Is there an alternative to taking out the warning light with highly toxic and expensive drugs?

From an alternative perspective the more steroids you take the more suppressed the immune system becomes and the more allergies you will acquire, plus a lot more unpleasant chronic diseases. It is generally accepted by both allopaths and homeopaths that any stress/emotional trauma can trigger these symptoms.

Hay fever is most common in people with a family history of similar complaints or a personal history of eczema, hives (Urticaria), and/or asthma.

Lung disorders are seen as emotionally linked to grief/sadness at one end of the spectrum and courage/righteousness at the other.

An allergy is an overactive response of the immune system by people building up a high level of defence physically and emotionally. (An interesting viewpoint suggested by Louise Hay is that they indicate fear of all sorts of things e.g. persecution, guilt, and general emotional congestion and that by looking at particular allergens we can identify the associated fears e.g. pet hairs are to do with stroking and symbolise love which may be shut out of our lives on a mental and physical basis) – could these ring true for you?).

A homeopathic approach.

From a homeopathic perspective taking a time line to establish why you have allergic rhinitis is important. It is no good just finding a remedy to fix the symptoms. It is more important to find out what caused the symptoms as it is pointless swapping short term relief for long term chronic diseases.

With allergies homeopaths tend to place the emphasis on:

• physical trauma (such as car accidents)
• emotional factors (grief, divorce, redundancy etc).
• environmental factors (poor housing, air pollution etc)
• inherited factors (genetic and social)
• toxicity (through drugs, diet etc)
• on going stress
• diet (obesity, malnourishment)
• Poor bowel movements

Because we are unique individuals, allergies manifest differently in different people depending on their pre-disposition and general inherited weaknesses (which homeopaths call miasms).

My own clinical experience with this disorder is that the oral contraceptive pill, the abuse of steroids or on going emotional stress, shock or vaccinations are some of the main causes. It is important that these are taken into consideration then choosing indicated remedies for the chronic condition. As you can see that the signs and symptoms of stress can result in many unpleasant symptoms they are the bodies warning signals if you suppress them they lead to more chronic diseases.

Homeopathy seeks to look for the root cause/s taking into consideration both internal and external factors. It then seeks to restore this balance by gently stimulating the body to naturally complete its healing process with the indicated remedy/remedies, without any of the side-effects associated with drug therapy.

Homeopaths have developed many remedies that can treat allergies in a safe and effective manner without the toxic and long term damaging effects of drug based treatments.

For an alternative homeopathic perspective on treating hay fever go to:

Find a Cph Qualified Homeopath or Clinic in your area.

Treat your hay fever at an affordable price at the College of Practical Homeopathy’s Teaching Clinic.

Tags: allergies, allergy, article, asthma, autism, flu, hay fever, health, homeopathic, homeopathy, medical, medicine, pollen, science, vaccination, vaccine, vaccinesallergies allergy article asthma autism flu hay fever health homeopathic homeopathy medical medicine pollen science vaccination vaccine vaccines

We are heading towards spring and summer at a great rate of knots and for many of us the prospect of warmer weather sunny days and general feeling of wellbeing is a welcome break from the grey winter months. For others (2 to 3 million people in Britain) the spring and summer herald in the nightmare of itchy noses, streaming eyes and continues sneezing – the hay fever season. So now is the time when the wise start preparing for this by using an alternatives medicinal approach such as homeopathy to cure the problem.What is hayfever?

Hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis or pollinosis), is an allergy characterized by sneezing, itchy and watery itchy eyes, a runny nose and a burning sensation of the palate and throat. (Inflammation of the nasal passage forces fluid out of the nasal tissues, resulting in a runny and blocked nose).

These symptoms are caused by a reaction of the immune system to an environmental trigger. With hay fever the body’s immune system overreacts to external substances such as pollen, house, dust, and feathers as if they were toxic and the end result is irritation and inflammation.

Are there underlying causes of hay fever?

These appear to be:

• Environmental triggers such as dust, moulds, pollens, grasses, trees, and animals.

• Food allergies, especially milk, wheat or sugar can both cause or aggravate existing allergies.

• Stress/emotional trauma appears to aggravate (may also cause!).

For an alternative homeopathic perspective on treating hay fever go to:

Find a Cph Qualified Homeopath or Clinic in your area.

Treat your hayfever at an affordable price at the College of Practical Homeopathy’s Teaching Clinic.

