Homeopathy is a natural approach to medicine that works without contraindications (interference with other medications you may be taking) or side effects to stimulate the body's curative responses so the body heals itself.

Your body has the ability to heal itself. When you are ill, your body produces symptoms, which is how we know that the body has recognized that something is wrong and is actively working to heal itself. This "natural regulator" is your body's auto-regulatory mechanism and it works to keep your body in balance - or in a state of homeostasis.

Here's an example ofhow this works. Think of your "natural regulator" as your internal temperature gauge. If you go outside and it is very hot, your body will recognize it is too hot and begin to perspire. Your homeostatic mechanism is producing a symptom - perspiration - in an effort to cool down the body. If you go outside and it is very cold, the symptom is shivering. Your homeostatic mechanism is trying to warm the body up by shivering to produce heat.

Think about the last time you were shivering. You could not control it, and you did not stop until you were warm. It is the same way with homeopathic medicines. If you are ill and your body is showing symptoms, the symptoms will not disappear until the source of the symptoms has disappeared.

Homeopathic medicines stimulate your body's homeostatic mechanism so your body heals itself by dealing with the sources of your symptoms.

Homeopathy is different from conventional medicine because conventional medicine simply defines health as the lack of symptoms (if you dry up a runny nose, is your cold gone and are you healthy?). Homeopathy defines health as the lack of disease (if you get rid of the source of the runny nose in the process of dealing with the source, the runny nose will disappear on its own).

Homeopathic medicines should be placed under the tongue of adults and children or in the cheek of an infant where they will dissolve. It is preferable that there be nothing in the mouth to eat or drink 15 minutes before or after taking homeopathic medicines.

Look under your tongue. It is an environment full of capillaries (blood vessels) surrounded by very soft tissue. If you want something to be absorbed directly into the human body, what better place to do it than somewhere that is rich in blood vessels that carry blood throughout your system rapidly!

Homeopathic products are very clean-meaning they have no binders, fillers or coatings. The soft molded lactose tablets are made to dissolve almost instantly when placed in the mouth. Because the remedies dissolve in the mouth, they are absorbed by the mucous membranes in the mouth and carried directly into your system. For this reason, the remedies work faster than conventional medicines because conventional medicines are usually coated and don't get absorbed into the system until the coating is dissolved by the stomach acid, and that generally takes about twenty minutes.

Homeopathic medicated pellets take longer to dissolve, but they don't taste bad so it is worth the wait. Dilutions are liquid and should be dropped directly under the tongue.

Because the remedies are very clean and fragile, avoid handling them. It is preferable to drop the tablets or pellets into the cap of the bottle, and pour them from the cap into your mouth. If more than four pour into the cap, take four-don't put the pills back into the bottle.

You cannot overdose on homeopathic medicines. If you take fifteen tablets or five tablets (or 100 tablets for that matter) AT ONE TIME it is one dose. You will stimulate your curative response one time. So, it is not a tragedy if more than six tablets fall into the cap, just take them rather than risk putting a contaminated pill back into the bottle to contaminate the others in the bottle.

Finally, things like mint, caffeine and other remedies may antidote homeopathic medicines. In order to help prevent antidotes, take your remedies one at a time, with a "clean mouth". It is best not to eat or drink 15 minutes before or after taking the remedies.