Principles of treatment
Principles of treatment of homeopathy
Homeopathic treatment is based on the Law of Similars, whereby the sum of the symptoms is treated according to the principle of similarity (let like be cured by like). The appropriate homeopathic medicinal product, know as the Similimum, is often a much reduced dose of the substance which in larger quantities would create the symptoms in a healthy person. This stimulates the body’s defence against such symptoms and mobilises the organism's self-healing capacity.
So for example, allium cepa (onion) is a homeopathic remedy commonly used for treating the symptoms of hay fever (running eyes).
The test with a substance on a healthy person is called a ‘proving’.
Hahnemann believed that disease is an individual process which develops differently in each human being and thus requires an individually adapted treatment. All symptoms of a disease - physical, mental and emotional - contribute to the entire picture. The best results are obtained when a good match is struck between the remedy picture and the individual’s symptoms, regardless of the actual disease.