[tags] health, hayfever, allergy, allergies, asthma, pollen, shopping, medical,
homeopathy, health, medicine ,science, medical, article, homeopathic  [/tags]

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From one perspective the heart and blood can be seen as corresponding to love. As blood gives life, so love gives life meaning and direction. The heart symbolizes all aspects of love, from the romantic to the divine. When the heart energy is not in harmony we may experience:

• sadness/ lack of laughter and joy
• forgetfulness
• insomnia
• depression
• hysteria
• irrational behaviour
• excessive dreaming
• insanity

As a homeopath I see many clients who have HBP, either as the primary symptom or secondary to other things that they have come to see me for.

From a homeopathic perspective the risk factors like obesity and smoking and alcohol abuse must be addressed. Moderate aerobic exercise is helpful. People with primary hypertension do not have to restrict their physical activity as long as their blood pressure is controlled. Regular exercise helps reduce blood pressure and weight and improves the functioning of the heart and overall health.

Looking at mental emotional causations is important especially when treating primary hypertension. Ailments from grief or shock seem to be the main aetiologies. On going stress and low grade anxiety can increase blood pressure.

So does Homeopathy provide an alternative?

One year later, after following homeopathic and Naturopathic treatment regime David is off all his medication, and all the symptoms he came with are gone. He has instituted life style changes - exercise, diet, supported by homeopathic remedies and is in control of his health.

The College of Practical Homeopathy’s ”Homeopathic Directory” to find a Cph Qualified Homeopaths, Practitioners, and Clinics in your area.

Benefit from affordable homeopathic treatment for both you and your family at the College of Practical Homeopathy’s Teaching Clinic.

Tags: alcohol abuse, depression, diet, excessive dreaming, exercise, forgetfulness, GP, HBP, health, high blood pressure, homeopathic remedies, homeopathy, hypertension, hysteria, insanity, insomnia, irrational behaviour, obesity, smokingalcohol abuse depression diet excessive dreaming exercise forgetfulness GP HBP health high blood pressure homeopathic remedies homeopathy hypertension hysteria insanity insomnia irrational behaviour obesity smoking

By now if you have followed the previous blogs you should be clear what your primary motivation for taking the big step in changing your life and have thought through some of the secondary factors that help you make decisions – be warned recent scientific evidence shows that most of us make major life decisions on emotions (think secondary factors) rather than logical (primary) – a bit like buying a new pair of shoes because you like the colour (feelgood factor) but they are not in your size!

So if you have clarified your needs the next step is to check out the course providers – the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (www.a-r-h.org ) ‘Which Course Guide’ will give you a base to start from, as will the Society of Homeopaths ‘Register of Course Providers’. (www.homeopathy-soh.org) . Then, if you can do the leg work by internet – visit the websites of individual course providers – ask for a prospectus etc and shortlist those you consider might meet your needs.

Now visit your short listed college/s when it’s in action, to observe how things work and talk to the students – particularly those in their Graduation Year. If you find yourself motivated, enthusiastic and challenged then it’s probably the course for you!

NB: If after joining a course you feel you have got it wrong do not be afraid to change. It is better than wasting three or four years on the wrong course and never ending up practicing!

Visit the CPH website for further information on Homeopathy, including clinics, advice, education and training http://www.college-of-practical-homeopathy.com

Tags: academic course, alliance of registered homeopaths, course providers, health, homeopathic college, homeopaths, homeopathy, homeopathy college, practical homeopathy, society of homeopathsacademic course alliance of registered homeopaths course providers health homeopathic college homeopaths homeopathy homeopathy college practical homeopathy society of homeopaths

Having clarified your primary reasons for training or studying homeopathy you should bring in the secondary factors to help you make the final choice.

These are:

a) location – students often opt to go to a local college because traveling is easier but if the course is not right for you then it can be an expensive mistake in the longer term.

b) venue – similarly many students make the mistake of choosing a course because they like the venue. It is the course itself that should be the key factor!

c) reputation and recommendation – these can often be historical and therefore out of date – courses change over time so it is worth spending time with current final year (and if possible) graduates to see what they think of the course.

f) registration/accreditation – At present there is only one externally assessed registration system and only about a third of colleges are registered. See FAQ’s on Accreditation and registration www.collegeofpracticalhomeopathy.com for further details.

g) cost – this varies from college to college – be clear that you are comparing like with like – e.g. full time may be two or three year. In addition check what extras you have to pay for as some colleges provide clinical practice as part of a course, others require you to take (and pay) for Anatomy and Physiology Modules as an extra. You should look at the overall cost, including all extras and not just the annual cost, and then divide by number of years to get a true comparison.

e) other supporting factors – you may like to consider:

• whether the college has offices, clinics and teaching rooms in one building or is spread around as this can affect the feel of belonging to a college. Does it provide a base for a ‘community’ of student homeopaths?

