FAQs

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a holistic, individualized system of medicine used by over 200 million people worldwide for chronic and minor illnesses. It looks at the whole person and views health as the well-being of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit, which are all connected. It views symptoms as the body’s attempt to make itself well and communicate that there’s an imbalance. Homeopathic remedies are a catalyst that stimulates the body’s innate healing response. 

Because homeopathy uses activated ultra-high dilutions to stimulate the body, it is a vibrational medicine and the original nanomedicine. Typically, remedies are created from a natural substance, such as a plant, mineral, or animal milk, and diluted until there is only a trace amount left. The remedy is then activated by vigorous shaking. 

The more diluted the remedy, meaning the fewer molecules there are, the deeper acting the remedy becomes because the vibrational energy pattern is stronger. That means that each homeopathic remedy has a unique frequency. The goal of the homeopath is to match your energy pattern/ frequency to a remedy with a similar energy pattern/frequency.

What is the homeopathic view of health?

Homeopathy’s definition of health aligns with the definition from the World Health Organization (WHO): “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

However, within the homeopathic paradigm, we see illness or disease as an inner disharmony or imbalance. Rather than working on individual symptoms, we want to resolve the problem on a deeper level. Symptoms are an attempt by your body to heal itself and communicate what’s going on. 

What’s more, we view true health as the ability to create, to manifest. So not only does there need to be holistic well-being but there also needs to be the ability to self-actualize and fulfill your potential.

How does homeopathy work?

Over 2000 years ago in Greece, the physician Hippocrates discovered that there were 2 approaches to healing. 

1. Oppose or prevent symptoms from happening. This is the approach that conventional medicine or allopathy takes. If you have a headache, you take a painkiller so that you can't feel the symptom. This method of “anti” this and that can be attractive because it can prevent the symptoms from hindering us and we can go about our business. However, the cost can be slowed-down recovery time, side effects, and potentially a worsening of symptoms over time if the source is left unresolved.

2. Encourage symptoms by treating “like with like." This is the approach that homeopathy takes. It allows the body to heal itself by giving a little extra energy to the symptoms so that the life force can resume a stuck process and restore the balance. In fact, the term “homeopathy” means “like cures like.” When a person has symptoms, we give them a homeopathic remedy whose substance if used in a large dose is capable of causing similar symptoms. For example, when people cut onions, they often react with a runny nose, stinging tears, and sneezing. Therefore, we can use the homeopathic preparation of onion (Allium Cepa) for people experiencing similar symptoms during hay fever or other respiratory ailments. 

Is homeopathy safe?

Because homeopathic remedies use ultra-high dilutions and are energetic in nature, they are non-toxic, non-addictive, and do not cause conventional side effects. This makes homeopathy a great choice for the elderly, pregnant and nursing women, newborn babies, children, and animals. This gentle system of medicine has over 200 hundred years of practice, research, and trials demonstrating its safety.

Are there side effects?

Homeopathic remedies do not cause the type of side effects that we associate with conventional medicine because they are diluted until only trace amounts of the original material remain. Sometimes, as health is being restored, the existing symptoms can become a little more noticeable for a short time. This is called a homeopathic aggravation. If we use the analogy of the pendulum, the pendulum must first be nudged in the direction that it’s stuck in order to swing back naturally on its own. Although symptoms may seem worse at first, this is simply the life force directing increased healing energy into the symptoms as it resolves the underlying cause. Likewise, in longstanding complaints, you might notice a brief return of old symptoms or sensations that you experienced earlier, even years before. This is another good sign that the life force is working to resolve a chronic state at the root. Your life force is literally retracing its steps. The remedy will not need repeating until these changes have stopped and further progress has stalled. Slowly and surely, a new state of greater health and well-being is created.

Are homeopathic remedies the same as supplements, herbs, or vitamins?

No, homeopathic remedies are all made through a specific process of dilution and vigorous shaking (activation). The end product contains “energy,” or an energetic blueprint, but no molecules of the original substance, unlike a vitamin, herb, or mineral which has measurable amounts of the original substance. Because homeopathic remedies are made from ultra-high dilutions, we can use substances that are poisonous, like the plant Belladonna, and activate its healing potential without any of the toxicity. We dilute away anything that could be harmful. And because we require so little material to make thousands of remedies, homeopathy is a sustainable practice. This process of dilution and activation is an FDA-approved process that registered homeopathic pharmacies use to make remedies according to strict guidelines. Some of the minerals and herbs commonly found in supplements, like zinc, copper, milk thistle, and blue cohosh, can be made into homeopathic remedies by going through the process of ultra dilution and activation. The homeopathic process also opens up the healing potential of minerals and herbs and they can have a very different action homeopathically than in material form.

What are homeopathic remedies made of?

Homeopathic globules or tablets are made of milk sugar, which acts as an inert carrier agent, and coated with the ultra-diluted and activated remedy tincture. The remedy tincture is typically made from a plant, mineral, animal milk, or other substance. Because the globules are sweet-tasting, most children, adults, and even animals don’t mind taking their remedy. Remedies can also be taken as liquid drops or rubbed into the skin in creams and ointments. Homeopathic remedies are made by licensed homeopathic pharmacies. The term HPUS that you see on a remedy container stands for the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States, which is the codebook that has regulated the production of remedies since 1897. Homeopathic remedies are subject to the FDCA and regulations issued by the FDA.

What can a homeopathic remedy do for me?

