Jo Blogs

Pain Release Technique - training days

2012-01-08T12:51:00.012Z

I'm delighted to announce that I have joined the team at Absolute Specialists. Will write more about who we are and what we offer in another blog.

Clare Walters is the Director of Absolute Specialists and she has worked for many years with people coping with emotional issues, chronic pain and helping people come to terms with divorce and breakdown of relationships. Her background is in homeopathy but she is also a Journey Practitioner and uses The Work techniques of Byron Katie.

Clare has developed a short meditation, the Pain Release Technique, which is based on mindfulness principles. In a preliminary study, people suffering from fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions have found it helpful in reducing pain, relaxing them and helping them sleep. Many have found that using this technique allows them to reduce the number of pain killers that they need to take.

There is a growing amount of evidence that mindfulness techniques can help reduce stress, anxiety and chronic pain - see this video on BBC news or have a read of this research paper which has reviewed the academic research on the subject Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits.

Have a look at Clare's blog for more information on these techniques as well as feedback from satisfied clients.

We are delighted to announce that Clare is running two Pain Management Workshops in the Pain Release Technique this month. These are designed for homeopaths, counsellors, holistic practitioners and life coaches who want another tool they can use with their clients.

The first workshop will be held at the Absolute Clinic in Skelmanthorpe near Huddersfield on Tuesday 17th January 12.45-4pm and the other at the Soroptomists Rooms on Otley Street in Skipton Thursday 26th January 10am-1pm.

Information and booking for these and other Absolute workshops

Or pay by debit card by calling 01484 866747

The Journey by Brandon Bays is the story behind the Journey Process and campfire meditations which several Absolute Specialists use. For more information go to The Journey website

Loving What Is: How Four Questions Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie is the basis for The Work. A huge amount of information is available on The Work of Byron Katie website

Jo Rhodes is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.

Some festive Remedies!

2011-12-21T13:05:00.001Z

I generally offer advice to my patients on healthy living, but I know it’s also important to have fun and let your hair down occasionally – so here is some holistic help for some of the ailments that come up over the festive season.

A particular favourite with my patients is the homeopathic remedy Nux vomica, which many people use to help with the symptoms of a hangover. We all know it's not healthy to drink too much alcohol, but from time to time, we do it anyway. Nux vomica works in most cases, no need to take time off work!

Nux Vomica picture from the Natural History Museum site

Plants and Fungi in Homeopathy

Remember that homeopathic remedies are always prescribed according to a specific set of symptoms, and in most cases, different people will need different remedies for the same ailment, because their symptoms and how they experience them, will differ. But, in the case of Nux vomica, it perfectly fits the symptoms of a hangover in most people.

For long standing or chronic ailments, it's important to see a practitioner, but there are other homeopathic remedies which might help with minor symptoms of over indulgence over the festive period:

Nux vomica: this is known as “the hangover” remedy but can also be used for the general symptoms of over-indulgence. Symptoms include heartburn, indigestion, and nausea, a headache, sensitivity to noise and light, and irritability. Particularly suits people who tend to burn the candle at both ends, who keep going with coffee and feel the cold.

Arsenicum: this remedy comes into play when the symptoms are like that of food poisoning, with vomiting and diarrhoea, loss of colour in the face and anxiety. Could also be used when the diarrhoea is anxiety-induced, worse at night with burning in the stomach and a desire to sip water. It suits restless people who are fearful worriers, need to plan and feel the cold.

Sulphur: symptoms include smelly diarrhoea which drives the patient from bed in the morning, excessive sweating, and burning feet. Suits stubborn people who need praise, worry about their health, can be peevish with lots of big ideas they find difficult to actualise. They crave sugar and spicy food.

Lycopodium: symptoms include bloating with wind, a huge appetite, and waking as if from a fright. There is heartburn with sour burping. Suits fearful people lacking in confidence who don't like undertaking new things. But can be bragging and assertive at home.

Arnica: this is a great remedy to help with bruising and that “battered” feeling you get after last-minute Christmas shopping or bargain hunting in the January sales!

Now for some science... Montagnier video

2011-11-12T16:02:00.002Z

Don't be scared.. here's some science!

I recently went to London for a workshop run by Dr Alex Tournier of the Homeopathy Research Institute. He was talking about the science and evidence for homeopathy and it was a facinating and enlightening day.

One of the research papers our critics always throw at us is the Shang paper in the Lancet which was a major meta-analysis of 110 randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of homeopathy compared with similar trials of conventional medicines. When it was published in 2005 The Lancet heralded it as marking the end of homeopathy. I suspect very few of the people who talk about it have actually read it. The whole article talks about the fact that results of homeopathic and conventional trials were comparable, then the final paragraph on the results section and the discussion say exactly the opposite. It was denounced by many, many people for the lack of transparency (it took a year for the authors to say which studies that had used) and the headline conclusion was based on only 14 papers (8 homeopathy and 6 conventional medicine) and illustrated data dredging and statistical manipulation of the worst kind.

These two graphs come from that paper. The top graph is homeopathy trials, bottom one is conventional medicine ones. All you really need to know is that if the spots are to the left of the vertical line the effects were better than would be expected from a placebo.The further left the spots, the better the outcome. I think anyone would agree, both graphs look pretty similar and the majority of points in both are to the left of the line which shows the treatments were effective. The nearer the top of the graph the spots are, the more precise the outcomes were.

See here for Studying the Studies: Meta Analysis an HRI newsletter which discusses the Shang paper and the other 5 meta analysis papers which showed homeopathy was effective.

Many articles were published as a response to the Shang paper, I think this one is very clear and to the point. Domenico Mastrangelo, The Growth of a Lie and the End of 'Conventional' Medicine He is not a homeopath, but an Italian ophthalmologist from Siena who is curious about water structure and the possible mechanisms which might explain the actions of homeopathic remedies.

If you would like to know more about the academic research in homeopathy a large number of full papers are available on this homeopathy knol website

Alex also talked about some of the work of Luc Montagnier which has been very controversial. He won the Nobel Prize in 2008 for his research on HIV and retro-viruses and then in 2009 published a paper entitled 'Electromagnetic signals are produced by aqueous nanostructures derived from bacterial DNA sequences' - this paper generated a barrage of abuse and criticism from the scientific community and he has now left Europe to continue his research in China.

This video is a discussion of his research and the implication for life and science in general. It is pretty academic in places but I urge you to watch the first 10 minutes where Montagnier's experiments, and the reason for the controversy surrounding them, are very clearly explained in cartoon form. They are extremely similar in many respects to the work of the late Jacques Benveniste. I'll write more about him in a later blog.

Bill Gray's book Homeopathy: Science or Myth is an excellent and clear guide to the experiments of Benveniste and other ultra-low dilution research if you would like to find out more about the subject. It was published in 2000 so doesn't contain Montagnier's work. It does have a lot of science in there but is explained very clearly. Some of the pages are available to view on Amazon.

Silent Sunday #6

2011-10-30T06:44:00.006Z

Homeopathy Day in Bentham

2011-10-25T09:36:00.063+01:00

Sole to Soul, Grasmere Drive, Bentham

Saturday 26th November 10am-4pm

I will talk briefly about the history and evidence for homeopathy and also show you how remedies are made. This will not be a lecture where I talk at you for hours, I would like people to share their experiences of homeopathic treatment and learn from each other as well as from me.

The main aim of the day is to introduce you to some commonly used homeopathic remedies and give examples of when they might be used. At the end of the day you should feel comfortable with first aid prescribing for injuries, bites, fevers and common illnesses like chicken pox, colds and flu.

