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Are you itching to find out more about homeopathic treatment?
Homeopathic remedies are taken by 30 million people worldwide – but what are they and how do they work?
Homeopathic remedies are taken by 30 million people worldwide – but what are they and how do they work?Jemma Walton Spoke to one of the three homeopaths currently working in Peterborough to find out.
TO some people it's snake oil, while to others – like Prince Charles – it is a natural, effective way of treating illness. But what is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is one of those things, like acupuncture and reiki, that lurks in the pages of women's magazines. We have all heard of it, but we're not really sure what it is or whether it could do anything for us.
For the past few months I have been suffering from outbreaks of an itchy rash on my arms and legs that will come and go without warning. Doctors have said it was an allergy – to what, they weren't sure. And so it has just been a case of waiting and seeing what triggers the rash, if anything. Great.
The antihistamine Piriton gets rid of the rash, but it makes me sleepy, which isn't ideal as dozing is banned in the ET office, officially at least.
And so when I heard about Barbara Reid offering homeopathy from Broadway Chiropractic Clinic, I made an appointment to see her to find out more about homeowatsit – and whether she could stop the itchiness.
Barbara has previously worked as a lecturer in housing at London South Bank University, where she was interested in the link between quality of life and housing.
But she became even more fascinated by quality of life when a homeopath helped her to get rid of the migraines and period pains she had suffered with for years.
She said: "Having been plagued with blinding headaches since my teenage years, and working through every painkiller on the market, which I wasn't happy about, I'm pleased to say that I very rarely have one now, and the best thing is that I never have to take any painkillers at all."
Barbara trained at the London School of Classical Homeopathy, is a member of the Society of Homeopaths, and has been seeing clients from her home in Newborough. From this month she will be offering consultations at Broadway Chiropractic Clinic.
Before I let her take a look at my lumps and bumps I asked her a few questions, like what is homeopathy? How does it work?
She said: "Back in 1796, a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann discovered a different way of curing the sick that he called homeopathy. Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine which can help people with all kinds of illnesses, from depression to arthritis, migraine to ulcers, it is safe and natural, and suitable for people of all ages."
Apparently, homeopathy works according to something called the "Law of Similars", which states broadly that a substance that can make someone sick, can also heal.
For example, we all know that problem of stinging and runny eyes that you can get when cutting onions. A homeopath though can use the homeopathic remedy prepared from onions, Allium Cepa, to treat a patient whose hay fever symptoms include stinging and runny eyes, and their symptoms will be relieved.
Similarly, we know that a couple of strong cups of real coffee can keep you wide awake at night. But Barbara said that a homeopath may prescribe the remedy made from coffee, Coffea, to help patients who have problems with insomnia.Barbara has had a long fascination with homeopathy and natural remedies, and follows the traditional Hahnemannian principles of treating "the whole person" and "individualising" remedies. This means that remedies are fitted to the unique symptoms that each individual has, making homeopathic treatment a truly customised experience.
And it was – I had an "acute" consultation with Barbara, and she spent about 30 minutes talking me through all aspects of my life – what I eat, how I sleep, whether I am a night owl or a morning lark (Is anyone a morning person? Why? Mornings are horrible).
She was trying to get a full picture of what makes me and my body tick, and so she could treat the whole me, rather than dealing with one part of my system and ignoring any underlying causes or problems.
This in itself was soothing, like going to a counsellor. How often in life do people ask you all about yourself and really want to know the answers? After chatting about me me me, Barbara came to the conclusion that I needed urtica urens, which is distilled stinging nettle.
I was given two bottles full of tiny pills made from sugar and infused with urtica urens. They were different strengths, one for a light attack, one for a full-on blow-up.
You can just stroll into Boots and buy this remedy over the counter, but you might misdiagnose yourself, or buy the wrong strength, and so all in all it's best to consult an expert.
If this didn't work, Barbara suggested I come back for a "full constitutional" – which would take longer and be more in-depth and would really get to the bottom of the problem instead of simply trying to tackle the symptoms.
To be honest I gave it a go, and took four or five pills, but it didn't really have much affect. And then I went on holiday and had to go to hospital after a full-on allergic reaction to washing powder which made my lips swell up like a monkey's, and so I had to abandon the experiment and embrace an emergency steroid injection.
Having said that, Barbara did make me think carefully about what I do and eat, how I handle stress and how I could perhaps deal with the outbreaks better, which was helpful, and I would definitely be keen on having the full constitutional.
Barbara she sees a lot of people who are diagnosed with a health problem, such as an underactive thyroid, and want to explore other options before going on a course of traditional medicine, and that seems fair enough.
Prince Charles is said to use homeopathic treatments on his cattle, and what is good enough for the heir to the throne's cows is probably good enough for the likes of me.
More information: Find out more about homeopathy, check out the Society of Homeopaths' website at www.homeopathy-soh.org, where you can find a registered homeopath near you.
To book an appointment with Barbara at Broadway, call her direct on 01733 252322/07970 877092, or visit www.barbarareidhomeopathy.co.uk.
An acute consultation costs 25, a constitutional costs 65.
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