What does homeopathic treatment involve?
A comprehensive and confidential first consultation can last up to 2 hours. During that time your homeopath will ask about your illness/symptoms and investigate the 'cause' of your illness. To obtain a complete assessment a number of questions will be asked about you as an individual. Such as your moods and feelings, how you are affected by environmental factors such as the temperature and weather, what kind of foods you enjoy or avoid, your medical and family history, present medications/supplements and anything else that might be relevant or that concerns you, no matter how small…Some of the questions may seem irrelevant, but they are important to build an individual symptom picture of you.
In the treatment of a new born and young child your homeopath will ask about the pregnancy and birth, as well as post natal events.
You will also have the opportunity to ask questions.
Your case is then carefully analysed and you will be prescribed just 'one' remedy/tablet to take, which match's your symptom picture as closely as possible. It may seem strange to take only a 'single' tablet, especially if you are familiar with taking a number of conventional drugs at one time. Homeopathic remedies act as a catalyst to balance your health through your own immune/healing system, so you do not need more than one. Furthermore, by giving one remedy at a time your homeopath can determine quite clearly what that remedy has done. If more than one remedy is prescribed the exact effects are not known and there is a more confusing picture. Such as, one of the remedies may have alleviated your symptoms, but which one and how would we find out? Occasionally a liquid remedy is prescribed, which is taken daily.Due to the detailed assessment of each case, prescriptions are never given on the spot, but will be posted to you within a week of your consultation.
Patients are normally asked to wait 4-6 weeks before a follow-up appointment, so the remedy is given plenty of time to trigger the body’s natural healing energy into starting the healing process. Follow-up appointments will ascertain how everything is progressing and check whether the remedy needs repeating or changing. Follow-up appointments can last up to 1 hour and telephone advice is available between appointments.
You will be advised to avoid coffee and peppermint (notably found in toothpaste and chewing gum). You will also be advised to avoid preparations containing camphor, menthol and eucalyptus (notably found in lip salves, tiger balm, vick, essential oils, deep heat treatments, cough mixtures and lozenges). These substances have the potential to undermine and antidote the healing processes set in motion by the remedy. Tea and decaffeinated coffee are acceptable and you can obtain pleasantly flavoured toothpaste from most health food shops.After taking your remedy most patients experience a period of exceptional well-being and optimism. Sometimes a cold or some form of discharge may appear as a ‘spring cleaning’ effect. The effects can be very far reaching, affecting your mood as well as your physical well-being.
Similarly, old symptoms that have often been forgotten ‘may’ reappear, which is in fact a good sign from a homeopathic point of view indicating that the remedy is taking effect. Please don’t think this means that you will feel ill again! If this happens the symptoms will only make a relatively brief reappearance before clearing of their own accord.
Occasionally, symptoms can at first be exacerbated before an improvement is seen and if this happens it should be temporary. If any response to your treatment concerns you please contact your homeopath, as it is important to know what happens as treatment progresses.
Homeopaths believe that symptoms are evidence of the body’s natural efforts to heal itself, so we are guided by the symptoms in combatting an illness rather than just combatting the symptoms of the illness.
Patients frequently ask how long does the treatment last. This is impossible to predict as each 'individual' case is different. If your presenting symptom(s) have been experienced for many years, as with a chronic condition there is no quick fix. The lenght of treatment depends on the condition being treated, so may last anywhere between a few weeks to several months. Acute complaints, such as fevers and an upset stomach will more than likely get better quite quickly.
Together, our aim will be to help your body to heal itself, avoid re-occurrence and maintain good health afterwards.
