from
The Times
October
7, 2006
Find
the article online at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/alternative_medicine/article662257.ece.
This
article explains to the reader how homoeopathy worked for an eczema
sufferer. It also
demonstrates how
homoeopathy is a process based on getting to know the patient and how
they as
an individual express their illness and then painstakingly identifying
the
right remedy to help that patient get better.
The better the case taking, the higher the quality of
information
gleaned from this process and the easier it is to identify the most
appropriate
remedy to bring about a gentle cure.
Finding
the eczema factor
Steroid creams couldn't help one woman's skin condition, says David Mattin, but homoeopathy changed her life
Caroline
Grime has no memory of a life without eczema. According to her mother,
the
chronic condition started when Grime was 2. The accounting officer from
Then there was the constant,
maddening itch. “Eventually, I became used to always scratching and my
sleep
being interrupted,” she says. “I went to my doctor on numerous
occasions. But
in my mid-20s, my eczema became worse than ever. I scratched so much
that my
arms and legs bled and I developed an infection, for which I had to
take antibiotics
and days off work.”
The National Eczema Society
claims that one in 12 adults in the
Although no one else in her
family has eczema, Grime also suffers from both hayfever and asthma.
Over the
years, she was often prescribed the steroid cream Betnovate; although
it helped
to reduce the inflammation, it did not clear up the eczema. It was only
after
Grime suffered her worst flare-up three years ago that she decided to
look
elsewhere for a remedy. “A friend had had success with homoeopathy and
she
suggested Annie Hirsch’s clinic.”
Homoeopaths treat like with
like. An illness, then, is treated with an ultra-diluted dose of a
natural
substance that will, in a healthy person, cause that illness to arise.
Homoeopaths claim such medicines can stimulate the body’s own healing
power.
Most scientists, however, are sceptical about the effectiveness of
homoeopathic
remedies, and many say they work no better than placebos.
Although Grime was aware of
the scientific criticisms, it didn’t deter her. She arrived at Hirsch’s
clinic
in
That first appointment, says
Hirsch, who graduated from the North West College of Homoeopathy in
1998, took
the form of an extended medical history, alongside more searching
questions.
Was Grime a morning or evening person? Could she explain a little about
her
childhood? “That’s a typical initial consultation,” explains Hirsch.
“It’s
crucial to the homoeopathic insistence on treating the whole person.
“First, Grime has an
allergic nature, and she was also sensitive to cold. And averse to
onions.
Clearly she is a sensitive person. All this helps to lead a homoeopath
to
certain remedies; we want a perfect match.”
No physical examination was
necessary, says Hirsch, in this clear-cut case of eczema. Based on a
detailed
profile, Hirsch prescribed a remedy called Carcinosin, made from breast
cancer
discharge. As with the subsequent medicines, Hirsch would prescribe,
Grime was
to mix two drops of the Carcinosin remedy in water and then take a
teaspoonful,
once every one to three days as required.
After four monthly
appointments, Grime had not shown sustained improvement, so Hirsch
decided to
change her prescription. Her second remedy, Carbo Vegetalis, made from
vegetable charcoal, achieved better results. But in January last year
after
another flare-up, Hirsch prescribed Arsenicum Album, made from arsenic.
At
last, it seemed, she had hit on the right match.
“A series of remedies is not
uncommon,” says Hirsch. “Each new prescription takes into account the
changes
brought about by the last.” Grimes recalls: “There was an initial
period when
my eczema worsened after I first started taking the Arsenicum. But
Annie had
already explained that this would be likely to happen. It was tough
but, unlike
a GP, Annie provided so much emotional support in our face-to-face
sessions.
And I spoke to her on the phone in between sessions when I needed to.”
Grime’s faith paid off.
Early in 2005, almost a year after her first visit, she noticed that
her eczema
was slowly improving. “By summer there was a dramatic difference in my
skin
quality; the kind I never used to see. I felt the homoeopathy was
really
working.”
After a review in March this
year with Hirsch, Grime switched to a new prescription,
Homoeopathy
is suitable for a wide variety of other illnesses in the mental,
emotional and
physical sphere.
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