Portland, Oregon Homeopathic Medicine

One facet of our Portland integrative medical practice at Terrain Wellness is the use of homeopathy (homeopathic medicine). Our homeopathic remedies are produced according to the Food & Drug Administration recognized Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States that are derived from natural ingredients which may include very specific mineral, flora or fauna sources. At our Primary care Medical Practice in Portland, Oregon our patients appreciate that we integrate homeopathy into our other services such as acupuncture and Chinese medicine. We appreciate that the homeopathic philosophy embraces a holistic approach that treats the patient as a complete and complex person rather than trying to work against a single diseased part of a person or something labelled as a sickness. The word homeopathy can be traced from its roots in the Greek language which was translated into english by way of latin and literally means “like disease”. The fascinating etymology of homeopathy points toward one of the core principles known as the “law of similar” where we let like cure like. As a result, the symptoms that a patient is expressing in their body are taken into account in a totality and not strictly in a certain disease category or medical diagnosis.

Homeopathy is a different way of treating patients and is often best experienced for oneself firsthand. Please call us to book an appointment at our Portland Integrative Medical Clinic if you want to learn more about how homeopathy, Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help you.

The First Homeopathic Principle: Letting Like Cure Like

The first principle of Homeopathy is often summarized with the latin phrase similia similibus curentur which is traditionally translated as “let like cure like”. This general concept of medicine was first stated in ancient Greece by the renowned thinker and Father of Medicine, Hippocrates (460-377 BC). From its roots in ancient Greek philosophy, Homeopathy as we know it today began to take shape when German physician Dr CF Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) codified this philosophy into a system of medicine. Dr Hahnemann began by submitting himself to experiments known as provings and thereby developed medical treatments that were then further tested on volunteers. Changes that developed in Dr Hahnemann and the volunteers would provide a homeopathic picture of the specific effects of the medical treatment and point toward what the treatment would be best applied to based on homeopathic principles..

Essentially, the homeopathic remedies that were discovered have the goal of creating something akin to a reciprocal effect in the patient; thereby restoring patients back into a state of balance or homeostasis. Over the course of his decades of research in the development of homeopathic medicine, Dr Hahnemann discovered in excess of two thousand substances useful for restoring the body’s natural balance. At Terrain Wellness in Portland, Oregon, we honor Dr Hahnemann’s legacy and continue to help our patients regain healthful balance of their physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of self through the use of homeopathy. Our integrative mindset as Portland Naturopath physicians includes homeopathic remedies in our treatment philosophy of personal health and balance by letting likes cure likes.

The Second Homeopathic Principle: Minimum Dose

After the concept of letting likes cure likes, the second founding principle of homeopathy is the concept of the minimum dose. The founder of modern homeopathy (Dr Hahnemann) developed the concept of the minimum dose through his use of homeopathic treatments with patients. As an example, Dr Hahnemann used Cinchona (Peruvian Bark) as a natural remedy for a patient experiencing repeated fevers. And, while the Cinchona treatment was effective with the patient, it occurred to Dr Hahnemann that the use of full-strength herb may have been more powerful than necessary and thus also have unwanted side-effects. In an effort to use natural remedies that would act more gently on the body Dr Hahnemann developed a process known as potentization, wherein homeopathic remedies are repeatedly diluted and put through consecutive agitations known as succession to the point where the amount of active ingredient fall below detectable levels. Through Dr Hahnemann’s clinical experience, it was concluded that the process of potentization improved the homeopathic effect for medical patients while at the same time minimizing or even eliminating unwanted side-effects. The resulting homeopathic treatments have been found extremely safe through hundreds of years of continued use by patients of all ages and genders. If it’s time for you to explore the world of alternative, holistic care that includes homeopathy, acupuncture and Chinese Medicine please call our Portland, Oregon Terrain Wellness clinic to book your appointment now.

The Third Homeopathic Principle: The Single Remedy

The third founding concept within the homeopathic system is the concept of the single remedy. As the name of this idea implies, homeopathic doctors usually only administer one remedy at a time. The goal herein is to limit the amount of treatments and thereby better zero in on what is actually happening internally with the patient. Too often, when patients are given a number of different remedies, medications or treatments the effects can begin to overlap or even contradict one another. When results of a single homeopathic treatment are observed, the physician can then assess the patient’s response to the remedy given and develop a clearer picture of the patient’s overall health. Uncluttered by the myriad of conflicting and perhaps counteracting medical treatments, the single remedy concept fits well with our clinical perspective at Terrain Wellness in Portland, Oregon. Of course we can’t describe everything involved in our many years of study on a single web page so you’ll have to set an appointment and experience how homeopathy can work for you.

Homeopathic Treatments | Acute Versus Chronic Conditions

At Terrain Wellness in Portland, Oregon, we recognize the distinct treatment strategies needed for acute symptoms in contrast to treating and/or managing chronic conditions. Acute homeopathic treatments are appropriate when an illness or problem is of recent onset and may be of a temporary duration. Sometimes acute symptoms may be something simple that the body may recover from on its own such as the Common Cold but in other instances acute symptoms may be more severe in nature and require greater intervention. In less severe acute condition scenario a generally healthy person would usually be able to overcome a cold. Nonetheless, proper treatments may still ease symptoms and gently stimulate the body’s own natural recovery in a safe way.

Chronic conditions require what is known as a constitutional treatment and are addressed as a separate category within homeopathic medicine, distinct and separate from acute conditions. With the perpetual, longterm and often progressive nature of chronic health conditions, treatment is often ongoing and generally unique to the individual. Improving health for patients with chronic condition and be influenced by a number of additional factors ranging from early health history, family medical history, previous treatments and the person’s natural constitutional strength. Our goal at Terrain Wellness of Portland, OR is to help our chronic condition patients attain a state of increased wellbeing through an individualized approach including homeopathic treatment, acupuncture and naturopath services as needed.

Federal Recognition of Homeopathic Medicine

Homeopathic Medicine has been recognized by the United States of America Food & Drug Administration since 1938 and has been proved to be in compliance with federal law in the 1965 Medicare Act and 1987 FDA Compliance Policy guidelines. Our homeopathic treatments have been deemed to be safe and gentle and can be used to treat persons experiencing a wide-range of medical conditions. As always, it is wise to discuss treatment options with one’s prospective homeopathic practioner’s experience with one’s specific medical condition prior to any treatment. Please call us at Terrain Wellness in Portland, Oregon to set your appointment with a Naturopathic Doctor experienced in homeopathy.