Feedback from a previous course from Sophie in Settle..

I attended Jo’s Homeopathic First Aid course last year and following it feel much more confident about using homeopathy on myself and my family. Jo has an astounding ability to retain information in great detail and can explain these facts in a way that is clear and easy to understand.

Cost is £20 for the day. Colour handouts and refreshments will be provided but please bring some food to share for lunch.

Secure online booking via Eventbrite

If you are coming to the course and would like one of these homeopathic first aid kit from Ainsworths then contact me, the kits contain 42 remedies in glass vials and an excellent self help booklet.

Please note this offer is only available to course participants.

These usually cost £42 each but if I buy in bulk I can get them at a greatly reduced rate. Phone me on 07932 159099 or email me on jo@jorhodeshomeopathy.co.uk if you would like one.

Payment for the kits (£28 per kit) must be received at least a week before the course and please specify which kit you want.

The general first aid kit contains a selection of remedies to cover injuries, headaches, common illnesses, hayfever and much more.

http://www.ainsworths.com/index.php?node=_eShopItem&_item=kit-ess

A Mother and Baby Kit is also available - this is specifically designed to help parents through the emotional and physical challenges of pregnancy, childbirth and baby/infant stages, right through to age seven.

http://www.ainsworths.com/index.php?node=_eShopItem&_item=kit-mc

Quarterly newsletter - sign up here

2011-10-22T16:57:00.049+01:00

I've finally got round to doing an electronic newsletter.I have been doing a paper one for a while but many people said they would prefer an email version that they could easily send on to friends. So.. I have been tinkering about with MailChimp and this is the result. Click here or on the picture for the current version

If you aren't on the mailing list and would like to be, sign up below, if you'd like the paper and snail mail version, just give me a call.

Subscribe to my mailing list

Research papers and where to find them - Part 1

2011-10-16T12:06:00.007+01:00

If you are interested in finding more out about the research into homeopathy and looking at the original research papers you may not know where to start so here are some tips. These are things I have found helpful but there are others. Will write more on other resources soon.

Pile of Papers from jepoirrier flickr site

If you work in a university or hospital then you will almost certainly have access to a whole host of journals through your employer – if so, that’s fine – off you go. If not, have a look at these.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/ Google scholar is a good place to start – also helpful tips on search terms - if there is a full text version available it will come up as an option.

Pub Med Central is a growing collection of free research papers in a wide variety of topics. Includes many complementary medicine journals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/

There are some homeopathy sites with full papers on. Some of the papers are pretty technical and it may feel like it’s another language and so have a look at these first and see how you get on.

The International Journal of High Dilution research is the first full free open-access electronic journal specialising in the multidisciplinary field of High Dilution (HD) research. http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/index lots of articles on analytical research, plant, veterinary, pharmacological studies as well as literature reviews and much more.

Nancy Malik has a site with a public folder where she has put .pdf files containing about 200 full research papers on a variety of homeopathic related topics. It is broken down into sections on basic fundamental research, high dilution research and clinical research.

Aude Sapere is another useful source of information. http://www.audesapere.in This is an Indian site run by Dr Saurav Arora - several full papers but also sections on research methodology - haven't read through the whole site but seems to have lots of info on research methods in general and a useful table with research papers. Lots of plant and cell based stuff on here too.

Dana Ullman has written an epic tome – have a look at his website. https://www.homeopathic.com/cms-global/shoppingcart/ViewProduct.do?productId=227

Homeopathic Family Medicine - Connecting Research to Quality Homeopathic Care. This is an e book of over 330 pages - you can download about 100 pages as a free sample to see if you want to buy the whole thing. You can buy the e version as a one time purchase or can buy it with updates for a little bit more. Part 2 of the book contains a comprehensive A-Z of conditions and summarises the research available, and, if appropriate, suggests some remedies that may be helpful for these conditions. This is very clear and easy to read and very well referenced so if you feel intimidated by the technical stuff in the academic papers this is an excellent resource. As new research is coming out all the time he updates this 3 or 4 times a year to include the latest research findings.

A walk in the Dale

2011-10-07T08:51:00.014+01:00

This is really just some pictures taken on a walk I did with my husband a couple of weeks ago. We really are very fortunate to live in the Yorkshire Dales and have all this spectacular scenery on our doorstep.

We headed from home to Feizor to the wonderful Elaine's Tea Rooms which serves fantastic homemade cakes and enormous pots of tea, ideal for thirsty walkers. Due to a bit of bad planning on our part, we got their just too late for lunch and so just had to have lots of cake instead! From there, the plan was to go and have a bit of a wander in Oxenber Woods. In May the woods are a riot of colour with bluebells, wild orchids, primroses, cowslips, violets and much more. Here is a picture of Oxenber on an earlier visit with the bluebells in all their glory.

There aren't so many flowers in September but the old trees and ferns are wonderful any time of year, so we thought we'd go for a wander, however, when we got to the stile leading to the woods - this was what greeted us!

There were several very hairy cows all munching away quite happily on the long grass, one was having a very energetic scratch on the information board so we decided to leave them in peace and head for Helwith Bridge. It was a glorious day and this was the view as we looked down the track with Penyghent in the distance.

From Helwith Bridge we walked up and over the hills to Stainforth and back home through the old limekilns at Langcliffe. Have a look at this blog post from Out of Oblivion for some history of the well preserved Hoffman kiln.

Silent Sunday #5

2011-10-02T16:36:00.002+01:00

Homeopathy Around The World

2011-09-17T15:32:00.007+01:00

'Making A Difference: Homeopathy Around The World' is a film project from Carol Boyce who has been travelling the world talking to patients and people working on projects in Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, Nepal, UK, and various African countries: Ghana, Benin, Kenya, Swaziland and Tanzania. Here is a short film of some of the people she has met so far.

For more info about what Carol is up to and some more short videos and interviews with homeopaths and other health related stories have a look at the Something to Say Productions website.

On a similar vein - check out this great video from Tanzanian rapper Rayms B, extolling the virtues of Jeremy Sherr and the Homeopathy for Health in Africa Project and guaranteed to get you dancing around!

Tear gas, onions, homeopathy and Mark Thomas

2011-09-02T16:03:00.005+01:00

When all the uprisings in the Middle East started earlier in the year I saw a news clip of a protester in Manama in Bahrain being interviewed by the Pearl roundabout. He said something like 'We are peaceful protesters, we have no weapons, all we have to protect us from the tear gas are these onions.'

Strange as it may seem, that sounded quite homeopathic to me. I asked a few friends to see if they had heard that sort of story before. One who used to live in South Africa said it was well known when she lived there that protesters would carry onions because if they sniffed them the tear gas had no effect on them.

Red Onion Slice from photobunny on flickr

Just having a quick look on wikipedia about tear gas

Tear gas, formally known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from lacrima meaning "a tear" in Latin), is a non-lethal chemical compound that stimulates the corneal nerves in the eyes to cause tearing, pain, and even blindness. Common lachrymators include OC, CS,CR, CN, nonivamide, bromoacetone, phenacyl bromide, xylyl bromide and syn-propanethial-S-oxide (from onions).

syn-Propanethial S-oxide (C₃H₆OS) is a gas that acts as a lachrymatory agent (triggers tearing and stinging on contact with the eyes). The chemical is released from onions, Allium cepa, as they are sliced.

From a homeopathic perspective this isn't as strange as it sounds. If you chop up a strong onion it is likely to make your eyes and nose run and may make you sneeze. A remedy made from red onion, allium cepa, is one we commonly use for people with some types of hayfever with lots of sneezing and watery eyes. What seems to happen is that a remedy made from a small amount of onion triggers your body to deal with the symptoms. So a large amount of exposure to onion (or tear gas) will produce symptoms but a very small amount of onion, either from a remedy or just from sniffing an onion, can trigger your body to deal with those symptoms.

The comedian Mark Thomas has been around for a while and I'm a big fan of his. He has always been outspoken about controversial issues in his live shows and TV programmes. For a flavour of what he does have a look at this old episode of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product where he goes on a trip to the Defendory International arms fair to meet a few dictators and arms dealers. He has a stall there pretending to be from a PR company offering media training to help regimes create a more positive message about human rights, wife beating, torture etc.

You may well ask - what has Mark got to do with homeopathy, onions and tear gas?

More recently Mark decided he would go for a bit of a walk. Not the usual sort of walk up a hill or along a coastal path that most people might do. Mark decided he'd like to go for a walk along the entire length of the Israeli Separation Barrier along the disputed territory between Israel and Palestine. He is touring the UK until the end of September talking about his experiences on his 'Extreme Rambling - Walking the Wall' tour. A friend caught his show at Glastonbury where he mentioned he was given an onion to sniff by some Palestinians who were in disputed territory and regularly had tear gas used on them.. and it worked.. an example of homeopathy in action!

Open Day at Sole to Soul on 7th September

2011-09-02T15:33:00.002+01:00

Lots happening all day

Bring a friend who is new to Sole to Soul and you BOTH get £5 off ANY treatment

10.00am Welcome

10.30am Relaxation Techniques to Still the Mind with Marie

11.00am A Tale of Two Slippers

Viv’s story of Mind, Consciousness and Thought

11.30am Helping Yourself with Jo’s Homeopathy

12.00noon Mediation Session with Tracey

12.30pm Sole to Soul´s Open Forum and “Ask a Therapist”

1.30pm First Aid with Herbal Medicine by Amanda

2.00pm Stories our Bones Can Tell with Matthew

2.30pm Journey Therapy, the Power of Cellular Healing with Sarah

3.00pm Treasure Hunt

3.45pm Raffle Draw & Prizes

Sample Alison’s Freshly Cooked Savouries - Living Foods available 11-2pm

How To Build Community

2011-08-17T13:20:00.004+01:00

How many of these things do you do? We do a lot more since we got rid of our TV!

I came across this when a friend posted it on Facebook and thought it was worth sharing. It comes from the Falcon Heights Neighborhood Liaison Handbook from Falcon Heights, Minnesota.

Gargrave Health Fayre - Sunday 21st August

2011-08-15T07:16:00.000+01:00

Courgette surplus?

2011-08-08T18:23:00.032+01:00

When I was young mum always grew courgettes on her allotment and some years they just kept on coming. We'd deliver some to all the neighbours but there comes a point when everyone has had enough. So .. then it was time to experiment!.

Photo from botogol on flickr

These are some of my favourite courgette recipes - the courgette is well disguised so you can convince yourself it's something else or get your kids to eat it!

I can't actually remember where these have come from so apologies for not giving credit to the original creators.

Banana and Courgette Cake

Ingredients

8oz plain wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Bicarb of soda
1 tsp salt
8oz soft brown sugar
1oz walnuts or pecans
1oz sultanas
2 whole ripe mashed bananas
3 large eggs
8oz finely grated courgette
5 fl oz sunflower oil

Method

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a large bowl. Add sugar, nuts and sultanas.
Mix well, then add mashed banana and beaten eggs. Stir in grated courgette and oil.
Beat the mixture thoroughly for one minute.
Butter or line with greaseproof paper, a 9in cake tin or large loaf tin.
Put mixture in and bake for 1 hour at gas mark 4 (350f/175c) until a skewer comes out clean.

Courgette and feta fritters

Ingredients
900g/2lb courgettes, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
bunch spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped dill
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
3 free-range eggs
1 tbsp paprika
225g/8oz feta cheese
225g/8oz plain flour
Oil for deep frying
slices lemon, to garnish

Method
1. Sprinkle the courgette with salt and allow to drain for 20 minutes.
2. Place the grated courgette in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the water. Mix with the onions, dill, parsley, eggs, paprika and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Work in the feta cheese and flour.
4. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan. It is ready when a breadcrumb that is dropped in will sizzle gently in it.
5. Carefully fry tablespoons of the mixture in the hot oil until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. Garnish with slices of lemon and serve immediately.

These fritters are really tasty with a tomato salsa and salad.

Courgette and Spinach Soup

4oz Spinach

1 large courgette

1 medium potato

Parsley

1 onion

Olive oil

3/4pt vegetable stock

Pinch of nutmeg

Fry onion in olive oil, until soft. Add diced potato and sliced courgette. Fry for further 5mins. Add spinach, stock, nutmeg and parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes then whizz using hand blender. Add cream or milk if required.

I came across the wonderful The Boxing Clever Cookbook: Twelve Recipe Books in One a while ago when I was working for an organic veg co-op. It has a huge number of unusual and tasty recipes for people who don't know what to do with their weekly veg box or who have a glut of veg in the garden or allotment. Includes kale pesto, parsnip cake, satay sprouts, stuffed mini pumpkins and many more.

Carnivorous plants, homeopathy and Darwin

2011-08-05T19:21:00.034+01:00

I saw a news article today on the BBC website about a plant which had apparently 'eaten' a blue tit.

Blue tit in pitcher plant - BBC

Pitcher plants are one of a group of carnivorous plants which use variety of tactics to trap and 'dissolve' insects or larger things for food. They have various methods of trapping and devouring their dinner and if you are curious have a look at the International Carnivorous Plant Society for lots more photos and info.

You might be surprised to learn that we use remedies made from some of these peculiar carnivorous plants in homeopathy and in herbal medicine.

A remedy made from the whole Sundew (drosera rotundiflora) plant has been used for over 200 years in homeopathy to treat respiratory problems. It was mentioned in herbal medical texts from as early as the 12th century where an Italian doctor, Matthaeus Platearius described the plant as a treatment for coughs. It has been used in herbalism for hundreds of years for spasmodic coughs, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. Culpeper mentions that the juice from the plant was used to remove warts and corns and that ladies used a mix of the juice with milk for skin to reduce freckles and relieve sunburn.

Close up of Sundew (Drosera Rotundiflora) leaf

The chemical composition of sundew perhaps sheds light on some of the medicinal properties. The plant contains high levels of various flavonoids and in particular quercetin which is the subject of a great deal of research especially looking at inflammation and allergies.

Here are a couple of examples of current research into its properties

Anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic activity of extracts from Droserae herba

Identification and quantification of flavonoids and ellagic acid derivatives in therapeutically important Drosera species

Drosera is also interesting because Charles Darwin did some work and found that very dilute solutions of ammonia salts had an effect on the leaves. Darwin is also known to have been treated by a homeopath and more about this can be found in Dana Ullman's Huffington Post article The surprising story of Charles Darwin and his Homeopathic Doctor

From the botanists perspective have a look at Talking Plants blog on the Drosera and Darwin story

Homeopathy: Medicine or Magic?

2011-07-29T23:40:00.004+01:00

I came across this video recently and it is well worth a look. It is an old QED documentary from the BBC which was made in the 1990's. Features interviews with a variety of people including Dr Peter Fisher (homeopath to the Queen!), Dr David Reilly and various satisfied patients, farmers and GPs. There is an excellent section on veterinary homeopathy featuring Christopher Day talking about his experiences with treating farm animals and pets. Also some dissenting voices including David Colquhoun wearing a quite fantastic jumper!

So - grab a cuppa and sit down and watch.

Homeopathy: Medicine or Magic ? by TonyE1000

And if you would like to find out more have a look at Extraordinary Medicine or the Society of Homeopaths website. Both have lots of information on history, research, case studies and more.

Lemon polenta cake.. yum!

2011-07-19T10:22:00.019+01:00

I bake this cake fairly often, especially if I know my gluten free friends will be visiting. Many people have asked me how to make it over the years so thought I'd put it on here for everyone to enjoy!

The recipe comes from the lovely people at Cafe Maitreya, an organic vegetarian restaurant in Easton in Bristol. Lots more interesting recipes on their website so it's well worth a look.

Cafe Maitreya legendary lemon polenta cake - lush!

Ingredients
500g golden granulated sugar
500g butter (or margarine)
6 eggs
500g ground almonds
250g fine polenta
6 lemons
5g salt
10 g baking powder (gluten free if necessary)
an extra 150g caster sugar for topping

1. beat the butter (or margarine) and sugar together 'til very smooth and creamy.

2. one by one slowly beat in the eggs.

3. separately mix together the polenta, almonds, lemon zest, salt and baking powder and fold into the cake mixture

4. transfer to an 10 inch tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 150C for 1½ to 2 hours (or until you can pull a skewer cleanly out of the cake)

5. whilst the cake is in the oven, juice the lemons and add the remaining 150g of caster sugar. place in a thick bottom pan and boil until the juice has reduced by about half and is syrupy.

6. when the cake is out of the oven, make some holes in the top, pour on the lemon juice mixture and let in sink in

7. leave to cool

serve up with a big slice of loving kindness

A word of warning - this makes one huge, catering size cake. I usually halve the amounts and do two cakes using one pound loaf tins. Cooks in about 45 minutes in smaller tins but keep an eye on it and poke with a skewer to check when it's done.

Enjoy!

Silent Sunday #4

2011-07-17T09:39:00.003+01:00

Mud, mud, glorious mud.. and sunburn

2011-07-13T11:38:00.006+01:00

I went to Glastonbury and then the following weekend to Beat Herder. At both festivals I was working for the Travelling Homeopaths Collective who provide low cost homeopathy clinics at various events over the summer. Glastonbury seems a long time ago now but thought I'd leave you a few words and pictures. the weather really wasn't great for most of the time - loads of rain and then scorching sun so a weekend of extremes but we still had a good time.

I really do need to mention the mud. It always amazes me that we only have one word for mud in English, when faced with a wet Glastonbury 'mud' just isn't enough to describe the array of conditions underfoot. Squelchy, rutted, slippery, spongy, welly-sucking are just a few of the words that spring to mind.

In the clinic at Glastonbury we saw the usual dodgy tummies, insect bites, hangovers and a lot of hayfever. On the Sunday when the sun came out we treated a fair bit of sunburn, cystitis and headaches. The clinics are always a great way of introducing homeopathy to people who haven't tried it or who want to find out more about what we do. It's great to get the instant positive feedback as many people we have treated pop back in to say they are feeling much better.

There are always loads of bands to see and highlights for me were Elbow and Mumford and Sons but there is so much more to festivals than the music. There are always some unusual outfits on display amongst the acts and the punters. See here for Cee Lo Green and his extraordinary shoulder pads! I can honestly say that one of the best dressed gentlemen on site this year was my husband, Lyndon. He was sporting a suit made from previous years Glastonbury cotton bags which was made by his very talented mum, Joyce. Whilst walking around we came across Colin the Oxfam steward. He had made himself a hoody out of bags whilst working in a quiet night shift.

Colin and Lyndon - snappy dressers

There are many great cabaret and circus acts too. We usually end up in the cabaret tent for a few hours - we saw Mitch Benn on Sunday who is best known for his musical contributions to radio programmes like The Now Show

Here is Mitch with his homage to Bruce Springsteen - 'Glastonbury - Born in Mud'

Beat Herder in the Ribble valley was a very different experience - much, much smaller and the sun was shining! It is a great venue with some quirky features like shops and a stage in the woods. They also have the unique Beat Herder and District Working Men's Social Club with real ales, barmaids in drag, Beat Herder's Got Talent, bands, cheesy disco and 70's pics on the walls. I could have spent all weekend in there!

A number of local organisations got involved which was nice to see. Project 6 from Keighley were there with info about what support they offer for people struggling to cope with drink and drug issues, Hudson's Ice Cream from Chatburn, Bowland Brewery had brewed a special Beat Herder ale just for the festival, Clitheroe Transition Town stall were giving away veg plants and fruit bush cuttings. The highlight for me was the Clitheroe Ladies Circle tea and cake stall. They were so dedicated to their task of providing cake to festival folk that some of them went home on Saturday night to do some more baking.

We were very busy with the homeopathy clinic at Beat Herder and the festival organisers had offered us a free tipi. Our tipi was opposite the Ladybird Project who were offering free workshops all day to show kids (and big kids) how to juggle, unicycle, hula hoop and much more. Ladybird are at several festivals over the summer and well worth a look - I can recommend their cabaret, great entertainment for all ages.

A pic of the THC Beat Herder team on Sunday night after we'd finished work.

Jane Clifford, me, Angie Zajac and Jenny Howarth

Here is the list of festivals the Travelling Homeopaths Collective will be at over the summer includes Larmer Tree, Cambridge Folk Festival, Stainsby Folk Festival, Kendal Calling, Solfest and many more - I'll be at Beacons Festival near Skipton in mid August so pop by for a chat.

Silent Sunday #3

2011-07-10T13:36:00.001+01:00

12 days of twitter

2011-06-20T16:00:00.007+01:00

I have been dabbling sporadically with twitter for a while and wasn't really sure why. I blog on here about a variety of things and had attracted a respectable number of followers on twitter and hits to the website but for reasons that seemed unclear many were in US, India and Australia and so unlikely to actually need my homeopathic services. The vast majority of people who come to see me for a consultation come via word of mouth recommendations and many of them don't do the internet at all. Locally there don't seem to be many people in the twittersphere and so I wasn't sure whether it was worth bothering with.

When a friend told me that Leeds based company Reach Further were offering a free 12 days of twitter course I thought I might as well sign up and see what happened - it was a revelation. I was pondering what to write on here about my experiences but Pete Stevens (@petejabber) beat me to it and I agree with pretty much everything he says. I am certainly no expert but do have much more of an idea about how it works and have more of an understanding about some of the tools like bit.ly, buffer and klout which can be extremely useful.

There is still much conversing, learning and networking going on amongst us '12dot-ters' and we're having a tweetmeet in Leeds next month so can actually meet up in person.

Petejabbers blog on his 12 days of twitter experience

I generally tweet about homeopathy, health in general, local stuff, gardening, eco issues, festivals, mental health and other random things like radio programmes that I liked that might interest others. Sometimes a tweet or a reply can spread like wildfire.

@treehugger tweets about sustainabilty and the other evening asked ' What is the best/worst/craziest thing you've seen/read/watched today?' I had just been looking at the Ecologist website and was shocked by an article about Monsanto being aware that Roundup causes birth defects so tweeted that.

I also replied with a bizarre story I'd seen on the BBC website about research on the social life of badgers which amused me. I must confess to having 'badger interests' - a friend Matty is in a band called Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers @biscuitbadgers and so they are always entertained by any badger related stories (see my recent festival blog for more on them)

Much to my bewilderment both stories got retweeted by loads of people and my klout rating shot up overnight. So I think the lesson is - you never know quite what might appeal to people, but it's almost certainly not what you'd expect!

A huge thank you to all at Reach Further and especially Liz Cable who guided us through the learning process. I can highly recommend them. They do a lot of on line courses for businesses using social media and also seminars and workshops in the Leeds area.

And if you're interested in my twitter musings

Silent Sunday #2

2011-06-19T12:00:00.001+01:00

Silent Sunday #1

2011-06-12T09:22:00.001+01:00

Festival fun, frolics and nostalgia

2011-06-02T10:23:00.000+01:00

I lived in Bristol as a teenager and so Glastonbury was an annual pilgrimage for me and my chums. I first went in 1986 and have been most years ever since, and for nostalgia's sake here was the line up of 86! It was much, much smaller then and there were only 2 stages and 2 big tents.. a very different experience these days.

For myself and many other homeopaths, festival season means helping out with the Travelling Homeopaths Collective. This was set up by Marcus Christo and they have been providing low cost homeopathy treatment at festivals since 1990. This year there will be a homeopathy clinic at 20 festivals all over the country starting with Wychwood in Cheltenham this weekend and finishing in September with The End Of The Road in Dorset– see here for the full list of THC festivals for 2011.

The sort of things people come to see us about include hangovers, dodgy tummies, urine infections, sunburn, bites and stings but over 60% of the people we see come to us about hayfever. Last year, Glastonbury was (unusually) very hot and dusty and many people who had never previously been affected were suffering really badly with hayfever symptoms.

We can only treat simple first aid or acute illnesses at festivals. It is not appropriate to treat long term physical or emotional problems in a festival environment, however, if people want to explore the possibility of using homeopathy for those sort of conditions then we can put them in touch with a qualified homeopath in their area.

This year there are lots more family friendly festivals popping up. Within about 15 miles of home there will be four this year, unfortunately, I can't go to all of them but I'll give them a plug!

First of all Rough Beats coming up very soon on 10-12^th June, small and perfectly formed – it’s a great atmosphere and very close to the lovely village of Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales. In their own words it is 'Yorkshire's best and most independent music festival, for a guaranteed mix of great music, late bars and the best crowd in the north, this is the summer event not to be missed.' Lots of local support for this one which has been going for ten years and just gets better. Loads of great stuff including the excellent Craig Charles who is bringing his funk and soul DJ set to the countryside.

Beatherder is held near Gisburn in the Ribble Valley on 1st-3rd July and also has some great stuff. The Lancashire Hot Pots, Utah Saints, Mr Scruff, Simian Mobile Disco, Leftfield to name a few. Another brilliant local festival with 3 days of beats and barminess. Loads of quirky stuff going on, and not many festivals can boast a working men's club stuck in a 70's time warp! They are doing a Willy Wonka style golden ticket so 5 lucky punters will be met on the gate and get loads of Beat Herding goodies and drinks tokens which I'm sure will make it a particularly memorable weekend!

The Magic Loungeabout is an other family friendly one at the end of July held in the impressive grounds of Broughton Hall just outside Skipton. They say it is 'a festival like no other with an emphasis on a refined unwind and the best in electronic pop and acoustic music.' Some of the bands and other acts on show include Badly Drawn Boy, Human League, New Young Pony Club but also folk like Annie Nightingale and Howard Marks as well as loads of entertainment, games and cinema. Looks considerably posher than your average festival and there are four camping areas depending on how quiet or loud you want your festival to be. Luxury camping in bell tents, yurts and tipis is also available. The kids area will have cool things like zorbing, antique games and the Gruffalo! For those of you who find the whole festival experience a little too taxing there will be day tents available (with comfy furniture and waitresses), a proper sit down restaurant and even a spa where you can have a massage.

Beacons Festival is another small and friendly festival just outside Skipton at Heslaker Farm on 12-14th August. Described as 'a boutique arts festival for music fans and families in the wonderful Yorkshire Dales.' Loads of great stuff including yummy food stalls, local ales, a vintage fair and even a farmer's market. The Ladybird collective will be entertaining the children with lots of free workshops and entertainment, and they will even have a beach - with beach huts! This is from the people behind the Moors Music Festival and the line up is pretty impressive. Amongst others music will be from Jamie Woon, Mr Scruff, Jamie XX, The Fantastic Mr Fox and Willy Mason.

And now for a plug for our friend Matty and his band Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers. Due to the imminent arrival of twins (hooray for Matty and Helen!) the band will be not doing as many festivals as usual this summer but you can catch them at various venues around Leeds and Manchester and Liverpool and hopefully at Solfest. The have featured in a variety of magazines and have been described as ‘a moustache-powered tuba cabaret marvel’.. bizarre but hugely entertaining. They have a fantastic website and check out the piece about Prince Charles in the 'scrap book'.. excellent!

Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers 'Cheese'

I will definitely be doing the Travelling Homeopaths clincs at Glastonbury, Beatherder and possibly Beacons and Solfest.. so pop in for a chat and a cuppa if you want to meet me in the flesh!

For those tweeters amongst you @wychwoodfest, @EOTR, @roughbeats, @beaconsfest, @beatherder, @thelounger, @glastofest, @solfest and @biscuitbadgers

Videos of the strange behaviour of water

2011-06-01T23:14:00.000+01:00

The main area of controversy in homeopathy is around the issue of dilutions, but many people do not realise that there is a great deal about water we still do not understand. I have mentioned this in previous blogs, see Weirdness of Water and Avogadro for more info and I won't go into it all again here. John Benneth has also talked about dilutions on his blog and has reviewed the research which has been done for over a century to try and understand why homeopathically prepared dilutions are still measurable and have an effect on cells, bacteria, plants, animals and humans.

I came across a video on Oasis HD which shows how unexpectedly water can behave. The same sample of water can produce different images when handled by different people, or can be affected by a flower.

On a similar theme, here is a short video of some of Dr Emoto's work on ice crystals.

A much longer video about Dr Emoto and his work can be found here.

Lovely quote about bigotry and intolerance

2011-05-05T16:38:00.002+01:00

Just a quick blog here. I saw this quote today and felt I wanted to share it, thanks to Peter Smith for bringing it to my attention!

As a certain group of well known skeptics and journalists are doing a 'tour' at the minute I thought this was particularly relevant.

I have never known a clergyman or a professor who could be more narrow, bigoted, and intolerant than some scientists, or pseudo-scientists… Intolerance is a closed mind. Bigotry is an exaltation of authorities. Narrowness is ignorance unwilling to be taught. And one of the outstanding truths I have learned in my University (of Nature) is that the moment you reach a final conclusion on anything, set that conclusion up as a fact to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken away, and refuse to listen to any new evidence, you have reached an intellectual dead-centre, and nothing will start the engine again short of a charge of dynamite… Ossified knowledge is a dead-weight to the world, and it does not matter in what realm of man’s intellectual activities it is found… Any obstinate clinging to outworn doctrines, whether of religion or politics or morality or of science, are equally damning and equally damnable.

- Luther Burbank Quoted from page 21 of The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in Direct Perception of Nature by Stephen Harrod Buhner ISBN-13: 978-978-159143035-3 or ISBN-10: 159143035-6 Bear & Company, Rochester, Vermont

Jo Rhodes is a participant in the Amazon Europe S.à r.l. Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.

Emotional Freedom Technique

2011-05-04T11:04:00.000+01:00

I have several friends who are Emotional Freedom Technique practitioners and I have been using it myself quite a bit lately. It is a bit weird and hard to get your head around, but if you can suspend your disbelief and give it a go you might be surprised.

In very simple terms EFT is a sort of emotional version of acupuncture, you tap certain acupuncture points as you say phrases and the idea is to make you feel more positive about what is going on and to help release negative emotions or limiting beliefs.

