Meryl Cook MSc, PDHom (UK)
Classical Homeopath & Bowen Practitioner
Talking to a homeopath is a very personal thing. Her gentle and loving style are truly nurturing. Meryl is very accommodating while being discrete, sensitive and thorough. She gets to the bottom of things and finds theright remedy. As a client, I really feel that she cares.
I had heard that homeopathy can work wonders. It took time; I had to be patient and put in the work to help Meryl find the right remedy, but when she
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that uses highly diluted substances
(called remedies) to stimulate your body to heal itself on all levels. Homeopathy
aims to treat the whole person (the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
being) and never aims to treat only a part of a person (a headache for instance).
Classical Homeopathy is based on the selection of a single remedy that most closely matches your symptoms at a particular time and then waiting to observe your response before administering another remedy. This method focuses on the underlying disturbance or disease that causes the symptoms themselves.
Meryl's homeopathy patients tell her they have never felt so listened to, as during their homeopathy case taking. In a case taking, Meryl sits down with you and listens carefully to what you are experiencing. You will explain your symptoms and together you begin to develop an understanding of what your body is telling you through these symptoms. In Meryl's experience, the process of being listened to with such intensity marks the beginning of a patient's healing process.
Homeopathy Is Not...
Because homeopathy is sometimes confused with other healing practices, it is best to outline what homeopathy is not. It is not nutrition, herbalism, naturopathy or psychology. A homeopath does not diagnose or treat disease as defined by conventional medicine. A homeopath does not interpret laboratory tests or make recommendations for the use or non-use of drugs, radiation or surgery.
Homeopathic Remedies
Remedies are prepared from substances such as plants, minerals or animal products which are repeatedly diluted and succussed (vigorous shaking). This standardized process is called potentization. The higher the potency of a homeopathic remedy the more it has been diluted and succussed. The extreme dilution of homeopathic remedies renders them non-toxic and safe for patients of all ages, even during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
What can Homeopathy treat?
Homeopathy is used to treat a wide range of conditions - from allergies to depression to skin burns to grief - regardless of whether the origin is physical, mental or emotional. The conventional medical diagnosis (such as migraine headaches) is much less important than your unique symptoms.
A well-chosen homeopathic remedy can produce dramatic improvement in acute conditions (for example viral infections, sprains and other physical injuries) by significantly reducing the intensity of symptoms and the recovery time. Many common childhood complaints such as colic, earaches, teething, diaper rash, chicken pox, also respond well to homeopathy.
Homeopathic treatment can be very effective with deep-seated, chronic conditions that have developed over a long period of time and that are accompanied by a general deterioration in health.
Even in advanced stages of pathology in which cure may not be possible, homeopathy can alleviate or reduce severe symptoms such as pain, vomiting, anxiety or fear.
Can I treat my family or pets with homeopathy?
Yes, you can learn how to treat simple first aid conditions on your own, such as cuts and burns, sprains and strains, insect bites and stings, etc. I encourage my patients to buy a good quality first aid homeopathy book and to learn about the basic principles of homeopathy and how to select the correct remedies and potencies. A book I would suggest is: The Complete Homeopathy Handbook by Miranda Castro.
Homeopathy - The First Appointment
Homeopathy aims to treat your whole person, and as such the homeopathic interview is designed to understand what is characteristic about you and the way you live in your world. In order to understand what is characteristic about you, I will first ask you to speak as much as possible about what troubles you. Then I will ask questions to elicit more details about your mental, emotional, physical and general states, as well as about what events might have preceded these states and what causes them to change for the better or worse.
You may be surprised by the depth and variety of questions you are asked, and wonder how they pertain to your complaints. Rest assured that each and every detail assists me in understanding you as a whole person, not only from the perspective of a disease diagnosis.
Questions you may be asked may cover anything, from head to toe, inside and out, conventionally diagnosed or simply felt by you. Specific information may be asked about sensations you feel, how you are affected by your symptoms, your emotions and other ways in which you experience a sense of limitation or disease.
Homeopathy draws information from many sources and I may ask about certain body language or gestures you use that you have not thought about before. I will also ask you to recall significant dreams - either recent or past.
The only preparation you need to make before your first homeopathic appointment is to fill out and bring with you the patient questionnaire which outlines your past medical history.
In the case of children, I will want to know as much as possible about the family health background and the mother’s state during pregnancy and delivery.
At the end of the interview you will have the opportunity to ask any questions that may have arisen for you during the process. Once you have left, I will do further work on your case. Once I am satisfied that I have obtained all of the necessary information and have selected an appropriate prescription, I will prepare a remedy for you, together with full instructions.
Cure is usually slow and gradual - you may begin by noticing changes in your energy levels, how you think and feel, how you sleep. Then as your body balances itself, the changes work through to start curing the specific symptoms. It is very important for us to meet regularly to monitor this process over several months.
What To Expect During Treatment
A well prescribed homeopathic remedy stimulates your body to heal itself gently, fully and with no side effects. There are however, two phenomena I will look for in your case, as they are signs of an ideal course of healing from a homeopathic point of view, that you may want to know about beforehand. The first is called an “aggravation” of symptoms and refers to a common phenomenon of healing where symptoms seem to worsen as the body begins to heal. Aggravations in homeopathy often go unnoticed, should not cause suffering and should pass quickly.
The second phenomenon is called a “return of old symptoms” and may be experienced later in the course of your care. A return of old symptoms is a sign that the body is ridding itself of imbalances caused by past suppression of disease. As with aggravations, you may not notice a return of old symptoms, should not suffer from them and they should pass quickly.
The duration of treatment with homeopathy varies. It can take more than one consultation and the recommendation of more than one remedy for your homeopath to ascertain the best remedy for your case. Once that remedy is found, full resolution of acute conditions can take minutes to hours or a few days. Full resolution of chronic conditions can take weeks to years but you will feel increasingly better during this passage of time.
In general, after the best remedy is found for your care you can expect to consult with your homeopath only one to a few times a year. A completely healthy client consults with his/her homeopath only as the need arises, usually when acute conditions arise.