Frequently Asked Questions About Homeopathy

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that helps the body heal itself. The homeopathic remedy is the stimulus that can kick start the healing process when the body gets stuck and is unable to do it alone. It has been around for over 200 years and was developed by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann.

One of the key principles of homeopathy is that "like cures like". In other words, a substance that can cause symptoms in a healthy person, can treat those same symptoms in a person who is ill. For example, large doses of coffee may cause sleeplessness in a healthy person. If a patient came to me with symptoms of sleeplessness, I might prescribe coffea (the homeopathic remedy made from coffee) to deal with these symptoms and induce sleep.

Conventional medicine would treat the symptoms in the way of opposites by prescribing a drug to induce artificial sleep. The potential problem with this approach is that it can often involve the use of large or regular doses of drugs which can sometimes cause side effects or addiction. Because homeopathic remedies contain only minute doses of a substance they are safe for everyone to use.

Another key principle of homeopathy is that 'less is more'. Remember that we only give you what we think might kick start your body's own healing power. Often my patients are surprised when I prescribe only one tablet to see how their body responds.

Here is a good explanation of homeopathy which is produced by the National Center for Homeopathy in the USA. 

What can be treated with homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine. Therefore, we treat people rather than named diseases or particular ailments. In my opinion, this is one of homeopathy's biggest strengths!

If a patient comes to me to discuss their asthma I will ask them about the symptoms that make their asthma different to anyone else's. For example, I would ask them if there is a particular time of day when their asthma is better or worse, whether heat or cold has an effect on it, whether anything makes them feel better or worse and whether they feel any other symptoms in different parts of their body at the same time they have an attack.

There are many homeopathic remedies with an affinity to the lungs and that could potentially be prescribed for a patient who suffers with asthma. However, these more specific symptoms help me understand what their asthma is like so that I can find the most appropriate remedy for them. In any event, the patient's asthma is only part of the picture for me and I will look at other relevant aspects of the case to find the remedy that best matches them as a person.

What are homeopathic remedies made from?

Homeopathic remedies mainly come from the animal, plant and mineral world. They are prepared by diluting the original substance in water many times and shaking it vigorously in between dilutions. This is so that only the dynamic essence of the substance is found in the final remedy.

This is why homeopathy is safe and does not cause any side effects. It can be used during pregnancy and with people of all ages including the infants and the elderly. It can also be used safely alongside prescribed conventional medicine as it does not interfere with their action.

Homeopathic remedies are prepared by homeopathic pharmacists including Helios, Ainsworths and Nelsons.
 

How long will I need to see you?

This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on the person, how long they have had their symptoms and what their general state of physical and emotional health is like. Sometimes people and often children, only need 2 or 3 consultations. Others need many more.

This is something we can discuss at the end of your first follow-up session because by then I will have a sense as to how you are responding and what I might expect to happen. We will also have a review every third session after that (if you still need treatment) to check on how you think you are doing and where we go from there.

My GP says that it's 'just a placebo'?

Some GP's are open to homeopathy and in fact, the Faculty of Homeopathy is a professional organisation of qualified medical doctors, nurses, dentists and vets who are also trained in homeopathy. Of course, others are not so open to the idea of their patients being treated by a homeopath and will say it is 'just a placebo'. However, what people who say that are unable to explain is why homeopathy works so well with babies and animals who have no idea what you are giving them or why. Since they are unable to communicate what is going on for them then the proof is in whether their symptoms disappear or not.

There are plenty of studies showing that homeopathic treatment has had a positive effect on patients. Please visit the research pages of the Society of Homeopaths or the British Homeopathic Association for more information. The other websites worth checking out are the Homeopathy Worked for Me campaign and Extraordinary Medicine which both dispel a lot of myths about homeopathy. I'm all for people making informed choices about their health!

The attached fact sheet has some interesting information about homeopathy that you may not be familiar with.

I am happy to contact your GP to let him/her know that you are receiving homeopathic treatment if you wish. It may be very useful so that more GP's become aware of their patients wanting to try complementary medicine.