Homeopathy FAQ's - All You Need to Know About Homeopathy

Homeopathic medicines may look alike, but they are not the same. The concept is similar to allopathic capsules. The matter that cures you is captured within the small white pills. The basic ingredients of homeopathic medicines are derived from 3000 different sources, including plants and minerals. Their active principles are extracted into various solvents and the liquid homeopathic medicine is poured into small, highly porous, absorptive sugar globules for better taste. The content within these white sugar pills aims to cure you.

Homeopathic treatment will help you observe improvement in the symptoms of your disease. This is probably the best indication that your doctor is following the right course of treatment. There are also medical evaluation tests like blood tests, X-rays, etc., which will help you evaluate the success of treatment provided. Additionally, at Dr Batra’s™, in case of skin disorders, you can check your response to the treatment and improvement in your condition with the help of advanced technology like India’s first 3D imaging device, even before it is visible to the naked eye. This saves your money as well as time.

No, homeopathic medicines do not cause any side-effects. Homeopathy is a natural, safe as well as effective method of healing. Homeopathic medicines are made from natural sources like plants and minerals, thus causing no side-effects, even if you take them throughout your lifetime. They are absolutely non-toxic and non-habit forming, and the cure is safe and sure.

Yes, a professional homeopath in India has to go through the same rigorous 4 or 5-year course as any other allopathic doctor, including one year of internship at a hospital. Subjects like physiology, surgery and medicine are taught in allopathy and homeopathy. Additionally, to become a Doctor of Medicine in Homeopathy [M.D.(Hom)], one needs to spend another three years, followed by a fellowship course of one year in dermatology.
Moreover, homeopathic practice is never restricted to one type of illness or segment. For example, in allopathy, a dermatologist only treats skin ailments and a gastroenterologist only sees patients with problems in the digestive system. However, a homeopath is trained to treat a wide variety of illnesses, right from common problems like sinusitis and allergic coughs to more serious conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and even diseases like cancer. In a true sense, a homeopath is a multi-specialist.

Homeopathy believes in correcting the disorder instead of suppressing it, unlike steroid-based drugs. Therefore, using steroids is against the philosophy of homeopathy. All homoeopathic medicines use scientific methods of extracting medicinal properties from natural substances. There is no scope or need to adulterate the medicines with any other substance, as that would eliminate the curative properties of the medicine.
Moreover, at Dr Batra’s™, homeopathic medicines are prepared in an open pharmacy (glass pharmacy) where our patients can actually see the making of homeopathic pills. However, if you have doubts regarding the contents of homeopathic medicines, you can get them tested at a laboratory for steroids. There are some specific tests that help evaluate the presence of steroids in a given compound.

Homeopathic medicine can provide relief in both acute as well as chronic illnesses. Unfortunately, many people choose homeopathy only when other systems of medicine fail to treat their ailment. Nevertheless, homeopathy has proven to be efficient in treating several chronic ailments, including arthritis. Given that arthritis is an immunity-related disorder, homeopathic treatment aims at correcting altered immunity. This offers symptomatic relief and delays the onset of complications such as deformities or disabilities. Please visit any of our clinics for the evaluation and treatment of your arthritis.

You should know that a homeopath in India is not someone who has done a weekend or 'six-week' course in homeopathy. A professional homeopath has done a 4 or 5-year homeopathy course and has been certified by the governing body to practice homeopathy. There is one simple way to find out how experienced or highly trained your preferred homeopath is: check their credentials and, if possible, learn about the cases they have treated before. You can also talk to some of their patients regarding their experience and improvement in their medical condition after treatment.
If you are not sure where to find the right homeopath, you can go to a reputed homeopathic corporate. Doctors are usually as good as the experience they have. Dr Batra’s™ is an institution with a total medical experience of over 1600 years. Therefore, our patients get the benefit of our experience in treating cases since the last 35 years. We also provide the best-in-class homeopathic doctors and best-in-class patient experience.

Several types of diseases, chronic or acute, can be treated effectively with homeopathy. Unfortunately, people tend to go to a homeopath only when the acute problem becomes chronic, that is, it becomes more severe and difficult to treat. They choose homeopathy when other systems of medicine fail to treat or completely cure their medical condition, most often in cases like arthritis, asthma, rare skin conditions, etc. These cases naturally take longer to treat, even with any other system of medicine. For acute ailments like fever, diarrhoea, acute cold, cough, etc., homeopathic remedies act as fast as conventional medicines, sometimes even faster. In certain cases, these remedies produce results even quicker than other forms of therapy.

