What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy
works with our natural healing process and has been successfully used
for over 200 years. Its safe and effective remedies are designed to
stimulate the body’s natural reaction to fight illness and return to
good health as soon as possible. With an ever-growing number of people
seeking a natural way of treating their health, homeopathy can be used
alongside conventional medicine and has a mounting evidence base to
support it.
What are its origins?
Hippocrates,
acclaimed as the father of modern medicine and honoured by doctors in
the ‘Hippocratic Oath’, was the first to suggest that a person’s own
healing ability was vital in choosing the right cure for an ailment.
The
founder of modern homeopathy is an eighteenth century German physician,
Dr Samuel Hahnemann, who was so appalled by the practices of his day
that he set out to find a healing approach that was safe, gentle and
effective. He believed that rather than trying to suppress symptoms,
the body should be stimulated to encourage its natural healing process.
Today,
homeopathic remedies are regulated by British Government via the
Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority and nearly 40% of
GP partnerships in England provide access to complementary therapy (including homeopathy) for patients.
How does it work?
Homeopathy is based on three principles:
- A
medicine that in large doses creates the symptoms of a disease will, in
small doses, cure it. This can be summed up in the phrase; ‘like cures
like’
- Extreme dilution enhances the medicine’s healing properties and eliminates any undesirable side effects along the way
- Homeopathy takes the whole person into consideration
What can homeopathy be used for?
Many
conditions can be treated effectively by homeopathy – from asthma,
rheumatism, arthritis, eczema to more simple cases of cuts and bruises.
Homeopathy is being used increasingly by doctors, dentists, midwives
and many other healthcare professionals because of an increasing
understanding of the therapeutic benefits and in response to growing
public demand. Vets also find it a valuable addition to the range of
treatments available for animals in their care.
Who uses it?
Over
30 million people in Europe use homeopathic remedies and, according to
a recent Mintel report into complementary medicines, one in five
adults in the UK bought homeopathic or herbal remedies over the counter
in the last twelve months.
What is a homeopathic remedy?
Remedies
are derived from a variety of natural materials, including plants and
minerals, and are prepared in licensed laboratories under strict
quality control. They are given in many forms, including tablet,
granule or powder.
How are remedies made?
Homeopathic
remedies are made by a series of dilutions and with succession. For
example, a 6c potency remedy means that the substance has undergone six
steps in a series of dilutions, where each step involves taking one
part of the remedy and diluting it in 99 parts of alcohol.
How do you choose which potency of remedy?
Over the counter remedies tend to come in 6c and 30c potencies.
Choose
the former for common or long-standing ailments, and the latter for
dealing with emergencies and chronic conditions. (A homeopath will, of
course, be able to look at your case in more detail and prescribe from
a wider range of remedies at different strengths, based on your
individual situation.)
A
fascinating but as yet unexplained characteristic of homeopathic
remedies is that the more dilute a remedy, the more effective it is.
For example, a remedy diluted 30 times by a factor of 100 (strength
30C) is much more potent than a 6C remedy, even though it contains less
of the original substance.
How do you use homeopathic remedies?
Remedies
should be taken half an hour before or after eating or drinking. They
should not be handled directly but popped on or under the tongue and
allowed to dissolve. As with many conventional tablets and pillules,
homeopathic remedies contain small amounts of lactose so people with a
lactose intolerance should be aware and ask for an alternative.
How do you store homeopathic remedies?
Medicines
should be kept in their original container away from direct light and
strong smelling substances such as perfume or aromatherapy oils.
Spilled tablets or pills should be thrown away.
Where can you obtain homeopathic remedies?
Homeopathic remedies are widely available and can be found in good pharmacies, health food stores and online.
Should I stop taking my other medication?
No.
Homeopathic remedies can be safely taken along with other medicines. It
can be very dangerous to stop a medicine which you have been using for
some time. The remedies will not interfere with your other drugs, but
you should always consult your doctor before use when taking other
medications. Pregnant women should consult their doctor or homeopath
before using homeopathic remedies.
What happens when you see a homeopath?
The
first consultation lasts between 1-2 hours and you’ll be asked
questions about your physical, mental and emotional health, lifestyle,
preferences and fears. To discover how best to help, the homeopath will
want to know not only about your illness but also about you. How you
are affected by environmental factors such as temperature and the
weather, the kinds of food that you eat or the food you avoid, your
moods and feelings, and your medical history will all help to establish
a complete picture of you as a person. The homeopath then relates the
description of your current symptoms to all this background knowledge
in order to prescribe the correct remedy at the right strength. Choice
of remedy is therefore based on you and your condition, not just on
your symptoms.
A
follow-up visit may be needed to check you have the correct remedy and
that it’s working as expected. Benefits should be obvious within a few
days but it’s not unusual to feel slightly worse before you feel
better. This is known as ‘the healing crisis’ and is a sign the body is
trying to rebalance.
Please note: These
questions and answers are not intended to be a substitute to advice
from a qualified homeopath or homeopathic doctor. If any symptoms
persist, you should always consult your GP. Homeopathy can be used in
conjunction with conventional medicine but please ensure both your
homeopath and your GP are aware of the drugs and remedies you are
taking