Please scroll down, or click on any of the bulleted topics below to go straight to that item.

• What are consultations like?

• What are homoeopathic medicines like, and when do I take them?

• Where do I get my remedy from?

• Where do you practice from?

• How many consultations will I need?

• Caring for you between appointments

What are consultations like?

I provide different types of consultations available to suit your needs.

The most common is a 'First Consultation' with 'Follow Up Consultations' as required.  Homoeopathy is a very precise science, and as such the first consultation will go into a lot of detail about your medical history, your symptoms, other health issues and your general preferences and dislikes.  This is to enable me to prescribe the best remedy I can for you.  For those new to homoeopathy it may seem strange to go into so much detail, but it is well worth it as, at its best, this level of detail allows me to choose a remedy that will effect a permanent cure of a wide range of symptoms - not just a short term improvement or 'palliation'.  A basic personal health history form is also completed at this session, and I allow some time to explain a little about how homoeopathy works as I find this is helpful in ensuring patients know what it is that I am looking for.  These sessions take about 1.5-2 hours for adults, and 45-60 minutes for children.  

Follow Up Consultations are shorter and check on the progress of your recovery and healing.  Sometimes it is necessary to change the prescription, or to increase the dose of a remedy, so I focus on how the first remedy worked for you.  I can give more information on how homoeopathy works for those patients who are interested.  These sessions take about 45-60 minutes for adults, and 30-45 minutes for children.  Sometimes it is more convenient for patients for these to be done over the telephone.  This depends on the circumstances of your imbalance, and I would need to discuss whether this is possible with you.

Another type of consultation is an emergency or 'acute' consultation.  This is for patients with a short term illness that needs treating now.  These are usually shorter as I do not need to know so much about your medical history, and usually take up to 30 minutes.  Examples include chickenpox, measles, teething, earache, tonsillitis, hayfever during the summer (this is curable longer term with treatment during the winter), period pain (again, long term treatment can cure symptoms permanently), migraines etc.  I try to keep space available every day for such cases, and it is usually possible to get an appointment within 24 hours.  Remedies can be collected from me, I can post them first class, or if you have your own sources such as a basic first aid remedy kit I am happy for you to use these.

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What are homoeopathic medicines like, and when do I take them?

Homoeopathic medicines, or remedies, are usually prescribed in the form of small white tablets.  These are made of milk sugar, with the medicine soaked into them.  They are sweet and pleasant tasting.  Non milk sugar varieties can be purchased for those with lactose allergies - although homoeopathy can be used to cure such allergies!  

For babies, the medicine is available in the form of a powder, or a pill can be crushed between two clean teaspoons to make it into a powder that can be more easily administered.

In emergency or 'acute' cases where the illness is strong or urgent, such as chickenpox or earache, or even childbirth,  remedies are repeated frequently upon the homoeopath's advice.  The usual rule of thumb is to not repeat  a remedy until the previous one has worn off.  For longer term health issues, such as asthma or depression, menopausal symptoms or eczema, a single dose is given which can last from a few days to a few months.  It is hard to believe that such a tiny pill can have such a long lasting effect - please see some of the case studies for some great examples of this!  

Sometimes a remedy is given in liquid form.  This is usually when a dose is needed that can be repeated daily e.g. in the case of a patient who is taking other medication as orthodox medicine or drugs can antidote a homoeopathic remedy (please note that a homoeopathic remedy cannot antidote orthodox medicine or drugs).  This can be taken diluted in water, and is tasteless.

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Where do I get my remedy from?

For all my treatments I prescribe and supply the remedy, unless the patient chooses to supply their own (such as in an emergency treatment conducted over the phone, where the patient has their own remedies such as in the form of a homoeopathic first aid kit).

For most consultations I prefer not to give the remedy out until I have had time to reflect and study the notes that I take.  This allows me to consider all options and to find the best remedy for you.  I then post the remedy to you first class, or I can place it outside my front door for you to collect if this is easier or quicker for you.

Where do you practice from?

I have chosen to set up my practice at home, at Boscombe Down near Amesbury.  This is for a number of reasons - some important for my patients, some important for me.  I have practiced in the past from a rented clinic within a holistic health centre, but found this less convenient for me and my patients.  

Practising from home has several advantages:

• there is always easy, free parking available
• I am able to allow more time for my appointments, not having to rush
• I am able to have more time between appointments, meaning that I do not get behind in schedule so patients do not have to wait
• I can charge less for my appointments as I am not paying rental fees
• All my reference books, remedies and equipment are available on hand should I need to research any aspect of your health there
• I do not spend time commuting, giving myself more time to devote to your case analysis 
• I am more available to answer urgent calls in between seeing patients
• I can offer evening clinics when needed as I have the flexibility to work when you and I want

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How many consultations will I need?

The number of consultations needed varies between individuals, depending on the type of health imbalance, how long they have had symptoms and how much orthodox medication they have taken to deal with their symptoms.  A minimum of 2 consultations will be needed in almost every case - one to prescribe the remedy, and the other to follow up adjusting the dose as necessary.  A guide is that the longer a patient has been suffering symptoms then the more treatment they will need, and in this case I would advise to expect 5-6 consultations over 6-9 months (with 4-6 weeks between consultations).  In chronic disease or illness, especially if the patient is on long term orthodox medicine, a longer term approach may be necessary.  

You can expect to see an improvement from very early on in your treatment - and some patients experience a complete removal of their symptoms with just one remedy.  Most patients, however, need more than one homoeopathic remedy to complete their treatment.  As with all healthcare, continual support and information should be the cornerstone of your treatment, and I endeavor to provide this at all stages of our work together.

This 'prognosis' will be discussed with you at your first and your follow up consultations, and can be discussed before you commence treatment to give you some idea of what to expect.  Acute or emergency illnesses (earache, tonsillitis, measles etc) usually responds to a single consultation and follow up phone calls.

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Caring for you between appointments

Homoeopathic treatment is not just about the consultation, or our face to face meetings.  It is most important to me that I am kept up to date with your progress, and I will often ask you to call me between consultations to let me know how things are going.  You may have questions arising from your treatment that you would like answering - new circumstances can occur between appointments, or you may remember something you forgot to ask at your consultation and want an answer to.  For this reason I am always available for patients to call me.

Some homoeopaths offer set 'phone in' times.  As these are not always convenient to patients I prefer to patients to call me whenever it is convenient for them, and if I am not available my answering machine is always on so that I can call them back.  I try to call back the same day or within 24 hours, and if I am available then sometimes I can return calls over the weekend (if urgent).  I know some patients don't like answer phones, but I have found it is the speediest and most effective way for us to make contact and I do return calls efficiently!

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