Homeopathic Dermatology > Homeopathic Principles > The Law of Similars

The Law of Similars

In order to heal as surely and quickly as possible, it is necessary for practitioners of homeopathic medicine to learn how to correctly apply the Law of Similars. We have two hundred years of history with homeopathic medicine that clearly outline consistent rules for applying the Law of Similars.

The Law of Similars states: those symptoms that a substance is able to cause to appear in a person when exposed to it, that same substance also has the ability to cure those same symptoms in a person where they occur naturally as part of a disease process.

How To Apply The Law Of Similars
An onion provides a simple example of how to apply the Law of Similars. If you would chop up onions for a long time, an onion has the ability to cause a specific set of symptoms to appear anew in any person due to its natural ability to interact with the human being. The onion causes an itchy, stinging sensation to appear in the eyes, the eyes will become reddened after a time the eyes will start to produce tears. If you continue to chop up onions, next will appear sneezing and a runny nose.

The Law of Similars tells us that if the onion has the ability to cause these symptoms to appear, it also can cure these same symptoms when they are present as a disease. So, the homeopathic form of the onion is a quite common remedy to use for people who have either a head cold or have hay fever where their symptoms are a close match to those that the onion can cause. In either of these two situations, the homeopathic form of the onion will bring about a prompt relief of the cold symptoms or the hay fever symptoms.

Holism And The Law Of Similars
The concept of a patient as being a holistic being is necessary to be successful in applying the Law of Similars. The match between the remedy’s symptoms and the patient’s symptoms must be a close match for the Law of Similars to be able to work. In treating any disease, all of the patient’s symptoms must be taken into account in the matching process. The more chronic the disease process, the more exact the match must be between the patient’s symptoms and those that the substance can cause.

The success rate of homeopathic practice depends upon two things: one, knowing the full range of symptoms that a substance can cause to appear anew in anyone exposed to it, and two: being able to get a clear and complete picture of all of the patient’s signs and symptoms. These signs and symptoms include all physical expressions of all organ systems of the body as well as all symptoms relating to the emotions and the mind. This means that the homeopathic interview will include many symptom questions beyond questions about the patient’s main complaint.

The benefits that come from applying a holistic form of therapy will be further explained in the section on Holism and health and disease.

One important point to be emphasized is the nature of the healing result that is achieved by applying the Law of Similars. The seemingly peculiar reality is that when you give an ill patient something that could cause the same symptoms of their illness to appear in anyone, he will in fact not suffer more, but will heal. This seems paradoxical, but is a fact demonstrated repeatedly for two hundred years. The implications of this fact turn the conventional meaning of disease on its head. The ramifications of this alternative experience of reality will be further explored in other sections.

Matching Homeopathic Remedies To Symptoms
The homeopathic remedy acts as a dynamic or energetic influence to the patient. This puts the actions of the remedy more in concert with the actions of the Vital Force in contrast to the physical-chemical actions that drugs or herbal preparations have. In the pharmaceutical process of making a homeopathic remedy, the original substance is routinely diluted past the point where any of the original physical substance remains. Interestingly, as the remedy is further diluted and becomes progressively more immaterial, it induces a stronger or deeper healing response. The physical science behind this is difficult to understand, but the reality of it is reproducibly observed in homeopathic practice.

In homeopathic medicine there is no one remedy for any one disease. Each person will have a somewhat different experience of their disease through their symptoms as well as have many other unique characteristics that make them the individual they are. Though this makes the history-taking process more time consuming, it enhances the result of treatment because when the law of similars is applied any symptom that has been identified and included in the matching process has the potential to be healed along with the primary complaint. Homeopathic healing is not limited to one part or function of the body, but includes all of them.

If no closely matching remedy can be found for a patient’s disease symptoms, then no healing will occur, as the Law of Similars will not apply. Fortunately, applying the Law of Similars can do no harm. Homeopathic remedies do not cause side effects in patients because they do not have a physical-chemical interaction with the body as do drugs, herbs or supplements.

When there is no match between the remedy and the patient, there will be no response at all to giving a remedy. Fortunately, hundreds of homeopathic remedies have been tested over time and there is a good likelihood of finding an acceptable match for most symptom complexes. The development of more homeopathic remedies in the future and more specific information about the remedies we already have will decrease the incidence of not being able to find a remedy for a patient’s problem.

Read More: Holism >

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