Do you treat x (certain condition)?

It's a question that people frequently ask and one that certain people (funnily enough, particularly those with attitudes along the lines of 'homeopathy doesn't work') would rather we say no to. 

I don't perceive that I do treat conditions - I look at the whole person, taking into account the condition and giving a remedy based on that. But have I treated people who have a certain condition label and have they got better? Yes. I've seen people come for homeopathy with me who had a variety of labels - such as IBS, hayfever, epilepsy, headaches, migraines, anxiety, depression, period pain, diabetes, chronic pain, tendonitis, rheumatoid arthritis to give a few examples - and seen their conditions be either well managed or symptoms disappear entirely, frequently not needing conventional medications and be able to enjoy life in a fuller, pain free way. I've seen inflammatory markers come down, diabetic patients who've been medicated for 7 years be able to stop taking medication, seen people be able to come off anti-depressants - all in conjunction with the people who prescribed them.

They receive a remedy tailored for them - not the same one for everyone with hayfever or headaches. How simple life might be that way. But are we all the same? No. Do we all have the same symptoms of hayfever or headaches if they're the things we are experiencing? Not at all. So it's kind of weird we'd think they would need the same blanket prescription. 

I heard a lovely report about a young child with autism this week and their improvements. Do I treat autism? My honest response? No. I treat the person in front of me. The label, for what it is, is often a collection of symptoms that fit together - often not everyone has all of them, but it's a label of convenience. I don't need to change a label, I need to see if I can help the person with their experience and the bits that are 'stuck'. The label needs to be understood in terms of how it fits them, how they experience life. But is a label a person? I'd certainly hope not. We are mostly far more than the labels given to us.

I love chatting to children about this stuff - they have some of the best questions.... 'but I don't want to change me' was one recently. My response - and my feeling is that we can be ourselves in our best version of ourselves, perhaps without the pain or anxiety. I'm not looking to change anyone, regardless of their label. But if you've chronic fatigue, pain or migraines and you didn't have to have? That'd be rather nice I imagine. 

As I see it, homeopathy can sometimes make the impossible possible. So many people come as a last resort to homeopaths - and frequently get better.