A well-chosen remedy allows you to experience your full range and return to a state of balance or homeostasis. In homeopathy, we like to use the analogy of a pendulum to explain this. A pendulum swings back and forth and has a broad range of motion. Likewise, when we're healthy, various aspects of our health on the physical level, like our blood pressure or body temperature, can fluctuate within our range to meet challenges and then dynamically self-regulate and return to a stable state. The same goes for our thoughts and emotions. When healthy, we can move from happy to sad and everything in between. We can bounce back and balance it all out. But when there's a long-term energetic disturbance or we’re in a heightened state, it means that we're stuck at some point. Almost like the pendulum is frozen in place. That's where the remedy comes in. As a homeopath, I have to find that right remedy to match where you’re stuck. The remedy nudges you or gives you a little energetic push so that you can become unstuck and make your way back to the center.  

What's the difference between conventional medicine and homeopathy?

Conventional medicine is invaluable and the medicine of choice for trauma and acute, life-threatening situations. The conventional medicine model manages, controls, and suppresses by forcing some kind of action from the body. Sometimes that is the right approach, but many people are dissatisfied by the outcome of conventional medicine or allopathy in chronic illness. For example, you feel depressed so you take an antidepressant so that you don’t feel the depression. That offers relief in the short-term, but it doesn’t deal with why you're depressed so you can't move on. Homeopathy does the opposite. We want to figure out why you're depressed, what caused the depression, what's your lived experience of depression, and how depression shows up as a survival strategy for you. Once we understand your unique experience of depression, then we can find a remedy with that same energy pattern, which will give your life force a gentle nudge in the right direction so that you can resolve your depression in the way that’s right for you.

Can homeopathy be used with conventional medicine?

Because homeopathic remedies are vibrational in nature with no material substance remaining, there are no known contraindications for taking them with conventional medicine. If you have questions or concerns, always talk to your doctor or healthcare practitioner first. 

In an ideal scenario, homeopathy would be used at an early stage to prevent the need for pharmaceutical drugs or surgery. But when those interventions are needed, homeopathy can help to restore order, speed up recovery, and create a healthier body in the long term. Studies have shown that people who use homeopathy along with conventional medicine can have better health outcomes, take fewer drugs, and save money on healthcare. Homeopathic remedies can also be extremely helpful in counteracting the negative side effects of conventional interventions like chemotherapy.

How often should I see my homeopath?

As Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician said: “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.” 

This means that I’ll spend a lot of time getting to know you and how you experience the world. A single session only gives me a snapshot of your well-being at a particular moment in time and usually isn’t enough exposure for me to really understand you and your energy pattern. That’s why I recommend at least 3 sessions for long-standing energetic disturbances, and typically, that is when people start to see gains in their health.

After our first consultation, we’ll do a quick check-in after a few days so that you can ask any questions, and then I’ll ask you to come back for follow-up in a few weeks or more. If things are going well, the appointments can be spaced out every couple of months. The goal is to fully resolve the issue so that you don’t need to come to see me anymore. This may take 1 to 2 years for long-standing issues, but it’s worth it.

How long will it take to see progress?

Your response to homeopathic remedies will depend on many aspects, including your overall health, how long you’ve had the complaint, and its severity. Some people feel relief after the first remedy. Others may need a series of remedies over time before they experience positive gains. The outcome for each person will be different. Sometimes, reduced symptoms and a more manageable state may be the best outcome possible. Resolving long-standing energetic disturbances requires patience and commitment to stay the course.

How do I take my remedy?

• Globules. There are 2 ways to take the globules (sugar balls) that come in a tube (like you would get at your local health food store). 

  • Dry dose. We call this a dry dose because you’re simply putting the globules under your tongue to dissolve. Hold the bottle upside down and twist the tube so that 3 globules fall into the cap of the tube. Then use the cap to pour the globules into your mouth. You don’t want to touch the globules because the remedy substance is coating the outside.

  • Water dose. We dissolve the globules in water first to further dilute and activate the remedy. This is a great choice for people sensitive to the energy of remedies and is an easy way to give remedies to babies and animals. It can also make your tube last longer because you use fewer globules over time. Use the cap to drop the globules into a glass or bottle of water, stir or shake the water a few times, and take a sip. You can keep the water in the fridge for a few days if you need to take several doses. 

• Liquid. Liquid remedies are most commonly taken orally from a dropper bottle directly under the tongue, or in a bit of water that has been stirred or shaken up. They can also be administered by a spray bottle.

How often do I take my remedy?

Only when you need it. With homeopathic remedies, less is more. We stop taking them when we see signs of improvement and only start taking them again when symptoms return or progress stalls.

We follow the principle of “the minimum dose.” The remedy stimulates the body to heal itself. Once we've achieved that, we don't want to keep stimulating it. The remedy gives your vital force a gentle nudge in the right direction and then your body takes over. Depending on the depth, pace, and amount of time that you’ve had your symptoms, your body may only need one nudge to run its healing program or it may need a series of nudges over time to complete the work. 

To understand homeopathic dosing, I like to use the analogy of guiding a toddler who is learning to walk. In the beginning, we hold the toddler’s hand as they take a few tentative steps. Over time, the toddler can take more steps on their own before falling and needing assistance to get back up. Eventually, the toddler can walk on its own. In this analogy, the toddler is the life force and the guide is the remedy. The remedy is a support and comfort that is needed less and less. When the life force stalls in its progress, then we repeat the remedy. Otherwise, we let the body do its work.

Is there evidence for homeopathy?

Homeopathy is the second largest system of medicine in the world, according to the WHO, and is used by over 2 million people. Some critics of homeopathy claim that there is a lack of evidence to support its effectiveness. However, modern research confirms the efficacy of homeopathy beyond the placebo effect, and there’s a growing body of scientific research showing that homeopathy has a positive effect. The research is publicly available and you can check it out at the Homeopathy Research Institute. While the exact mechanism of action for homeopathic remedies has yet to be discovered, research is looking to quantum mechanics and the physics of water for answers. As Einstein said, “Future medicine will be the medicine of frequencies.” With homeopathy, the future has been here for over 200 years.