Depending on where you live it is almost half term now. After the initial problems settling into a new class or school and a new teacher, how is your child getting on at school this term?

Homeopathy can be really helpful for children, not only helping a child’s physical symptoms - eczema, asthma, coughs and cold or warts, but also with sleep problems, moods and tantrums.
I am frequently consulted by parents who have concerns about their child’s behaviour or performance at school. The range of the problem can be from mild concentration problems and tantrums to a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder, hyperactivity, Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism.

There is no doubt that these diagnoses are becoming more prevalent with the numbers of children diagnosed with ADD and prescribed Ritalin increasing. In the UK the number of prescriptions is currently estimated to be 461,000 in England in 2007 (Times Online) for between 50,000-100,000 children.

There is much speculation as to the causes of these problems, which might include the pressures of modern schooling, an over stimulated society, diet and pollution, chemical imbalances and others.

Homeopathy can prove helpful in treating children suffering with these symptoms and it is able to treat the child as an individual taking into account their particular problems. A conventional diagnosis is not necessary before starting homeopathic treatment; as homeopaths treat individuals not labels. However, if your child is already talking a prescribed medication this can be continued alongside homeopathy.

As a Homeopath I value the input of other professionals such as teachers, psychologists and psychiatrists and they will often report improvement to the parents.

The initial case taking lasts over an hour and while not only asking in depth about the reasons that you have consulted me, I will also look at the child’s sleep patterns, their dreams and fears, how they feel about things, their friendships, their food likes and dislikes, their medical history, family medical history; in essence the child as a whole.

As Homeopathy treats the person as a whole there are often other benefits to treatment such as an increased sense of well-being and a reduced susceptibility to colds and other childhood infections.

References

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4813727.ece

If you would like to learn more about how homeopathy can help your child why not send for my free leaflet Homeopathy for Babies and Children.

There are also many excellent books available on the subject such as Ritalin Free Kids and Impossible Cure: the Promise of Homeopathy.

Have a great half term,

Mike

Consultations in London (Liverpool Street) and Warnham West Sussex

mike@westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

www.westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

I have just come back from a wonderful holiday in Slovenia and whilst I was walking through the Alpine Pastures of the Julian Alps I was surrounded by many wild flowers that are common Homeopathic remedies. They included Aconite, Arnica, Belladonna, Cyclamen, Eyebright (Euphrasia), Rue (Ruta) and Hellaborus.

England’s wild flowers have been decimated over the last 30 years by intensive agriculture, but in a region where agricultural practices are less intensive wild flowers continue to flourish in abundance.

Nature provides us with many of the remedies for common illness and all of these plants have their uses as Homeopathic remedies.

The founder of Homeopathy Dr Samuel Hahnemann would have been familiar with these plants as medicines, but he developed a unique way of using them which proved to be more effective than taking crude doses. By diluting and succussing them, a process known as potentisation, he was able to harness their inner properties meaning that they were deeper acting than herbal remedies and needed to be taken in much smaller doses to achieve deep and long lasting changes.

Over the centuries since Hahnemann new remedies have been developed, and Homeopathic remedies have always been made not just from plants but also mineral and animal substances too.

Many people are surprised to know that Homeopathy is practiced worldwide and not just in the UK it is a very popular form of medicine in France, India and Brazil for example. In fact I have many London based Brazilians in my practice. At one time it was the most widely practiced form of medicine in the USA.

If you would like to read more about Homeopathy order my free Special Report: Homeopathy what it is and how it works.

