Homeopathy
Helping to help yourself
Good health depends on emotional and mental balance as well as physical well being.
The homeopath aims to restore harmony and balance to you using homeopathic remedies.
Homeopathy stimulates the mind and body’s own self-healing mechanisms so is always gentle
and appropriate to your needs.
The 'father' of Homeopathy, a German born in Dresden in 1755, Samuel Christian Hahnemann
came from a humble background then became well educated in languages, chemistry and medicine.
He developed the provings or trials on homeopathic substances starting with quinine the anti-malarial
compound Cina (Cinchona calisaya). From this Hahnemann went on to prove (test) other substances
such as arsenic, belladonna and mercury observing how different people reacted in various ways to the substances,
he noted three levels of response and drew up the drug picture and symptom picture. He
matched these pictures with the ailments of his patients treating the symptoms of the
ailment with the remedy that produced like or similar sensations during the provings.
What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a gentle healing method that uses medicines made from many sources, mainly
plants and minerals. The homeopathic remedies are tested or proved on humans, not animals. Successful remedies are found by ‘testing’ by provers, provers
are a group of people who take the remedies over and over until a reaction is seen the
production of various symptoms, the remedy is then used to treat patients with the same
symptoms, homeopathy treats like with like (called the similimum). The decision for the
strength or potency of the remedy is matched with the patients own energy levels.
Homeopathy works on the principle that we are all individuals and express our illnesses in an
individual way, just think of the different ways people experience a bad cold or headache and the causes.
Here is an example for headache homeopathic remedies for headache; due to indigestion = Nux Vom;
due to overeating = Pulsatilla; due to sorrow, grief or worry – Ignatia; due to a fall,
injury or concussion = Arnica; due to too much exposure to the sun – Belladona.
This is just for treating the acute condition, however, patients usually receive their
constitution remedy taking their overall case into account, taking all ailments and
prescribing one the whole picture.
Questioning methods aim to discover the way in which illness affects the patient, and
then treating according to the patient’s specific needs. This involves asking about
personality, moods, likes & dislikes, sleep, etc.
Homeopathy is the opposite to conventional medicine, treating with infinitesimal amounts
of substance diluted many times. It is prescribed for the whole person, considering the
illnesses suffered, personal life, habits, emotions, diet, exercise, sleeping patterns,
complexion, appetite, moods, libido, posture, environment, even response to the weather.
The medicine is taken as an easily dissolved tablet or as a liquid, and can be taken by all,
from newborns to the elderly alike.
Side effects
Homeopathy does not produce side effects, as it is your own self-healing mechanisms at work.
It can be used successfully alongside medicine from your GP
or hospital. Rarely aggravations may occur where old symptoms worsen before improvement;
this is the natural progress of healing.
What can be treated?
Almost anything that affects the human body or mind can respond to homeopathy at some level.
Both long standing conditions and sudden acute ailments can be treated.
How long does treatment take?
The number of treatments varies with the type of complaint, how long it has been established,
medical history and the general level of health of the person. Homeopathy is a therapeutic
process that very much depends on the individual.
The initial consultation, and case history takes up to two hours with follow-up visits taking between
half an hour to one hour. Follow-ups are usually at monthly intervals depending on need.