What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is derived from "Homios" and "Pathy". That means similar system where "an illness can be treated by a remedy which when administered to a healthy individual, capable of producing similar illness".
Homoeopathy is said to be slow acting, Why?
Homoeopathy is fast acting in acute conditions such as infections, fever, diarrhea, etc. The chronic and old disease such as psoriasis take a long time to treat hence homoeopathy has been labeled as slow acting Time taken is according to the depth,severity and duration of the disease. One may say that homoeopathy may be slower than the effect of steroids. One must know that homoeopathy is faster in the treatment of conditions where modern system of medicine is unable to satisfy the patients such as allergy, asthma, eczema, migraine, psoriasis, Hypertension, Diabetes, Ortho Disorders etc. It is a myth that Homoeopathy is useful only for the chronic conditions and and has no role for acute ailments. Homoeopathy is a great alternative medicine for acute diseases. In fact, almost 50% of practice of any professional Homoeopath consists of acute ailments varying form cough-cold-fever to otitis media, pneumonia, tonsillitis, hepatitis, sinusitis, etc. in India.
Will Homoeopathy aggravate the symptoms during treatment?
The common belief is that Homoeopathic medicines sometimes cause initial aggravation of symptoms. Patients with chronic diseases who had been taking palliative (allopathic) treatment including steroids, invariably report long drawn aggravation which is due to the withdrawal effect of the medicines. That is why it is always suggested to withdraw these medicines gradually after getting improvement of the case with homoeopathic medicines. In chronic cases where there is long standing suppression of different symptoms, old symptoms tend to appear during the phase of recovery. This phenomenon is mostly found in chronic skin diseases..
Homoeopathy treats symptoms not Disease, is it true?
In Homoeopathy equal importance is given to symptoms of the patient as well as clinical diagnosis of the disease. In Homoeopathy the clinical diagnosis is not the only basis for prescribing medicines but individual patients mental state, behavior, his/her food habits climatic changes, social economic conditions, color and even sometimes racial characteristics makes a difference in treating the patient homeopathically. That is why in two similar well diagnosed cases the homoeopathy medicine may not the same.
Can the medicines be taken safely during pregnancy?
The safety of homoeopathic medicines is well known; still it is advised to take the opinion of a qualified Homoeopathic doctor in such situation
Are homoeopathic medicines safe for children?
Yes, they can be given safely to even to the youngest infant,
Infact a child who is treated only with homoeopathic remedies will surely enjoy disease and suppressions free life in future
Is Homeopathic remedies a substitute for Vaccines?
No they can not be a substitute for vaccines as no clinical trials have supported this theory. However Homoeopathic remedies stimulates and increases the immunity system,so to eradicate frequent recurrence of ailments
Can allopathic drugs be taken while under homoeo treatment?
Why choose Homoeopathy be the choice of therapy?
How do we know Homoeopathy works? Could it just be a placebo?
Can you treat pregnant women and small babies?
Do I have to stop the drugs i am currently taking?
How Homeopathic Remedies are made? Watch the Video
The Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory was established in 1975 at Ghaziabad to workout standards and tests for homoeopathic drugs.
The National Institute of Homoeopathy was established on 1975 in Calcutta as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, as a model Institute in Homoeopathy in the country. The main objectives of the Institute are to develop high standard of teaching, training and research in all aspects of Homoeopathic System of Medicine. The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) was established on 30th March,1978 to formulate, coordinate, develop and promote research in Homoeopathy. Research in Homoeopathy is encouraged through two routes, i.e., intramural and extramural routes. In the intramural route, the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy is the apex Research Council constituted by the Government, which functions through 33 units across the country. It carries out Fundamental & Collaborative Research, Clinical Research, Clinical Verification, Drug Proving Research, Drug Standardization, Survey of Medicinal Plants used in Homoeopathy and Documentation. At present 97 research projects have been completed. In the extramural route, the Government extends funds to other organizations/Institutions to carry out research in identified areas and these projects are assessed by Technical Evaluation Committee and finally approved by a Screening Committee headed by Secretary (AYUSH). At present there are 32 research projects continuing and 11 projects have been completed.
The Department of AYUSH,(Ayurveda,Yoga,Unani,Siddha,Homoeopathy) was established in 1995 in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Since then the AYUSH systems have developed significantly.
At present, there are 182 colleges imparting B.H.M.S. education and 2 exclusive Post Graduate (PG) colleges, 31 UG Colleges with upgraded Departments for Postgraduate pass training, 7 Postgraduate specialties, 35 Government institutions, about 13,000 graduates out every year. approximately 659 admission capacity per year in PG colleges and 40 Universities conducting UG/PG courses in India. The doctors are trained in clinical examinations, investigations, diagnosis, prognosis, and to prescribe homoeopathic medicines and also to refer patients to other disciplines whenever required. They also impart health care activities at Primary and Secondary health centers. The academic institutions are financially assisted by Central Government through a Centrally Sponsored Scheme called Development of Institutions to improve and maintain the standards. There are about 23 State Boards / Councils of Homoeopathy which have been established by State governments under Statutes which register persons possessing recognized medical qualifications. Registered Practitioners of Homoeopathy are 220858. The number of homoeopathic hospitals is 228 with a bed capacity of 11,099. The number of homoeopathic dispensaries is 5,770. There are 659 Manufacturing Units, Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for drug quality control. Today, India is the biggest market for Homoeopathy due to its popularity and it is also exporting homoeopathic products to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, Malaysia, Switzerland, USA, Mexico, UK, New Zealand and Nepal. Homeopathy is widely accepted around the world. In France 39% of Doctors recommend Homeopathic remedies, in Germany 20%, 42% in UK, 45% of Doctors use Homeopathy with their patients in Netherlands. In US a recent survey by the American Medical Association showed that about 14% of physicians refer patients to qualified Homeopaths.
Homoeopathy has a definite role to play in Indian health care system not only because its medicines are simple to administer but also because it is effective, safe and affordable. With the mounting price rise of the modern drugs and increasing incidence of adverse drug reactions people are using Homoeopathy and the homoeopathic institutions for the treatment of their ailments. The complexities of diseases are increasing all the time and new health problems are cropping up which are difficult to treat. In spite of concerted efforts Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, etc. remain major challenges. There is resurgence of interest in Homoeopathy all over the world.
According to WHO, Homoeopathy is the second leading system of medicine for primary health care in the world and it is covered by national health care systems in many countries including India.