The philosophy of classical homeopathy is over 200 years old.  Historically, classical homeopathy has become known as a medical system used for a variety of acute and chronic healthcare problems.  It works by administering natural remedies that reinforce the body’s natural defence system.

Homeopathy is a safe, effective system of medicine that uses very diluted natural ingredients to help the body to heal itself and to build up its resistance to illness. It's been used successfully, worldwide, for about two hundred years.

Homeopathy is a 'holistic' system of medicine. It views good health as a natural balance of both the physical and mental sides of you as a whole person. It recognises that symptoms of ill health are expressions of inner disharmony, and that it is the patient who needs treatment and not the disease. The remedies therefore tackle the cause of someone's illness, rather than merely preventing or reducing the symptoms. For this reason, the remedies need to be tailored to the individual to be effective, and this means that buying them over-the-counter, without consulting a qualified practitioner, may be a waste of time and money.

How do the remedies work?

Homeopathy is based on the principle of 'like cures like'; that substances that cause symptoms in healthy people will cure those symptoms in someone who is not well. The idea behind a homeopathic remedy is that by mimicking the disease it will stimulate the body to correct itself in a way that it hasn't yet managed to do on its own.

As an example, cutting a strong onion can produce stinging, runny eyes, a sore throat and an acrid, runny nose. A homeopath would prescribe the homeopathic remedy made from onion (Allium cepa) for a patient who had a cold with these particular symptoms. Conventional medicine (known as allopathic medicine) tries to deal with the chemistry of the symptoms and treats them with something that is their opposite, rather than something that is similar. By doing so, the body still goes on trying to produce the symptoms.

A homeopathic remedy contains only a very tiny amount of active ingredient. To prepare it, a substance is diluted many, many times over, and shaken (or 'succussed') in a particular sequence. An ingredient may be diluted in up to one hundred parts of water or alcohol. This process of dilution may be repeated anywhere from five times up to hundreds of times, or more, depending on the remedy.  Science can't yet explain how homeopathy works, but there are various theories about how energy behaves at sub-atomic levels.

Why do people choose homeopathy?

People try homeopathy for all sorts of reasons: because they hear from others that it has worked; because they feel it's natural and believe it's likely to have fewer side effects than conventional medication, or because they prefer its holistic approach. People also like the idea of having more control over their own treatment. Others turn to homeopathy because conventional medicine has let them down, or because they want to relieve the side effects caused by the prescription medicines they need to take.

Many people have used homeopathic remedies, successfully, in one-off situations. Arnica is one of the most well-known remedies, found in many households and used to treat bruising and shock after injury. But homeopathy can also be the best method of treating long-standing complaints, when used as part of a holistic approach to health. This means that the homeopath will look at the person as a whole and work out whether there are underlying medical, emotional or lifestyle factors that may be having some influence on their symptoms.

What happens when people consult a homeopath?

Homeopathy aims to tackle the underlying causes of ill health, as well as to relieve the symptoms that made someone seek help in the first place. The aim of the homeopathic consultation is to get a very clear picture of the way that person is feeling and what is contributing to it. Each of us is prone to ill health in a different way. Our constitution (our natural physical and mental make-up), our lifestyle, past experiences, diet, emotional and medical history, present behaviour and current problems will all affect our state of health. The current and past health of family members will also be relevant.

Your first consultation may take an hour-and-a-half to two hours. The homeopath may ask questions about any and all of these matters, and will be interested in finding out the timing of symptoms that cause trouble, what triggers them, and what feelings come up. The practitioner may also ask about food likes and dislikes, sleeping patterns and what makes you feel nervous or uncomfortable.

He or she will want to hear about all of your symptoms, although they may seem to you to be entirely unconnected. Conventional medicine might treat them separately, but they will all be part and parcel of the same problem and need to be treated in relation to each other.

By building up a detailed picture, the homeopath can prescribe a remedy based on your particular symptoms and the way in which your condition shows itself. A diagnosis such as ‘schizophrenia’ or ‘manic depression (bipolar disorder)’, although useful to the practitioner, is only a label that can't reveal the individual condition. It’s common for two patients with apparently similar illnesses to be treated with very different remedies.