Mike Andrews DSH RSHom

Registered Homeopath

Clinics in London and West Sussex

mike@westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

www.westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

At a recent meeting that I went to, we were asked to write down the qualities that our ideal practitioner would have. I’d like to share those thoughts with you:

My ideal practitioner would

 ·        be experienced in treating a wide range of conditions

·        be aware of prognosis, medical conditions, drug interactions

·        be aware of appropriate other therapies e.g. nutrition, herbalism, diet

·        be contactable and returning messages

·        be friendly and confident in their subject

·        let me know what they are doing and why

·        be self aware

·        not talk about themselves during the consultation

·        make it clear and simple in making appointments

·        be value for money

·        be recommended by someone I trust

·        be able to make home visits if necessary

·        respond quickly

I then put the same question to some of my clients. I realize that I don’t manage to achieve all of these all the time, but I try.

Some of the feedback that I received from was:

‘I agree with all the above Mike and would add a human response/communication skills (category) and the offering of a supportive role - gaining trust (and in doing so) feeling confident in the diagnosis/remedy offered. Also feeling the practitioner is interested in/motivated by the person and the condition. All of which you do.’

‘I agree with the above! I’d like to be able to speak to you or see you at the drop of a hat, especially when things get really busy and stressful for me, but that’s hardly very realistic is it….’

You might like to think about what your ideal practitioner would be like and let me know. I am often surprised when I visit other practitioners that they give me no written information about their treatment, prices or even directions to their practice!

Mike Andrews Registered Homeopath

Clinics in London and West Sussex

mike@westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

www.westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

I would like to share with you a recent article that I wrote. I hope that you find it an interesting read.

Humanity has sought to understand the causes of health and disease for millennia and various models of healing have been developed by different societies over the centuries. Positive thinking is currently in vogue, as popularised by “the Secret“ (Bryne), and there is no doubt that our attitude to ourselves and our bodies plays an important role in both maintaining good health and recovery from disease or as I prefer to call it dis-ease. There are other factors to address which I shall explore in this article based on my observation and philosophical understanding, developed over the last eighteen years as a busy Homeopath.

Homeopathy like many systems of alternative or complementary medicine has an explicitly stated philosophy ‘Homeopathy is an effective and scientific system of medicine which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognises that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and it is the patient who needs treatment not the disease.’(Society of Homeopaths)

Homeopaths see this disharmony as a dynamic disturbance of the entire body/mind system, and aim to restore balance by prescribing dynamically matched remedies. This maybe similar to Braden’s (2004) understanding that well tuned thoughts when backed with feeling can work on a quantum level.

Rajan Sankaran a highly respected contemporary Homeopath states that “Disease is a state of being which is expressed as a mental state and as physical symptoms. The mental state is often expressed as stress. Stress does not arise from external realities (though it may seem to be that way), but from the individual way each one of us perceives our external circumstances. The truth is that the external reality is not the ‘cause’ of most of the stresses and conflicts that occur in our lives.” (Sankaran)

Originally published in ReSource Magazine June 2008

Mike Andrews Registered Homeopath

Clinics in London and West Sussex

mike@westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

www.westsussexhomeopathy.co.uk

This June I am proud to celebrate 18 years in Homeopathic Practice. I would like to extend a big thank you to all of my clients over the years for supporting me in my work and hope to continue to be of service as a Homeopath for many years to come.

When I first came across Homeopathy in the early 1980’s I found that it worked tremendously well for me and cleared up both my skin problems and respiratory problems very quickly. I had initially self-studied Herbal Medicine and used to treat a few of my friends. I found though that for me Homeopathy worked better and with more long lasting results. I also liked the philosophy behind Homeopathic treatment.

My own Homeopath had trained at the School of Homeopathy in Devon and I attended my interview and started my training in September 1987.

I started my practice in Lewes and Brighton and worked in Madeira for a short while. I then moved to London and worked in Clapham for 12 years. At the same time I started to teach Homeopathy and worked for Purton House Homeopathic Center and The London School of Classical Homeopathy and subsequently at the University of Westminster where I still teach.

I now work from my home in Sussex and at the Hubworking Center in the City.

I have recently published an eBook Using Homeopathy to treat yourself and your family, if you would like to download the first chapter of this for free, click on the link here
 
Wishing you good health,
Mike