Generally, the answer to this question is: “No,” but there may be exceptions. Most of my routine telephone calls may be to follow -up on a particular concern or to discuss an acute condition that may have arisen . In the course of a telephone conversation I may recommend that the conversation might be more appropriately handled in an office visit. But in many cases the telephone works fine. There is usually no charge for this time unless the telephone conversation is really in-lieu of an office visit and extensive questioning, diagnostic and repertorization for a remedy is required. If this is the case then charges are similar to those applied to my time spent in the office together.

Classical Homeopathy generally focuses on the individual who is ill, not on the medical illness itself. A Classical Homeopath treats each individual differently, even if they have the same allopathic diagnosis. This is because homeopaths individualize treatments based upon the unique symptoms of each case. This is what makes homeopathy extremely specific. Virtually any condition can be treated using homeopathic means, and a great many of these conditions can be successfully resolved. Homeopaths generally admit that there is anecdotal evidence for the success of homeopathy in a great many conditions, and there is virtually no area that has not shown results. However, this does not mean that all patients will be successfully treated using homeopathic means. The success of homeopathy depends largely on the skill of the practitioner and the vitality (or healing strength ) of the individual. Homeopaths tend to rely heavily upon the symptoms produced by a given illness in each particular individual because it is the symptoms that actually express the vitality of the host. The stronger the symptoms, the stronger the innate immune, healing response is. Homeopathy primarily works by augmenting that healing response, sort of the way an enzyme works in the body. An enzyme catalyses a reaction and is itself unchanged in the process. Homeopathy catalyses the body’s own healing reaction and is itself unaffected. This is one reason why homeopathic medicines can be given so infrequently (ie, monthly or every several months) in many cases. In other cases, where the “vital force” ( a term used extensively in homeopathy, although no one really knows what it is) is low, or if there are factors that work strongly against the body’s own healing response, or if symptoms are weak or absent, homeopathic medicines are sometimes repeated more frequently to try to stimulate more of a reaction in the system.

There has been a great deal of discussion and controversy among homeopaths regarding this issue. Over the years various substances have been suggested which might either “antidote” or work against homeopathic treatment. Among the long list of these ingredients are: coffee, mint, camphor, chocolate, strong perfumes, certain spices, vegetables, and conventional drugs. At this time, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any of these substances would cause a uniform antidoting effect upon individuals consuming homeopathic medicines. There may be very good reasons why certain individuals should refrain from use of these products. In many cases individuals may be sensitive to these products or the agents might pose certain health risks due to their underlying medical condition, but not due to any homeopathic reason. In my practice, I have found certain individuals to be sensitive to products on this list and for those individuals I have recommended that they exercise caution or that we work on selecting a potency of the homeopathic medicine that works best with these other factors.

The only possible answer to this question, at this time is: we don’t know. But we do know that it does work. It has been shown to be more effective than placebo in many well designed “double blind” studies. It has been used extensively with newborns, infants, children, adults, pregnant women, and the elderly, both when conscious and unconscious. There is an active and thriving field of homeopathy known as veterinary homeopathy.

Basically, one should pay close attention to any and all information that one’s body provides. The body speaks to us in a language all its own (symptoms). If we choose to ignore our body’s symptoms then it’s as if we took to the highway to drive across country, but decided not to look at any of the road signs or maps. The body communicates to us through our physical and emotional symptoms. If we listen carefully enough we can help the body reach an improved state of health. If we choose to ignore the symptoms, or medicate the symptoms till they go away, then we take our chances on regaining lasting improved health.