Why Homeopathy is becoming the choicest medical course

According to current statistics, homeopathy is one of the highest funded categories, in terms of research under the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH), Govt. of India. Thus, homeopathy is a promising field for many medical aspirants.

We all have taken those tiny white sugar pills willingly and happily as children whenever we sneezed, coughed or cried due to some other health issues. My parents used to lure me with those medicines because they knew that they were safe, holistic and will possess no side effects. Later, I came to know that these tiny sugar pills which cured me were actually a medicine that fascinated me and ignited an urge within me to learn about them. A lot of people still have doubts about Homeopathic medicine whether it is safe or effective but now that I am studying homeopathy, let me take you through what homeopathy is all about.

What is Homeopathy?

The term "homeopathy" was coined by Samuel Hahnemann, created in 1796 and first appeared in print in 1807. The word homeopathy, which comes from the Greek, through Latin into English, means “like a disease”. This suggests that the drugs given are just like the illness that the person is expressing, in his totality, not sort of a specific illness class or diagnosing. Homeopathy could be a natural and unscientific system of alternate medication. It is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’ which suggests that if the substance is taken in tiny amounts it will cure an equivalent symptom it causes if taken in massive amounts. The homeopaths believe that the substance that causes illness in an exceedingly healthy person would conjointly act as a cure for an unfortunate person. The preparation of the cure involves homeopathic dilution in which the substance thoroughly diluted with either distilled water or alcohol and then vigorously shaken so that no original substance remains inside the product. It is believed that on consumption (oral intake) of such medicines, the disease can be cured.

Homeopathic medicines rarely cause any side-effects therefore it can be taken by people of all ages including babies, breastfeeding women, and pregnant women. These medicines are holistic in nature because of which each body is considered unique and their physical, spiritual and emotional factors are considered by the homeopath for the prevention of the disease.

Courses in Homeopathy

For the past several years, homeopathy has been accepted as a major alternative to pharmaceutical medicine all over India and many courses were established at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. All these courses require rigorous study and practice for certain years to come into actual practice like any other course in Medical. There are a lot of courses offered to the students by many colleges in all over India. Some of them are as follows: -

• Bachelor of Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery (BHMS)
• Bachelor of Electro-Homeopathy and Surgery (BEMS)
• MD(Hom-Pharmacy)
• MD(Homeopathy)
• MD(Homeopathic)(Materia Medica)
• MD(Homeopathic)(Philosophy)
• MD(Homeopathic)(Repertory)
• MD(Homeopathic)(Paediatrics)
• MD(Homeopathic)(Organon of Medicine)
• MD(Homeopathic)(Philosophy & organon)
• MD(Homeopathic)Practise of Medicine
• MD(Hom-Practise of medicine)
• MSc(Epidemiology)
• MSc(Endocrinology)

All the above-mentioned courses cover the medical knowledge of the homeopathic system. After completion of any specific degree, you are eligible to have the prefix as Doctor (Dr).

A lot of students who are interested in homeopathy opt for BHMS after their Class 12 because of the scope and opportunities the programme offers, as per the most recent trends. A BHMS graduate is offered salary equivalent to an MBBS graduate, if the student practices under the guidance of an expert homeopathic. They can also opt for an MSc or MD.

Eligibility Criteria

Undergraduate Programme:

• The candidate must pass Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English with a minimum aggregate of which may vary from depending upon the desired college
• The candidate must have a minimum age of 17 years before applying for the programme
• The duration of the Homeopathy course (BHMS) is five years and six months with four years and six months of academic programme and one year of an internship programme

Postgraduate Programme:

• The candidate must have a valid degree of Undergraduate course from a recognised college
• MSc and MD, both the programmes are for a duration of three years

Top BHMS Colleges

In 1881, during the British rule, the first institute of Homeopathy, Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College was established in West Bengal by Mahendra Lal Sircar who was the first Indian homeopathic physician.

According to current statistics, homeopathy is one of the highest funded categories, in terms of research under the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH), Govt. of India. Thus, homeopathy is a promising field for many medical aspirants. Many Colleges and universities offer various courses in the field of homeopathy. Some top colleges and universities offering the BHMS course are:

• Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (BVDU), Pune
• Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University
• Government Homeopathic Medical College, Bangalore
• National Institute of Homeopathy, Kolkata
• MUHS - Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
• Kerala University of Health Sciences

The Government of India is actively funding homeopathy and also striving to make it more popular all over the world. Thus, homeopathy is an up-and-coming field in medicine, offering a plethora of career opportunities for the students.

About the Author:

Abhyuday Joshi is a third year student at Patanjali Ayurvedic Medical College, Haridwar pursuing Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS). Joshi enjoys writing, singing and dancing in his leisure time.