Homeopathy and Traditional Chinese medicine have very different roots but interestingly, they share some similar applications and philosophies. How? In part because they both work to enhance and harmonize the flow of subtle energies in the body, and both examine the effects of emotional and mental states on a person’s physical being.
Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice that treats a disease or condition by the administration of diluted or minute doses of a remedy that would, in healthy persons, produce symptoms similar to those of the disease or ailment experienced by the patient. Chinese Medicine is the general term to describe the numerous methods of healing used in Chinese culture for over two thousand years. Traditional Chinese medicine works to harmonize the body’s five basic elements: fire, wood, earth, metal, and water. Both Homeopathy and Chinese Medicine work to correct internal imbalances, by harmonizing the flow of vital energy in the body.
Both are described as energetic medicine. Energetic medicine is the practice of treating ailments and promoting health by working with the energetic map, or energy pathways, of the body. A classic example of this is acupuncture in Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture works by inserting very fine needles into different energy points in the body. Through this, the practitioner can stimulate, disperse, and regulate the flow of chi, or vital energy, and restore a healthy energy balance. Both modalities are holistic, meaning they treat the patient as a whole, exploring the mental, physical, and emotional aspects of a person. By strategically combining techniques from both homeopathy and Chinese medicine, patients may receive more complete and synergistic therapy.
Integrating treatments from homeopathy and Chinese medicine can offer relief in multiple layers. Acupuncture can treat a physical pain, whereas homeopathy can treat a manifestation of pain originating in a deeper place.Homeopathy prioritizes a person’s mental and emotional state over the physical. The physical symptoms are later examined as a means to confirm the right homeopathic remedy, but focusing on physical symptoms alone can result in the wrong remedy being prescribed. Many people might suffer from the same illness and share similar symptoms, but each individual is different, therefore, homeopathic remedies are selected based on more personal reflections.
Traditional Chinese Medicine uses herbal formulas and acupuncture, along with other traditional therapies, to treat pain and blocked energy flows within the body. When the body is in a state of disharmony, illness enters and acts on a superficial level, progressing deeper into the body, and manifesting physically. Chinese herbal formulas are often modified throughout the course of treatment to promote healing and fight the disease at the appropriate stage. Both forms of medicine address the fluctuating nature of illness and continually respond to it with the most effective treatments based on numerous individual factors.
Patients with deep emotional trauma and accompanying physical symptoms would be ideal candidates for implementing both homeopathic remedies and acupuncture together. For example, the liver is well known in Chinese medicine to harbor emotions such as rage and unresolved anger. Using acupuncture techniques to focus on a liver point in conjunction with the homeopathic remedy Belladonna, the patient will receive emotional support and calming from the Belladonna, while the acupuncture treats the physical and emotional energy imbalance.
A separate similarity between Homeopathy and Chinese medicine is the observation and analysis of the tongue and pulse. In Chinese medicine, tongue and pulse observations are used to determine a person’s underlying patterns and help the practitioner to choose the best treatment. In Homeopathy, tongue observation is used to confirm a remedy, but is not as vital to choosing one as in Chinese medicine. Both practices also use dilution as an important part of formulating the right medicine. Dilution allows for toxic substances to be taken without significant side effects.
The most beneficial and important similarity between both medical practices is the focus on the patient as a whole. Each person may respond differently to a medicine and require different, alternate therapies. One drug does not treat all. Homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine offer some of the most sophisticated and highly individualized therapeutic modalities and form some of the basic cornerstones of Integrative Medicine. Read more about the Traditional Chinese and Integrative Medicine by visiting www.dreliaz.org/recommends-treatment.
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