Homoeopathy is an effective system of healing which helps the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognises that symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within and that it is the patient who needs treatment rather than the disease alone.
Homoeopathy is one of the most popular complementary therapies in the UK. Over the years it has had many royal adherents, including the Queen who is said never to travel far without her leather case of remedies. There are NHS homoeopathic hospitals based in London, Glasgow, Bristol, Liverpool and Tunbridge Wells. Demand for treatment is rising and the number of family doctors who want to take a course in homoeopathy has also increased dramatically.
The word homoeopathy is derived from the Greek homoios, meaning ‘like’, and pathos, meaning ‘suffering’. The therapy is based on the principle ‘let like be treated by like’, an old medical tenet found as far back as the works of Hippocrates. A remedy selected homoeopathically is chosen because of its ability to produce a range of symptoms in a healthy person similar to that observed in the patient. For example, the conventional way to treat insomnia is to give a drug to induce sleep artificially. These drugs can cause side effects or become addictive.
A homoeopathic remedy given for the same complaint involves a minute dose of a substance which in larger amounts causes sleeplessness. The remedy then acts as a stimulus to assist the patient’s own system to recover naturally.
Homoeopathic remedies are derived from plants, minerals and sometimes animals or insects. They cannot cause side effects and you cannot become addicted to them. This makes it especially useful for treating children, pregnant women and the elderly.
A typical consultation with a homoeopath will last for over an hour. You will be asked questions about your lifestyle, past health, family history and personality traits. As everyone is different in their physical and mental makeup it is reasonable to expect that reactions to ill health will also be unique. A homoeopathic remedy is specific to a particular person at a particular time in their life. Five patients with hayfever for example, may all get completely different remedies.
Some people trying homoeopathy feel an immediate improvement; others with a chronic condition may be treated for months. Generally speaking, the rate of response to treatment is proportional to the duration of the problem.
Some of the most common problems homoeopathy is used for are:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Hay fever
- Pre-menstrual tension
- Menopausal problems
- Skin complaints e.g. eczema in children
- Constipation
- Ailments in pregnancy e.g. nausea, heartburn
- Post viral fatigue
- Stress related problems
- Rheumatic conditions
