What to expect

Meeting with a homeopath for the first time can be slightly daunting, especially if you have no idea what to expect. What is happening? Is this quackery? Why am I telling my life story to someone? There are a lot of questions on the paperwork! Why are you asking these crazy questions?

The first time I intentionally met with a homeopath, I was nervous. I actually had sweaty palms- nervous. I don’t know why that was, but it was definitely the case. Of course, my anxious thoughts all turned out to be unfounded, but I didn't know that at the time. I really and truly had no idea what to expect.

Let’s walk through the homeopathic consultation process and alleviate any concerns you may have, shall we?

The first thing you need to know is that homeopaths ask a lot of questions. There is (just about) never too much information for a homeopath. Homeopaths ask a lot of questions on paper before you even meet with them. What are we looking for?

We are looking for background information — anything that may be a piece to the very beautiful and complex puzzle that is you.

• We want to know about your health history.
• We want to know about your family health history.
• We want to know about any childhood illnesses.
• We want to know about any major life events.

We are building a timeline of you to see if there are any patterns — to see what stands out. (If you haven’t done your own health timeline, do yourself a favor, and get one underway. It most likely will never be finished and that’s OK. You’re going to remember things after you think you have completed it. Just plug the information in as you remember it. It’s a fascinating exercise and you will learn a lot about you.)

• Homeopaths want to know about your childhood diseases and what puberty was like for you.
• We want to know if you had any recurring illnesses or surgeries.
• If you are a woman, we want to know all about menses (from the onset to current) as well as  pregnancy, labor and menopause.
• We want to know if you had any conditions from which you never fully recovered.

Unlike mainstream medicine that seems to just put that information in a file and then leaves it there (but continues to ask you the same questions every visit), homeopaths actually utilize this information. As I said, every bit of information is a piece to the puzzle. 

With all this information comes a lot of time. It is not at all unusual for an initial consultation to last an hour or even longer. And, all this information makes for a lot of note taking: some by hand or some use a computer and some may record the consultation (with your permission, of course). Don’t be surprised or concerned at the amount of frantic scribbling you see. 

• Homeopaths want to know and understand your current and past treatments (homeopathic or otherwise) and how such treatments helped, or didn’t help.
• Homeopaths want to know about your sleep habits and your dreams and don’t be surprised if you are asked about your favorite foods and your food aversions as well as other general questions about who you are as a person.
• Additionally, some “head to toe” questions may be asked -- meaning, a quick run-through of body systems to see how they are all working.

Remember, homeopathy is individualized medicine, and every aspect of you is taken into consideration when choosing the appropriate remedy/remedies.

BUT, before we get to our questions, we want to hear your story. What brought you to seek homeopathic treatment? We call this the Chief Complaint. 

Not surprisingly, a lot of people who seek homeopathic treatment have tried every other possible mode of healthcare: allopathic, nutritional, herbal, chiropractic, naturopathic… you name it. Homeopathy is often a last-ditch resort, which is a shame because homeopathy can often set you on a new and better course when things are treated in a timely manner. Homeopathy can do so much good for little things as well as big things. 

What can you expect from the homeopath?​

• You should expect to be heard.
• You should expect to be respected. 
• You should expect to be understood and the homeopath should make themselves understood — a mutual understanding. 

A homeopath should make the process clear to you and should be willing to answer any questions you may have related to homeopathy.

In short, you should expect open and honest communication.

A homeopath should respect your boundaries and should not push you further than your comfort allows. For example, if you are looking for help with only your Plantar Fasciitis, and you are not interested in a complete homeopathic consult at this time, communicate this to your prospective homeopath.

That's the long and the short of what to expect before your first homeopathic consultation. Tune in next week for a quick run down of an acute consult. 

To be continued…

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits