Frequent Asked Questions:
Q: What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a system of medicine that stimulates natural healing powers in the body. It uses highly diluted doses from the plant, mineral and animal kingdoms to stimulate the body.
Homeopathic medicines act by stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms to
strengthen the body’s ability to react to illness and overcome symptoms. These remedies are prepared in a pharmacy by a special method of dilution. However, as homeopathy uses all natural substances, it is a non-toxic treatment voiding harmful side effects that can be safely used during pregnancy and on babies in conjunction with conventional medicine.
In the initial consultation the homeopath gathers information about the presenting complaint and medical history. Homeopathy takes into account lifestyle, food allergies and environmental sensitivities, treating the person as a whole taking all their symptoms into account. Homeopathy can be used to treat a wide range of symptoms from cuts, sprains and minor injuries to more serious chronic ailments and illnesses.
Q: What can Homeopathy treat?
Everything from trauma and acute or short term illness to many types of chronic conditions can be effectively treated by Homeopathy.
It is impossible to list them all, however many people commonly seek homeopathic treatment for stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, fatigue and headaches, period and fertility problems, pregnancy related conditions, menopause and children's illnesses.
Other common conditions include ear, nose, throat and eye disorders, respiratory illnesses, digestive and urinary tract problems, bone, joint and skin conditions.
Homeopathy may also be effective where there is no specific diagnosis.
Q: What does a consultation involve?
On your first visit your Homeopath will take a detailed note of all your symptoms and a thorough medical history.
Establishing good health involves treating both mind and body so the Homeopath takes time to listen to both emotional and physical symptoms.
They will want to know a little about you as a person, your likes and dislikes, worries, fears, what makes your condition worse or better, when the problem started, family history and so on.
The first visit usually lasts 1 to 1½ hours and subsequent visits are usually shorter.
Your Homeopath will give you a remedy in liquid, pill or powder from with directions on how to take the remedy.
Most complaints clear up quickly. Long standing or chronic conditions may take a while to improve although a sense of change should be felt from the beginning of treatment.
The length of a course of treatment will depend on the type of complaint and the individual characteristics of your case. Your Homeopath will make an assessment at the end of your first visit.
Q: What about other medication?
Homeopathic remedies in general do not interfere with other medication and may be taken safely under the supervision of a professional Homeopath.
Please tell your Homeopath about any medicine or supplement that you take regularly and mention any dental treatment you may be having as it could affect your Homeopathic prescription.
Homeopathy may be used to complement conventional treatment and in some cases may alleviate unwanted side-effects of conventional drugs. An example is the use of Homeopathy to treat the side-effects of cytostatica and radiation used in the treatment of cancer.
Q: What about health insurance and rebates?
Most private health insurance companies provide rebates for appointments with Registered Homeopaths.
It is very important to refer to your own policy for specific details.
Quinn-Healthcare
This company includes Homeopathy as part of its scheme for approved complementary therapies and will make a contribution towards the cost of up to 12 visits per year. Check your own plan for details.
http://www.quinn-healthcare.com
Hibernian Aviva
This company covers Homeopathy and under certain plans offers 30 euro per visit for three visits a year to a Homeopath. Check your own plan for details.
www.hibernianavivahealth.ie/
HSF Health Plan.
This company covers half the cost of Homeopathic treatment up to a maximum of between 130 Euro and 780 euro depending on your treatment plan. Check your own plan for details.
http://www.hsf.eu.com/ireland/
Vhi Petition.
The Voluntary Health Insurance Board (Vhi) refuses to cover homeopathic treatments as part of its patient health insurance packages despite several recent approaches by the Society.
We have therefore arranged a patients' petition and we have asked all our members to collect patientis' signatures.
We intend to use these to make a formal submission to the Vhi for Homeopathic cover.