• openness to new communications technology – both with providing and accessing resource materials and to taking cases by phone and by email

• Graduate and alumni programmes after graduation

Tags: academic course, alternative, clinic training, college cost, complementary medicine, health, homeopathic college, homeopaths, homeopathy, integrated teaching, location, practical homeopathy, practitioner developmentacademic course alternative clinic training college cost complementary medicine health homeopathic college homeopaths homeopathy integrated teaching location practical homeopathy practitioner development

The final primary question in choosing a course is will this particular course (note this does not mean college!) suit me and my learning and career needs? You should consider the following when making your choice.

• Class size – some colleges have very large classes – some students prefer this as they can hide at the back, are not challenged and they will not be missed if they find the lecturer dull. (This will not help to build a firm foundation on which to base a career, particularly in the first year when it is important to get a grasp of the basics). Small classes are much friendlier, give time to ask questions, get to know other students and tutors well, but are also more challenging as it is less easy to hide or avoid issues. Remember you will learn as much from other students as you will from lectures and tutors over the duration of a training and so it is vital to join a course that recognises this and supports interaction between students.
• Integrated teaching programme – Explore this in depth as many courses claim they provide an integrated programme but in reality just run a timetable of different subjects based on tutor availability – ask final year students how integrated the course is - not the tutors!
• High quality written handouts – look for decent written support material - avoid those courses that rely on you to record or take notes during lectures as this is a poor form of learning (about 3 -7% of information is retained and often some of this is wrong). Also look for colleges that make use of electronic transfer of material as this means you end up with a comprehensive set of notes that you can fit to your learning needs and that will be a source of reference and comfort for the rest of your career.
• Tutors – All colleges use sessional tutors –This is a more difficult area to assess as you will also not get too much of an opportunity to test them before joining a course so it is a question you should be asking existing students. Remember we all have very different ideas and prejudices around Tutors – the standard of tutoring varies drastically – a good tutor should make you think, not tell you what to think! Try and get an overview of the teaching rather than just comments on one or two tutors as these can be very subjective.
• Clinical training – homeopathy is best learnt ‘hands on’ – some colleges do not allow students near patients until third or fourth year – others have a much more open attitude and aim to get students seeing patient/taking cases and prescribing as early on as part of the course.
• Practitioner Development Module – At the end of the day you can be extremely knowledgeable about homeopathy but not be able to run a practice, or you can be an average homeopath and be very successful. This is because in order to be successful you need to have a range of personal skills, drive, personality, understanding of you own boundaries etc, as well as business skills above and beyond homeopathy – planning, marketing and financial management skills.
• Drop out rates – look at how many started a course and how many actually graduated – do not take verbal assurances for this but ask for evidence – always talk to graduate year students

By this point you should be shortlisting colleges in the same category .i.e degree course with other degree courses. (Warning - if you find you are comparing CPH with a degree course then you are probably making your decision on secondary factors and not primary ones!)

For further information on Homeopathy Courses which are Fun, Exciting and Enjoyable.

Tags: academic course, alternative, clinic training, colleges, complementary medicine, health, homeopathic, homeopathy, integrated teaching, practical homeopathy, practitioner development, trainingacademic course alternative clinic training colleges complementary medicine health homeopathic homeopathy integrated teaching practical homeopathy practitioner development training

If your primary motivation for studying homeopathy is that you just want to get a degree and homeopathy looks interesting then maybe a degree based academic course would be suitable for you. If you:

• are under 21, a University degree is probably a better bet as you can get a student loan, it will give you time to mature and explore a range of alternative and complementary medicines (but do not expect that there will be a job waiting for you on graduation – something to bear in mind when you have a loan to repay)

or

• have any severe learning difficulties or physical disabilities you should definitely consider a degree course as they have much better support systems in place than the small private providers who will not be able to match the extra support systems the Universities have access to. (Not being a confident learner is not a severe learning disability and a good course will help learn in a way that suits you best).

At this stage it is probably better to choose a course that covers a range of complementary approaches rather than specializes too early on just one area.

Also be warned some colleges are telling prospective students that a degree will be compulsory in a few years time but this is manifestly not true. (If a college tells you this – be aware – their other promises are as likely to be of the same value!).There is no intention to make a degree a requirement for entry onto a Professional Register. Indeed the sector is more concerned with whether degree based courses are capable of producing successful working homeopaths. A Degree will not lead to employment as a homeopath as there are almost no job opportunities as such for graduates in homeopathy. This is because the profession is 98% self employment – there are a few jobs in the NHS and these are normally reserved for medically qualified Doctor and Nurses with homeopathic training. Academic courses tend to focus on what is necessary to pass exams and this detracts from really understanding the underlying principles of homeopathy and how to apply them. Often leads to a very fearful student who is too frightened to practice.