How do I take the remedy?

Remedies come from natural sources, mostly vegetable or mineral, and often have the same origins as conventional medicines. They usually come in tablet form (although in some cases they are prescribed as a liquid). The soft tablets dissolve rapidly in the mouth; hard tablets may be chewed. Both have a pleasant taste. The tablets need to be handled as little as possible and it's also best to avoid putting anything in your mouth for 15 minutes before and after taking them. Some homeopaths suggest that coffee, camphor, menthol, peppermint, eucalyptus and other strong smelling substances should be avoided, because they may interfere with the remedies.

Because they stimulate the body's natural healing powers, remedies can have a long lasting effect, and you may not have to take them every day. Your practitioner will decide what the dose should be, depending on what’s wrong. He or she will take into account any other medication you are taking, as well as any other outside influences that may interfere with the action of the remedy.

What if the remedy doesn't seem to be working?

Patients often experience a sense of wellbeing after taking a remedy, but sometimes it can be hard to tell whether the treatment is working. To begin with, it may be a question of feeling more able to cope with things in general, rather than noticing a particular improvement in the condition you are seeking help for.

Occasionally, symptoms may appear slightly worse for a short time. This is generally a good sign, showing that the remedy is taking effect. Sometimes a cold, a rash or a discharge may appear, as the system goes through a 'cleansing phase'. Discuss with the practitioner any symptoms that appear after taking a remedy. Follow up interviews will generally take place at monthly intervals. Practitioners do their best to choose the most suitable remedy at a first consultation, but it can take time to arrive at a proper understanding of the case, and you may need to be patient until the full picture has emerged. How long the treatment takes will vary according to the complaint, but usually the longer you've had the problem, the more time is needed to treat it.

What if I'm taking other medication?

Homeopathic remedies are able to work well alongside most other medicines, because they are so highly diluted that they won't chemically interact with other drugs. However, if you have been prescribed any medication by your GP, psychiatrist or other healthcare professional, it's very important that you don't stop your treatment without first talking this over with them.

What about side effects?

Because of the dilution process that is part of their preparation, homeopathic remedies should be free from side effects. They are also not habit forming. However, if someone takes a particular remedy, consistently, over a period of time, when it's not indicated, they could begin to experience symptoms of that remedy. For example, Coffea, which is a remedy made from the coffee bean, is useful for treating insomnia accompanied by nervousness, restlessness, and over sensitivity. However, if this remedy is taken for any length of time without these symptoms being present, you may notice them beginning to emerge. Once you stop, the symptoms should quickly disappear. This highlights the importance of getting advice from a professional before taking a remedy.

How should I go about getting treatment?

Homeopathic remedies should only be taken after consultation with a suitably qualified practitioner. It's always helpful if you can go to someone who has been recommended to you. In any case, you should check whether the practitioner is a qualified member of a recognised professional organisation, as well as finding out details of their training and experience. Practitioners may work in their own consulting rooms, in natural health clinics and, sometimes, in GP surgeries.

There are some GPs or conventional medical doctors who practise homeopathy, and, in theory, all GPs should be able to refer you to a practitioner who is a member of the NHS directory of complementary and alternative practitioners. Alternatively, many health insurance schemes are prepared to pay towards complementary medicine.

The New Homeopathy

Electronic Homeopathy

The new electronic system of homeopathy has the great advantage of being highly accurate. In other words the remedies manufactured always represent the purest form of the potentised substance. The word substance in this instance is a misnomer, as we are not talking about material substance but the remedy patterns as used in this system of medicine. In the diluted potentised medicine these patterns are composed of two components that are electrical in nature. The first is the Electro Magnetic Energy Pattern (EMEP), which represents exactly the basic constituents of the required remedy. The second is the Variable Energy Potential Pattern (VEPP) that represents the potency of the remedy. These frequencies or ‘rates’ can be set on specialised manufacturing equipment to produce highly effective homeopathic medicines either singly or as multiple formula remedies and at any potency including the specialist higher ranges. The electronic system also allows for a much wider scope of remedy such as colours, gems, healing waters, flower essences, disease, mental states and the so called imponderables such as electricity, magnetism and light.