In the UK, Homeopathy is categorised as an alternative or complementary system of medicine. In some countries of the world, however, it is far more main stream than it is here. It is estimated that around 9 million people in the UK use some kind of complementary or alternative medicine. According to a Yougov poll of 2015, 26% of the UK population believe homeopathy should be available free on the NHS.
Over 200 million people worldwide use homeopathic medicines as part of their normal health care. Homeopathy is widespread throughout Europe, Russia, Israel, South Africa, most of Central and South America … not to mention India, where over 100 million people depend solely on homeopathic medicine.
Although it is a complex subject which takes several years to study in full, homeopathy has always been popular as a form of natural medicine which can be learnt and safely used in the home to treat simple, self-limiting health problems such as coughs, colds, insect bites and injuries. The use of homeopathy in the home, by lay people, goes back to the early 1800s, when kits of the common remedies were very popular in the UK and America.
In addition:
- Homeopathy is a non-toxic and gentle form of medicine which treats the whole person
- Homeopathy rarely causes side-effects
- Homeopathy can be used alongside conventional medicines
- Homeopathy is a well-regulated form of medicine which is safe even for small babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women and older people
- Homeopathic medicines are not tested on animals
- You do not need to follow a particular diet or lifestyle for homeopathic medicines to work well for you
Background
dr. Samual Hahnemann (1755-1843) the founder of homeopathy
As a system of medicine, homeopathy has been around for approximately 200 years, and was ‘invented’ by a German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). The word homeopathy is derived from Greek words meaning similar suffering. Our medicines are taken originally from all four kingdoms of life: plant, animal, mineral and human and are still prepared according to methods laid down by Hahnemann.
The approach of homeopathy is very different to that of conventional medicine. Normally, if you have diarrhoea, you take a substance, a medicine, to constipate you. In homeopathic treatment, however, you take a micro-dose of a substance which causes diarrhoea in healthy people – this is the origin of the saying associated with homeopathy, like cures like. How exactly this works is still unclear, but the homeopathic approach is systematic, worldwide and tried and tested. Many people feel that it works well for them and they don’t mind that its mechanism of action is not yet fully understood.
At Homeopathy for Living we are not trying to convert anyone to our way of thinking. Our mission is solely to provide you with an affordable, informative first-aid homeopathy course, taught by qualified and highly experienced teachers, which will equip you for the start of your homeopathic journey.