Thise have you that have seen the film 'The Secret' might be interested to know that several people featured including Bob Doyle, Joe Vitale, Bob Proctor and Jack Canfield are all big fans of EFT.

When I first looked into it I must confess I was put off by the evangelical enthusiasm of the orange, over tanned Americans in the videos. It just seemed too good to be true and just too easy. I was never quite sure what phrases to use and so tried EFT a few times and then stopped. Now there is a huge amount of good quality information and videos on youtube so it's much easier to find out more.

One of the things I really like about the EFT community is that the founder Gary Craig encourages free distribution of the information so more people can find out about how it works. You can pay to see an EFT practitioner to work on specific issues and there are courses available if you want to learn more but there is a lot of great free stuff out there.

http://www.emofree.com/ The Official EFT website from the founder of the technique Gary Craig. There is an introduction to EFT video and a huge amount of information available here including a free manual to download.

Brad Yates has a very extensive website with many short 5-10 minute youtube EFT videos on a variety of themes.

Tapping.com is an excellent site from Magnus with some longer EFT videos of around 20 minutes on a variety of themes including an introduction to EFT, self acceptance, procrastination, stress relief and dealing with anger.

While EFT has produced remarkable results, it must still be considered to be in the experimental stage and thus practitioners and the public must take complete responsibility for their use of it and their own physical and emotional well-being. EFT should not be seen as a substitute for regular care from your GP or other health provider.

There are a growing number of EFT practitioners in the UK. Locally I can highly recommend Penny Lowe who works in Settle and Ilkley, Ruth Ablett in Bentham and Heather Smiles in Barrowford near Nelson who also works does EFT with animals, especially horses.

If you want to give it a try and start your day with a bit of tapping, have a look at this video from Brad Yates, 'Tap O The Mornin!'.

Wild food and foraging

2011-04-25T10:51:00.003+01:00

Living in the coutryside my hubby and I often eat foods we pick up on walks such as apples, many types of mushroom, nettles, sorrel, chickweed, borage, wild garlic, many different berries and rosehips. After doing a bit of weeding in the garden yesterday I was a bit disturbed to see some ground elder creeping its way through the rockery.

But then I thought.. hmmm.. 'free food'. For those of you that haven't tried it, ground elder is actually quite tasty and can be cooked like spinach. The small waxy looking new shoots are very nice eaten raw in salads and are quite spicy, a bit like rocket.

If you are going to eat anything wild please make absolutely sure what you pick is safe. I strongly recommend you get a good book but if you aren't sure whether foraging is for you The Wild Food School offer a free 50 page Urban Foraging Guide which is available to download from their website.

Food For Free by Richard Mabey is, in my humble opinion, the definitive foraging book. First published in 1974 and reprinted many, many times since then. There are several versions available but my favourite is the handy pocket size book.

When it comes to mushrooms I would urge you to be extra cautious and never pick anything you are unsure of. There are some excellent mushroom identification books around. We have the pocket guide which is pretty good but seem to often forget it when we go out on foraging walks!

Mushroom Picker's Foolproof Field Guide is a much larger book and is definitely not pocket sized but has some great information and tips on drying and preserving too. it also has a chapter on the poisonous ones so clearly identifies which mushrooms to avoid.

When you have got some goodies you need to know what to do with them. Our favourite is an ancient book Hedgerow Cookery by Rosamund Richardson-Gerson but there are many more trendy versions around now including a Hedgerow Handbook from the River Cottage folk

There are a growing number of excellent websites and news articles with information and recipes for wild and foraged foods. A recent one I came across was Wild about Weeds in The Ecologist

Fergus Drennan has been foraging for years and has appeared on TV and written many articles in the press. Wild Man Wild Food is his website and he offers foraging courses in the Canterbury area. There are a vast number of unusual recipes in the magazine articles on the website including some fantastic nettle recipes and a Japanese Knotweed and Quince Crumble - that's not one I've tried myself yet but there is some knotweed up the road so might give it a go later in the year.

Eat Weeds near Sidmouth in Devon and The Wild Food School in Lostwithiel in Cornwall have some excellent recipes on their websites and also offer foraging courses.

Some people are also advocating eating insects, they are a great source of free protein and eaten in many countries, but I think I'll write about that another time!

Firewalking fun..

2011-04-09T21:58:00.003+01:00

When I told people I was going to walk on hot coals to raise money for charity the response generally was something like this.

'Why?? You must be mad!'

Strangely enough, I have done fire eating and fire breathing (which I was pretty good at!) A group of us learned how to do it at a friends 40th birthday party...don't try this at home!

Myself and friends Sophie Wild, Penny Lowe and about 20 others were all firewalking to raise money for the lovely folk at Lineham Farm Children's Centre. The event took place on the farm on Thursday evening with a crowd of cold but enthusiastic friends and relatives cheering us on. We got there late afternoon and the weather was fantastic. We had a walk through the woods and met some of the animals, then had some food before we got ready for our team talk. Everyone seemed very calm and relaxed about it all, until we got the disclaimer forms to sign, then that got some people worried!

Sophie and I doing a practise run without the fire!

The 'Learn or Burn' seminar we did before the walk was at times really hilarious. Thanks to Tony Ferrol for making it so enjoyable, entertaining and not at all scary. What actually went on is top secret but I can say it involved lots of laughter, shouting and some very peculiar Peter Pan impressions. I've no idea what the people outside thought we were up to!

Getting warm now...

The walk itself was over so quickly. I remember standing at the beginning waiting to go and stepping on to the coals but then really can't remember anything until I got off the other end. My feet were a bit sooty but completely unharmed. Amusingly, the gravel path was much more painful on the feet than the coals were. Lots of people took photos but they actually didn't come out too well.. so this is the only one of me in action. My pink fleece flapping in the breeze makes it look like I have wings!

Me in action!

Yorkshire TV were there filming and apparently there were clips of us on Calendar, the regional news programme on Friday. Unfortunately, even though we live in Yorkshire, we can't get Yorkshire TV and end up with Granada and all the lovely news from Liverpool and Manchester!

Huge thanks to Tony and all the guys and girls from Blaze Firewalking for making it such a great evening. I can heartily recommend them if you want to do some fundraising with a difference. Whatever you do.. don't try this at home!!

You can still donate direct to Lineham Farm via their Just Giving page

Pictures of Plants and Fungi in Homeopathy

2011-04-03T18:25:00.001+01:00

This is a fantastic area on the Natural History Museum website. There is some excellent information and pictures of hundreds of plants and fungi as well as lichens and algae used in homeopathic remedies.

This is the work of Vilma Bharatan who is a botanist at the NHM.

Plants and Fungi in Homeopathy

Gelsemium Sempervirens

The homeopathic remedy Gelsemium is
often used to treat the symptoms of flu

The illustrations in the website reminded me of an excellent book that I have somewhere but can't seem to put my hands on at the minute! It is called 'Dangerous Garden: The Quest for Plants to Change our Lives' by David Stuart. He is a botanist and his passion for his subject really shines through every page. There are many wonderful pictures of plants in the book that are still in common use in homeopathy and herbalism. It is full of enthralling tales of poisonings, plague and pestilence, aphrodisiacs, mysterious mass hallucinations and much, much more. I do love reading Culpeper and Gerard but this is a herbal book with a difference!

Homeopathy Day in Bentham

2011-03-14T20:32:00.000Z

Would you like to learn more about homeopathy?

