Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, was a medical genius whose thought was far in advance of his own time and even ours. He started out as a conventional doctor but became disillusioned with the orthodox approach, which he called allopathy, and cast about for something better. As the result of an experiment on himself using quinine he was led to formulate the homeopathic "law of similars". He also discovered the principle of using small doses.

In the light of these two ideas he carried out a vast number of experiments on himself and others (using tiny doses, naturally) - the so-called "provings". These are the basis of his system. Modern homeopathy still relies on the provings carried out by Hahnemann and his successors down to our own day. It is often also believed that Hahnemann introduced the idea of prescribing on the basis of the patient's character or "constitution".

Hahnemann was born at Meissen, in south-east Germany, on 10 April 1755, at approximately midnight. So, at least, Hahnemann himself always maintained; but the entry in the church register at Meissen records the birth as having occurred on the morning of 11th April, and this later date was adopted by some homeopaths and gave rise to disagreement about the right day to celebrate the Master's birthday. It is curiously appropriate that the inventor of homeopathy should have arrived in this world already equipped with a future occasion for controversy.

Hahnemann's father was a craftsman who worked in the famous Meissen pottery trade. He was not very well off, so that it was with some difficulty that the young Samuel persuaded him to allow him to become a medical student. As a boy he was put briefly to work for a Leipzig grocer. In 1782 he married Johanna Kuchler, an apothecary's daughter. A year later their first child, a daughter, was born - the first of a large family.

The main resources of orthodox physicians in Hahnemann's day were large doses of drugs, habitually given in complicated mixtures, and blood-letting, often carried to horrifying lengths. Hahnemann rejected both the theories and the practices of orthodox medicine. It was, he held, inherently impossible to know the inner nature of disease processes and it was therefore fruitless to speculate about them or to base treatment on theories. As for complex drug mixtures and blood-letting, both were dangerous and unjustifiable.

Hahnemann had not yet thought of homeopathy but he was a firm advocate of environmental measures to promote health - fresh air, good food, and exercise. In these opinions he was certainly in advance of his time, and the same is true of his enlightened ideas about the right way to treat the mentally ill. The germ of homeopathy had been planted in Hahnemann's mind by an experiment he carried out in 1790. It was suggested to him by translating the Materia Medica of the Scottish physician Cullen. Among the herbs described by Cullen was the Peruvian bark cinchona (quinine), already in use as a treatment for malaria.

Cullen followed orthodox opinion in attributing its effectiveness to its 'tonic effect on the stomach'. Hahnemann (who was never content to remain a mere translator but frequently added his own opinions in notes) attacked this idea, on the reasonable grounds that the taking of much more astringent substances than cinchona did not cure fever; hence the therapeutic effects of cinchona must be produced in some other way. Not content to leave the matter at the level of theory, Hahnemann proceeded to experiment.

As an experiment, Hahnemann took four drachms of good china (cinchona) daily. The feet and finger tips at first became cold; later became languid and drowsy; pulse became hard and quick; an intolerable anxiety and trembling in all the limbs; then pulsation in the head, redness in the cheeks, thirst. Briefly, all those symptoms, which are typical of intermittent fever, such as the stupefaction of the senses, a kind of rigidity of all joints, but above all the numb, disagreeable sensation, which seems to have its seat in the periosteum over all the bones of the body - all made their appearance. This paroxysm lasted for two or three hours every time, and recurred when repeated the dose and not otherwise. Once the medicine was discontinued, was once more in good health.

Critics have objected that quinine does not in fact produce the symptoms of malaria, but this seems rather beside the point. What matters is that Hahnemann believed that it had done so in his case and that this suggested the idea of homeopathy. Nevertheless, many years were to elapse before the germ of homeopathy grew into a full therapeutic system. Not until 1796 did Hahnemann publish anything on the subject, and even then the essay he wrote was theoretical rather than practical and it seems that he had not yet had much opportunity to try his idea out on patients.

In 1810 Hahnemann published the first edition of his major theoretical work, The Organon of Rational Healing. Further editions of this continued to appear at intervals throughout his long life, while the sixth and last did not come to light until 1920.

Hahnemann's very success made him the target of much hostility, not only from doctors but also from his old enemies, the apothecaries, who resented the fact that Hahnemann made up his own medicines and advised his disciples to do likewise.

In 1830, when he was 75, Hahnemann's wife died. They had been married for nearly 48 years and had had eleven children. In October 1834 a mysterious visitor arrived at Kothen: a smart young Frenchman, whom the customary visit of the barber next morning unmasked as a beautiful girl. Mademoiselle Marie Melanie d'Hervilly, as the young lady was named, gave out that she had come to consult Dr Hahnemann about her health. In January 1835 - Melanie and Hahnemann were married. Melanie assisted him, studied homeopathy under his tuition, and became a practitioner herself. Hahnemann himself apparently found peace and fulfilment with her.