You might see an improvement in your condition within a few weeks of starting homeopathic treatment; on the other hand, it might even take a few years to see positive results. The duration of homeopathic treatment depends a lot on factors like the duration of your illness, progress of the disorder and earlier treatments you may have taken for the same. For example, if you are suffering from arthritis since 8-10 years, you might have to take homeopathic medicines for at least 2-3 years to see an improvement in your condition. This does not mean you can stop your treatment. You might have to continue with homeopathic medicines for some more time to get completely cured.

The recurrence of your illness depends on several factors. You have to take medicines as advised by your homeopathic doctor for the recommended duration. If you stop the treatment midway because you see an improvement in your symptoms, there are high chances that your illness might recur. Your homeopath knows exactly how long you need to continue treatment for complete recovery. So, to avoid recurrence, take the suggested dose of homeopathic remedy for the duration recommended by your homeopath. There might also be certain post-treatment, self-help care tips that your homeopath might suggest. To avoid the recurrence of your illness, follow the post-treatment tips suggested by your homeopath.

Homeopathic medicine can provide relief in both acute as well as chronic illnesses. It provides quick and effective relief in acute ailments like fever, diarrhoea, acute cold, cough, etc. It works well for child health problems related to memory, growth and immunity. Homeopathy offers relief to women’s health issues like PCOD, PMS, menopause, etc. It works well for hair loss, thyroid and obesity, and has proven to be effective in the treatment of chronic cases of skin disorders, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and many others. Thus, homeopathy provides a safe and effective cure for a majority of ailments, except those which need emergency care and surgery.

Certain restrictions on food are mandatory in any system of medicine for effective treatment. For example, diabetics are not allowed to consume foods that are high in sugar, and the intake of salt should be reduced by those with high blood pressure. These restrictions are applicable irrespective of whether patients opt for allopathic or homeopathic treatment. Certain specific restrictions are imposed for homeopathic treatment; for example, it is usually recommended that patients must refrain from eating or drinking anything 15-30 minutes before or after the consumption of homeopathic medicines. This is due to the way in which homeopathic medicine works and has nothing to do with avoiding the intake of a particular food product for a lifetime.
A patient undergoing homeopathic treatment has to keep the medicine below their tongue so that it comes in contact with the nerves. Homeopathic medicine is absorbed through the tongue and inner lining of the mouth. This is the reason why some homeopaths advise patients not to eat anything at least 15 minutes before or after taking the medicine, so that nothing else interferes with the absorption of the medicine.

Surgery is necessary in conditions where medicines have limited or no scope. There are a number of diseases which are labelled as 'surgical', where homeopathy works curatively and can even avoid surgery in some cases. Some examples of such ailments are septic recurrent tonsillitis, piles, some cases of appendicitis, certain cases of kidney stones, small-sized uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, warts, corns, etc.
Homeopathy has also worked well as a useful adjuvant therapy in post-operative care, or after surgical procedures like bypass surgery. The homeopathic medicine Arnica is a medicine of choice in such cases.

Nausea, anaemia, backache, cramps, morning sickness, constipation, heartburn, blood pressure, emotional distress, etc., are some common complaints during pregnancy. Homeopathy works gently and effectively to relieve such discomfort. In fact, conventional medicine can possibly have side-effects on both the mother and child, whereas homeopathy effectively addresses pregnancy related problems without any toxic side-effects. For better results, it is advisable to take homeopathic medicines under the care and guidance of an expert homeopathic physician.

With the right homeopathic remedy, symptoms might rarely get aggravated before the patient is cured. However, during the healing process, the strengthening of the body’s defence mechanism may sometimes cause the symptoms to worsen temporarily. This is a good sign that indicates the homeopathic medicine is working appropriately. Usually, such symptoms last only for a few hours to a few days, except for chronic cases where symptoms might last a bit longer.
Furthermore, most patients opt for homeopathic treatment only when other treatment methods like allopathy fail to provide relief. Allopathy believes in suppressing symptoms. Therefore, some cases might see an aggravation of symptoms as a result of past suppressive treatments that have pushed the disease into a deeper layer of the body.

Like any other system of medicine, homeopathy also needs to evaluate your condition thoroughly and make the correct diagnosis. Simply taking medication on the basis of symptoms will only mask your symptoms, and not get to the root of the problem. The symptoms can give your doctor a rough indication of what you could be suffering, but tests will help narrow down the diagnoses. Blood tests, X-rays and CT scan reports will provide the doctor with adequate information about the progress of your condition, presence of disease-causing virus or bacteria in your body, deficiency of vital minerals or nutrients, and several other medical facts that will help them suggest an appropriate remedy.
For example, hair loss can be due to iron deficiency or anaemia. Your homeopathic doctor will be able to confirm the reason behind your hair loss only after the diagnostic report confirms it. Also, advanced diagnostic technology like 3D imaging device helps you know your response to the treatment and improvement in your condition even before it is seen by the naked eye, thereby saving your money and time.

