Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a healing system based on the premise that like cures like. The system was originated in the 1800’s by a German physician named Samual Hahnemann. The science of homeopathy does consider the whole patient not just an individual problem and in that sense is holistic. The goal of homeopathy is to cure the patient and not just stop the symptoms. And so the medicine (called a remedy) must fit the pattern of the patient’s symptoms. Classically the remedies are used alone with no other treatment modalities. This works especially well when a known pattern can be recognized as relating to a specific remedy. In these cases the remedy is used and nothing else is necessary except to wait. These “constitutional” remedies require a lot of information about the patient and it is suggested that the care-taker keep a diary to facilitate the choices. It also takes luck and intuition to choose the correct remedy and so we often incorporate muscle testing to confirm our choice.

The remedies are prepared by starting with the basic substance and diluting it in a prescribed manner until all that is left in the dilution is the energy of the substance. The remedies are available in different strenghts and what is important to understand is that the strenght is more important than the amount and that you cannot divide a tablet and get a different strength or use more of a small strength to equal a bigger strength. It is also important to store the remedies away from strong odors (such as perfumes and essential oils) and to not touch any tablets that will go back into the bottle.

Here at South San Diego Veterinary Hospital, we incorporate homeopathic remedies as the need arises. For example, we often use a remedy called arnica after surgey as it helps control bruising and bleeding. Often we use these types of acute remedies in conjunction with other treatment methods. We try to fit the treatment to the patient’s needs.