The Body Has an Innate Wisdom
In homeopathy, there is a belief in the innate wisdom of the body. This means that, when the body manifests symptoms, it does so at the least vital level. The symptoms are not the enemy, rather they are an indication that there is a disturbance in the body's vital force. The vital force is "responsible for the orderly and therefore healthy running of the body, and for coordinating the body's defenses against disease." [1 - The Family Guide to Homeopathy] Another, more simple way to think of the vital force is that it is the body's immune system. Whether the reason for the disturbance to the vital force is obvious (such as exposure to a flu) or harder to understand (such as eczema or chronic pain), the symptoms are the body's best possible defense against the disturbance.
Conventional Medicine Works Through Symptom Suppression
Conventional medicines work through the premise of symptom suppression. If there is a cough, a medicine is given to suppress the cough. If there is a rash, ointments and steroid creams are applied to suppress the rash. If there is an abnormal growth, it is surgically removed. In the short term, this may seem like a reasonable path to follow, but the problem with this approach is that it does not address the fundamental disturbance which led to the symptoms in the first place.
Suppressing Symptoms Cannot Lead to Health
Given that the body has innate wisdom and wants to express any disturbance of the vital force by creating symptoms at the least vital level, suppressing these symptoms cannot lead to health. When symptoms are suppressed, they are pushed deeper. The underlying disturbance is still present, and the body then needs to express it at a deeper level (since the least vital level has already been suppressed).
An Example: Eczema
Let's use eczema as an example. Eczema is a chronic skin rash. When a suppressing ointment such as cortisone cream is used to make the eczema "go away", the rash may indeed disappear but the underlying disturbance that caused the rash in the first place is still present. The eczema may go away, but in it's place there are likely to be respiratory tract problems such as asthma or bronchitis. Thus, the cortisone cream has pushed the disturbance to a deeper, more vital level of the body.
The Hierarchy of Bodily Systems
In The Science of Homeopathy [2], George Vithoulkas gives an excellent description of the level of importance of the bodily systems. He describes that the order of importance of bodily systems (from most important to least important) as follows:
Brain
Heart
Endocrine System
Liver (including Digestive System)
Lungs
Kidneys
Reproductive Organs
Bones
Muscles
Skin
Skin ailments, such as eczema, are bothersome, but they are at the least vital level of the body. When eczema is suppressed and respiratory problems develop instead, the person has moved further from a state of health than they were with just eczema.
True Health Comes From Curing the Underlying Disturbance Rather Than Suppressing the Symptoms
When conventional medicines are used, all that is gained is temporary relief followed by even worse health at deeper levels of the body. When homeopathy is used, the body is stimulated to cure the underlying disturbance that led to the symptoms in the first place. In this way, true health is gained.
References
[1] The Family Guide to Homeopathy, by Dr. Andrew Lockie, 1989, p.3.
[2] The Science of Homeopathy, George Vithoulkas, 1980, pp. 24, 36.
NOTE: I am not a physician or licensed healthcare practitioner. The information I provide is intended to educate, and should not be construed as a prescription. The uses of homeopathic remedies described herein are provided for educational use only.
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