How Is Homeopathy Truly Holistic? Research Paper Example

A profound understanding of how homeopathy is truly holist necessities clarifying the holistic concept first and then exploring the homeopathic discipline. Holistic was derived from the holism concept. Holistic treatment is characterized by addressing the individual’s needs from a general, but yet specific perspective encompassing the entire being physical, social, mental and psychological. Holistic medicine is not alternative medicine even though it is practiced within the discipline (Malliori, 2010).

Precisely, forsome holistic medicinepractitionersalternative medicine is exclusiveeven thoughthere is a holistic treatment approach. All of the client’s circumstances are taken into account when interventions are executed. This practice is classified as integrative medicine. Importantly, the American Holistic Medical Associationadvocates that the spiritual nature of a person ought to be taken into consideration when holistic medicine is practiced.This is believed to be an integral part of the human being and activates wholeness/healing(Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, 2015).

Similarly in answering the question, why does homeopathy take the whole person into account when choosing a remedy, it is because the guiding principle underlying homeopathic practice is “let likes cure likes,” similia similibuscurentur(Chase, 2014 p 1).Essentially,homeopathy conceives the client as a whole being. The science does not focus on a disease condition in isolation and label it as a sickness. Instead homeopathycan be perceived as natural remedies to ailments. These remedies from research conducted by FDA-recognized Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, are derived from natural sources includingmineral, vegetable or animal in nature products (Chase, 2014).

More importantly, Homeopathic Medicine embraces comprehensive detailed dispensation of care. It begins with a patient interview known as the homeopathic case-taking. The process is pursued to identify psychological, emotional and physical irregularities as out lined by the client. The practitioner would then ascribe a remedy in alignment with the irregularity identified. For example, if the person is emotionally disturbed due to inability to pay his/her bills and this is demonstrated as a headache or stomach upset,amaterial medica would be administered by an homeopathic prescription called thesimilimum(Chase, 2014).    .

This remedy would stimulate a healingemerging not just from the body, but deep within the soul adopting the principle of likes cures likes. Hence, the process of diagnosis and treatment is holistic and mainly this is the reason for homeopathic medicine being considered  trulyholistic in nature. Also, herein lays the reason for homeopathy taking the whole person into account when choosing a remedy (Chase, 2014).

What homeopathy does for a variety of health complaints, acute, chronic, and first aid is interesting. Currently, there are two major approaches to homeopathic treatments. They are classified acute and chronic. Acute interventions pertain to recent illnesses such as a  commoncold ot physical injury. Homeopathic interventions would be allowing the body to regulate itself through the natural process. If the conditions take longer than expected then the practitioner would administer a stimulant such as onion, which gimmicks the symptoms of the cold in forcing the body to react and heal/ restore itself (Wayne, Ted, K., & Klaus, 2003).

The minimal dose principal prevails in the treatment of chronic conditions in selecting remedies for many chronic ailments. Experiments regarding matching symptoms with similimumare continuing.Currently, while there are manyremedies practiced for conditions they vary from individual to individual since this holistic approach is taken. Often the practitioner has to experiment with what works best in stimulating the like principle in that particular person for a cure to be activated(Wayne et.al, 2003).

References

Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (2015). Principles of Holistic medicine. Retrieved on January 23 rd, 2015 from http://ahha.org/articles.asp?Id=81

Chase, S. (2014).What is Homeopathic Medicine? Retrieved on January 23^rd 2015 from http://homeopathyusa.org/homeopathic-medicine.html

Malliori, M. (2010). No health without mental health-towards a holistic approach. Annals of General Psychiatry 9: S35

Wayne, J Ted, K., & Klaus, L. ( 2003). A critical overview of homeopathy.Ann Intern Med. 138:393-399