Myths and Facts about Homoeopathy

1. That Homoeopahty is very slow to act

This is a myth .The fact is, relief from Homoeopathic medicine can be seen within few minutes to some hours. In acute conditions homoeopathy not only gives instantaneous results but also cuts short the period of illness with a shorter convalescent period, the long lasting weakness or relapses seen after the conventional treatment of acute diseases can be done away with Homoeopathy. Homoeopathy is usually chosen to deal with the chronic and lingering problems and such problems do take longer time to recover from, this at times creates an impression that the drugs are slow in action, also, many patients do resort to homoeopathic treatment after trying all other systems where their problem already gets older and suppressed, at times grossly mismanaged, where restoring the balance can prove challenging and eventually time-consuming. Most cases where Homoeopathy is blamed to act slowly are usually incurable by any other system of medicine.
Most of the acute conditions like diarrhea, fever, headache, colic, backache recover instantly with well – selected homoeopathic drugs. It can be said that the response with the homoeopathic drugs usually depends upon the duration and intensity of the problem and is not at all slow.
We, for example, at Panacea Homoeopathic Clinic, in almost every case, try to start the medication during case taking itself and try to start relief in their acute complaints then and there only. Relief has been afforded as early as within two minutes even in severe headaches, long continued joint pains and also the cases with respiratory distress. Recently a lady suffering from Scleroderma with Raynaud’s phenomenon, who had been taking painkillers for several months and yet been sleepless due to pain for many nights together could sleep on the first day itself with the rightly selected homoeopathic medicine.

2. Homoeopathy increases (aggravates) the problem first before it cures.

This is again a myth. Whenever a right homoeopathic remedy is chosen, it is supposed to relieve the complaints & not to increase. It does happen that some of the symptoms, previously suppressed with non Homoeopathic medicines, may come on surface only to be cured properly by the same medicine. Homoeopathic aggravation is a term applied for a short rise in intensity of the physical symptom with feeling of general well-being as the vital energy is concentrating on the affected organ while bringing the system at ease. For example if a patient suffering with fever is given the right homoeopathic medicine visibly the fever might rise further briefly but the patient will rather start feeling better almost instantly his throat pain, headache or body ache or any concomitant symptoms will become less intense and he / she descend in deep and refreshing sleep. The logic for the homoeopathic aggravation is that most of the times we take body’s reaction to an infection or disease producing agent as disease like a nasal discharge or fever might be our defense mechanism working hard to flush something unhealthy out of our system or to kill some intruding virus but we take the discharge or the fever as a disease and try to suppress these by all means. While in homoeopathy we take these as vital responses towards disease necessary for defending and cleansing our system and a homoeopathic medicine is supposed to strengthen and improve these reactions and help them mature properly to prove productive for our health rather than to abort and or suppress the same like in conventional medicine.
Sometimes a patient who is dependent on some other medicines, for example, steroids, stops them, and then he gets the original disease symptoms, and considers that the disease has got aggravated.

3. All medicines in homoeopathy are same.

All homoeopathic medicines are not same though they look alike. As the vehicle used to dispense them is common i.e. white sweet pills, one may get the impression that all homoeopathic medicines are the same. Since the homoeopathic medicines are prepared or diluted in alcohol first and taking it in that form is not only difficult but impractical as well. The founder of homoeopathy devised this most benign and simple method only for the convenience of dispensing the minute doses of homoeopathic medicines with ease and precision. It is these sweet pills that make homoeopathic medicines so popular with children and even infants can be seen willingly taking the medicines and even demanding more once aquatinted with the taste of these medicines.

4. Too many dietic restrictions.

In olden days, some restrictions in diet like coffee, onion, garlic, asafetida, tobacco, betel etc. used to be advised. Some also used to advise against use of perfumes & strong smelling items in diet or otherwise. Since Homoeopathy is an evolving science and during the last two hundred years or so since it’s discovery the ever widening, collective and cumulative clinical experience showed that even those patients who did not follow these dietary restrictions improved with proper homoeopathic treatment equally well as those who did. Hence these rather unpopular dietary restrictions that made homoeopathic treatment rather notoriously difficult gradually became obsolete and find little acceptance with the modern homoeopaths. In certain cases, however, very few dietary restrictions may be advised which is extremely rare. Dietary restrictions at times are suggested totally on the basis of the disease patient is suffering from & the stage of the disease. Besides, to chew Tobacco or betel, excessive use of alcohol and other narcotics or harmful substances are established health hazards & prohibited not only by homoeopaths but by all systems of medicines. Here too a real homoeopath would rather use these cravings as guiding symptoms and try to fight them at that level only i.e. try and reduce the dependence of the patients on such harmful stimulants as well as motivate the patient to use his her own will and conscience against the addiction.

5. One can’t take them in diabetes as pills are sweet.

The amount of sugar in these pills is almost negligible and, the doses needed are also so small in Homoeopathy. Moreover, they have never caused any harm in any case of Diabetes mellitus till date. Sugar free pills are also available. If necessary, medicines can be given in distilled water also.