I first realised homeopathy could be effective back in 1982 when I was working as a hospital pharmacist in Melbourne, Australia on a 3 month exchange visit.
A friend suffered an allergic reaction to the perfume I was wearing, and I was amazed when she quickly responded to some drops her homeopath had given her. Her symptoms disappeared - without any of the sedative side effects that the antihistamine I was suggesting could have caused.
When I returned to Wales, I decided to find out more about this form of medicine that I had been so sceptical about. I soon decided to start the four year training course myself.
I was equally impressed by the first treatment my homeopath gave me. I had grown used to having low energy after a bad bout of glandular fever several years before. During the first few weeks after I took the remedy, I felt my vitality was gradually being restored, and it was wonderful to feel well again.
What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is an effective and dynamic system of medicine which assists the natural tendency of our bodies to heal themselves.
A visit to a homeopath will enable you to describe fully and in an unhurried way your symptoms and medical history as well as any other problems you are experiencing.
A picture of the whole person is vital and areas covered include how you sleep, your dreams, your response to the weather, your worries and fears, your food likes and dislikes, your energy pattern and lifestyle and so on.
The practitioner then matches this picture as closely as possible to that of a single homeopathic remedy. Often you will be given just one tablet to take, and it could be effective for several weeks or months.
How are homeopathic remedies made?
Many of the homeopathic remedies are made from plants, but minerals, metals and other natural sources are also used. They are specially prepared in homeopathic pharmacies using a dilution method that ensures they cannot produce side effects.
The remedies have only been tested on healthy human volunteers, so their properties are understood precisely. Because they are so dilute, remedies can be given safely even during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
What health problems can it help with?
People come for treatment for many different reasons:
for longstanding complaints such as migraine, asthma, painful or heavy periods, eczema, hay fever, panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome or MEas a means of support through difficult times, such as grief, work-related stress or the break up of a relationshipfor acute, or short term problems such as sports injuries morning sickness during pregnancy, teething problems in babies or glandular feverbecause they feel generally unwell, have low resistance to infections or feel out of balance during the menopauseas a way of maintaining good health.In short, homeopathy is suitable for all ages from birth to old age and all kinds of conditions!
© Felicity Lee RSHom - April 2004
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your comments
Dr. Nancy Malik, India
Homeopathy cures where Conventional Allopathic Medicine (CAM) fails.
Elizabeth, oxfordshire
Well, Colin Birch from Fife, it goes without saying that some conditions need the attention of conventional medicine, and your example would appear to be one of them. One needs to use one's intelligence to understand when to use conventional medicine. When I had breast cancer I went to my GP, with restless legs and anxiety I would go to a homeopath. My partner suffered from very bad asthma some years ago and the doctor told him that he should consider himself lucky (he could barely get up the stairs), as some were considerably worse off than he!! He eventually went to a homeopath and as a result threw away his inhaler and resumed a normal life. This demonising of homeopathy is unintelligent and does nothing to assist those in real need. I for one do not believe that 3-4 years training is required just to administer a placebo. Any why would anyone bother to have a consultation just to be given a placebo? In order for a placebo to work I assume the person would need to be unaware that it was a placebo. All this parotting of others' pinions about dilution etc is boring and unoriginal. Homeopathy has a permanent place in my life and will continue to do so - alongside conventional medicine.
Rocko
This article is utterly disingenuous. It conveniently ignores several important things:
i) the vast majority of studies show homeopathy has zero effect above placebo.
ii) the method of producing homeopathic medicines involves repeat dilution to the point where not a single molecule of the original substance remains - there is no way that the medicine can do anything. It is pure water.
iii) it is based on the "principle of similars" - ie if you give someone a substance that would cause their symptoms, they will get better. So, can't sleep - try some watered down caffeine. This is in complete contradiction ! to everything we know about how the body works.
iv) the more you dilute the substance, the stronger it becomes. Once again, this makes no sense whatsoever.
v) the set of diseases that homeopathy can allegedly cure *exactly* matches the set of diseases the body can cure itself of - colds, sore throats etc. This is a massive coincidence.
There is no known mechanism that homeopathy can work by, and no evidence - other than anecdotal - that it does. If that anecdotal evidence was correct, you'd see it replicated in studies - which, as I've said, you don't. The BBC should not be legitimising this utter nonsense by giving it publicity, frankly.
Veronica, East Sussex
My family have used homeopathy for years and have have been healthy and well thanks to it, including my father who at 89 years of age was still working a 10 hour day gardening and was totally free of all conventional medication. My cat was cured of kidney failure by my homeopathic vet. All you non believers should give it a try it is brilliant.
Haydn Evans, Abercynon
I suffer from ulcerative colitus and have done so for the past 3 years. It is taking over my life and wondered if you can help.
Lynn Mitchell Bristol
Ray Jackson you've not tried homeopathy have you! it is purely a result of the placebo effect you say, well can you please explain how that works with animals. People should take the time to find out more first hand, ie use their brain. I get my treatment from a HNS hospital, where all the DOCTORS are trained GPs as well as trained homeopaths. So you see we are not brainless people paying out money, fact is we are getting it FREE on the NHS. ps if it's good enough the the royal family then it's good enough for my family.
