What Is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a natural approach to medicine that works without contraindications (interference with other medications you may be taking) or side effects to stimulate the body's curative responses so the body heals itself.

Here's a little more detail:

Your body has the ability to heal itself. When you are ill, your body produces symptoms, which is how we know that the body has recognized that something is wrong and is actively working to heal itself. This "natural regulator" is your body's auto-regulatory mechanism and it works to keep your body in balance - or in a state of homeostasis.

Here's an example of how this works. Think of your "natural regulator" as your internal temperature gauge. If you go outside and it is very hot, your body will recognize it is too hot and begin to perspire. Your homeostatic mechanism is producing a symptom - perspiration - in an effort to cool down the body. If you go outside and it is very cold, the symptom is shivering. Your homeostatic mechanism is trying to warm the body up by shivering to produce heat.

Think about the last time you were shivering. You could not control it, and you did not stop until you were warm. It is the same way with homeopathic medicines. If you are ill and your body is showing symptoms, the symptoms will not disappear until the source of the symptoms has disappeared.

Homeopathic medicines stimulate your body's homeostatic mechanism so your body heals itself by dealing with the sources of your symptoms.

Homeopathy is different from conventional medicine because conventional medicine simply defines health as the lack of symptoms (if you dry up a runny nose, is your cold gone and are you healthy?). Homeopathy defines health as the lack of disease (if you get rid of the source of the runny nose in the process of dealing with the source, the runny nose will disappear on its own.)