Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a complementary approach to medicine that uses very small and weak (or diluted) concentrations of a substance with the aim of triggering the body’s natural healing system. These substances may be in a liquid or a tablet form.

The concept behind Homeopathy is that, by taking a small and almost insignificant quantity of a substance, the body’s own healing process will kick in. A further element to this is the belief that you treat like with like.

This means that if the body has a problem that is caused by a particular substance, then taking very small quantities of this same substance may actually counter the effect through the body’s reaction to it. This approach is also used in conventional medicine, but with much greater concentrations of the substances in question.

Homeopathy is a holistic therapy in that it treats the body as a whole.

What to expect from a treatment and a therapist

A homeopathic therapist will normally spend up to one hour with a patient prior to a first treatment. This time will be used to gain a full medical history and it will also take into account finding out about the patient’s lifestyle and the way in which their illness or difficulty impacts up on their life.

Following this the therapist will prescribe a medication for a fixed period of time, after which a return visit will be required. An assessment of progress will then be made and any changes of medication applied. This process may be repeated several times during the treatment period.

The nature of the medications and potions provided by a homeopathic therapist are in such small concentrations that, if formulated correctly, they should pose no danger to a patient. It should also be safe to take these substances in conjunction with other more conventional medications.

There are training courses and membership associations for practicing Homeopathy therapists and you should seek a practitioner who is adequately qualified.

Many of these therapists will practice out of a complementary therapy clinic.