At CPH our experience of current degree level courses is that they do not give the skills necessary to set up and maintain a practice. (Increasingly we are finding students who want to practice give up those courses and apply to join our courses but are at least a year behind our students).

Visit the CPH website for further information on Homeopathy, including clinics, advice, education and training http://www.college-of-practical-homeopathy.com

Tags: academic courses, alternative, complementary medicine, doctor, education, graduates, health, homeopathy, nurses, practical homeopathy, practice, professional register, training, university degreeacademic courses alternative complementary medicine doctor education graduates health homeopathy nurses practical homeopathy practice professional register training university degree

Choosing the right Homeopathic Course - Having decided you feel you have an interest in studying homeopathy, the next question is which course should you choose? The following information will serve as a good starting point and lead you to making the right choice the first time.

With so many different courses available – part time, full time, correspondence courses, academic or vocational, university courses, and courses run by private colleges - it’s hard to know which one will be right for you. Please be clear that each course is unique in its leadership, approach, philosophy, teaching standards and resources. No one course is the same as another!

What’s right for you?

Just as in homeopathy we give an individual prescription to match each patient’s needs, so in pursuing your homeopathic education you should find a course that meets your needs. If you’re considering studying homeopathy, it’s important to bear in mind that the provision of homeopathic training in the UK covers a broad spectrum. The main qualification courses offer is either a licentiate diploma or a degree in homeopathy.

Students from overseas who are intending to study in the UK should first check what qualifications for practice are required in their own countries, if they are considering returning home to practice after their training. (Check out the www.Boiron.com website to help with this).

Why so many people get it wrong.

Our experience is that students make choices that are based on secondary factors rather than primary factors that lead them to get it wrong. The problem is people think all colleges are basically the same and therefore base their decisions on secondary factors such as location, venue, reputation, cost, individual tutors, friends etc.

Remember that choosing the wrong college and having to change can be expensive – training to be a homeopath can cost in excess of £10,000 and wasting a year on the wrong course will not only demotivate you but be expensive as well.

For more information:

Click below to obtain or download our free guide on choosing the right course.

Tags: academic, correspondence, courses, degree, diploma, homeopathic course, homeopathy, homeopathy college, licentiate, practical homeopathy, teaching, university, vocationalacademic correspondence courses degree diploma homeopathic course homeopathy homeopathy college licentiate practical homeopathy teaching university vocational

Be aware that there are about 25 courses in homeopathy but that they are all completely different and have very different standards. You should be careful to compare like with like e.g. degree course with other degree courses. If you find you are torn between a Vocational course and an academic course then you are probably using the wrong criteria for choosing a course.

It is important to get it right as starting a course that does not suit you is both disheartening and very expensive.

One key difference is the size of courses with some course providers running fairly compact course for a small number of participants. These tend to have very small classes and are run by one or two key tutors. Medium size colleges tend to have better resources and class sizes of between 15 -25. A few have large class sizes (up to seventy) and are mainly lecture based. It is important to choose one that meets your requirements and aspirations. Also be aware that some colleges tend to have a very big dropout rate – from 70 entering the first year to 20 graduating is a warning sign to look for.

Be aware that almost all homeopaths are self-employed. There are very few who work within the NHS. You do not (and will not) need a degree to practice – it is more important to be competent and confident.

Getting on - It is possible to set up a practice almost anywhere. Success will depend on you, your confidence, competence and ability to attract patients so if you want to be a practitioner it is important to choose a course that will support you in developing these. Advancement is mainly through building up a practice. With experience, homeopaths may move into running seminars and tutorials, teaching at colleges or supervising students and other practitioners and writing articles, books and health journalism.

They may get involved in homeopathic research, or advise manufacturers on the production of homeopathic remedies.

Many homeopaths combine homeopathy with other alternative and complementary approaches to health.

For more information:

Click below to obtain or download our free guide on choosing the right course.

Tags: alternative, classes, colleges, complementary, courses, degree, graduating, health journalism, homeopathy, medicine, NHS, practitioners, research, retraining, self employed, teaching, tutorials, tutorsalternative classes colleges complementary courses degree graduating health journalism homeopathy medicine NHS practitioners research retraining self employed teaching tutorials tutors