Tonight CBC is airing a segment on their “Marketplace” TV show entitled “Homeopathy – Cure or Con?” I’ve gotten many emails this week warning me that the content will be biased against homeopathy and to prepare myself for the negative publicity this show will instigate.
This controversy is not new – in the late 1700’s when Dr. Samuel Hahnemann began to experiment and develop the medical art and science of homeopathy, he said and published many insulting remarks about conventional medicine’s lack of effectiveness and downright destructiveness, and the ignorance of those who practiced it – comments that hardly endeared him to his fellow medical practitioners! While Hahnemann was a brilliant physician, linguist, chemist and scientist, one gift he lacked was diplomacy and the rift between homeopathy and conventional medicine that was present at the beginning, remains today.
If you plan to watch the show or have already watched it by the time you read this, you may be feeling uncomfortable if it calls into question your experience and understanding. Rather than focusing on the confusion, this is a good opportunity to examine your own foundation and experience – do you get thrown off when others don’t agree with you, or is it ok to live in a world where people have different opinions?
I know what my experience of homeopathy is both in my personal journey, and that of so many friends, family and clients and it is reinforced positively every day. Because it addresses the energetic level, it can penetrate our physical, emotional and mental barriers, stimulating our systems to rally and rebalance what has been out of whack. Homeopathic treatment can do more than just rid us of physical limitations – it can give us greater energy to move forward in our lives and fulfill those dreams and purposes we carry within. For many, it is the system of last resort – after years of finding little or no relief from conventional medicine, stumbling upon homeopathy may offer the possibility of deep and lasting healing.
There will always be people with different opinions about all sorts of things and we can never be consciously evolved on all the issues surrounding us in this universe. But more important is to respect and appreciate our own experience; what is it that has value to me and remains true, regardless of the opinions of others? If homeopathy has impacted you in a positive way, then look to that – not the various viewpoints others may emphatically declare. What did Shakespeare write? “To thine own self, be true.” And after all – in his day, most people passionately believed the world was flat!
No one can invalidate your own experience, unless you let them. Whether it’s homeopathy or something else, there will always be a different opinion. The oral teaching of the Tao says:
“Believe in yourself, but never compete.”
You are unique, purposeful and wise. Trust in yourself to recognize what supports you, and hold fast – while at the same time, gently accepting that others may well have different ways.