As Sri Aurobindo considered both, the ayurvedic and the homeopathic healing system, as fairly truthful ways of treating the physical and emotional bodies, we also -from our experience- feel the need to pay humble tribute to the genius founder of the most holistic treatment of the past: the German physician and medical doctor Sanuel Hahnemann (1755-1843).

1. What is homeopathy?
   Homeopathy is the system of medicine which works by the principle of “Similia Similibus curantur”, i.e. problems of existence (works with human being, animals and plants!) will be healed by specific remedies, which are able to create similar symptoms on the healthy being. Hahnemann wrote in his “Organon of the healing art”: „Choose in every case of disease one remedy which can provoke a similar illness as the one it should heal - in order to heal gently, quickly, surely and long-lasting.“
   
   Hahnemann, who was translating a book on the medicinal properties of drugs, was reading the properties of the medicine Cinchona, when he read that Cinchona cures malaria, because of its bitter taste. Hahnemann was surprised by this statement and when he read on, he found a footnote which said that cinchona poisoning leads to malaria-like symptoms. This set him thinking and he decided to test the medicine on himself. He experienced the symptoms of malaria, by repeatedly taking the Cinchona medicine and after continuing his experiments found that those medicines which cause disease-like symptoms in healthy individuals are capable of curing the diseased individuals. So, homeopathy relies on the Materia Medica - a book containing the properties of medicines, properties which have been proved on healthy individuals. Homeopathic doctors rely on the materia medica as the authority for it contains not empty theories, but details of symptoms which were experienced by hundreds of provers. It is thus a system based on sound principles and as a result of solid experiments.
   
   
2. How does homeopathy work?
   The theory behind the working of homeopathy is that the body of every human being contains a vital force within the body which regulates the functioning of the body. Due to reasons such as heredity, environmental conditions, stress, but even accidents etc, this vital force weakens causing disease. According to this, dis-ease is nothing but a complex of certain symptoms observed in the human body. The homeopathic physician makes a study of not only the symptoms the patient is complaining of, but of the entire patient himself. This leads to the achievement of a present picture of the patient. The physician then prescribes homeopathic medicine, which matches this picture. Now, the medicine so prescribed would have caused the same symptoms in a healthy person during a so-called 'drug proving'. This medicine is given in a highly diluted dose, in order to prevent side effects. This minute dose creates a similar disorder in the vital force and provokes the vital force to react to the symptoms (initial worsening) and to overcome it.
   
   
3. Does homeopathy rely on placebo treatment?
   Nowadays, all homeopathic medicines are given at a very low dose of the original substance. This is called 'potentisation'. Hahnemann discovered that the more the medicine was diluted (with alcohol or lactose), the more potent it became. So, homeopathy makes use of substances in a very low dosage. For eg: a doctor may prescribe a medicine with potency C. That means that the medicine has been diluted to 100 times (C) - for every ninty-nine parts of the dilution, there is one part of the medicine. The question is: how is it possible for such a small dose to work? The medicines contain an internal energy, being set free during the potentisation process of several steps of dilution. This internal energy is transferred to the vital force leading to cure. Generally, there are doubts against homeopathy that it relies on placebo treatment, which is already proven to be totally false. While the medicines may contain so less of the substance that it cannot be detected in a lab, it has been proved that these medicines are highly effective. While, it is easy to say that men who take the medicine may feel that they are getting better due to auto-suggestion, homeopathy is just as effective in curing human babies and animals. Can anyone say that babies or animals can be cured by placebo treatment due to auto-suggestion?
   
   
4. Is homeopathy of use in treatment of all types of diseases?
   Homeopathy is the best way to cure both acute and chronic diseases. Right from fever, cough, cold to asthma, skin diseases, cancer and diabetes – if the right remedy(ies) is found! All these are not only just curable but the cure is mild (without side effects) and permanent. While allopathy makes use of strong medicines against the symptoms to cure, which cause severe side effects, homeopathic medicines are not only sweet and easy to take (usually only a few pin-sized sugar balls each dose), they work highly effectively without any side effect. The danger of allopathic medicines is that they do not cure but suppress. For example: a cough and throat infection is not cured by allopathic drugs, but is suppressed and the disorder may move to the lungs causing asthma and other severe problem later on. Homeopathy works on the principle of 'Cure the person, not the disease'. It takes into account the totality of symptoms of the individual and treats each individual separately. For eg: there may be two patients suffering from fever. While an allopath would prescribe the same medicine for both, the homeopath observes the overall individual situation and just gives the one remedy showing the most similarities to the actual symptoms, which is most probably for each person a different one.
   
   
5. Procedure of the Treatment
   The first extensive interview with a patient can have a duration up to 2 hours. During this thorough acknowledgement of the case, which is significant only for classical homeopathy, the homeopath gets a holistic picture of the patients´ story and notes down all the important informations. The actual work starts with the interpretation of the symptoms and statements of the patient, which the homeopath is analyzing and comparing with hundreds of resembling pictures in the literature. That is why it is a sign of thorough work, if the homeopath is looking up books during the first interview and afterwards works in depth on the problem, because only then, after the appropriate check of all the factors, the matching and for the patient specific remedy can be prescribed and given. This remedy will start the natural process of healing, strengthen the bodily immune defence and life force and will work towards an equilibrium of the organism. Therefore, homeopathy is called regulatory therapy, as it is not effecting only individual symptoms or organs, but always working on the whole human being and seeking to improve the well-being on all levels. Consequently, during the healing process the patient will closely and regularly stay in touch with the homeopath, in order to report on any change in the state of health, based on which the further continuation of the treatment can be chosen. The dis-ease is not being suppressed with heavy remedies, often having harmful side-effects, but is approached and healed from the roots of its origin.