Introduction

When medicine, intuition, and experience intersect in an acute clinical moment, decisions are made that shape both life and professional direction. In this article, I would like to share some personal experiences that guided me toward an integrative approach to health — specifically to homeopathy — a method increasingly embraced by both patients and healthcare professionals.

Viral Meningitis During the Epidemic

A quarter of a century ago, during an outbreak of viral meningitis in my city, the infectious disease ward was filled with diagnosed children. My then 2.5-year-old child developed all the classic symptoms: high fever, extreme irritability, photophobia, neck stiffness, and a characteristic encephalitic cry ('cri encephalique').

Homeopathic treatment — administered by the international homeopathic supervisor at the time — included, applied successively, one at a time - Belladonna and Apis mellifica, based on the individual symptom picture. By the third day, the child was clinically stable and fever-free. The recovery was faster and more complete than expected — without complications.

Abscess and Hering’s Law: My Personal Healing

Around 2 months later, I also got ill. It was different, but also acute condition. I developed a right parietal abscess with painful swelling and involvement of regional lymph nodes. The likely cause was a tick bite two weeks earlier. I decided to give homeopathy a chance. The first dose of Apis mellifica brought quick relief — my headache subsided within half an hour, and within an hour I felt a marked improvement in my general condition, energy, and functionality.

The next day, the abscess spontaneously opened and drained. Over the next 72 hours, the swelling and lymph nodes subsided completely — first retroauricular, then submandibular. The exact regression of symptoms followed the direction described in Hering’s Law of Cure. Experiencing this process firsthand — observing it as a physician and a homeopath — was a deeply affirming moment that confirmed there are indeed alternative pathways to healing.

Inspiration Through History – Hering and Ratera

My motivation to study homeopathy more deeply grew stronger when I encountered stories of physicians who had changed their professional path through personal healing experiences. One such example is Dr. Constantine Hering, who as a young skeptic was tasked with disproving homeopathy, but after curing his own gangrene with Arsenicum album, became a major advocate and the founder of the American school of homeopathy.

A more recent example is Dr. Manuel Mateu Ratera, a Spanish internist and emergency medicine specialist who spent decades working in extreme conditions — from mountain rescue to travel medicine. He integrated homeopathy into his clinical approach. In his work “First Aid with Homeopathy” (Narayana Verlag, 2016), he systematically presents practical applications of homeopathy in acute situations — from bites and burns to shock and neurological conditions — combining precision, simplicity, and accessibility.

Time for a New Approach

After more than two centuries of clinical use, it is time to give homeopathy its rightful place — not outside of medicine, but within a broader, integrative model that views the patient holistically. Not as an alternative, but as a potential first-line option in many situations — particularly when applied individually, competently, and with an understanding of its principles.

That is why I believe it is essential to open the door to structured education in homeopathy and integrative medicine, so that physicians can choose such paths not only based on personal healing experiences, but grounded in knowledge, clinical guidelines, and responsible practice.

Conclusion

My personal and professional experience confirms that homeopathy can be highly effective when used appropriately. It is time to build a system that recognizes this — for the benefit of future patients, health professionals, and a shared culture of inclusive health.

References

Hahnemann, S. (1810). Organon of the Healing Art.

Hering, C. (1833). The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica.

Mateu i Ratera, M. (2016). First Aid with Homeopathy. Narayana Verlag.

Thieme Connect. (2020). Constantine Hering and Homeopathy. Retrieved June 6, 2025, from https://www.thieme-connect.com/

Hahnemann House. (n.d.). Constantine Hering and Homeopathy. Retrieved June 6, 2025, from https://www.hahnemannhouse.org/

WholeHealthNow. (n.d.). Biography of Constantine Hering. Retrieved June 6, 2025, from https://www.wholehealthnow.com/

Thieme Connect. (2024). Obituary: Dr. Manuel Mateu Ratera. Retrieved June 6, 2025, from https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0044-1796665