Working with holistic methods, and in this case homeopathy means that I take into account the whole of you, physical, mental and emotional characteristics.
I am curious about what makes you tick, who you are as a person, what you like and dislike as well as the complaint that has brought you to see a homeopath. All of this helps me build up a picture of who you are, and helps me to find a homeopathic medicine to suit you.
Everyone is unique and individual which means that I may treat ten people with the same presenting complaint - for example headaches, but each of them will have the headache in their own unique way which is different to the others. Each would likely go away with a different remedy, prescribed to them only on the basis of their individual symptoms.
Many people look to homeopathy as an option after years of struggling with a complaint, and are often able to find help with this route. The conventional medical world even had an acronym for it. TEETH.
This stood for:
Tried
Everything
Else
Try
Homeopathy
This was my own experience after having had headaches and migraines, which were 'treated' with paracetamol whilst I was at primary school, migraleve as a teenager and beta blockers at 17 years of age. None of the medication stopped me having the headaches and all came with potential side effects.
Searching for an alternative I explored homeopathy and I am pleased to say I found much relief. Now having been working with homeopathy for over 14 years, I see many people who come as a last resort to homeopathy, and often find their symptoms ease by working with a practitioner.
Likewise with our horse, who was my introduction to homeopathy, with an 'incurable' eye disease, steroid injections into her eyelid and anti-inflammatory drugs were our only conventional option. Vets talked about how our next step could be to 'remove her eye to get rid of the problem' and this was our catalyst to explore more alternative options.
This led to us getting in touch with homeopathic vet Chris Day (you can read more about him here), who referred us to a local homeopathic vet. We had a week of tablets for Kara, our horse, then no more treatment. No more 'incurable', recurrent eye disease. Conventional vets referred to it as being in remission. Which was OK with us. Her remission lasted a further 12 years until she was put down due to having broken her leg.
The range of people I consult with is diverse, with many reasons to bring them into my consulting room. From eczema to anxiety, depression to IBS and really anywhere in between. Coping better with side effects of medication, particularly through cancer treatment is one area that people may decide they wish to have holistic support. Hormonal changes is another common one, for example heading into the menopause or supporting healthy periods. Molluscum contagiousum in kids, school anxiety and lots more. It's quite a long list. As mentioned before I'm always looking to understand the person who has the complaint, it's not as simple as 'take this for that condition'.
The age range of people that I work with is equally diverse. I work with pregnant mothers or even those wishing for help to conceive.. I think at time of writing my oldest client is 92. I love to work with babies, children, teens and adults. The variety suits me well, and seeing children grow up in my practice with the benefits of homeopathy in their lives makes my heart sing.
It's important to say here that I do not diagnose, and always recommend people continue their relationship with their doctor.
I love to be on a team, not the sole player. Having a team is a concept that's important for me myself, as well as my family and my clients. Gather together people who make sense to you. For me it's a GP, a dentist, a homeopath, an osteopath, my supervisor and if I need others I'll add them to my team. Your team will likely be different, but if you'd like me to be a part of it, I'd be happy to discuss that with you.
My vision is for a world of fully integrated medicine. One where we are able to recognise and work with our own strengths. I would love homeopathy and conventional medicine to work hand in hand, together and help improve health in holistic ways where possible.
To help answer frequently asked questions about homeopathy, the Homeopathy Research Institute have put together a helpful page on their website here.
