The 'father' of homoeopathic
medicine, Samuel Hahnemann, working in the late 18th century, became
disillusioned with conventional (allopathic) medicine. He felt that many of the
'treatments' merely suppressed the symptoms which would return with a vengeance
when the treatment ceased. Homoeopathic treatment is based on very small amounts
of substances serially diluted in water which are then used to treat the very
symptoms which large amounts of that same substance would cause. This is often
referred to as 'like cures like'.
Most readily available homoeopathic remedies are in potencies of 6c, 12c or 30c.
The 'c' stands for centesimal dilution. To make 6c potency, the mother tincture,
of say Chamomile, is added to purified water to create a 1:100 solution and
subjected to succussion (rigorous shaking) designed to release the curative
properties of the substance. This 1c solution is then added to water, again in a
ration of 1:100 and subjected to succussion to create a 2c solution and so on.
The more dilute a homoeopathic substance is, the more potent it is considered to
be.
As a result of this dilution process the homoeopathic formula has no material
substance from the original mother tincture present. How then does it work if
nothing's there? The truth is that even the homoeopaths don't really know for
sure but it is believed by other natural scientists, like Schauberger, that
water has a memory of the substances it has contained.
We are fortunate in the UK to have, and to have had, a number of well known
homoeopathic vets practicing, many of whom have written books on the subject.
Whatever we don't know about how homoeopathy works, we certainly do know that,
human nature being what it is, veterinary surgeons would not survive in a
homoeopathic practice if what they were doing didn't work!
If you were looking for Galen Homoeopathics, (no relation to us at Galen's Garden) their address is Lewell Mill, W. Stafford, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8AN, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1305 263996 Fax Number: 01305 250792. As far as I know, Galen Homoeopathics don't have a web site.
From an article first written for
Fur & Feather Magazine