FAQS
Homeopathic medicines are prepared in a very unique manner whereby the effect of the medicine aims to help stimulate your body’s own recuperative powers for recovery. The effect can be likened to that of Chinese medicine’s use of acupuncture, where the use of needles helps stimulate your body in a very specific way to begin the healing process. Homeopathic medicines are prescribed according to the principle of similars, i.e. what a substance can cause in healthy people, can be used to help treat similar symptoms in a sick person. So each substance is tested on healthy people to provide the indications for its use in practice. For example, we have all experienced the effect of cutting onions, with the running stinging eyes, running nose etc. Similarly, the homeopathic preparation of onion can be used for certain types of colds that have such a presentation. Another example with coffee, we use it to stimulate the mind and keep ourselves awake. Likewise, certain types of insomnia could be treated with the use of homoeopathically prepared coffee. We have thousands of medicines to choose from, all having their unique set of symptoms that provide the indications for its use in treating sick people. Another unique feature for homeopathy is that of using a single medicine to treat the whole person. When we consider the idea of the principle of similars, the effect of a substance on a healthy person will be seen on a number of body parts as well as the mind becoming affected as well. All this detail creates an individual symptom picture to aid the prescriber in choosing the most similar medicine for the patient at hand.
Anybody can come to see a homeopath and that includes you. You do not have to be referred by your doctor or specialist to be seen by me. Some patients come having previously seen other therapists for their condition and so already have a diagnosis for their condition, others haven’t. If necessary, I might refer you to a GP for any tests or follow up procedures to help in the management of your condition. Most patients come presenting with a chronic health complaint. This may be a physical ailment or a mental/emotional one. Please refer to my pages linked to “What can homeopathy treat” to see some of the different areas that I treat. At times acute conditions arise and these can be managed using homeopathy. By its very nature, homeopathy is excellent in managing your health whether you are an infant through to old age, homeopathic medicine can offer support in maintaining your wellbeing. Consider if you might be one of these types of people who might want to see how I can help you:
If you have been to other practitioners with little or no success.
If you want to avoid/minimise the use/need of orthodox treatment.
You want a low risk alternative to treating and managing your health.
You don’t like taking many different medications for all the various conditions that you suffer
You like the idea that these medicines can have an effect on your mental and emotional wellbeing minimising the need for other therapies.
If in doubt, contact me on my Contact page to see if I can help you with anything more specific.
Homeopathy came about as an alternative to the use of orthodox medicine. It was founded by a doctor-of-medicine. With those foundations behind it, I have built my practice orientated around family health care and so the scope of my practice is that of a family health care centre. Most often patients present with chronic health complaints, however, acute conditions do arise especially when managing children, so homeopathy is excellent in helping minimise the need for antibiotics.
Yes, homeopathy is excellent in treating and managing children’s health, especially their mental and emotional wellbeing. I have many years’ experience treating children and get excellent results. Not only does their mental and emotional well-being improve, but also any physical ailments that they might have improve as well. We have many medicines that could be used to help in younger children with some of the following: tantrums, obstinacy, anger outbursts, separating difficulties, fears and worries, nightmares, sleeping difficulties and ADD, ADHD. In older children with conditions such as, low self-esteem, poor motivation in teenagers, stress from peer pressure or bullying, fear of failure at school, anxiety, obsessive tendencies, depression. See my web page: Homeopathic treatment of children or visit my website: Homeopathy For Kids
Yes, homeopathy is excellent in the treatment and management of depression and anxiety. In a general case assessment, apart from how you feel physically, a complete understanding of how you are mentally and emotionally is covered. In some cases, there are very strong mental and emotional symptoms that might include depression, fears, anxieties etc. All these symptoms are addressed in my homeopathic prescription and a treatment strategy is established to help in reducing their intensity and recurrence. With the support of some counselling techniques and in conjunction with the homeopathic medicine, I have great success in helping minimise and control such conditions. Again, we have many medicines that help in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Not only do you feel better with-in yourself, but also other side benefits include any physical ailments you might have been suffering with, also get better. See my web page: Mental and emotional wellbeing.
Both have a holistic and natural approach to treatment of health, however, each approaches the same problem in different ways. For example, if a person was presenting with headaches, PMT, irregular menstrual cycle, constipation, mood swings, and depression, a naturopath, may manage thecase using diet, a variety of supplements, maybe one or two herbal preparations, and Bach flower essences. As a homeopath, I would prescribe a single medicine that addresses all the above complaints. Since our approach follows the principle of similars, I am matching the collection of symptoms found to be produced by that medicine to be similar to that seen in my patient, one medicine for the whole case. I find my patients prefer this simpler approach both from a cost perspective as well as a compliance one, as it is easier to take a single homeopathic medicine periodically for short periods than having to take multiple items continuously.
Generally, homeopathy is a low risk therapy. In occasional cases, one might react with their symptoms intensifying slightly for a short period. This then subsides with improvement following. Most patients just start to feel better with-in themselves as their symptoms start to improve.
No, there are no problems using homeopathic medicine in conjunction with orthodox medication. Patients come wanting to find an alternative to having to resort to using antibiotics or other medications in their acute and chronic complaints. The use of homeopathy is excellent in minimising this need. Treating the acute condition with homeopathy can resolve the condition in most cases without having to resort to orthodox drugs. In some cases however, because of the nature of the complaint or the timing of homeopathic use, the condition goes beyond the scope of the homeopathic medicine and orthodox medicine is used to help support the healing process. Especially if there is a tendency for recurrent acute conditions, the use of homeopathy can help with treating this underlying susceptibility and in the long term reduce this recurrence. In chronic conditions where there is a need for orthodox medication, again depending on the condition, homeopathy helps strengthen the individuals’ constitution so that the reliance of such medication becomes less. Since I am treating the whole person, they feel better with-in themselves and so are able to cope with life’s difficulties or stressors more effectively. As one feels stronger and more resilient to these challenges, there becomes less of a need for the degree of medication previously prescribed. In conjunction with your GP, the use of your orthodox medicine can be tailored to your level of well-being. As you continue to improve, a management strategy can be established that incorporates both the use of homeopathic medicines and orthodox medication, with the aim of minimising the orthodox medicine where possible, as your health gets better.