FAQ Homeopathy

Frequently Asked Questions

Homeopathy – Homeopathic Medicine

See also: Homeopathy & Homeopathic vet

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Q. What is homeopathy?

A. The word comes from Ancient Greek, meaning ‘similar to the disease'. Homeopathy uses agents to cure disease that have the ability to produce a similar set of symptoms in a healthy body. It was devised by Samuel Hahnemann in the early 18th Century. It also (most commonly) uses extreme dilutions of the medicines, which renders them very safe. They work dynamically in the body, in other words, through the body's energy processes rather like computer software, as opposed to working pharmacologically.

Q. How does homeopathy differ from Herbal Medicine?

A. Many of the homeopathic medicines we use come from plants. However, herbal medicines act pharmacologically, whereas homeopathy usually uses extreme dilutions and is operating at the energy level. Herbal Medicines are selected according to their direct pharmacological action in the body, whereas homeopathic medicines are chosen on the basis of the body's reaction to them.

Q. Will my horse (or pony, dog, cat, donkey, goat etc.) accept the treatment?

A. There is usually no problem with the administration of homeopathic medicines. Cats may occasionally present a challenge but other methods can usually be found to circumvent the problem.

Q. What conditions/diseases can be helped by homeopathy?

A. A wide spectrum of disease can be treated using homeopathy. The scope of homeopathic medicine is explained in more detail on the Homeopathy page of this site.

Q. What sort of cost can I expect?

A. It is always difficult to compare costs across different treatments but, in general, successful treatments are very cost-effective. The AVMC's charges are usually time-based; detailed estimates of cost can be requested from our office (contact details). While the first consultation can be lengthy, overall costs for a case have usually turned out to be quite cheap, relative to many conventional options.

Q. Will my insurance pay?

A. Most insurance policies allow for homeopathic medicine to be used on your animal. However, some will try to marginalise it under ‘complimentary or alternative treatments'. This can result in reduced benefit. This appears to the AVMC to be a travesty, since the treatment is performed by a fully-qualified vet and should be handled under general veterinary cover. Homeopathic treatment by a non-vet is illegal in the UK and should not be covered anyway.

Q. What is the legal position regarding homeopathic medicine for animals?

A. The relevant legislation is the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. Homeopathic medicine can only be performed on animals by a qualified veterinary surgeon.

Q. Can homeopathy be integrated with other therapies?

A. Homeopathy can be used alongside chiropractic manipulation, osteopathy, physiotherapy and massage etc. It can also be used with herbs, aromatherapy or conventional drug treatments, although some medicines from each of these therapies can counteract the benefit of homeopathy, to a greater or lesser extent. A carefully coordinated and integrated approach is therefore required, when using other therapies alongside homeopathy, which usually requires an experienced homeopathic vet.

Q. Why is there no science supporting homeopathy?

A. There is! See the link: http://facultyofhomeopathy.org/research/. See also Research link in this website: Research. Furthermore, the basic first step in research and science should be observation – see Outcome Analysis. You can't fool all of the people all of the time. Furthermore, homeopathy's founder, Samuel Hahnemann, was scrupulously methodical and scientific in his development of the method.

Q. Is it safe?

A. There are no known dangers associated with the use of homeopathy.

Q. Is it safe in pregnant animals?

A. There are no known dangers associated with the use of homeopathy in pregnant animals, whether for the expectant mother or for the embryo or foetus of the unborn animal i.e. it is safe for unborn foals, calves, lambs, piglets, kids, crias, puppies, and kittens. This enables the homeopathic vet to carry out treatments on all animals, without safety concerns.

Q. Is it safe for the newborn and very young?

A. There are no known dangers associated with the use of homeopathy during lactation, whether for the mother or offspring, or for the weaned young animal. This enables the homeopathic vet to carry out treatments on all animals, without safety concerns.

Q. Are there side effects?

A. The simple answer is “No”. The medicines operate as a stimulus to the body's own healing processes, rather than attempting to make the alterations more directly, as happens with drugs, herbs and aromatherapy. Side effects result from the body's reaction to drug medicine whereas the body's reaction to homeopathic medicines is a healing response.

Q. I have heard of ‘worse before better' – what does that imply?

A. On occasion, a patient will experience temporary exacerbation of some signs or symptoms, en route to a cure. This usually only happens when a correct medicine has been chosen but perhaps in the wrong ‘potency'. Stopping the medication usually results in rapid improvement thereafter. This phenomenon is called the ‘therapeutic aggravation'. It is more a result of the body's way of healing than of the homeopathic medicine. The patient meanwhile usually feels better within, despite this occurring.

Veterinary Homeopathy acts by providing an energetic stimulus to the body's endogenous healing and harmonising processes, rather than having a direct pharmacological action. Veterinary homeopathy may be used alone or in integrated conjunction with other therapies. It is a holistic therapy.

See also: Homeopathy & Homeopathic vet

If you have questions not answered here, please let us know (contact details)

Back to main FAQ