Can we address a headache if we don’t know what caused it?
Did your headache appeared because of dehydration, is accompanying an inherited tendency to depression that manifests together with a headache, arose because of latent chronic inflammations, trauma, stress, poor sleep, etc.?
When we want to get rid of a headache without understanding what actually caused it, what can we achieve?
Can a short-term suppression of symptoms bring long-lasting results?
COMPLEX INTERRELATEDNESS OR ISOLATED PARTS?
Sometimes, it is good to remind ourselves that even leading-edge science is struggling to understand some of the essential processes occurring in our bodies, much less our minds.
To put things into perspective, we can look at some data that now seem obvious to us, although it was completely unknown just a few decades ago.
Indeed, until 1990, the existence of a microbiome was not generally recognized, but now, we have discovered that it contains 200 times more genes than our genome!
The five pounds of gut bacteria that you are carrying around in your belly can influence your motivation and reduce the feelings of depression or anxiety.
Yes, your gut bacteria can cause changes in the way your brain reacts.
We can see how a physical system like the gut flora can influence emotional or mental systems.
And the other way around is also true; feeling anxious or depressed can ruin your digestion by unbalancing your microbiome, among other systems.
For example, research shows that stress and childhood trauma have a significant influence on the human microbiome.
Pointing to the complex interrelatedness of our emotional and mental states can influence our physical health.
When solely focusing on the physical system, we can observe a vast network of interrelated processes that are perfectly coordinated for you to be able to function.
In addition, your gut bacteria also influence your estrogen levels, which, in turn, affect the reproductive and urinary tracts, the heart and blood vessels, the bones, breasts, skin, hair, mucous membranes, pelvic muscles, and brain.
And the opposite is also true; your hormone levels will affect your gut health, among other factors.
With that in mind, can we address any of these issues as separated parts, without taking into account their interconnectedness in a complex system?
We currently have different fields of research, for example, psychoneuroimmunology, which presents a wide range of proofs of the body-mind connection, and of how our behavior, nervous system, and immune system are all connected and influence each other. However, we are yet to grasp how.
Meanwhile, research has helped us understand ourselves better. It is fascinating how it simultaneously recognizes how little we do comprehend the human system.
One thing is sure, however: research does show that we have multiple interdependent dynamic systems, for example, the respiratory, nervous, digestive, hormonal, emotional, and cognitive systems, to name a few.
Our mood can create a disease through our nervous system, and abuse can hinder somebody psychologically as much as biologically.
We cannot analyze a single problem or organ separately; we have to consider how it is interrelated with the other systems and processes in our body and mind.
Even though scientific evidence clearly shows that we are formed by a web of intricately interconnected systems, we are still “cutting” everything into pieces.
Our knowledge tends to become more specialized, making us lose sight of the “bigger picture.”
ARE OUR SYMPTOMS A MISTAKE?
By exploring the deep interconnectedness of the different systems within yourself, you realize how complex you are.
These systems are simultaneously run in a cohesive, harmonious way for you to be able to breathe, think, feel, walk, digest food, etc.
Your heart beats with a perfect rhythm; your cells get regularly perfectly distributed shipments of nutrients; the five pounds of bacterias in your gut are all in a balanced symbiosis to be able to synthesize your hormones, build your immune system, digest your food, and more.
Even with the latest AI,— currently the most advanced technology — we still cannot come even close to replicating the intelligence of our biological systems. We cannot recreate our physical aspects either, not even mentioning more complex, subtle aspects, like awareness, emotions, and thoughts.
Since all the most intelligent minds in the world with the best technology on hand, cannot replicate us, you may agree that we possess a highly intelligent system. Right?
Will this type of extremely sophisticated and coordinated system create a migraine for an invalid reason?
Is it just something random?
No, it is not.
Your defense system acts intelligently. When it produces a symptom, it is for a specific reason.
Generally speaking, that symptom is not a mistake nor a sign of a broken machine.
After a thorough analysis of all the implications, your defense system decides to create that particular symptom to maintain the best approximation to optimum functioning and protect the most vital body parts.
Your defense system works in a very specific way, with a wide range of variables that need to be taken into account.
In its equation, it includes all the vital organs and physical systems, as well as the emotional and mental systems.
Considering it is a very broad topic, here, it will be simplified to better convey a general idea.
If your defense system decided that the best method to maintain homeostasis is to produce a headache, and you took a painkiller to not feel the headache, what do you think would happen?
By impeding the process of your defense system, which is trying to maintain a semi-balance, what happens?
Your system creates the best attempt that it can for you to function in the least disturbing way possible. Therefore, by taking a pill, you block its attempt.
By impeding the process of your defense system, trying to maintain a semi-balance, we suppress the symptom, and the defense system will find other methods or produce other symptoms to manage the underlying unbalance.
The system tries to protect the most vital body parts, and hierarchically, will first try to manifest symptoms in less vital areas.
The first attempts will occur peripherally (on the skin or through headaches), but gradually, move on to vital organs if these attempts are continually blocked.
In other words, the more we suppress the defense system, the weaker it becomes, and the more vital parts of our system start to manifest symptoms.
