Allopathic, Holistic, and Homeopathic, Oh My! How I Use All Forms Of Medicine To Help My HS (Part 3)

In case you missed it, check out Parts 1 and 2 of this series!

Homeopathic and naturopathic care go hand in hand as a united team of defense against illness and anti-wellness movements that pop up left right and center. But what are they, and how can they help YOU and your HS? Let’s define them, and then we’ll dive a little deeper.

What is homeopathic medicine?

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, homeopathy, also known as homeopathic medicine, is a medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago. It’s based on two unconventional theories:¹

• “Like cures like” — the notion that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.
• “Law of minimum dose” — the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Many homeopathic products are so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain.

Homeopathic products come from plants. These are often compounded ointments, lotions, tinctures, and even tablets formulated specifically by and for homeopathic care. Treatments are “individualized” or tailored to each person—it’s common for different people with the same condition to receive different treatments.

What is naturopathy?

Naturopathy is a system of alternative medicine based on the theory that diseases can be successfully treated or prevented without the use of drugs, by techniques such as control of diet, exercise, and massages such as acupressure, gua sha, acupuncture, and more.

Now, if you’ve read the two previous articles in this series, these might sound familiar to you and you would be right - these are both key pieces to holistic care! The whole-body approach as well as treating each patient individually are strong keynotes to all of these care modules. Most holistic approaches involve naturopathic and homeopathic methods intertwined with each other.

How do I apply this to my HS treatment?

Homeopathic topical products like medical-grade manuka honey salves or soaps made from African Black soap are making huge changes for the HS community. Naturopathic solutions such as taking turmeric supplements and using magnesium sulfate are also giving great relief for many HS warriors.

The goal is to put together a team of people who want to take a holistic approach to your care, seeing you as a whole person with a multitude of needs that need to be met rather than treating you like a list of symptoms that have to be solved. This can include a dermatologist and a naturopath, a general practitioner, and a homeopath, whatever makes you feel mort comfortable! I will once again say that I think it's important to have allopathic medicine be a part of your treatment plan or at least have it in your back pocket.

There isn’t a lot of research done on HS as we know, which means there isn’t a lot of science to explore or for other avenues to consider homeopathically. We’re ALL just experimenting at the end of the day trying to battle this disease, but you can easily make things worse if you use the wrong ointment or take the wrong vitamin so its important to be getting regular physicals and bloodwork to make sure you’re still achieving the goals you set out to achieve!

Do you look for a holistic approach when you’re working with a doctor? Have you tried any naturopathic or homeopathic solutions? Let us know in the comments!