Samuel Hahnemann: The father of Homeopathy
Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), happens to be the 19th century German chemist and physician who developed homeopathy, the form of medicine which uses minute dosages of herbs as well as other substances in order to promote healing. He was from Meissen in Saxony, a pretty little town on the Elbe. It is one of the oldest cities in Saxony. During his study in Vienna he had a passionate taste for scientific research.
Shocked by the barbaric and violent medical quack practices in the name of treatment at that time and being concerned for the health of his family, Hahnemann spent many years making experiments to study the curative properties of numerous materials. He saw in medicine a hidden universe where there was research to be done, a struggle to be launched against the mystery, a battle against death. After two years in Leipzig reading rooms, libraries, he went to Vienna to try to learn medical practice. His journey to the discovery of Homeopathy commenced here.
Discovery of homeopathy
This law of similarity Hahnemann stated in turn that it could exist in disease and its therapy: "To cure a disease, it is necessary to administer a remedy which would give to the patient, if he was healthy, the disease from which he suffers." The first basic principle of homeopathy states that diseases are cured by drugs that give the same symptoms as the disease itself (law or principle of similarity).
According to Hahnemann, drugs exalt "vital force" against similar effects: the preventive vaccines produced since then do not work otherwise.
He believed that small doses of natural drugs could provoke symptoms of the diseases they sought to cure, prompting the body's own immune system to heal itself. The practice of homeopathy grew from this theory, based on Hahnemann's thesis that "like cures like."
Homeopathy was created with these three principles
- Similarity.
- Experimentation on healthy humans.
- Infinitesimal dose.
All his life Hanneman worked to create the bridge between the health and Homeopathy, conducting endless tests, promoting his theories, and battling detractors. After a restless toil, an unparalleled valor, directing the homeopathic confreres, receiving, healing, caring for patients from all countries, Hanneman reached his last days of June 1843. For some time Hahnemann was sick. He was in bed, and then it was the end during his last sigh he could pronounce these words "... In altem aber liebe. Amare et amari ... Confidence and peace". His last words have become motivating thousands of Homeopaths and followers of Homeopathy throughout the ages.
Homeopathy flourished around the world. Its popularity peaked in the United States in the early 1900s, then suffered a sharp decline due to protests from proponents of modern medicine, although it has remained immensely popular in many parts of the world, including India and Europe.
The 1960s spawned a growing back-to-the-land movement that sparked new interest in alternative medicine, including homeopathy. By the 1990s, the alternative medicine movement had grown to the point that even the American Medical Association was forced to recognize it.
The practice remains widely accepted around the world, especially in India, Latin America, and Europe. Homeopathy has been found to be especially helpful for treating chronic illness, including allergies, headaches, arthritis, colitis, asthma, peptic ulcer, high blood pressure, and obesity. It can also help remedy colds and rashes. Many health food stores offer homeopathic first aid kits designed to treat basic injuries, like stings, sprains, cuts and bruises.
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