Antipathy, Isopathy, and Homeopathy
written by Marilyn Freedman, HOM
© Marilyn Freedman
There are a number of ancient medical approaches that have been used throughout history.The three major methods are antipathy, isopathy, and homeopathy.
Antipathy
Anti means opposite. Pathy means suffering. = Opposite to suffering.
So antipathic treatment is the application of the opposite to suffering. Antipathy is the treatment of disease by creating conditions which are opposite, or hostile to, the conditions resulting from the disease itself. This system of medicine is the main focus of western, or conventional, medicine. Prescriptions typically entail the use of anti-depressants, anti-histamines, ant-inflammatories, and other drugs that are suppressive. Conventional pharmaceuticals typically create side effects. Some are addictive, and some are toxic.
Isopathy
Iso means equal. Pathy means suffering. = Equal to suffering.
Isopathic treatment is through the identical type of suffering, The use of isodes is based on the principle “the cause is the cure”.
Isotherapy is the treatment of a disease by administering the active causative agent of the same disease.
This system of medicine has been documented as early as 1000 BCE in China. Smallpox was rampant and prevention was by taking the diseased material from an active smallpox and scratching the substance onto the arms of healthy people. More recent in time was the experimentation of Dr. Edward Jenner who published his work on developing the small pox vaccine in 1797, just a few years after Hahnemann published findings on his work with homeopathy in 1790. The small pox vaccine was the precursor of vaccinations today as we know it.
Isopathic treatment is common in the use of vaccinations. Isopathic treatment is used for snake bites. Isopathic treatment can cause side effects.
Homeopathy
Homeo means similar. Pathy means suffering. = Similar to suffering
Healing is through application of a substance which would cause similar suffering in a healthy person.
The use of Homeopathy is documented in ancient writings such as the Bible, the works Hippocrates, and Peracelsus. It was in 1796 when Dr. Samuel Hahnemann developed a system of medicinal pharmacology for homeopathy that it became a favoured medical modality.
Based on the homeopathic philosophy of curing, a medicine which causes symptoms in a healthy person will cure the sick person who displays those same symptoms. The same homeopathic medicines which were proven over 200 years ago are still very much being used, while new homeopathic medicines have been proven and added to the materia medica. The number of homeopathic medicines pharmaceutically available today total more than 4,000.
Homeopathy is the ONLY form of true holistic therapy because the highly diluted medicines are able to cross the blood brain barrier and cause changes, not only on the physical level, but on the emotional, mental and spiritual level at the same time.
Homeopathic pharmaceuticals do not create side effects, are not toxic, and are not addictive.
The cross over….
Conventional medicine uses the principles of homeopathy, “like cures like”, in some cases such as the treatment of attention deficit disorders with amphetamines, and the treatment of snake bites with the venom of the same snake.
Isotherapy is used in contemporary homeopathy. .One example of this is the treatment of snake bites with snake venom. There are homeopathic remedies made from the actual disease materials, such as chicken pox, that are used as protection against the disease.. These work the same way as vaccines except that remedies are taken orally and there are no preservatives. These same remedies are also used to treat the patient with the disease.
Homeopathy, Medicine of the 21st Century
According to Health Canada ”71% of Canadians regularly take vitamins and minerals, herbal products, homeopathic medicines and the like — products that have come to be known as natural health products (NHPs).”
“Homeopathy is one of the most commonly used forms of herbal medicines. There is a large market for homeopathic products around the world. For example, in 2008, Australia spent 7.3 million US dollars on homeopathic medicines; France spent more than 408 million; Germany 346 million and the United Kingdom more than 62 million US dollars. In the United States, adults spent 2.9 billion US dollars on homeopathic products in 2007. “ World Health Organization
The World Health Organization has termed Homeopathy as the second largest system of medicine. There are approximately 500 million people worldwide who receive homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy is practiced in 66 countries of the world. The world Homeopathy market is pegged at RS 135 billlion.