Day 5: Homeopathy in 30 Days Lesson
Welcome back to Day 5 of the Homeopathy in 30 Days course.
Designed for flexibility, this 30-day course offers three learning levels:
- Five-Minute Overviews for busy schedules
- Twenty-Minute Explorations for enhanced understanding
- Two-Hour Deep-Dives for comprehensive learning
In them, you’ll discover how homeopathy offers a gentle, safe approach to treating first-aid needs, acute conditions, chronic issues, and even preventing epidemic diseases. You’ll also develop practical skills to apply homeopathy in these various situations.
With that said, let’s make a start on today’s lesson.
Five-Minute Overview
(This Five-Minute Overview is a concise summary of today’s key points, including the ‘Know Your Remedy’ synopsis. Perfect for a quick read or weekly review. Complete this stage before moving on to the Twenty-Minute Exploration.)
By the end of the Twenty-Minute Exploration you should:
- Have an appreciation of what underpins good health.
- Know of situations in which homeopathy can be used to support these principles.
- Have an appreciation of the vital force.
- Understand the role of the vital force in humans, animals, and plants.
- Have met Jack and Jill and developed a perception of what they are like and how they live.
- Know Your Remedy: Discover the uses of Arsenicum album (Ars.) by reviewing its keynote synopsis, and exploring some of its acute and chronic uses. As you read, think about possible first-aid or quick-relief applications.
By the end of the Two-Hour Deep-Dive you should:
- Have a much deeper understanding of Arsenicum Album (Ars.) after watching one video and reading two materia medicas, each of which present a larger symptom profile than the earlier remedy synopsis.
- Have an understanding of why some claim Arsenicum album (Ars.) to be a ‘wonder drug’ for Covid-19.
- Be aware of Hahnemann’s understanding of the vital force in both health and disease.
- Know the difference between treating a disordered vital force with opposites (contraria) and similars (similia).
- Be aware of current discussions and opinions about the vital force.
- Have a general understanding of how local disorders and injuries should be treated in relation to the vital force, and as discussed in the Organon.
- Be able to name some ‘obstacles to cure’ that inhibit a response to homeopathic remedies.
Twenty-Minute Exploration
(This Twenty-Minute Exploration is the ‘learn and understand’ section of the course. It builds on the Five-Minute Overview. Complete this stage before moving on to the Two-Hour Deep-Dive.)
Principles of Good Health
There’s no escaping it. Good health largely depends on:
▪ Fresh unadulterated food,
▪ Clean water,
▪ Clean air,
▪ Sunlight,
▪ Positive social connections,
▪ Valued work and contribution,
▪ Exercise,
▪ Rest and relaxation, and
▪ Sound and consistent sleep.
While homeopathy doesn’t replace the need for these it can strengthen resilience when there is physical and mental-emotional stress, and to stimulate healing when we do fall ill.
Most people assume that by observing the above principles of health we will automatically have a healthy life but, unfortunately, that’s not always so.
Let’s take a look at another factor and the role it has in maintaining our health.
The Role of the Vital Force (Life Force) in Health
Some like to deny it but all living things have an integrated system of energy that maintains and directs life. This is true for all living things- human, animal, and plant. This is why they are considered ‘living’. Without it we would be unresponsive, inanimate objects.
The Story of Jack and Jill (1)
It is said that opposites attract and that is certainly true for two friends, Jack and Jill.
Jack is relaxed, out-going, and enjoys his beer. After one or two glasses he kicks off his shoes, leans back into a chair, and becomes quite the philosopher. Work and cleanliness aren’t high on his list of priorities and his daily routines are erratic at best.
Jill, on the other hand, is anything but relaxed. She calls herself a ‘neat freak’ and is prone to irritability. She is always smartly dressed, rarely sits if there’s work to be done, and exhausts herself by maintaining an immaculate house. She hates disappointing people, and is never late for appointments.
In contrast, Jack dislikes cleaning and cooking. He often skips breakfast and eats out. ‘Fast foods’ are his preference. Even though they often make his stomach burn, the sweeter and spicier they are, the better. He is rarely sick and can’t remember the last time he saw a doctor.
Jill frequently visits her medical centre because any little symptom could mean cancer … or so she worries. She is amazed by Jack’s healthy resilience because, in spite of being careful about what she eats and how she lives, she often sleeps poorly, feels exhausted, and falls ill.
