Dana Ullman Dana Ullman, MPH, is one of America's leading advocates for homeopathy. He has authored 10 books, including The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy and (the best-selling) Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (with Stephen Cummings, MD). He is the founder of Homeopathic Educational Services, America's leading resource center for homeopathic books, tapes, medicines, software, and correspondence courses. Website: www.homeopathic.com

The underlying principle of homeopathy is also at the heart of modern physiology. It is commonly understood in medicine today that symptoms are not just something “wrong” with the body, but rather, they represent the efforts of the body and mind to defend and heal itself from a variety of infective agents and/or stresses. The body creates fever, inflammation, pain, discharge, or whatever is necessary in order to heal itself. While these symptoms represent the body’s best efforts to heal, they are not always successful in doing so. Homeopathic medicines are an alternative natural drug available today to help augment the body’s ability to heal itself (more on this topic later).

Medical science today is increasingly recognising symptoms as adaptive responses of the body. Standard texts of pathology define the process of inflammation as the manner in which the body seeks to wall off, heat up, and burn out infective agents or foreign matter. The cough has long been known as a protective mechanism for clearing breathing passages. Diarrhoea has been shown to be a defensive effort of the body to remove pathogens or irritants more quickly from the colon. Discharges are understood as the body's way of ridding itself of dead bacteria, viruses, and cells. Even high blood pressure is an important defence and adaptation to the internal and external stresses that a person experiences.

The derivation of the word “symptom” is helpful to better understanding of the disease process and the healing process. The word "symptom" comes from a Greek root and refers to "something that falls together with something else." Symptoms are a “sign” or a “signal” of something else, and treating them doesn't necessarily change that "something else." Just because a drug gets rid of a symptom does not mean that the person is cured. In fact, drugs that suppress or inhibit a symptom tend to provide only a guise of success and usually lead to a longer and more serious illness. Using drugs to suppress symptoms is akin to pulling the plug on your car’s oil pressure warning light. Just because the light is turned off doesn’t mean that your car’s oil pressure is “cured.” In fact, ignoring that light may lead to your car’s breakdown.

The trick to using homeopathic medicine correctly is to understand that there are two types of homeopathic medicines:
1) Single ingredient medicines (all of the medicines listed below are these types of medicines). Each medicine is known to heal the specific syndrome of symptoms, not just a disease. The trick to using each medicine is to learn what syndrome of symptoms each substance CAUSES if or when given in experiments in overdose…but you will give or take the medicine in specially prepared diluted and SAFE doses that are an integral part of homeopathy.
2) Homeopathic formulas (these medicines are mixtures of several homeopathic remedies, with each ingredient known to treat a similar ailment, though each is known to treat a different syndrome of symptoms) Homeopathic formulas are extremely “user-friendly” and are simply used for the ailment described on bottle, such as migraine headache, PMS, arthritis, etc.

When you see 6X or 6C after the name of the homeopathic medicine, the 6X means that this medicine was diluted 1:10 six times, with vigorous shaking in-between each dilution. 6C means that this medicine was diluted 1:100 six times, with vigorous shaking in-between each dilution.

If you wish to experiment with homeopathic medicines, here are ten medicines that are used for common ailments.

These medicines should be taken in the 6th or 30th potency. Generally, if there is minor pain or discomfort, you should take the medicine three times a day, stopping once health has been restored. If there is more severe the pain, you can consider taking the medicine every one to three hours, decreasing the doses as symptoms are reduced. If you do not observe some improvement after 24 hours in an acute condition, the medicine is probably not the correct one. If symptoms persist, consider another medicine or seek professional homeopathic care.

It is generally recommended that people treat themselves for non-threatening acute conditions only and obtain professional care for chronic or potential dangerous health conditions. (Dr. Stephen Cummings and Dana Ullman's Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (Tarcher/Putnam, 2004) provides detailed protocols for helping to determine when symptoms are beyond self-care.)

Allium cepa (onion): Because it is known to cause tearing of the eyes and dripping of the nose, it is a frequent remedy for the common cold and hay fever, especially when there is a thin, watery, and burning nasal discharge that irritates the nostrils. Typically, the person's symptoms are worse in a warm room and are relieved in a cool room or in the open air.

Arnica (mountain daisy): This can be used in sports medicine and first aid.

Chamomilla (chamomille): Many parents owe their sleep to homeopathy, not because it helps them directly, but because it is so good for their infant. Chamomilla is THE remedy for the irritable infant, especially from teething or colic. The infant cries incessantly, and nothing seems to provide any relief, except carrying them, and even then, the crying begins recurs as soon as the parent puts the child down.

Hypericum (St. John's wort): This remedy is the first medicine to consider for injuries to the nerves or to parts of the body rich with them, including the fingers, toes, and back. Any injury with shooting pains should be given this remedy.

Ignatia (St. Ignatius bean): One day this remedy will be used by the majority of psychiatrists. It is one of the leading homeopathic medicines for acute grief, anxiety, and depression, especially after a death or separation from a loved one. The person sighs frequently, has a lump in the throat, and may tremble.

Magnesia phosphorica (phosphate of magnesia): This is the most effective remedy for cramps, including menstrual cramps. It has helped prevent many women turn from Dr. Jekkyl into Ms. Hyde as a result of menstrual cramps. It is particularly indicated when a woman's cramps cause her to bend over and when they experience some relief from warm applications.

Nux vomica (poison nut): This is the premier medicine for ailments exacerbated by conventional or recreational drugs. It is also a common remedy for treating symptoms of overeating or from drinking too much alcohol. Considering how many people have these vices, this is an all too frequent medicine today.

Pulsatilla (windflower): Perhaps the most common remedy given to both children and women, this medicine is not indicated for a specific disease but for a specific pattern of physical symptoms and psychological characteristics. Physically, these people are warm-blooded: they wear less clothes than others, prefer open air, and don't feel as well in the heat. Psychologically, they are a gentle, mind, and yielding person, with a quickly changing emotional state and a strong tendency to want to please others.

Rhus tox (poison ivy): This medicine is the most common remedy for sprains and strains. It is especially indicated when a person experiences a "rusty gate" syndrome, that is, pain on initial motion which is reduced the more the person continues to move. It is also often given to people with the flu or arthritis who experience this similar rusty gate syndrome.

Dana Ullman
www.homeopathic.com

Dana's website has over 100 free articles on homeopathy plus access to hundreds of homeopathic books, tapes, medicines, software and e-courses.
Dana has authored 10 books, including;

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