Homeopathy

Homoeopathy is based on the principle that you can treat ‘like with like’ i.e. a substance which causes symptoms when taken in large doses, can be used in small amounts to treat those same symptoms. For example, drinking too much coffee can cause sleeplessness, agitation and even palpitations, but when made into the homoeopathic remedy Coffea it can be used to treat all these problems. You may already have come across this concept in conventional medicine e.g. the stimulant Ritalin being used to treat ADHD, or small doses of allergens such as pollen being used to de-sensitise allergic patients. However one major difference in homoeopathy is that substances are used in such tiny doses that they are completely non-toxic. Scientifically it can not yet be explained precisely how homoeopathy works, but new theories in quantum physics are going some way towards shedding light on the process. What we do know is that a carefully selected homoeopathic remedy acts as a trigger to the body’s healing processes. Homoeopathy has been widely used throughout the world for more than 200 years. In 2000, the House of Lords’ Select Committee on Science & Technology cited homoeopathy as one of the five Group One Therapies, having ‘an individual diagnostic approach’ along with osteopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine and acupuncture. (1) Homoeopathy can be safely used alongside conventional medicines and will not interfere with the action of medicines prescribed by your doctor. Because homoeopathic medicines (often referred to as remedies) are non-toxic, there are no side effects (2) and they are safe even for pregnant women and babies.