We will follow the story of Jack and Jill as the course progresses
A Question for You (1)
Compared to Jack, Jill seems to be doing most of the ‘right things’ so why is she the one with the health problems? Drawing from what you have learnt in this lesson, tell us what you think in the Day 5: Possible Reason for Jill Being Less Healthy Than Jack thread.
Know Your Remedies: Arsenicum Album (Ars.)
(These synopses contain the keynotes of each remedy- the most frequently occurring, distinctive, or unusual symptoms which often allow the prescriber to recall them from memory alone.)
Arsenicum Album (Ars.) is the fifth remedy synopsis for this course.
Take time to read the Arsenicum album (Ars.) synopsis and the symptoms it treats in the Know Your Remedies section of the Homeopathy Plus website. (As a Twenty-Minute Explorer it is sufficient to read up to the ‘Where Do I Find It?’ heading as the material beyond this will be covered in either the ‘Deep-Dive section or in coming lessons.)
When symptoms suit, Arsenicum is an important remedy for food poisoning, anxiety, and restlessness … but that’s not all Arsenicum treats. Can you see other acute and chronic symptoms within its synopsis?
A Question for You (2)
After reading the Arsenicum album (Ars.) synopsis, which person – Jack or Jill – do you think Arsenicum would suit the best and why? Tell us in the Day 5: Arsenicum album (Ars.) for Jack or Jill? thread.
Learning Activities
Remember: there will be a Test Your Knowledge quiz on the 20 remedies listed in Homeopathy Made Simple – First Steps to First Aid in the Day 7: Revision Lesson. Try to commit these remedies to memory in preparation for the quiz, and so you can turn to them quickly in an emergency.
Questions From You?
Do you have questions about today’s lesson?
Head to the Day 5: Questions About the Lesson? Ask Them Here thread and post them there.
Two-Hour Deep Dive
(This Two-Hour Deep-Dive is the ‘learn, understand, and apply’ section of the course. Proceed if comfortable with earlier material to engage with in-depth activities.)
Diving Deeper With Arsenicum Album (Ars.)
In the Twenty-Minute Exploration section a synopsis of Arsenicum album (Ars.) was presented. Now, it is time to go further and deeper.
- Return to Arsenicum album (Ars.) in the Know Your Remedies section of the Homeopathy Plus website and read the From Past Masters section. This section contains an anecdotal account by medical homeopath, E. B. Nash (M.D.) of his experiences with Arsenicum at the turn of last century. Nash includes treatment stories from his practice, and comparison remedies that should also be considered with Arsenicum.
- Another useful text, the Materia Medica by William Boericke, M.D., contains a condensed list of symptoms for Arsenicum album (Ars.). The focus of this materia medica, unlike some modern materia medicas, is on a remedy’s physical symptoms and pathology more than its mental-emotional symptoms.
- The video, Wonder drug for COVID 19 – Homeopathy remedy – Arsenic – Explained visually – Mentals, particulars also provides helpful information on this remedy. (This video mentions subject matter such as remedy relationships and miasms that will be covered in later lessons.)
Arsenicum Album – Wonder drug for COVID 19?
If you are wondering why the above Indian video would make this claim for Arsenicum and COVID 19, the following article and quick-bit info provide more information to read when time permits:
- COVID-19: Eyes Still on India (More information on this topic can be accessed by the links at the bottom of the article.)
- Study: Arsenicum & Coronavirus
Hahnemann on the Vital Force (Life Force)
Samuel Hahnemann, gave an explanation of the vital force and its function in the Organon of the Medical Art. You can read it online in aphorisms 10 to 15.
If you are using the modern translation of the Organon of the Medical Art by Wenda Brewster O’Reilly (Editor) and Steven Decker (Translator), they have chosen to call the vital force the ‘life force’.
In brief, Hahnemann says:
- Without the presence of an unseen life force (vital force), the organism is dead.
- Disease starts at the energetic level by a mistuning of the vital force. The symptoms that later appear are merely the signs or evidence of that mistuning.
- Therefore, disease is an inner, not an external problem. It is foolish to think of a disease as being something that exists separate to the body being affected.
- Just as the vital force and the physical body form one complete whole that can’t be divided, the same is true for a mistuned (diseased) vital force and the symptoms it produces (i.e. Symptoms are not separate and independent to a diseased vital force even though we fall into the error of thinking that.)
