The World Homoeopathy Day is observed on April 10 to commemorate the birth anniversary of founder and architect of homoeopathy Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann. Homoeopathy is the brainchild of Hahnemann, a physician born in Germany, who was a great researcher, linguist and applauded scientist. Born on April 10, 1755, he was qualified in traditional system of medicine. But being dissatisfied with the irrational approach of the then allopathic school, he quit allopathy and founded a new system of healing, homoeopathy.
Time has changed. Human knowledge has widened. Evidence in favour of homeopathy is everywhere to see. Homeopathy is one of the best alternative systems of medicine providing justice to millions of needy patients. It has been acknowledged by people at large as a safe therapy for innumerable acute and chronic diseases.
One of the principles of homoeopathy is to treat the patient, not the disease. As illnesses become more complex, we frequently see multi-organ and multi-system disorders. In such cases, the allopathic protocol is to refer the patient to a specialist in each system. This makes the patient stuck in a pool of shifting from specialist to specialist every time a new symptom comes up. Such is not the case with homeopathy. A homoeopath is well-qualified and equipped to treat cases involving multiple systems singularly. Homoeopathic remedies have a wide sphere of action and the same remedy is capable of addressing all the symptoms of a patient provided it is well-selected. Therefore, the right homeopathic prescription obliterates the need for multiple specialists for different problems. This saves time; this saves money, saves taking ten different kinds of medicines; but most importantly, this saves the hassle of shifting between doctors.
It is a recognised medical system in India through the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973. The system has blended well into the ethos and traditions of the country that it has been recognised as one of the national systems of medicine. It has taken a smooth ride, meeting all challenges on the way, mitigating innumerable, inveterate number of chronic diseases among the patients, proving that it is one of the holistic and natural approaches for the treatment of the sick. It is holistic because it treats the person as a whole rather than focussing on the particular diseased part; and it is natural because its medicines are prepared from natural sources of vegetables, minerals, animals, etc. and stands on a solid footing of Therapeutic Law of Nature built on some cardinal principles.
There are dozens of reasons stating why one should go for homoeopathy. The chances of getting side effects are almost equal to nil. The homoeopathic medicines comprise mini doses. Hence, they virtually have no chance of causing an adverse reaction. Homoeopathic doctors have also recommended such medicines for infants due to their safety. Homoeopathic treatment works on the philosophy of treating the patient instead of the ailment. Its cost-effectiveness, minimal side effects, zero adverse drug reactions, easy administration, etc., are some factors that make it acceptable from geriatrics to paediatrics. In intricate chronic diseases that need administration of drugs till last breath, this medicine is no doubt the best choice. The overuse of antibiotics, indiscriminate use of steroids and painkillers in silly ailments has pushed the major chunks of population towards homoeopathy for respite. The geriatrics population with multitudes of health issues has become more fascinated to this system being fed up with the complex approach and heavy drugging of the modern medicine.
This system is capable of providing solutions to almost all systems and parts of the human body. Leaving some emergency cases aside, this alternative science can address all health issues of a patient. Many people are under the notion that since homoeopathy treatment shows results over a long time; it is effective for chronic diseases only. That's not a fact. A rightly-selected medicine can cure acute diseases very quickly like its allopathic counterpart that has been reflected by parents opting for homoeopathy for all diseases of their kids.
So, for a common man standing at the crossroad to which therapy he would adopt, homoeopathy definitely scores high due to its immunity- enhancing qualities of its constitutional medicines and inbuilt sound theories. So, on this World Homoeopathic Day, the humanity pays salute to that great soul, Dr Samuel Hahnemann, the inventor of this magnificent science, homoeopathy.
(Dr Naik is a former CMO, Directorate of AYUSH, Odisha, and a former Reader, Dr Abhin Chandra Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar)