What is Homoeopathy?

Homoeopathy is an effective system of healing which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognises that symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient who needs treatment not the disease.

In 1796, a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann, discovered a different approach to the cure of the sick which he called homeopathy (from the Greek words meaning 'similar suffering'). Like Hippocrates two thousand years earlier, he realised there were two ways of treating ill health: the way of opposites, most commonly used by conventional medicine and the way of similars.

Hahnemann discovered that diluting and succussing (shaking) remedies, which homeopaths call potentisation, not only produced fewer side effects but also produced better results. Homeopathic remedies are drawn from the natural world and prescribed on the principle of treating 'like with like' or the way of similars.

Scientists cannot yet explain the precise mechanism of action for homeopathy but there is published evidence of its efficacy. It is believed that homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body's own healing abilities and that this stimulus assists your own system to clear itself of any expressions of imbalance. For more details on research evidence, please see the Society's website at http://www.irishhomeopathy.ie/homeopaths/index.php.

In order to find the right remedy for you as an individual, your homeopath will need to know more about you. A detailed understanding of who you are, along with any complaints and details of how you experience them, is needed to assess your case correctly. So anything you can tell your homeopath that is typical of who you are will help this process. Finding out about your general energy levels, your past medical history and the way you live are also important. Anything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence. The initial consultation will usually last at least an hour.

Your homeopath will usually give you a homeopathic remedy, normally in the form of a tablet or tablets, or occasionally as powders, which should be allowed to dissolve in your mouth; or you may be given a liquid remedy with instructions. Do make sure that you understand the instructions before you take your remedy.

Homeopathic remedies can be used at the same time as conventional medication but it is important that you discuss this with your homeopath, both at the initial consultation and later, should your doctor make a new prescription.

Homeopathic remedies work from the inside, with the patient usually feeling more positive in themselves, with more energy, in the first instance. Other symptoms such as skin conditions are often the last to clear. Sometimes patience is called for - as the balance is slowly restored, the symptoms will improve.

For more information about Homoeopathy please click here.