Whenever a patient asks me whether homeopathy can help ‘cure’ their ailments, admittedly, I get very nervous. The word ‘cure’ puts me in a position of great responsibility and gives the patient a heavy weight of hope, which is unfair to both of us. Even our conventional medical practitioner does not promise a cure – so why that unrealistic expectation with homeopathy? Instead, I tell my patients that homeopathy will help facilitate their journey towards a sense of internal well-being or equilibrium.
I realised very early in my homeopathic career that my role was that of a facilitator – to help patients restore their own equilibrium – and help them find their own balance amidst the chaos. In this world, we are constantly pushed in different directions in our quest to fulfill our myriad roles and expectations. What this brings about is an energetic imbalance – an upset in our equilibrium – that manifests as physical, emotional or mental ailments.
To appreciate homeopathy, we must understand this concept of energy imbalance. For example, when we experience the passing on of a loved one, we are washed with grief – and this is a normal, natural emotion to experience at that time. But what is grief in itself? It is not something physical that we can touch and see, but an emotion that is felt and experienced. Often, I have come across individuals, who after going through immense grief, see a relapse in their skin conditions, develop sudden high blood pressure or heart ailments, amongst other things. How is it possible that grief, which is non-physical, can cause a physical condition that can be diagnosed and measured? Not many of us think about it
Grief or any other form of stress is a type of energy that permeates our cells and being at an energy level – the physical conditions that result are a mere manifestation of this energy imbalance at the cellular level. Hence, if we want to restore that energy imbalance, the remedy that we choose must also address the patient at an energy level. This is the essence of “like cures like” in homeopathy. We cannot expect a chemical drug to restore our equilibrium at the energy level
Two years ago, an elderly lady came to me with high blood pressure. She said that she had developed this problem a couple of months after the untimely death of her son. He had passed away unexpectedly, under very tragic conditions. When she came to me, it had already been over a year since the incident but she was still inconsolable during the consultation as she spoke. She was also on medication to control her blood pressure.
Based on her personality and the ‘rawness’ of her state, I prescribed Ignatia, which over a course of several weeks, helped her regain a sense of harmony. She still thought about her son a lot, but the remedy helped restore a certain balance that had tipped over. Over a period of six months with homeopathic treatment, she began to accept her son’s passing and as she healed emotionally, her health improved and her doctor was able to slowly take her off the medication for blood pressure.
In the case above, I did not treat the high blood pressure. The goal of treatment was to help her with the grief. Once the remedy helped address the energetic imbalance brought upon by the loss, her physical condition, ie: high blood pressure, came under control.
The same applies to all the other emotions that are categorised as ‘negative’. Excessive fear, anger and lust can quickly upset the energetic balance of our being and manifest into physical conditions. If we want to achieve harmony and regain our sense of equilibrium, it is important to flush out the garbage at the energy level first. So the next time you are tempted to ask a health practitioner if your physical condition can be cured. Think again. Is there something that you can do for yourself first?
