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Letter to the Editior
Five Towns Jewish Times
February 2, 2007

Dear Editor,

When I read the title of Rabbi Hoffman’s article in last week’s Five Towns Jewish Times, I was hoping to find a
good word for alternative medicine and homeopathy in particular. I’m still not entirely sure what Rabbi
Hoffman’s position is regarding homeopathic practices, but I finished the article with the impression that he
classifies homeopathy as “quack medicine” and not a tried-and-true method.

As a student of classical homeopathy who is beginning a clinical practice here in the Five Towns, allow me a
moment to give another perspective of this specific alternative medical practice. First of all, what is homeopathy?
The word homeopathy comes from the Greek words homoios, which means “similar,” and pathos, which
means “suffering.” Therefore, the basic principle of homeopathy is that “like cures like” or “the similar will cure
the similar.” Disease symptoms are cured by administering homeopathic remedies that have proven to cause
similar symptoms in healthy people, thus curing such symptoms in the sick. Homeopathic remedies are highly
diluted and are therefore considered safe and effective, usually with little to no side affects. This practice has
been used successfully for centuries and is becoming more popular throughout the world, including the United
States and Canada, South America, Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and Australia.

The principle of “like cures like” is found in the Torah. These stories are known, but allow me to provide a
different perspective on them. Bitter waters were sweetened by bark which is bitter by nature—that is, bitterness
cured bitterness. In Parashas Chukas, Hashem instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to erect an image of a snake from
nechoshes (copper) when He sent the refuah (cure) for the plague of the nachash (snake). Without delving into
the homeopathic significance, one can see by virtue of the similarity in the words the effect of “like cures like.”
This image of the copper snake became the symbol of health for thousands of years.

I understand the prevailing skepticism that alternative medicine can cure the desperately ill, but homeopathy
does not represent all alternative medicines—it is a unique and special method that has developed over 200
years. It is a science based on defined principles and an art that matches the unique characteristics of a person to
a remedy that has similar characteristics. It takes siyata d’Shmaya (spiritual guidance) to understand the patient
sitting before you, so I look to Hashem for spiritual guidance and understanding when treating my patients, and
I fall back on the experience of my teachers for practical support.

In my few years of learning and practicing, I have seen wonderful things happen to very sick people and, in
many cases, I have helped them get healthy. At this stage in my practice, I would not attempt to treat emergency
cases—that’s where conventional medicine shines and the giants of homeopathy can work miracles; but in non-
emergency situations, whether in acute or chronic illnesses, classical homeopathy is a tried-and-true method that
stands on its own merits but remains misunderstood and unrecognized as a viable means for mental, emotional,
and physical health.

There are teenagers and young adults, some at risk, who with the help of homeopathic treatment were able to
stabilize their lives and overcome anxieties, addictions, eating disorders, and inappropriate behavior. Many
went on to live healthy, well-adjusted lives. Some children with learning disabilities, hyperactivity, or autism
improved their learning skills, communication, and social behaviors after receiving homeopathic treatment.
Some pregnant women had breech babies during the last weeks of pregnancy, but after homeopathic treatment,
the baby turned without external intervention or the dreaded C-section. There are children who had chronic
and reoccurring ear infections, strep throat, the flu, the common cold, headaches, allergies, asthma, and eczema
successfully treated using these methods.

I know a man who walked away from a serious car accident with bruises and aching all over his body. The
next morning, when he should have felt whiplash and pain, he was up and about, carrying on as if nothing
happened the day before. I also know of a depressed and overworked mother who was sick and stressed out
while caring for her family and holding down a full-time job. She, too, benefited tremendously from
homeopathic treatment. The list can go on and on, with stories about just any type of illness; these are just a few
that I personally witnessed.

Though the goal of homeopathy is to cure, it doesn’t promise a cure for everyone—but neither do conventional
practices. What I do know is that through these examples above, Torah showed me that it can work. I see yad
Hashem (G-d's hand) in every treatment, and I invite the community to explore this fascinating yet very
misunderstood alternative medicine.

Respectfully,
Francine Nadav,
Cedarhurst