What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a safe, well proven, side-effect free system of natural medicine that is used in more than 50 countries and over 300 million people around the world.
Homeopathy is a 200-year old system of medicine which is safe, gentle and effective, using dilute remedies to stimulate your body’s ability to heal itself. It was founded by the German medical doctor and chemist; Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) and has been used ever since, becoming one of the most popular forms of complementary or alternative medicine in the world today.
Homeopathy is a "holistic" medicine which means that it aims to treat the person rather than only his or her symptoms. Homeopaths understand that symptoms of ill health are merely expressions of an imbalance or disharmony within the whole person. One has to bring the whole person back into a state of balance, and then the symptoms of disease (eczema, migraines, arthritis, anxiety or whatever) will go away.
If you pull a weed up from your garden it's no use just pulling off the leaves; one has to dig up the whole weed, roots and all.
From the homeopathic viewpoint disease cause is not simply a matter of invading viruses and bacteria. It may be due to prolonged stress, diet, environmental pollution, or have its roots in emotional issues (e.g. bereavement, divorce). Any of these factors can result in ill health.
How does it work?
Homeopaths use specially prepared 'remedies' derived from plants, minerals, and animal substances. These remedies, prescribed in the form of tablets or drops, stimulate one's innate self-healing capacity. When we are in good health, we are brimming with vitality, creativity, and feel in the full flow of life; we are able to deal with challenges, overcome difficulties, and seem more or less immune to illness.We become susceptible to ‘dis-ease’ when we are off balance; when our system becomes compromised in some way by extreme or ongoing stress, poor diet, bad relationships, shock or trauma…. In contast to conventional medicine, which treats symptoms by suppressing them with drugs, homeopaths recognise that the symptoms are merely the result of a system that is out of balance. Homeopathic medicine treats the person rather than the symptoms - get the person better and the symptoms go away, and stay away.
What are homeopathic remedies?
The remedies which homeopaths use come from many different sources. Most are derived from plants, but minerals, metals and some poisons which have been used medicinally for generations are also used.After initial preparation of the raw material the remedies are made by serial dilution and succussion (vigourous shaking) in a solution of alcohol and water. This is done a few (three to four) times or up to many thousands of times. The liquid dilution is then used itself as a remedy or soaked into tablets or granules for convenience.
The diluted remedies are described as being ‘potentized’, in recognition of the dynamic healing power they can stimulate.
How often do I need to visit the homeopath?
This depends on your case, but appointments are usually spaced between 2-6 weeks apart, the gap between appointments becomes longer as you improve.How soon can I expect to see improvement?
Again, this depends on your case. Long standing chronic, or deep seated conditions will take longer to improve than more recent superficial conditions. In most cases you will know if the treatment is going in the right direction within a few weeks. In some cases there is improvement within hours or days of starting treatment.Your homeopath will be able to to give you a better idea of what you can expect to happen after your first consultation when he has assessed your individual case history.
Can I continue to use the drugs my GP or consultant has prescribed?
Yes, in most cases homeopathy can work through prescribed drugs. If you want to come off drugs prescribed by your GP then, in some cases, homeopathy can support you to do that, although you would need to seek advice from your GP or the health professional who originally prescribed the drugs .