One of the biggest reasons behind the aggravation of diseases in patients today is self-medication. Potential risks of self-medication include incorrect dosage, severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, drug-dependency and aggravation of the condition. When patients know the name of the medicine that helped cure their symptoms once, they tend to treat their ailment with the same medicine in case of recurrence without the knowledge of the doctor. Thus, to avoid the practice of self-medication, a homeopath avoids disclosing the name of the medicine prescribed. Medicine taken without the doctor’s advice can do more harm than benefit. However, if you still insist on knowing the medicine prescribed, our homeopathic doctor will share the same with you.

To suggest an appropriate course of treatment, our doctors need to know a lot about you besides your illness. This includes your past medical history, family medical history, disease symptoms you are currently suffering from and any associated complaints that might have troubled you in the past. They could also ask you about the kind of treatment you have taken before approaching our clinic. Apart from health related information, homeopathic doctors will also want to know about your lifestyle, diet, as well as your likes, dislikes and hobbies. They will ask you about your nature and temperament. They might also ask you about any emotional distress that is disturbing you or any past event that might have been stressful. All this information helps our doctors know the root cause of your ailment, which might be either physical or emotional. Depending on all this information, our doctors will suggest an appropriate homeopathic remedy.

Homeopathic medicines are natural and do not cause toxic side-effects. They are safe for both the mother and the baby. Hence, homeopathic medicines can be safely taken by the mother while she is breast feeding.

A homeopathic doctor plays a vital role in your treatment. They are the ones who discuss your entire case with you before deciding the best suitable medicine for you. If you are getting better with their treatment, it is ideally not a good idea to change your doctor. However, if you have to change your doctor for some reason, please do so only after consulting with your current doctor. Randomly changing your doctor may affect your treatment.

The philosophy of homeopathy tells us that the symptoms of a disease are the guideposts to let us know if there is something wrong deep within and in need of correction. It focuses on the whole person rather than just treating symptoms or 'disease labels'. Homeopathy aims to treat the root cause of a problem, not just mask the symptoms.
Homeopathy is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’. It treats illness or disease by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would produce symptoms similar to those of the disease in healthy people. For example, when you chop onions, you have watery eyes and a runny nose, and you may also sneeze or cough. All of it happens due to exposure to the tuber’s active substances. The homeopathic remedy, Allium Cepa, made from red onion, can help you overcome a cold or allergy attack in which you may have similar symptoms – watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing or throat irritation.
Homeopathic medicine works by stimulating the body's own curative powers. It strengthens the immune system. Once the immune system is strong and starts functioning effectively, many ailments get cured naturally.

The ‘placebo effect’ can be described as a positive change seen after a medical treatment, which is solely caused by the patient’s psychological response to the treatment. After several clinical trials conducted to prove efficacy of homeopathic medicine, researchers have confirmed the healthy, healing benefits of homeopathy that went far beyond what could be explained purely by the placebo effect. Homeopathy acts in children, animals and also on plants. It shows effective results in infants too, even in conditions like abdominal colic. This would not have been possible if homeopathic remedies were placebos.
Additionally, with countless cured cases and satisfied patients, it is difficult to believe that homeopathy would have been so popular and successful in around 180 countries across the world for over 200 years with just a placebo effect.

Homeopathic medicines can be stocked safely for 8 months to 1 year. However, ensure that you keep the medicine away from extreme temperatures, kitchen heat or electronic devices. The medicines should also be free from moisture. At Dr Batra’s™, you get the advantage of our presence in multiple cities in India and abroad. If you forget to carry your medicine while travelling, you can collect it from any of our clinics across India. As all our medical records are saved digitally, you do not have to carry your reports to see our doctors across our clinics in India and other countries.

Homeopathic practice is never restricted to one type of illness or segment. A homeopath is trained to treat a wide variety of illnesses, right from common problems like sinusitis and allergic cough to more serious conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and even diseases like cancer. In the true sense, a homeopath is a multi-specialist.

For acute problems, you might have to visit your homeopathic doctor only once, as most acute illnesses get cured within a few days and with a few doses of medicine. However, for chronic problems, you might have to visit your homeopath more often. After the first consultation and diagnosis, our doctor will recommend a personalised treatment plan and ask you to return for a follow-up visit every month. This will last until your ailment gets completely cured.

Perfumes and deodorants, except those with extremely strong odours, will not interfere with your treatment. Anti-perspirants, while not detrimental to homeopathic remedies, are nonetheless unhealthy because they suppress the normal physiological response of your body. However, it is recommended that you take advice from your homeopathic doctor before using any perfume or deodorant.