As well as teaching you about remedies I will talk briefly about the history of homeopathy, the strange properties of water, show you how remedies are made and also bring along some well known plants that you may not have realised are used in homeopathy.

The aim of the course is to give you the confidence to be able to treat friends and family safely and effectively for first aid and minor ailments.

This will not be a lecture where I talk at you for hours, I would like people to share their experiences of homeopathic treatment and learn from each other as well as from me.

Saturday 9^th April 10 am until 4 pm

Sole to Soul, Grasmere Drive

Bentham, LA2 7JP

www.sole-to-soul.net

Cost £20 for the day, handouts will be provided

Hot and cold drinks will be available but

please bring some food to share for lunch

To book up or for more information

call me on 0800 2980701 or 07932 159099

or email jo@jorhodeshomeopathy.co.uk

Or call Sole to Soul on 015242 63067

Feedback from a previous course from Sophie in Settle..

Jo also has a very strong sense of intuition and, having also seen her as a patient, I have always appreciated her ability to ask the right question at the right time and listen to the answer to pick up significant symptoms and feeling.

I turn to Jo for advice on many matters that have been helped by homeopathy from simple coughs and colds to deep seated emotional issues and have had amazing results as a result of her support and advice.

Homeopathy at Wellie Level

2011-02-19T10:50:00.001Z

Homeopathy At Wellie Level is an organisation set up by Christine Lees who has an agricultural degree but is also a qualified homeopath. HAWL provides courses to help the farmer help himself, and looks at homeopathy as an additional farm management tool, not as something designed to take the place of conventional treatment.

Here is an article in Farmers Weekly about Christine and her work

Prince Charles is a great supporter of her work and most HAWL courses are run at Broadfield Farm on the Duchy Estate in Gloucestershire.

The three day course is spread over several weeks to allow farmers the chance to practice what they have learned between sessions. Day one covers the basic principles of homeopathy, learning what a homeopath looks for when observing animals and six remedies which can be added to everyday farm management. Day two covers assessing a sick animal and choosing the right symptoms to help find an appropriate remedy, and day three looks at the longer view, learning how to build homeopathy into the farm year.

OMSCo the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative offers funding to members to do the course and will cover half the fees.

Under the organic standards for milk, routine use of medicines such as antibiotics is prohibited and homeopathy (under veterinary guidance) is encouraged as an effective alternative and a powerful tool in the maintenance of herd health. With increasing levels of disease on the farm over the years OMSCo believes farmers need another tool to complement conventional treatments.

Yeo Valley are an organic dairy in Somerset which use homeopathy for their cows. Here is a blog post about their use of alternative treatments on the farm.

For information about homeopathic vets in your area or information on homeopathy for animals in general go to the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons website

Have look at this video of farmer Oliver Dowding talking about how homeopathy has worked for him and his animals.

Update - in June 2011 MRSA was found in milk because of the routine use of antibiotics to deal with the health problems associated with the extremely high levels of milk being produced per cow. See this article from The Soil Association

Fire Walking for Lineham Farm

2011-02-10T17:45:00.000Z

One of the reasons Peter, the web designer, suggested I did a blog was because I do loads of different things and not just homeopathy. So, this is one of those very different things.

I will be walking on hot coals for charity on Thursday 7th April!

A friend Penny works at Lineham Farm Children's Centre which is a fabulous place just north of Leeds where kids and adults can come and stay and have fun. It is run as a charity which provides free week-long activity holidays for local children in need of a break. It can also be hired out by community groups at weekends. Visitors can try all sorts of activities including rock climbing, mountain biking, growing veg, looking after the animals, art, climbing, walks in the woods and much, much more.

However, all this farmyard fun, frolics and adventures come at a cost. And this year they need to raise over a whopping £100,000. Their laundry bills alone are £2000! (The kids do love their mud.) The heating bills are £8,000 (the kids need to wash that mud off). And – deep breath – £80,000 to refurbish the toilets.

A group of us will be doing a sponsored Fire Walk on the evening of Thursday 7th April to raise money for the centre and people are welcome to come along and watch us.

The event is organised by Blaze Firewalking and please DO NOT try doing this yourself! If you want to join us there are still some places available so contact Clare Beard at Lineham Farm on 0113 2817880 or clare@linehamfarm.co.uk

I have set up a page on the Just Giving website if you would like to sponsor me click on the link below.

Skeptics ,Science and Mice

2011-02-03T18:45:00.001Z

Well, it seems the skeptics are planning another of their mass overdoses this weekend. The whole idea of a mass overdose clearly shows how little they know about homeopathy. A single dose (1 pill or 100 pills at the same time still count as a single dose) of a remedy will only have any effect if the remedy fits the persons physical and emotional symptoms. So taking a random remedy is unlikely to do anything. If by chance they take a remedy that does fit them then there would be positive effects.

Homeopathy is extremely safe, especially when compared with allopathic medicine. As a conservative estimate the painkiller Vioxx is thought to have killed 2000 people in the UK, and that is just one drug. However, if you repeatedly take a 'wrong' homeopathic remedy for a long time there is a good chance you will produce symptoms that are related to that remedy and not to you. The homeopathic materia medica has been developed from just such experiments known as provings. Healthy people took homeopathic remedies, often over a period of weeks to see what symptoms were produced. The results are collated and when someone has symptoms which fit the picture produced by a proving then we know that remedy is very likely to help them.

The dictionary definition of a skeptic is someone who doubts the value or truth of an idea or a belief. Doubting something is reasonable but it seems to me whatever evidence, research papers and personal stories indicate homeopathy has an effect, they continue to say it's unscientific and impossible. The skeptics don't seem to even want to look at the research available, let alone consider that there are many papers showing plants, animals, young babies and cells have responded to homeopathic preparations. No placebo effect with that lot.

Science, according to Wikipedia, 'is an enterprise that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the world'. Theories can and do alter according to new evidence and theories. Science is not static and new ideas help move things forward. It seems the skeptic approach is to just say 'homeopathy is rubbish' and refuse to look at anything that challenges that view which seems decidedly unscientific to me.

For an interesting perspective on the mass overdose have a look at the exellent blog Elephants and Mice

And for sound, sensible and scientific information about homeopathy have a look at the website Extraordinary Medicine.

Stunts such as mass overdoses and negative articles in the press have very little effect on the public at large and only serve to stimulate discussion. The vast majority of people come to see a homeopath because they have friends or relatives who have been helped by homeopathic treatment. Most of them don't tweet, blog or really care what some journalist in London says about anything. If there is a story about homeopathy in the media, most people don't remember whether it was negative or positive. If someone has benefited from homeopathic treatment, any negative story is likely to prompt them to say how much it helped them.

I, and many other homeopaths, actually get much busier when the skeptics pull stunts. So we will look forward to a busy few weeks. Thanks guys!

Indian adventures in Bentham.. second attempt

2011-01-12T17:15:00.000Z

Apologies for being a bit quiet lately. We have been preoccupied with house renovations but I'm now slowly venturing back into the real world!

The talk in November about my Indian adventures got cancelled due to the snow so it has been rearranged for Wednesday 16th February, weather permitting.

Sole to Soul, Grasmere Drive, Bentham

Wednesday 16th February

6.30pm for tea and cake and 7pm start

I spent time in Kolkata in 2008 and 2009 on a postgraduate homeopathy course. This involved lectures and many hours in various clinics throughout the city.

But it wasn't all hard work. I also did some travelling in Darjeeling, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and attended a huge Bengali wedding.

So come along to a colourful slide show of my travels and be transported to India for a couple of hours.

£2 including refreshments and homemade cakes.
Let me know if you are coming so I have enough goodies for everyone.

