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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS: HOMEOPATHY
What
is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a system of medical therapy that uses very
small doses of medicines, or remedies. These remedies are
prepared from substances found in nature. The homeopathic doctor
chooses the proper remedy by following a special rule of nature.
This rule is called the Law of Similars. This law states
"like cures like," or that a medicine can cure a sick
person if it can cause similar sickness in a healthy person. For
instance, if you peel an onion, your eyes burn, itch and water.
You might also have a runny nose and begin to sneeze. If you had
similar symptoms during a cold or allergy attack, such as a
runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing, a homeopathic micro-dose
of the remedy Allium cepa (red onion) would help your body heal
itself.
The word "homeopathic" is derived from the Greek words
homeos meaning "similar" and pathos meaning
"disease" or "suffering." Thus, homeopathy
means "to treat with a remedy that produces an effect
similar to the disease or suffering."
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Is
Homeopathy New?
The Law of Similars has been known since at least the time
of Hippocrates (ca. 400 B.C.), but it was Samuel Hahnemann who
fully stated the ideas of homeopathy in the early 1800’s. He
was a doctor and a chemist in Germany who lived from 1755 to
1843. He discovered the truth of the Law of Similars by testing
small doses of medicine on himself.
By 1900, about twenty percent of doctors in the United States
were homeopaths, but due to various political and social
changes, homeopathy had become relatively unknown in this
country until recently. There is wider acceptance of homeopathy
in such countries as France, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, India
and Great Britain. In fact, the family doctor to England’s
Queen Elizabeth is a homeopathic physician.
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What
are Homeopathic Remedies?
Any plant, mineral or animal substance can be used as a remedy.
The original substance is diluted in liquid repeatedly, and
vigorously shaken with each dilution. Unusual as it sounds,
these very small amounts of remedies can act very strongly when
used properly. Also, because the remedies are very diluted, they
are extremely safe. The clinical experience of homeopathy shows
that the micro-dose is effective: It works upon comatose people,
infants and animals.
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What can I expect during a visit to a homeopathic physician?
You will be asked to describe all your problems in detail as well as
a complete description of everything that characterizes you,
especially your feelings, sensations, sensitivity, psyche, and
all that concerns your organism in terms of energy, sleep,
appetite, digestion, etc. Dr. Peters will
complete this study with a physical examination. This
thorough and initial interview requires approximately two to
three hours. The better Dr. Peters understands you and
your problems, the better he can
individualize to find the specific and most similar remedy for
your condition.
Dr. Peters will need to analyze your case in depth after your
visit. You will be
contacted within a few days when your individually determined
homeopathic remedy has been selected. You may pick it up
at our office at your convenience.
Depending on the nature of your condition, we ask that you
schedule a follow-up appointment in 2-6 weeks to determine the
progress of your healing.
Chronic health problems do not develop overnight, and they do
not disappear overnight either. Chronic conditions often
require 6-18 months of follow-up, with visits ranging in
frequency from every 6 weeks to every 3-6 months, depending on
your progress. Dr. Peters will assess if any change is
needed in your treatment plan to promote your healing in the
gentlest and most rapid manner possible.
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Which
diseases can be treated with homeopathy?
This may sound strange, but in homeopathy we do not treat diseases; we treat the person who is sick. Whether a person has a
chronic or an acute disease, all of their symptoms, whether
physical, mental or emotional form a whole representing a state
of imbalance very specific to this individual. The goal of
the physician is to recognize through the unique expression of
symptoms of a patient the pattern of disturbed energy and
identify among the great number of remedies available the one
most homeopathic, or most similar to, the patient’s disease.>
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Can
a pregnant woman or a newborn baby benefit from homeopathy?
Since homeopathic remedies are devoid of all chemical
toxicity, homeopathy is the ideal system of medicine for people
of all ages, even the most sensitive like an expectant mother or
a newborn baby. Difficulties during pregnancy and the
delivery or its aftermath as well as all the problems
experienced by the newborn can be dealt with very efficiently
and without side effects with homeopathy.
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How
does homeopathy deal with patients affected with mental stress,
emotional problems, resulting from emotional trauma, severe
grief, or the consequence of mood disorders such as anger,
depression or anxiety?
