It seems as if everyone and his brother are using something “homeopathic” or seeing a practitioner who claims to be homeopathic. This can be quite confusing. A number of years ago, a group of homeopaths that practiced homeopathy strictly following the guidelines defined by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in his medical treatise, “The Organon of Medicine” defined the term “Classical”. It means, simply put, that they follow the tenents that Dr. Hahnemann described, including, but not limited to:
• The Law of Similars.
• The minimum dose.
• The totality of symptoms.
In other words, “Classical” Homeopathic Physicians prescribe medicines only after taking a thorough history and performing a focused physical exam. The homeopathic prescription is based upon all the symptoms of the patient (the totality) not on the diagnosis. Generally, a single medicine is used in the lowest strength possible to effect a change. The medicine is given only once or, in some cases, only a few times (minimum dose). The guidelines for selecting a remedy are defined by the “Law of Similars” (see above).
