Karen’s Opinion

Our local newspaper made a serious mistake recently. It discontinued the Dr. Gott column. Lordy! You would have thought they deleted the obits! Seriously, I enjoy Dr. Gott’s column. I appreciate that he is very fair to alternative methods of health care. He is the one who directed me to use Vick’s Vapo Rub on my fungus laden toenails. Yay! He isn’t afraid to recommend homeopathy.

Homeopathy is an alternative form of medicine that has been used for thousands of years to treat everything from life threatening illnesses to the common cold. While many people used to modern medicine may find it suspicious, it is still one of the most used types of medical treatment worldwide and is steadily gaining popularity in the western world.

Homeopathic medicine is based on three basic principles. The biggest principle of homeopathy is that like treats like. Instead of treating based on the disease doctors think you have, treatment is done based on the symptoms you know you have. The second principle is that there is only one treatment, not two or even ten like a traditional doctor might give you. The third principle is that everything is given in extremely small doses.

To treat yourself homeopathically, you must figure out all the symptoms. Once you know your symptoms, you find a substance that causes the exact same set of symptoms and take a small amount of it. Because you are only taking a very small amount, the substance not only doesn’t harm you, it’s said to cure you, generally long term or even permanently.

When most people hear about homeopathy, their initial reaction is “no way!” Treating symptoms with something that causes your symptoms seems totally counterintuitive, but it’s a concept that’s used in modern medicine as well as more ancient cures. Shots commonly used to treat allergies contain a small amount of whatever you’re allergic to. Many vaccines contain a small amount of the disease they’re designed to protect against.

While homeopathic medicine is not only considered effective, it has many benefits over modern medicine. Like many other natural medical treatments, most homeopathic remedies are totally natural. While this doesn’t necessarily make them safe, these remedies tend to cause fewer side effects, have little drug interactions, and are generally better for your overall health.

Homeopathic medications are also considered better for your body because they work with it. Many modern medicines work to suppress symptoms like fever or coughing. These symptoms are the body’s natural ways to get rid of disease. Instead of suppressing symptoms, homeopathic medicine works to cure the problem itself while addressing the specific symptoms.

When the right treatment is found, homeopathy is considered very effective. The big problem is that just like there are thousands of prescriptions and over the counter drugs, there are also thousands of homeopathic remedies as well. And if you don’t pick exactly the right one, it won’t work.

While you can buy homeopathic remedies over the counter, just like herbal and other alternative medicines, that doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe to treat yourself. If you’re serious about this treatment you should speak to a doctor who has experience in alternative medicine or even see a specialist in the area.