulnerability to particular stresses and breakdowns; the particular types and intensity of stresses that we are exposed to during our lifetime push on any weak areas; and the amount of care we give our bodies determines our capacity to recover from these stresses.

Medicine today has become particularly adept at relieving crises that occur in our bodies. You have a blockage in your coronary artery that is life threatening and a bypass or angioplasty can completely relieve the problem. You develop an asthma attack severe enough to stop breathing and medications can completely relieve the airway constriction so that you can breathe normally. The only problem is that your underlying heart disease or asthma has not changed. Medications and surgery are very good tools for removing symptoms, but not necessarily helpful to restore the body to a healthy balance.

Proper diet, exercise, rest, occupation and relationships are the key to maintaining the highest level of health possible. In an effort to maintain health and balance in the body, many people have adopted a healthier lifestyle with good exercise and diet routines, and avoiding obvious stresses like smoking, excess alcohol, and criminal behavior. But when the body falls into disrepair despite a good lifestyle, how can we restore balance? Many modalities including bodywork therapies (massage, chiropractic, etc.), herbal medicine, acupuncture, and nutritional therapies can be helpful. In my experience, homeopathic medicine can be one of the most powerful tools a restoring the healthy balance when things go awry.

Homeopathic medicine differs from the modalities listed above in that it uses much diluted forms of plant, mineral and animal substances to help stimulate the body to recover from an imbalance. Medicines are chosen based upon the individual pattern of the person with the illness, compared to experience through scientific experiments and clinical practice using the medicines. Ultimately, the most profound difference in the homeopathic approach is to consider the long term health and well-being as the primary goal, and to measure the success of treatment solely in these terms.

Let me give you an example.
A 14 month child comes to the office with a left-sided ear infection. She is screaming and obviously in a great deal of pain. Her fever is about 102° and she has a thick yellow white nasal discharge. . She clings to the mother and does not like to be touched. She has been refusing to eat over the past day. Additionally, there is a slight discharge from the left eye that is yellowish.

The homeopathic medicine Pulsatilla is prescribed in 30c strength and given in one dose to the child. Over the next hour, her irritability improved 100%. She became relaxed and less clinging. She was tugging at the ear less. Over the next 8 hours she seemed like her usual self, happy and eating well. Re-examination of the ears a day later revealed a fairly normal appearance with only some slight fluid.

While this improvement was dramatic, her clinical progress over the next several weeks was more remarkable. What the mother initially noted was a developmental leap in her behavior and speech. "She just became a much easier and happier child." Then, she seemed to be developing croup which she had when she was around 10 months of age. Her prior bout of croup lasted about 4-5 days, but this episode only lasted about 6 hours and then resolved completely.

A week later, she developed mild eczema over her arms and legs in a similar distribution to that which was present when she was an infant. This dry rash lasted about a week and then resolved. Over the next year or two she remained the picture of health. She grew and developed into a very happy toddler.

I present this case because it is a clear and simple example of how correct homeopathic treatment can stimulate the body to repair itself completely and naturally to return to the highest state of health possible. In this child, the ear infection resolved rapidly, but then the body went on to repair latent tendencies toward croup and eczema. In following this case over 10 years, I have not seen a recurrence of these problems.

Homeopathic medicines have helped patients with many types of medical disorders. But more important than simply improving the symptoms, they seem to help raise many aspects of one's health. I am not suggesting that our western style of medicine has no use. On the contrary, this type of medicine is invaluable in many instances. But with the help of homeopathy to help guide you to better health, hopefully you will need less medical intervention in the future.

Previously Published: Homeopathy Todayr
Additional information on Homeopathic Medicine and Optimal Wellness
available from Todd A. Hoover, MD, DHt 610 667-2138
www.toddhoovermd.com