What is cure?

Cure is the process embarked upon when moving from a state of ill health to a state of health.

To define cure it is therefore necessary to define health. Health is not merely the absence of physical symptoms, but a state of being in which the individual possesses a certain quality of energy and vitality. Health implies a degree of freedom - freedom from pain being the most obvious. But it may also include freedom from the limitations imposed by illness (physical or emotional), or even being free from certain feelings (such as tiredness or inappropriate anxiety). It may include the ability to adapt quickly to new or changing circumstances.

We all have our own idea of what health means. It may be worth thinking about what it means to you before you seek out a 'cure'.

Real cure follows what homeopaths call the ‘Law of Cure’. This states that the disease process acts from the inside out, from more important to less important organs, from top to bottom. Additionally, the most important symptoms will go first, followed by more long-standing complaints.

It is common to see a skin eruption during the process of cure, or sometimes an individual may get a cold, a bout of diarrhoea or a temporary return of old, previously suppressed symptoms. These are simply different ways of the body attempting to eliminate toxins, and will pass quickly if left alone(usually a few hours and up tp two days). The worst thing to do in this situation is to stop this expression (with medication or external applications) – this will merely drive the ‘dis-ease’ back into the body and the process of cure may be delayed. Always contact your homeopath if in any doubt.

The connection between asthma and eczema is mentioned above. During the process of cure, an asthmatic may experience a temporary return of eczema which was long considered ‘cured’ although in actual fact it had merely been replaced by the asthma. Often adults who come for treatment can’t remember suppressing a skin eruption; it may have happened during child- or baby-hood or appeared so insignificant that it was forgotten about.

(If confronted with a skin eruption during treatment, try to remember that although it may be cosmetically unsightly, the skin is the organ which is least important to maintaining life and is the most external area of the body. As such it is the body’s first and most superficial line of defence. Therefore, to a homeopath a skin eruption is a very positive sign that the body’s defence mechanisms are in a good state and the prognosis for complete cure is good.)

It is important to view cure as a process. It is very rare that we see a ‘miracle cure’, although these occasionally happen. Invariably, it takes time and effort on the part of both homeopath and patient. It may be that the first remedy given does not bring about a complete cure and only brings about some temporary improvement. In such a situation, more than one remedy will be required to complete the curative process. If this happens, it is vital not to give up hope, but to invest time and be patient. The human body-mind is very complex and we cannot expect to fully understand it in just one, two or sometimes three sessions.

How long will homeopathy take to cure me?

Cure is a process that cannot be rushed. Every individual will react differently to remedies, depending on many factors. Such influencing factors include family history, amount of medication used over the lifetime, the strength of the immune system, the general energy and vitality of the individual, and physical or emotional circumstances that may affect the individual’s well-being. It is, therefore, virtually impossible for a homeopath to predict the length of time required for cure, although an educated guess can be made in most cases, based on past experience.

Certain conditions are complicated and will require a minimum amount of time to be sure that a complete cure has been brought about. For example, hayfever will take an absolute minimum of two seasons, but usually three, to bring about a complete cure (it will improve and decrease in intensity over this time). Your homeopath will be able to advise you further on this issue.

What sort of conditions can homeopathy treat?

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