The homeopathic principle is on full display in the springtime in the prairies. If you are a flower-child who suffers from seasonal allergies, consider the old saying: “the cure is in the hair of the dog that bit you.”
Raw honey naturally contains microdoses of pollens specific to local flora. Dust, mold, and pollen in high concentrations obviously tend to aggravate our immune systems. In those prone to over-reactive immune responses, (ie. allergic tendencies), this exposure results in the familiar hayfever symptoms in the spring and summer. However, the key to calming down an over-active immune response is not just avoiding the outdoors or frequently taking anti-histamines. Take a lesson from the homeopathic principle: exposure to a microdose of an irritant allows the immune system to be able to tolerate the compound without over-reacting. This, in turn, is a way to foster immune tolerance to pollen at higher concentrations in the environment over time.
Raw, local honey is a great natural source of microdosed pollen. Honey that is local is especially effective because the bees carry trace amounts of specific pollens from flowers in your habitat. The more similar the pollen in the honey is to the pollen in your local environment, the better it acts as a natural anti-histamine.
The principle of homeopathy is based on the law of homeostasis in the body. Our bodies wisely self-regulate by consistently working to re-establish norms when the systems of the body are altered. When we are over-heated, we create a sweat reaction to cool so that an internal temperature norm is maintained. With medicines, this biochemical tendency to oppose change is described as the withdrawal effect. In homeopathy, we make use of homeostasis to provoke a reaction to a stressor in the direction of self-repair.
The principle of homeopathy is that like cures like; taking a small amount of a substance can cure what exposure to a large amount of the same substance would cause. So for example with allergies, pollen can evoke an inflammatory response in high concentrations, and can, therefore, be taken medicinally in microdoses to evoke an anti-inflammatory response.
We see this idea that “like cures like” or “the law of similars,” not only in natural medicine but increasingly in conventional drug therapy. The latest immunotherapy for severe peanut allergies involves using microdoses of peanuts, (as little as billionths of a gram), designed to reprogram a patient’s immune systems so that peanuts no longer provoke anaphylaxis. (Of course, this is should only be done under the careful supervision of a medical professional). Even if you don’t suffer from severe allergies, anyone can benefit from the principles of homeopathy to support healthy immune function. And the healthy immune function is the key to self-repair and wellbeing.
*To learn more about homeopathy and immune function or to book a consult with Dr. Cardona, please contact Via Natural Medicine at 204-615-5225
