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If you Haven't Tried Homeopathy, You
Haven't Tried Everything.
 |
By Ronda Behnke ND, RN A look at the pattern of disease progression, and its reversal. There are many books on the market about what causes all diseases: genetics, germs, chemicals from foods or the environment, mercury fillings, pH imbalance, parasites, yeast, pressure on spinal nerves, blocked energy, emotions, and the list goes on.... Many natural health practitioners offer supplements or services to help the person based on what the practitioner believes is the cause of all diseases. Believe it or not, there is no one cause of all diseases. However, the pattern of disease progression is very similar for all diseases. For thousands of years man has been searching for the cause of illness. Initially it was believed that illness was linked to God or spirits being upset with the person’s actions. Later, it was bad blood or body fluids, so these were removed from the person in the attempt to restore health (it usually led to the person’s death or further disease). More recent, diseases were believed to be caused by germs. Today, there is a whole gamut of perceived causes of disease; the medical profession has their beliefs and those practicing natural health have theirs. But the core belief is the same: if the cause of all diseases can be found, then diseases can be prevented or managed. The problem: there is no one cause of all diseases. Vital Force Although there is no one cause of all diseases, there is a common path of all diseases that have not been caused by trauma, such as an accident or physical injury, or a birth defect. Unless an organ of the body or part of the body has been injured through a trauma or accident or birth defect, no organ becomes diseased without the body first giving signals along the way. To begin to understand this phenomenon, the body’s Vital Force must first be discussed. Many cultures believe that the body contains an inner wisdom that allows the body to maintain a balance, for only with a balance can the body function at an optimal level. This inner wisdom regulates body processes, monitors the body for imbalances, and lets the conscious mind know when something is not right; it can even tell the conscious mind what must be done to correct the imbalance. Other cultures call this inner wisdom the Innate Wisdom, Chi, Prana, Qui, and so forth. For this discussion, it will be called the Vital Force. When something happens to the body that affects the body’s balance, such as coming in contact with the influenza “flu” virus, the Vital Force sends signals to the conscious mind to let the person know there is a challenge to the Vital Force. These signals are the symptoms of the flu. The symptoms are intended to direct the healing to help the Vital Force regain balance. Fatigue tells the person that extra rest is required by the body. Lack of appetite means to stop eating so energy that is usually used to digest food can be used for healing. Body aches are telling the person that the immune system is working harder to fight the invader. The fever is holding the virus at bay until the immune system can remove it. Cough is keeping the infection out of the lungs. And so forth. If the body is allowed to respond to the challenge to the Vital Force without interference, the body will regain its balance and be stronger, so it can fight the next challenge quicker without having as much of an impact to the Vital Force. Ways We Respond to Symptoms When symptoms occur, there are three ways people deal with them: 1. Ignore them 2. Suppress them with medication 3. Follow their direction Let’s look at each of these, using a headache as the example. A headache is a symptom. If there was no challenge to the Vital Force, there would be no headache as symptoms do not occur without a reason. Ignore the headache. Many people believe that pain is a part of life or a part of aging, so they ignore pain unless it really interferes with life. When the pain begins to interfere with thinking or action, a person generally suppresses the headache with medication. Suppress the headache with medication. Instead of determining why the headache exists, a person usually takes a pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®), aspirin, ibuprofen, or such. With suppressive treatments such as drugs, the symptom usually returns once the medication has worn off. Follow the headache’s direction. Knowing that a headache does not occur without reason, stop and think about it. Listen to your body. Perhaps you are distressed about work, or you have been sitting in the same position for the past two hours. Perhaps you are hungry. The cause of most headaches can be determined if the person listens to the body and what the headache is trying to say. It is a difficult concept to grasp in our society: that symptoms are a good thing. So many commercials and advertisements have trained people to believe that symptoms equal disease, and that diseases need to be managed with drugs. But this is not the case. Symptoms are the keys towards healing; if they are suppressed, then diseases take hold and progress to the point where the person develops a chronic condition where the disease “runs the show.” The Pattern of Disease As mentioned earlier, all diseases follow a pattern, and no organ becomes diseased without first giving signs of illnesses, unless there is a physical trauma or injury to that organ or congenital defect. The body is very intelligent. It protects the vital organs behind bone: the brain and spinal cord are behind the skull and the spinal column and the heart, lungs and part of the liver are behind the ribs. The kidneys, which are also very important, are protected in pockets of skin, separating them from the internal organs and from the outside. Your body protects these vital organs, and even would sacrifice other “less important” organs for their survival; for if these organs were damaged, then life would be compromised. Having this in mind, it is very unlikely that a person would instantly have heart disease or kidney failure at the beginning of a disease process. A disease process will appear in another part of the body first, long before the Vital Force becomes so compromised that it cannot protect the vital organs. Consider John (not his actual name). John is now 30. