New Client Information
How does Homeopathy Work?
Homeopathic medicines have been used for over 200 years. They are traditionally used to provide support for your body’s immune system, and unlike some conventional medicines that just mask symptoms, homeopathy aims to address the root cause of the illness and supporting your body to heal naturally. Naturally, for illnesses that have taken a long time develop, natural and gentle healing can also take some time.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY REMEDY IS WORKING?
We look for subtle, gentle and gradual improvements in both symptoms and overall wellbeing. Rarely, when the right remedy is given, there may be an initial ‘aggravation’ of current symptoms. If this occurs is usually short-lived (a few days) and is often followed by a big improvement in symptoms. Another common phenomenon is a return of old symptoms (ROS) - that is - a return of a symptom that you have had sometime previously in your life. This means that it wasn’t healed properly the first time around and may be a contributor to chronic illness. If you have an ROS it could mean that your remedy has stimulated healing, bringing it back to the surface so that it can heal properly this time.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH AN AGGRAVATION OR AN ROS?
In either of these circumstances, pause your remedy until the symptoms have passed, and wherever possible, please do not suppress the symptoms with creams / pharmaceuticals / antibiotics etc. Your body has brought these symptoms to the surface to heal them naturally, which it will often do quickly and naturally, and by interfering you may drive the symptom deeper again. If the symptom is too uncomfortable or lasts longer than a few days, you may need another remedy acutely to alleviate the symptoms, so please get in touch. Once the symptoms have passed, you can start taking your remedy again. Always let your homeopath know if you experience an aggravation or an ROS.
How Many Remedies Will I need?
This varies from person to person. Sometimes just one remedy can align beautifully with an individual’s constitution, and this will be the only remedy they will need to support ongoing healing. More often than not though, and particularly with complex conditions, several successive remedies may be needed during the course of treatment as each layer of illness is peeled away. Be encouraged that patients usually see the improvements with each remedy and this encourages them to keep going.
WHEN SHOULD I GET IN TOUCH BETWEEN APPOINTMENTS?
If you ever have any urgent questions that can’t wait until your follow up appointment, please get in touch via email.
FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS
Follow up appointments are billed per half hour. During follow up consultations, any remedies can be purchased during or after the follow up consultation. Clients often find that the longer they leave their follow up, the longer the appointment ends up being, so it can be cost-effective and make treatment for effective to make sure you book and attend your follow up promptly. If treatment is going so well that you don’t need a follow up, I will be very happy to hear that and will be happy to cancel or postpone your appointment, but please give me some notice.
HOW TO TAKE REMEDIES
Whenever possible, try to take your remedies at least 10 minutes away from food or drink, and not before a morning cup of coffee. If this isn’t possible, it is still better to take your remedy with food than not at all. In some people, a cup of coffee can antidote their remedy. I don’t avoid coffee but it’s something to keep in mind if your remedies aren’t working as expected after a cup of coffee.
Likewise, some remedies can be antidoted by very sour things (particularly Lachesis, Sepia, Ant Crud & Nat Mur). I don’t recommend avoiding sour things initially as this is not the case for all people, but if your remedies aren’t working as expected, it might be worth restricting sour foods whilst on treatment.
Camphor (which is in Vicks Vapor Rub) can antidote remedies so please avoid using this during your treatment.
Homeopathic liquid preparations contain a small percentage of alcohol as a preservative unless specifically requested otherwise. Please don’t let young children suck on pipettes for safety & hygiene reasons, they are glass.
Homeopathic liquids need to be ‘activated’ before each dose. We do this by ‘succussing’ (banging) the bottle on the palm of our hand or a flat surface 5-6 times before each does.
Individual pillules shouldn’t be handled as the remedy is on the outside of the pillules and can be disrupted by the oils in the skin rendering them ineffective. Always tip the pillules straight from the jar into the cap (or a clean medicine cup) then tip straight from there into your mouth.
If instructed to make a water dose, dissolve 2 pillules (or the allocated number of drops of your liquid remedy) into a half glass of water. Stir well then one teaspoon=one dose.
storing remedies
Store in a cool, dry place away from WIFI-router, microwaves, mobile phones, electronics, essential oils and perfumes.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Any cancellations within 24 hours of the appointment will attract full appointment fees. If you are unable to make your appointment just due to illness, we can offer online appointments if that is suitable.
Frequently asked questions
Can i overdose on a homeopathic medicine?
You can’t overdose on your homeopathic medicine by taking too many drops or too many pillules at once, as with homeopathy, it’s the frequency (not the quantity) of doses that matters. Homeopathic medicines can be taken too frequently, but any symptoms that arise from doing so will usually quickly resolve on their own once the medicine is stopped. Despite this, it is important to follow your individually prescribed guidelines as homeopaths always prescribe carefully based on your individual symptoms.
Are there side effects?
Homeopathic medicines are safe, gentle & and without the side effects produced by some pharmaceuticals. If symptoms do occur during treatment, these are often old symptoms that were suppressed and driven deeper into the body that are now surfacing to heal properly and are usually very short-lived in duration. With any treatment, if unusual symptoms occur during treatment, always discuss this with your homeopath in case dosage adjustments need to be made.
Can they be taken alongside other medical prescriptions?
Homeopathic medicines can be taken alongside conventional medicine & supplements but always let us know what you are currently taking so homeopathic prescriptions can be tailored accordingly.