sree123

I beg to differ with Vaidyaji's statement that homeopathy is treating the symptoms and ayurveda the system. It is allopathy which is symptom based - in that it merely treats (suppresses) the symptoms (effect) of the disease and ignores the cause of the disease. It fights against germs, worms, bacteria and viruses - whereas holistic systems like Homeopathy work to improve the natural immune system of the body to render it strong enough to fight these on its own. Homeopathy always treats the PATIENT and never the DISEASE. Even for a particular disease, the peculiar symptoms of the PATIENT are what are taken note of and they decide the prescription. Homeopathy never treats based on the name of the disease - in fact the name of the disease is not relevant to a homeopath. It is the symptoms of the patient (rather, what exactly the patient feels) that are all important in homeopathy. Prescription is made on the basis of Peculiar, Queer, Rare and Strange symptoms that are observed in the patient after excluding commonly observed symptoms. So patient A gets some medicine A for asthma whereas Patient B gets different medicine say B for asthma, depending on their peculiar symptoms. In homeopathy, mental symptoms are extremely important. Therefore, two people with same disease will get different remedies based on their symptoms and their very nature. That way homeopathy is the most individualized system - wherein the person is treated as a person and very personalized treatment is offered. In fact this is the most personalized medical system available so far. I may add here that homeopathy works on the principle of "Like Cures Like" or ushNam ushNena shaanti. A medicine that can cause a particular set of symptoms when taken by a healthy person can cure the patient if same set of symptoms appear in him during his illness. It is therefore imperative for the homeopath to understand the patient in his totality very closely to choose the right remedy for him. I did read Prabhupada's quotes regarding Homeopathy in the Folio. He calls it a bluff using the same logic the allopaths use to call it a bluff. Again, as Prabhupada mentioned, anything has to be understood by its results - phalena pariciyate - this applies to homeopathy too - and the proof of the pudding is certainly in the eating.

I wish to clarify 2 points: 1. homeopathy is no bluff. anyone who has had his own ailments cured with homeopathy will vouch that homeopathy is a science. Besides homeopathy is a deep acting system of medicine - even suitable for psychiatric patients. That even small children, infants, animals etc get cured with homeopathy is sufficient proof that it is not bluff or PLACEBO. 2. Homeopathy is not something that can be simply learnt at home - as someone has posted here. (I mean, it is not like some of the other alternative medicine systems such as Flower Essences etc.) Homeopathy can get quite complex - I for one have been reading up quite a bit on homeopathy and trying it out myself for the past few years - and feel that it needs tremendous experience to successfully treat chronic problems with homeopathy. You need lots of exposure to the clinical setting before you can be a good homeopath. Simply reading books sitting at home will not do. Besides only homeopathy identifies the deeper issues of Suppression, Palliation etc and cures the patient fully, wherever possible. I must admit that there are only very few homeopaths on this globe who genuinely follow this science currently, but more and more people are getting interested in homeopathy considering the immense rush in homeopathy forums on the internet and requests for online treatment on these forums. Another more important thing is, a person can go on taking Ayurvedic medicines such as chyavan prash without consulting a vaidya and get benefit out of it. It is generally free from any side effects - and hence is safe to take on continuous basis. But homeopathy differs drastically at this point - you need an experienced hand to decide the remedy - and the remedy cannot be repeated for too long like Ayurvedic medicine - sometimes a single dose will suffice - there are definite rules as laid out by Samuel Hahnemann. I have had my own experiences in both Ayurveda and Homeopathy dealing with my chronic asthma and a number of other ailments. I write from experience. I hope this finds everyone in the prime of health. -sree