Hahnemann died on 2 July 1843. Melanie kept the funeral private, and his biographer Haehl implies that she forgot him as soon as he was buried; but this seems at variance with the fact that when Hahnemann's body was disinterred in 1896 a lock of Melanie's hair was found round his neck.

CLASSICAL CONSTITUTIONAL HOMOEOPATHY:
Homoeopathy is fast gaining popularity for various approaches towards taking the case. Over years of practice, a Homoeopath arrives at the remedy intuitively. Classical constitutional homeopathy refers to the treatment of a person as a whole, including past, present symptoms and family history. The person goes through a detailed case study after which the totality of symptoms is arrived. Then a process of Repertorization is done which is interlinked with various aspects of Principles of Organon. The end result is a constitutional remedy for that particular case. This remedy has to be further studied and later has to be followed with remedies depending on the constitution.

The personality trait in Homoeopathy is looked at miasmatically. For example- a bilious natured person will have a sluggish liver. This does not mean there is a major liver problem but that the liver is weak.

When accurately implemented, Homeopathic constitutional care can elicit a profound healing response. It can be extremely effective in treating chronic and long-term health problems. It is often regarded as the homeopath's best tool to prescribe the right homeopathic medications. As traditionally developed, homeopathy is a holistic art that looks at the symptom picture of a person, including psychological, emotional, physical, and hereditary information for the individual. It attempts to address the constitution.

In other words it aims to treat the whole person. It is the type of homeopathy taught by its founder Dr. Hahnemann who claimed that at any given time only one remedy should be given to the patient, the one that has the greatest similarity to his disease.

It is a system of health care using natural remedies to help people with their problems - both physical and emotional. It gets to the root of your problems, and doesn't just cover them up. It strengthens your body's defense system, helping you to eliminate many health problems, and increasing your well being and happiness.

PATHOLOGICAL HOMOEOPATHY:
Human pathology is the science, which treats of diseased or abnormal conditions of living human beings. While the findings and conclusions of modern pathology are accepted in large part by all schools of medicine, and serve as the common basis of the therapeutic art, there are enough variations and differences, particularly in general pathology, arising from contemplation of the subject from the homœopathic point of view to justify the creation of a special field or department, called Homœopathic General Pathology, especially as it is concerned with Chronic Disease.

Hahnemann's generalization was based upon his new and far-reaching discovery: the existence of living, specific, infectious micro-organismsas the cause of the greater part of all true diseases. Taking the entire mass of morbid phenomena, he first eliminated all of the numerous symptoms and so-called diseases which are merely local, temporary and functional, in persons otherwise healthy, due to non-specific causes, such as indiscretions in diet or regimen, mechanical injuries, undue exertions or indulgences, emotional excesses, etc. Such conditions are not true diseases, but mere indispositions, which disappear of themselves under ordinary circumstances when the cause is removed, or yield easily to corrective hygienic, dietetic, moral or mechanical measures. They ordinarily require no medicine. In this class of cases are included many of the so-called occupational diseases, caused by exposure of healthy persons to noxious influences incidental to environment or vocation, such as unsanitary dwellings, exposure to fumes and emanations from chemicals, absorption of minerals, such as lead or copper, etc.  The treatment of such conditions involves merely removal of the cause, and, in some cases, antidoting the poisons, chemically or dynamically.

HOMOEOPATHIC TREATMENT IN ACUTE CONDITIONS:
There has been lot of misconceptions and myths regarding Homoeopathy in acute conditions. Amazingly, the response to one dose of medicine in any acute conditions like a diarrhea or fever is fantastic. Similarly, the Homoeopathic medicine effect in an acute phase with the anti-bacterial properties clears the infection completely and also doesn’t produce any uncomfortable feeling especially with regard to digestion. The patient not only recovers fast but also doesn’t get susceptible to infections which are round the corner.

It is important for a Homoeopathic Physician to know when and where the acute medicines can be best employed. Homeopathic treatment will stimulate a healing reaction, encouraging the body to fight off an infection.

Remedy selection involves choosing a medicine, which is similar in expression to the individual. Medicines, just like people, have their own unique expressions. No two are alike. In homeopathy, there are thousands of different remedies. Selecting a remedy, which matches the portrait, involves a thorough understanding of the expression of health. People express themselves in certain patterns or themes.

Acute conditions:

• Acne.
• Allergies.
• Bed-wetting.
• Chicken pox.
• Colic.
• Conjunctivitis.
• Cystitis.
• Diarrhea.
• Dysmenorrhoea.
• Ear infections.
• Fever blisters.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Flu.
• Hay fever.
• Headaches.
• Influenza.
• Insect bites.
• Postoperative pains.
• Sinusitis.
• Sprains/ Injuries.
• Toothache.
•  Tonsillitis.