By Claire Hewison, your Putney Homeopath
For those of you to whom homeopathy is an unknown therapy, I would like to take this opportunity to give you an idea of what we homeopaths are about, from the perspective of individuality. For those of you more familiar with our methods, the following will come as no surprise!
Last month I saw patients with fatigue coupled with a need for weight loss; I saw people suffering with chronic migraines, sinusitis, ME, high BP, hormonal imbalances, chronic ear infections, anxiety, skin issues, neurological conditions, muscular/skeletal problems, pruritis, respiratory conditions, bacterial infection, allergies, chronic throat issues and eating disorders. The other day I was asked to see a child with severe behavioural problems.
This list shows a random cross section of issues that people seek our help with which homeopathy and nutritional therapy may help to address. We treat the whole person on every level, i.e. mentally, emotionally and physically, as opposed to treating the disease. We try to be sensitive to how their situation is affecting life, whilst attempting to get to the root of the presenting symptoms.
We donβt see a person as the label of his or her condition, or simply a collection of various symptoms, but as a human being. For example, patients diagnosed with eczema wont display the exact same symptoms, although they may appear similar, they don’t experience the same sensations or describe how they feel about their skin in the exact same way. Nobody has had the very same life experiences or has reacted to life situations in the same way.
Of my 5 patients with skin conditions, each required a different remedy.
There are many multiples of homeopathic remedies for skin conditions. And more are being researched…
As holistic therapists, our greatest strength is working with people, doing the best we can to benefit their individual lives.
Case History:
Female, mid-30s, with idiopathic itching on ankles, legs and torso. It had recently spread to her hands. The skin presented as raised red bumps, but would vary from pinpricks to urticaria like lumps. The condition would flare up in hot weather and hot water would aggravate it. The patient would scratch the skin until it bled, then it would scab over. When it flared up, it would last at least a week. Scratching would only make it worse. The patient recognised that anxiety could trigger a flare-up.
This patientβs anxiety, gentleness, propensity to be a little shy or timid, a horror of confrontation, and her tearfulness with a desire for consolation, pointed me to a particular set of remedies. Added in to the mix her perfectionist streak, her sensitivity, the fact that she felt much better in fresh air (needing the window open at night), and demonstrated a steely strength beneath the timidity, led me to a prescription of Pulsatilla.
After the first dose, the patientβs skin calmed down considerably. Once we had worked out the correct potency and frequency, she had no further eruptions for several months. In moments of extreme stress, the patient may experience a slight flare up. Another dose always clears her skin straight away. Fortunately, this happens so infrequently that there is rarely a need to repeat.
