What Is Homeopathy?
I will share one of my teacher’s quotes that explains homeopathy well.
“I’m standing on your foot. You yelp. And instead of stepping off, I reach over and cover your mouth."
The yelling stops. Problem solved, right? Not quite. Your foot still hurts. All I did was quiet the signal that told us something was wrong. That’s a lot of how conventional (allopathic) medicine approaches symptoms. Cough? Suppress it. Fever? Bring it down. Rash? Cream it away. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need, and I’m grateful those tools exist. But if we only ever cover the mouth, we never get around to moving the foot.”
Moving my foot means treating the cause. That’s what homeopathy.
Where It Comes From
Homeopathy was developed over 200 years ago by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician who was frustrated with the harsh medicine of his day. His big shift in thinking was this: symptoms aren’t the enemy. They’re your body’s visible attempt to heal itself. So instead of fighting symptoms, homeopathy looks for a remedy that supports what your body is already trying to do.
Like Cures Like
The core principle of homeopathy is “like cures like.” A substance that can cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can, in a very small and specially prepared dose, help a sick person who has those same symptoms.
You already know a version of this. Cut an onion and your eyes burn and your nose runs. In homeopathy, Allium cepa (red onion) is a classic remedy for a cold or allergies that look exactly like that: burning, watery eyes and a drippy, raw nose.
Medicine for Individuals, Not Diagnoses
In homeopathy, there’s no single remedy for arthritis, or anxiety, or eczema. There are remedies for people who have arthritis, anxiety, or eczema.
Two people can walk in with the same diagnosis and leave with completely different remedies. One person’s joint pain is worse in the cold and better with movement. Another’s is worse with any motion and they want to be left alone. Different people, different patterns, different medicine. There are thousands of homeopathic remedies for the same reason there are thousands of kinds of people.
That’s why your first homeopathic visit is long and the questions can feel a little unusual. I’ll ask about your sleep, your food cravings, whether you run hot or cold, what you dream about, how you handle stress, what makes you feel better or worse. I’m looking at the whole picture of you (physical, mental, and emotional) so I can find the one remedy that fits.
What to Expect
Homeopathy can be used for both acute issues (a cold, a sprain, a stomach bug) and chronic ones that have been with you for years. Acute cases often respond quickly. Chronic cases take more time and more of your story, and healing tends to unfold in layers.
Once a remedy starts working, we try not to interfere. Some people need only an occasional dose. Others need more regular dosing. We’ll adjust as we go, and I want to hear from you about what shifts, even the small or strange stuff.
Homeopathic remedies are very gentle, which is one reason I love them for kids. Gentle doesn’t mean casual, though.
How to Take Your Remedy
Take it 15–20 minutes away from food or drink.
Place it under your tongue and let it dissolve.
Store your remedy away from strong smells (incense, essential oils) and bright light.
What to Avoid While Under Treatment
These can interfere with how your remedy works:
Coffee. Green tea, black tea
Mint and menthol, including peppermint and spearmint.
Camphor and strong-smelling products like eucalyptus, tea tree, wintergreen, or heavy essential oils. Light perfume is fine.
Alcohol and drugs.
Want to Learn More?
Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century by Dana Ullman
Homeopathy asks a different question than most medicine does. Instead of “how do we make this symptom stop?” it asks “what is your body trying to tell us, and how do we help it finish the job?” Let’s move the foot.
