Therapies Offered By Abha Light Clinics
Abha Light practitioners are trained in a variety of Natural Medicine systems. Primarily, most are trained in

● Homeopathy
● Naturopathy
● Reflexology
● Read about our book on natural, nutrition and Immune-based therapy for HIV.
Great Health, Naturally! Part 1

What is Homeopathy?

Definition: Homeopathy means “like cures like”. The word Homeopathy is pronounced “hoh-mee-op-a-thee”.
The basic principle of Homeopathy has been known since the time of the ancient Greeks and Hippocrates. Homeopathy is the medical practice of treating like with like. That is to say, treating an illness with a substance which when taken by a healthy person produces symptoms similar to those displayed by the person who is ill.

Current medical opinion takes the view that symptoms are a direct manifestation of the illness and, therefore, treats the ailment by suppressing the symptoms. Homeopathy, by contrast, sees the symptoms as the body’s reaction against the illness as it attempts to overcome it, and seeks to stimulate and not suppress the reaction. Homeopathy is essentially a natural healing process, providing remedies to assist the patient to regain health by stimulating the body’s natural forces of recovery. The remedies appear to trigger a healing process in the body, leading to the correction of the illness.

How Homeopathy Began
In the eighteenth-century Dr Samuel Hahnemann, the great German physician, appalled by the medical practices of the medical community sought a method of healing which would be safe, gentle and effective. He believed that human beings have a capacity for healing themselves and that the symptoms of disease reflect the individual’s struggle to overcome his illness. He reasoned that instead of suppressing symptoms he could seek to stimulate them and so encourage and assist the body’s natural healing process. Hahnemann discovered that when he took an infusion of cinchona bark (quinine) it produced the symptoms of Malaria.

Three Principles
Hahnemann re-discovered that when given to a patient suffering from the disease it alleviated the symptoms. In other words, a substance which produces symptoms in a healthy person will cure a person suffering from a disease having similar symptoms.

Hahnemann went on to discover that remedies obtained from animal, vegetable, and mineral sources were just as effective in extreme dilutions. In so doing he unexpectedly discovered the second principle of Homeopathy; that the more a remedy is diluted the more effective it becomes. Hahnemann then worked to establish the smallest effective dose. He realized that this was the best way to avoid side effects.

The third principle of Homeopathy is that people vary in their response to an illness according to their basic temperament. Thus, Homeopathy, concentrates on treating the patient rather than the disease. A homeopath does not automatically prescribe a specific remedy for a specific illness. Instead, he or she tries to determine the individual patient’s unique temperament and responses and prescribes on an individual basis. Patients suffering from the same diseases often require different remedies. On the other hand, another group of patients, with different diseases, may all benefit from the same remedy.

So to summarize: Hahnemann established the three principles of homeopathy:

A medicine which in large doses produces the symptoms of a disease will in small doses cure that disease.
By extreme dilution, the medicine’s curative properties are enhanced and all the poisonous or undesirable side effects are lost.

Homeopathic medicines are prescribed individually by the study of the whole person, according to basic temperament and responses.

What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy, or Nature Cure, is a system of medicine based on the healing power of nature. Naturopathy is a holistic system, meaning that naturopathic practitioners strive to find the cause of disease by understanding the body, mind, and spirit of the person. Most naturopathic practitioners use a variety of therapies and techniques (such as nutrition, exercise, diet, behavior change, herbal medicine).

There are 2 areas of focus in naturopathy: one is supporting the body’s own healing abilities, and the other is empowering people to make lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health. While naturopathic practitioners treat both short bouts of illness and chronic conditions, their emphasis is on preventing disease and educating patients.

What is the history of naturopathy?
The modern form of naturopathy can be traced to 18th and 19th century natural healing systems. Such systems include hydrotherapy (water therapy), which was popular in Germany and nature cure, developed in Austria, based on the use of food, air, light, water, and herbs to treat illness.

Benjamin Lust, a German immigrant, first introduced naturopathy to the United States in 1902 when he founded the American School of Naturopathy. The school emphasized the use of natural cures, proper bowel habits, and good hygiene as the tools for health. This was the first time that principles of a healthy diet, like increasing fiber intake and reducing saturated fats, became popular.

In the mid 1920s to 1940, the use of naturopathic medicine declined. It was not until the 1960s that naturopathic-style holistic medicine became popular again. Today, naturopaths are licensed care providers in many states. They offer a variety of natural therapies, including homeopathy, vitamin and mineral supplements, Traditional Chinese Medicine, relaxation techniques, and herbal remedies.

Some of the more common treatments used by a naturopath include:
Nutritional counseling
Herbal medicine
Hydrotherapy (water therapy) – These therapies include drinking natural spring water, taking baths, alternating hot and cold applications, and water exercise, all of which are thought to stimulate healing and strengthen the immune system.
Physical medicine – This natural approach to healing involves using touch, hot and cold compresses, electric currents, and sound waves to manipulate the muscles, bones, and spine.
Detoxification – This therapy removes toxins from the body by fasting, using enemas, and drinking lots of water.
Spirituality – Personal spiritual development is encouraged as part of an overall health program.

Naturopaths consider patients to be participants in their health care, and will be asked to make lifestyle changes, such as changing sleeping, eating, and exercise habits.