The Minimum Dose and Potentized Remedies
Early in the development of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann experimented with reducing the dose of the substances he was using in order to minimize toxic drug effects. He discovered something quite amazing. When a substance is diluted in steps with forceful shaking between each dilution, the substance not only retains its therapeutic effect but it is enhanced, able to cure at a deeper level. This process is called potentizing. Some doses of homeopathic remedies you can buy still have some molecules of the original substance left, but most do not. Homeopathic remedies work at a level other than the physical, encouraging self-healing instead of directly altering chemical processes. A benefit of this is that homeopathic remedies don’t have side effects. Taking a dose of a remedy that doesn’t match the symptoms at all has no effect.
Powerful, safe, and effective
Potentized Is Not Placebo
Skeptics claim that it only works by the placebo effect. However, homeopathy is very effective in babies and animals. Numerous double-blind clinical studies have shown that homeopathy does not rely on the placebo effect. (See Research links.) Even cell cultures have been shown to respond to potentized substances. The difference is clear to anyone who has the experience of trying numerous unhelpful remedies followed by a remedy that really works. In fact, my first experiences with homeopathy did not provide relief but the did alter the quality of my symptoms. I could definitely observe that there was an effect other than what I had expected, which launched my journey to becoming a professional homeopath. And, of course, for those who have experienced a very good constitutional result from homeopathy, the holistic shift is undeniable.
Scientists still don’t understand how potentized substances work on living organisms, but they certainly do work. (Scientists don’t understand how gravity works either, but they do know the law that it follows, just as with homeopathy.) Several of the skeptics who have set out to disprove homeopathy over the years have ended up being some of its greatest proponents.
Sources of Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies have been made from many plants, minerals, animal tissues, and modern synthetic substances. There are currently more than 4,000 cataloged homeopathic remedies!
Homeopaths have found that all substances will produce at least some symptoms when taken by people who are sensitive to that substance. Symptoms from homeopathic provings and from cured cases are compiled in books called materia medicas, which are then used to match the symptom patterns of substances to symptoms of individuals who are ill.