What classical homeopathy does, instead of denying the methods established by the defense system, is offering the therapy that best aligns with this process. It follows the logic of the defense system, works with it at its specific current state, and strengthens it in the particular needed way.
It brings the system back on track, so there is no need for the symptoms anymore as the problem is solved at the root cause.
DOES AVOIDANCE SOLVE PROBLEMS?
To some extent, our approach to our physical symptoms is similar to that to emotional discomforts; if we feel pain, we just want it to go away.
We want to avoid discomfort.
Seeking comfort is natural. But promoting comfort as the most desirable value above all makes us weaker. Short-term comfort at the cost of long-term wellness is not a good solution. Avoiding problems without truly addressing them simply generates bigger problems in the long term.
When we avoid that unpleasant conversation and do not solve a manageable problem, it gradually piles up and snowballs into a larger conflict.
Like when we pollute the environment without thinking about the destroyed air quality we will be breathing or the poisonous water that we will be drinking.
These are all manifestations of the same mind-frame that doesn’t recognize the interrelatedness between different systems.
Of course, this model works very well for endless consumption.
It incites instant gratification and short-term comfort over long-term fulfillment.
We just want things to be easy, fast, and comfortable.
But, just as our personality and character our immune system and physical endurance are built through difficulties.
Wanting to avoid a very difficult task that makes us feel insecure or a difficult conversation brings short-term comfort but hurts us in the long run. Unspoken truths and regrets about what we haven’t dared to try, bring frustration, pain, and discomfort that are much harder to overcome.
The same goes for the symptoms in our bodies or emotions. We just want quick relief and want them to disappear as soon as possible. Although with this method, we avoid short-term discomfort, in the long term, this approach will bring us a compromised immune system and a long list of chronic diseases.
Understanding where the root cause of your problem is and “listening” to the strategy of your defense system is the only way to achieve long-term results.
Our approach of striving for short-term relief and disregarding the long-term consequences facilitates a growing silent epidemic of chronic diseases.
Globally, one in three adults suffers from multiple chronic conditions.
Prior to the coronavirus, three out of five deaths in the world were caused by one of the top four chronic diseases, namely cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes.
The WHO announced that depression is now the world’s leading cause of ill-health. This topic itself would require an entire article to unveil why it is a predictable fact from the homeopathic viewpoint.
WHAT DO WE NEED MOST OF ALL?
What we need most is a change in perspective.
Thinking that the pollution from nearby countries does not affect your neighborhood is the same as thinking that your incessant worries have nothing to do with your digestive issues.
If we strive for our long-term health and a healthy environment, we have to be aware that these are not two separate, unrelated pieces but a part of a bigger connected ecosystem.
Once we understand that our pain has a root cause, that it is just a piece of the whole picture, we can start to heal it rather than suppress it.
Classical homeopathy is designed to take into account the physical, emotional, and mental levels of each individual.
This is why in homeopathy, there is not one but 50 different medicines for arthritis because each person has a different type of imbalance, a different root cause, and manifests the disease in a different way, even though the general disease diagnosis is the same.
If we use homeopathy from the framework that everything is separated and that we just want to get temporarily rid of that disturbing pain, at best, these are the results that we will be able to achieve.
However, if we take the time to understand that all the parts and aspects of our bodies are connected, that what we are striving for is long-term health and not just temporary relief, we will be able to use homeopathy in the way it was meant to be used — to achieve freedom from physical pain, emotional disturbance, and mental turmoil and the ability to freely manifest our potential.
We have touched upon the most common misconceptions that prevent us from using homeopathy safely and promote long-term results:
- We can measure and know everything that is needed for a thorough understanding
Our biology is so vastly complex that even with the latest scientific tools, we remain unable to fully understand it.
But, we know that with homeopathic remedies, we can bring long-lasting results, since this approach works with the defense system. Even if the precise biochemical mechanism or virus is not clearly defined, we have an effective system to re-establish health.
- Every part is independent and functions separately
Vast research proves that we are composed of interrelated systems on the physical, emotional, and mental levels, where one level influences the others.
Classical homeopathy has been using this information as its main framework for over 250 years.
- Symptoms are independent disturbances of the system, and once we experience temporary relief, the problem is solved
Our symptoms act as a defense and have a specific role.
If we focus on an isolated pain and only look for quick relief, we overlook the root cause and the interconnectedness to other parts. Homeopathy can be used in both ways. We can use it wisely, understanding how it works and reaping its long-term benefits, or take it as “a pill for a disease” and suppress the symptom with a temporary relieving solution, thus compromising our long-term health.
We have now set the stage to explore the wide potential that homeopathy has to offer.
Nobel laureate and virologist Luc Montaigner titled his lecture at the Joint American Conference “Homeopathy: The future of science and medicine.”
Indeed, it can be the future of medicine. It tremendously helps with chronic conditions, acute pains, antibiotic resistance, environmental issues, and breaking internal patterns and emotional problems.
To make the most out of homeopathy, we must fully understand its use and open ourselves to its numerous, outstanding benefits.
