In Australia, homoeopathy is NOT the same as naturopathy. In Australia, a naturopath, unless they have undertaken the specialised homoeopathic training required for registration with the Australian Register of Homoeopaths (AROH), may not be recognised as a fully-qualified homoeopath. For more information see the Australian Register of Homoeopath’s website at www.aroh.com.au.
Homœopathy is a holistic system of medicine developed by German physician and chemist, Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), based on the principle of "let likes cure likes". This law or principle is based on a long held belief as far back as Hippocrates, that substances producing symptoms in a healthy person can be used to treat similar symptoms in a sick person.
For example coffee may produce an overly heightened mental and physical alertness, irritability and sleeplessness in some people. Therefore if a client presents to a homoeopath with symptoms of insomnia, irritability and an over stimulated nervous system, homoeopathically-prepared Coffee (Coffea Cruda) in a tiny dose may be chosen to help their condition.
Homeopathic remedies are selected on the how each individual presents with their condition. Therefore five people may present with a headache as their main problem but each may be given a different remedy as each headache may present differently.
Used worldwide and recognised by the World Health Organisation as a valid form of healthcare, homœopathy has legal recognition as an individual system of medicine in 42 countries and is recognized as a part of complementary and alternative medicine in 28 others. It is considered by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to be appropriately described as a ‘traditional medicine’ with ‘low risk’.
(Section information source: based upon Australian Homoeopathic Association Website from the section ‘Homeopathy Explained’ www.homoeopathyoz.org/homoeopathy.html
Homeopathic Facial Analysis (HFA) is a homeopathic methodology developed over a research period of more than fifteen years by Grant Bentley Principal of the Victorian College of Classical Homeopathy in Melbourne, Australia.
HFA embraces traditional homoeopathic principles as set out by Samuel Hahnemann and extends upon them by including the analysis of facial features to find what is called each patient's dominant ‘miasm’. A miasm is interpreted as an energetic ‘defence mechanism’ enabled during times of stress to protect the individual.
When we’re too stressed, tired or exhausted, the defence mechanism becomes exhausted too and may fail resulting in chronic poor health. When a homeopathic remedy to help restore the defence mechanism’s integrity is given, energy may be restored to the person’s system and the body can return its attention to healing.
Everyone has a dominant ‘miasm’ or defence mechanism and in HFA, this miasm can be determined by analysing the size, position and location of facial features. This tool, combined with analysing your case using traditional remedy selection methods, provides a better match of remedy to your own unique situation.