As incredible as it may
seem, all such emotional problems normalize with the application
of the homeopathic remedy that is the most similar to the state
of the patient. Patients who are already under
psychotherapy find out as a rule that they recover far more
rapidly after they begin homeopathic treatment.
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How
does homeopathy address patients with infectious diseases?
Homeopathic
treatment is ideal to optimize the body’s natural defenses
against microbes. With the appropriate homeopathic
treatment, people recover from infectious diseases, even the
most serious ones, gently and rapidly. During past great
epidemics such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhoid, cholera,
yellow fever, malaria, etc., homeopathy decreased mortality by
10 to 30 times versus conventional medicine. During the
infamous Spanish flu epidemic of 1918-19, it has been estimated
that 25 to 50 million people died world wide. In the
United States alone, 550,000 died, approximately 10% of the
people afflicted with the flu. Homeopathic physicians
documented then more than 62,000 patients treated with
homeopathy resulting in a mortality of 0.7%. For people
who were sick enough to be hospitalized, conventional medicine
had a mortality of 30% while with 27,000 documented hospitalized
cases, homeopathy was reporting a mortality of 1.05% (Journal of
the American Institute of Homeopathy 1921; 13:1028-43).
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Which
conditions are outside the scope of homeopathy?
If
a patient has a problem that necessitates a surgical
intervention, the homeopathic physician will be the first to
refer this patient to a surgeon. But as surgical
interventions are a shock to the organism, homeopathic treatment
will be ideal to prepare the patient for surgery and help them
recover from the operation. Of course, cases with
dislocation or fracture will be dealt with by an orthopedic
doctor. For less serious mechanical physical problems,
patients may need chiropractic care. Generally,
people afflicted with genetic, congenital, or fixed metabolic
diseases or with very advanced degeneration cannot always expect
full recovery, but more often a palliative relief with
homeopathy, free of side effects usually expected when
palliation is done with modern drugs.
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What
has been the position of conventional medicine towards
homeopathy?
Since the beginning, conventional medicine
has tried to halt the progress of homeopathy. At best, it
accuses it of giving “placebos” despite double blind studies
which demonstrate the absolutely undeniable efficacy of
homeopathic treatments. If homeopathy is so extraordinary,
why is it not recognized universally? Although homeopathy
has been practiced for more than two hundred years, it is still
in its early period of growth. It is probably the most
difficult medical discipline to master because it is based on
the pure observation of nature, and the strict application of a
natural law. Until very recently, of all the physicians
who had studied homeopathy, only a very small minority had
succeeded in mastering this discipline. Today with the
general disillusionment in conventional medicine, homeopathy is
beginning to bloom again and spread throughout the world.
People find in homeopathy a system of medicine that not only
displays more common sense by its respect for the whole person,
but which is also more efficient in restoring health to the sick
since it optimizes the extraordinary innate self-healing powers
of the organism. With the advent of modern communication,
the teaching of homeopathy has improved and a better
comprehension and practice of homeopathy has been observed in
certain circles.
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What is
the cost of a Classical Homeopathy visit?
Because homeopathy is highly individualized, based on your
overall physical, mental, and emotional condition, the initial
interview lasts 2˝ hours. In most cases, Dr. Peters will need to analyze your case in
depth after your visit to determine your specific homeopathic
remedy.
Consider that a typical office visit with a medical doctor lasts
about 12 minutes, is symptom-based rather than holistic, and may cost
anywhere from $75 to $180. So the value of 2˝ hours of
one-on-one time with a physician is over $900. HOWEVER, our
visit fees are only:
- New patient (adult age 13+):
$900 $335
- New patient (child 0-12):
$900 $235
- Established patient (adult age 13+):
$900 $275
- Established patient (child 0-12):
$900 $175
The
cost of the homeopathic remedy is minimal, and usually does not need
to be taken on an ongoing basis. Classical
homeopathy--a therapy
that has a profound impact
on your physical, mental, and
emotional health--is a true bargain!
Our
office does not bill insurance for these visits, but will provide
you with a detailed receipt if you wish to submit it to your
insurance company yourself.
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