- The vital force, by presenting symptoms, reveals how its mistunement is to be corrected.
(Spoiler: Cure takes place by mimicking symptoms that the vital force produces as it attempts to correct its mistunement and harmonise the body. This approach is known as treatment by ‘similars’, i.e. homeopathy. In contrast, conventional medicine mostly uses ‘opposites’ to oppose the different symptoms produced by the self-healing efforts of the vital force. Over time, this constant opposition weakens and mistunes the vital force further so that minor problems are gradually replaced by ones more serious.
A Question for You (3)
Have you ever observed treatment by ‘opposites’ weakening or further mistuning someone’s vital force? What happened and what was the result? Tell us in the Day 5: Examples of ‘Opposites’ Further Disordering the Vital Force thread.
Thought-provoking Articles on the Vital Force
(Extension reading when time permits.)
The following two articles offer thought-provoking discussion of the vital force (life force):
- In Search of the Vital Force
- Facts and Theories – Hahnemann’s Balancing Act. (Search specifically for the section “The Vital Force – explanation or obfuscation?” within this article)
Injuries and Local Disorders in the Organon
This week, the focus has been on first-aid remedies. Now, as we also have an understanding of the vital force it is worthwhile visiting the Organon to see what Hahnemann says about the use of homeopathy for injuries.
In aphorisms 185 – 190, Hahnemann says the symptoms of disorders that seem to affect just one part of the body are still an external manifestation of the mistuned (diseased) vital force.
For the local disorder to be fully removed, treatment has to be directed at the mistuned vital force. The exception to this rule are injuries such as broken bones, lacerations, and embedded foreign bodies that have an external (rather than internal) cause.
He also discusses the need for surgery, setting, stitching, bandaging, halting haemorrhage, and other steps to remove what would otherwise be an obstacle to cure by the healing efforts of the vital force.
He emphasises that healing always comes from the vital force but its efforts can be supported and strengthened by the use of symptom-similar remedies.
Learning Activities
Remember: there will be a Test Your Knowledge quiz on the 20 remedies listed in Homeopathy Made Simple – First Steps to First Aid in the Day 7: Revision Lesson. Try to commit these remedies to memory in preparation for the quiz, and so you can turn to them quickly in an emergency.
Questions From You?
Do you have questions about today’s lesson?
Head to the Day 5: Questions About the Lesson? Ask Them Here thread and post them there.
Course Information
Designed for flexibility, this 30-day online course offers three learning levels:
- Five-Minute Overviews for busy schedules
- Twenty-Minute Explorations for enhanced understanding
- Two-Hour Deep-Dives for comprehensive learning
Lessons arrive daily via email with links to text, audio, and video content.
You set the pace—work through lessons daily, weekly, or monthly.
Each day, you’ll receive an email with your lesson, linking to online content that includes helpful information, practical activities, and audio or video content. These materials are designed to make it easy for you to understand, use, and enjoy homeopathy.
You’ll also have access to a friendly forum where you can ask questions, share thoughts, and connect with us and other learners. Whether you choose to participate or simply browse, we’re here to support your journey.
Weekly Zoom Meetings
We host four live Zoom sessions for questions and discussion, with audio recordings available in the forum:
Four Zoom meetings for questions and further discussion are held throughout the course. The audio from these meetings is also recorded and placed in the forum for those unable to attend on the day. For more information about the meetings, click on the links below.
First Zoom Q & A - Sunday, August 2, 2026, 8:00-9:00 a.m. (AEST/AEDT)
Second Zoom Q & A - Sunday, August 16, 2026, 10:00-11:00 a.m. (AEST/AEDT)
Third Zoom Q & A - Sunday, August 23, 2026, 12:00-1:00 p.m. (AEST/AEDT)
Fourth Zoom Q & A - Sunday, August 30, 2026, 7:00-8:00 p.m. (AEST/AEDT)
Confirm times for your location at the Time Zone Converter. as daylight saving changes will affect scheduling.
Meetings may also fall on a Saturday rather than a Sunday in your time zone, so please double-check.
Next Homeopathy in 30 Days Course
Our next course starts in November 2026. If this course is helping you grow in your homeopathic knowledge, consider sharing it with others. Thanks for spreading the word!