John Burroughs, Pontypool
My son flared up with eczema after stopping being breast fed. We tried for a couple of years treatment from the doctors, hospitals and chemists. We even paid out a lot and went to a private specialist. Then one day, we took him to a lady who uses homeopathy. She asked some in-depth questions and only asked for £20. She gave us 3 sachets of powder. After a very short time, the eczema went and to this day, 10 years later, it has never come back. She said to treat it from the inside out, and not by putting oils and creams onto the outside.
Ray Jackson
There is no true independent scientific study (i.e. not just anecdotal evidence) that gives even the slightest validity to this sham. In fact, the so called treatments are diluted to such massive amounts that not even a molecule of the original substance remains. If you feel better after taking these treatments it is purely a result of the placebo effect. This is not simply a bit of harmlessness, if you choose to treat your sick child with this superstition rather than through tried and thoroughly tested modern medicine then this is criminal! Use your brain please. Scientists don't know everything, but they do know homeopathy is bunk.
Anita Mackie
A constant bugbear and gargantuan source of frustration for the western orthodox medical profession, homeopathy is inexplicable to many today despite the fact that is was discovered by a German physician - Hannemann - around the 1800's. The smaller the substance available- be it 6cc, 30cc or 200cc - it appears to work on a purely vibratory level and advocates and proponents will suggest that altough its method does not square with the current western medical model, its efficacy is secod to none and perhaps most importantly,prescribed properly, it has no side effects. (Ironically, a miniscule amount of, eg arseniucum, can result in death). For my part, I have turned - (initially with huge scepticism - and latterly as a last resort) - to homeopathy for myself and over recent years for my family. The proof is in the pudding as the say and I can say - hand on heart - it has cured and solved on a mental and emotional level, and subsequently therefore, on a physical level too. The most incredible results should be noted; these were when homeopathy almost cured the absolutely horrific side effects of the chemotherapy treatment my husband was undertaking. If are a sceptic, try it anyway and see what happens. It is cheap, has no side effects,(prescribed in approp. dosage) works, and my goodness, when it works, your really read all those articles and lobbying sites by the vested medical interests (the medical profession and pharmas), in a new light. It relly becomes apparent why they are furious about it working. After all, if you become a medic to make people better, why would you care whether the cure lay with conventional drugs or cheaply produced, harmless sugar based pills. You would be delighted whatever cured the person, wouldn't you?? Unless of course, you had to feel that the cure had to come from the training/path you ahd personally chosen. Last but not least, most of enlighted Europe - France, SWITZERLAND, ETC ETC - has been using homeopathy as part of the established medical system, for aeons.
Karen Timbrell
When my daughter was 6 yrs old she developed Molluscum, - a quite rare kind of skin infection that develops tiny 'warts' over the body. I had 3 opinions from 3 different GPs ranging from, "She'll grow out of it in 3-5 years", "Pop them and they'll get worse before they get better" and "There's nothing you can do about it". Not being satisfied with any of these answers I looked into homeopathy and found Felicity Lee. After 1 consultation - which seemed like a friendly chat to my 6 year old, a few days later a tablet came in the post and within 2 weeks her skin had cleared the molluscum disappeared and has never returned. Amazing and well worth it!!
Lynn Mitchell, Bristol
When you start having to take a tablet for a side effect that other tablets give you, you look for something else. Which is what I did and thank God I found homeopathy, and it works. These people who rubbish it make me laugh, it's like saying you cant go to the edge of the earth or you will fall off! Why not try it, David from London, and then come back here and try and rubbish homeopathy. Personally I don't give a stuff if anyone uses it or not. You just carry on thinking the earth is flat!!!
David Colquhoun, London
The claims made here are quite outrageous and utterly unjustified. The truth about homeopathy is simple. The medicine contains no medicine. The pills you are sold contain nothing but sugar, often not even a single molecule of what it says on the label. That is not therapy, it is plain old fraud (and is at present being considered as on offence under the Trade Descriptions Act).
Colin Birch from Fife
I would dearly love to see the the medical reports on Kishan's children. Inguinal hernia is a condition where the intestine pushes through a weak spot in the stomach wall and as such can only be treated by surgery. Knowing a little about homeopathy I can't see how there is any 'like for like' treatment for this condition. Is there a plant extract/formulation which pushes the intestines through the stomach wall? In short, no. Please see this link www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html and also much related stuff on the site which explains why alternative medicine seems to work. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
Kishan Takahashi from Newport
my experience is that i'v not used anything else for my children who are both 14/15 years old.
from the age of 2 they had asthma, inguinal hernia, allergies, glue ear, grief, short sightedness, all which with the use of homeopathy completely cured in a very short space of time. we are lucky to have found a system of medicine beyond natural that aids our bodies to heal like this.
Mike Kelly
I have no experience with homeopathy but I'm very intersted in verifying the claims in this piece. Can you let me know which controlled clinical trials showed homeopathic remedies were efficacious in "longstanding complaints such as migraine, asthma, painful or heavy periods, eczema, hay fever, panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome or ME...
...sports injuries morning sickness during pregnancy, teething problems in babies or glandular fever..."?
Thank you
Valerie Cave from Rugby
Last Thursday I had my first consultation with a homeopath and she asked me all the sorts of questions listed above. I suffer badly with restless legs and just cannot get to sleep some nights because of this. I have had this condition for forty years and have had various muscle relaxing tablets from the doctor over the years and wanted a more natural remedy. It was suggested I see a homeopath. I came out with tiny tiny tablets to last two weeks until I see her again. I cannot believe that such minute tablets can work but time will tell. I will update this at a later date.