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure and asthma at his last physical. John was quite sure he was healthy, except for the spurts of wheezing and shortness of breath he was developing. Did John develop asthma and high blood pressure because he was getting older? Did they suddenly appear without prior symptoms? John had lived in the same house he had since he was a 5, having inherited it when his parents died suddenly when he was 20 and was still living at home while he went to college. He also had the same neighbors and the same job (had worked there part time while in college, then continued after graduation). He had married and had two children. But, for the most part, nothing had changed in John’s life. So, he attributed his high blood pressure and asthma as a part of aging. But what actually caused his Vital Force to become so compromised that it was unable to protect the vital organs? John developed hives when he was 8; his parents took him to the doctor who prescribed antihistamines and hydrocortisone cream. The rash went away; everyone thought John was healed. Later, John developed sinus allergies and was again treated with antihistamines. The antihistamines managed his allergies for a while, and then he needed stronger drugs to keep the symptoms at bay. Soon, he developed sinus infections that didn’t seem to end; he required antibiotics, at first a few times each year, then more time, and pretty soon he seemed to be on an antibiotic all the time. He had sinus surgery when he was 16, then had his tonsils taken out because they had become swollen. Afterwards, his sinuses improved and he only needed a steroid sinus spray to manage his sinus symptoms; but he had lost his sense of smell. All in all, John thought he had come out ahead. Over time, John was able to stop using the sinus spray. He started to develop headaches and had to take ibuprofen daily. Aside from losing his parents, getting married and having children, John felt he was healthy until the doctor told him he was developing asthma and had high blood pressure. The doctor prescribed medication for both conditions; John was told he would need to take the drugs for the rest of his life. What signals from his Vital Force did John miss? The initial signals the Vital Force sends are mild, as any challenge to a strong Vital Force causes only a small imbalance. The initial signals are usually seen on the skin: a rash, hives, itching, dryness, a change of some degree. If the initial signals are ignored and the cause of the imbalance not fixed, the signals will become stronger, such as an open rash or skin wound. If the “message” is suppressed or not heeded, the symptom goes inward, but to an organ that is not vital, such as sinus allergies, swollen tonsils, or nausea. The more the message is suppressed or ignored, the greater the challenge to the Vital Force, so the more compromised the body becomes. In John’s case, he developed sinus allergies, then sinus infections and swollen tonsils, then headaches, asthma and high blood pressure. The body can live without sinuses and tonsils; can it live without lungs or a heart? And the cause? In many respects, it doesn’t matter. When there is a challenge to the body, to the Vital Force, symptoms direct the care the person needs. If the symptoms are ignored or suppressed, then the route towards disease begins. The pattern of disease occurs through suppression of symptoms, either through drugs or through ignoring the symptoms. The Vital Force, when strong, will do everything it can to keep the vital organs strong. It sends the person signals in an attempt to have the person assist the Vital Force to protect the vital organs to protect the life of the individual. Symptoms are that signal, that message. No matter the cause, the progression to disease is the same: minor symptoms that become worse and go inward until finally the vital organs become compromised. What Can Be Done? Just as diseases follow a pattern, healing also follows a pattern-a reverse pattern that the disease followed. A person who has compromised vital organs needs to have their Vital Force stabilized to keep it from becoming worse. The organs themselves also need support, as they have been compromised as well. A thorough history has to be obtained to determine the symptoms that had occurred and the suppressions that were used that compromised the Vital Force along the course of the disease (that allowed the disease to take hold and progress). This is where homeopathy comes in. Homeopathic medicines are designed to help the Vital Force. Although other natural supplements also can assist the Vital Force, homeopathy is designed for this. Two Types of Homeopathic Practitioners Briefly, there are two types of homeopathic practitioners: those who address symptoms to manage them, and those who work to restore the Vital Force to its optimum. Most homeopaths manage symptoms through the use of homeopathic medicines; most homeopathic remedies on the market are intended to manage symptoms. Only Classical Homeopathic practitioners work to restore the Vital Force; they also address the symptoms, but with the focus of helping the person with restoration of the Vital Force as the intention . What about John? John has been under homeopathic care for 8 months and has been responding well to homeopathy. He worked with his medical doctor to stop taking blood pressure medications, and only requires an occasional inhaler for shortness of breath. He states he feels more vibrant and likes the idea that he no longer needs oral medications. Even his sense of smell is returning, his allergy symptoms are significantly decreased, and he has decreased the times he needs to take medications for his headaches. As John is a “symbol” of the progression of disease, it is John’s hope, and his homeopath’s hope, that the day will come shortly when his diseases will disappear and health will be restored. With homeopathy, John began to reverse the course of disease progression; his new course is towards a strong Vital Force and health. For some, healing takes years; for others, healing occurs quicker-it all depends on how weak the Vital Force is, and how deep the hold of the disease process. Conclusion Classical Homeopathic practitioners help thousands of individuals with thousands of health challenges. Their success with their practices hinges on accurate analysis of a person’s symptoms, how the person thinks, his/her emotions, and how he interacts with his environment. The whole person is analyzed, as any and all symptoms are individual to that person, and homeopathy is very individualized. As the founder of Homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann stated: “It is more important to know the person that has the disease than to know what disease the person has.” A medical diagnosis means nothing to a Classical Homeopath; what that diagnosis means to YOU does matter, for you alone hold the keys to your healing, and those keys are the symptoms YOU have, those that are unique to you. It is those unique symptoms that determine which remedy (or remedies) is right for you. For those who state they have tried everything for their disease but have not tried homeopathy, know that they haven’t tried everything; if they had tried homeopathy, they would have no disease. Best wishes, Ronda Behnke ND, RN Naturopathic Doctor Classical Homeopathic Practitioner is a distinguished practitioner of Classical Homeopathy, author and speaker. Amongst her patients, she is known for her exceptional insight and non-judgmental presence in the patient’s healing process while providing compassionate, empathic and unwavering support. You can contact Dr. Ronda at (920) 321-0008 or visit her website at www.doctorronda.com. |
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