 |
Heilkunst is a comprehensive system of medicine used to prevent and treat disease. It is rather unique in its approach and simply means, 'the art of making one whole'. Founded and developed by a German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, over 200 years ago, it seeks to respect a physician's Hippocratic oath: 'First, do no harm'. In reaction to the inefficient and dangerous medical practices of the 18th Century, Heilkunst is grounded in natural law, providing a solid framework for addressing both acute and chronic conditions. It is a safe and gentle method of achieving renewed health.
Heilkunst understands disease as occurring in layers, and treatment addresses these layers one at a time. This is sometimes referred to as sequential homeopathy or 'the timeline method'. It is not uncommon to hear that someone has never felt the same since the death of a loved one, or has never completely recovered from a serious illness or injury. The accumulation of these traumatic events directly influences the way we feel today.
A timeline chronologically lists events such as vaccination, long-term medication use, injuries, surgeries, and emotional trauma. After addressing any acute complaints you may have, a Heilkunst practitioner treats each event on the timeline using homeopathic remedies, starting in the present and working back towards birth. The process could be compared to the peeling of an onion, for each layer or event that is removed, health and clarity is increased. While it may take time to reverse chronic conditions, improvement is usually noticed within a week or two and almost immediately in acute situations.
A system of medicine that is grounded in natural law simply operates according to the principles of nature. The basis for cure is in the law of similars, and imbalances are corrected through the law of opposites. In simple terms, the law of similars states that a remedy administered to a healthy person will induce symptoms similar to those of the disease being treated.
Illustrated in a practical example, one could consider the common effects of slicing an onion. The itchy, watery eyes and nose can be compared to the symptoms of a cold or hay fever. In this case, the remedy made from Allium Cepa (red onion) could be prescribed.
The law of opposites is more easily understood and can be observed in most systems of medicine. It is useful in the correction of imbalances and deficiencies. For example, a deficiency of vitamin C can be rectified through diet or supplementation of vitamin C. Western medicine generally seeks to correct disease on this basis. Anti-biotics, anti-inflammatories, anti-depressants all provide an opposite force to the one being presented. Although this approach is necessary in some cases, the use of the law of opposites in the treatment of disease results in suppression. Symptoms may be alleviated in the short-run but these are likely to return in the future, often as a deeper physical or emotional manifestation.
The law of similars may seem counter-intuitive unless the dynamic nature of disease is taken into account. Disease can be seen as being of energetic origin; with physical symptoms only eventually resulting from its presence. While a medical doctor will seek to diagnose the disease through the identification of biochemical changes in the body, a Heilkunst practitioner or homeopath prescribes on the basis of the (energetic) cause of the symptoms being presented.
For example, instead of alleviating the symptoms of a headache with painkillers, a Heilkunst practitioner will seek to treat the cause of the disease, only manifesting itself physically as head pain. It could be the result of heatstroke, dehydration, overindulgence, emotional shock etc. Identification of the causal source immediately discloses the curative remedy.
|