0800 2980701 or 07932 159099
jo@jorhodeshomeopathy.co.uk

Barges unloading near Howrah Bridge, Kolkata

Indian Adventures.. in Bentham

2010-11-17T13:40:00.001Z

Colourful Kolkata trucks

Sole to Soul

Grasmere Drive, Bentham

Homeopathic Adventures in India

Tuesday 30th November
6.30 for 7pm start

0800 298 0701 or 07932 159099
jo@jorhodeshomeopathy.co.uk

Science for Homeopaths Day in Manchester

2010-10-10T16:49:00.000+01:00

Earlier this year I was appointed onto the Society of Homeopaths Research Committee. One of the things I feel is important is to give homeopaths and students the information they need to deal with the common criticisms we face as a profession.

Myself and Emily Peckham, both homeopaths and chemists, will be doing a CPD day on Science for Homeopaths in central Manchester on Thursday 25th November. There is a lot of controversy about dilutions and so we will be explaining, in simple terms, what Avogadro's number is all about and why it is such a contentious issue. We will also be looking at the weirdness of water and some other areas of science which are not as clear cut as you might think. We will look at the analytical evidence which shows that extremely diluted solutions are measureable using a variety of analytical techniques. The majority of work done in this area is actually done by chemists and physicists and is nothing to do with homeopathy.

The aim is to make some complex scientific ideas accessible to all and give participants tools to answer critics in a scientific manner. There will also be a detailed list of websites, references and a bibliography for further reading and research.

On the day we will bring some of these scientific papers and books for you to have a look at and there will also be some time available for general discussion and networking.

Science for Homeopaths

Quaker Meeting Rooms, Mount St, Manchester

Thursday 25th November

To book go through the Society of Homeopaths website or call the office in Northampton.

The Society of Homeopaths website has an excellent research section which has been written by Rachel Roberts.

The British Homeopathic Association also has comprehensive research pages. Their magazine Health and Homeopathy contains very clear and interesting articles on particular health topics and remedies which can be dowloaded from the website.

Homeopathic Camp and festival fun

2010-07-31T22:37:00.000+01:00

I have mentioned several times on this blog the great work that Marcus and the Travelling Homeopaths Collective do at festivals. If you are going to a festival this summer there is still time to catch up with them for a chat or some treatment at the Moors festival, Solfest, Lime Tree music festival and The End Of The Road.

THC have a homeopathic camp in the summer and this time it is 11th to 15th August. It has a friendly festival feel for homeopaths, students, their friends and families with lots to keep everyone entertained. Speakers this year include Misha Norland, Kaaren Whitney, David Mundy, Robert Davidson, Jerome Whitney and Michael Thompson. There will also be Indian music, childrens area, storytelling, a sauna and some great veggie food.

For more info see the flyer here

I had a brilliant time at Glastonbury working in the clinic and its always a wonderful opportunity to talk to people about homeopathy and get them to experience it first hand. As it was very hot and dusty we treated a lot more people than usual for hayfever and sunburn and many came back to say they were feeling better after their remedies which is always good to hear.

We seemed to have a lot more people coming in for a chat who were disillusioned with their current treatment and wanting to know if homeopathy might be able to help with longer term problems like depression, menstrual or menopausal symptoms, recurrent infections, ME and chronic fatigue, stress, IBS and many more. We do not treat those sort of chronic problems at festivals so always refer people to a homeopath near where they live.

There have been a lot of negative stories in the press about homeopathy lately so it was lovely to talk to so many people face to face who genuinely wanted to find out more about what we do. Something our critics often forget is that the vast majority of people try complementary therapies because they are not happy with their current treatment and a friend or relative has benefitted from something different. That sort of personal recommendation will far outweigh any number of negative articles in a newspaper or on a blog.

Here we go again..

2010-06-15T10:46:00.000+01:00

The latest edition of the Settle Community News may not be the magazine with the largest circulation, but it is widely read in this area. There is an article written by Ted Saunders who is objecting to a piece in a previous edition about the clinic where I work and the main focus of his article is an attack on homeopathy and what he calls 'the stirrers of Settle'. Ironically, there was an article in the Guardian yesterday by Edzard Ernst which raised much the same issues.

I have had several calls, texts and emails from people who were outraged by these articles and wanted to voice their support for me and for homeopathy.

Ted mentioned the recent report by the government Science and Technology committee which criticised homeopathy, dilutions, costs to the NHS and that homeopathy is based on faith and medicine is based on science

So, let's look at these points

They both mention the critical report of the Government Science and Technology Evidence check into homeopathy. Of the 12 members on the committee, only 3 MPs voted for this report, one lost his seat and the other 2 stood down at the last election (and one of those joined the committee after the hearings). Two of these MPs are known supporters of a group called Sense About Science who are anything but sensible about science. Of the witnesses called to give evidence only one was a homeopath, Dr Peter Fisher, the director of the London Homeopathic Hospital, the majority were journalists or academics who are known to oppose homeopathy. See my blog dated 21st February 2010 for more information about the hearing and for an excellent summary of proceedings see the blog by 'The Voice of (Not So Young) Homeopathy'

I have written about dilutions several times on this blog, but the main thing to remember is homeopathic remedies are made by dilution and by vigorous shaking, a process called succussion. It has been known for many years that this shaking causes changes to the structure and properties of the liquid. The vast majority of this research is nothing to do with homeopathy but done by chemists and physicists who want to try and understand how this works. One of the key research papers, which I have mentioned before, is one by Louis Rey which was able to measure thermoluminescence of extremely diluted solutions of sodium chloride and lithium chloride. The solutions which were just diluted could not be measured but solutions which had been diluted and vigorously shaken were measurable. The full article can be seen here.

Also see my blog article about Avagadro's number for more about dilutions.

Ted also says that homeopathy is more about faith than science. I would like to point out that the NHS doesn't get it all right either. Many people put their faith in their GP and the NHS but still decide to try complementary medicine because they have not been helped by the system. I came to homeopathy after years of unsuccessful treatments for migraine, the final straw was disturbing side effects from prescribed medication, so I tried homeopathy which worked for me and I became curious to learn more about it. Side effects from medication, long term problems such as back pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression and sleep problems are common reasons why patients choose to try a different approach.

I would like to draw your attention to British Medical Journal Clinical Evidence which shows that only 11% of medicines and current interventions are known to be effective for the conditions they are prescribed. A staggering 51% are of unknown effectiveness.

Updated Clinical Evidence article

When you consider the NHS drug budget is about £11 billion a year, I find it amusing that critics complain about the £4 million spent on homeopathy in the NHS, particularly when over 70% of people with chronic conditions seen in the homeopathic hospitals report improvement after their treatment. Surely anything that helps over 70% of people should be encouraged. See the Bristol study for more info.

Unfortunately, attacks on homeopathy are not new. James Compton Burnett wrote a series of letters to a young skeptical doctor to explain why he believed in homeopathy. The letters were cases he had treated himself and were published in 1896 as a short book 'Fifty Reasons for being a Homeopath'. It is a very clear and simple book which shows how he first became curious and then became more passionate about homeopathy the more he learnt about it. You can find this on Google Books

Dr James Compton Burnett 1840-1901

'Homeopathy: A Rational Choice in Medicine' by Mo Morrish is a small but excellent book which counters all the arguments that skeptics throw at us. It should be essential reading for anyone who is curious about the controversy surrounding homeopathy, unfortunately, the hardened skeptics are unlikely to ever read it.
Homoeopathy: A Rational Choice in Medicine
Another book on the subject which goes into the science in much more detail is Bill Gray's 'Homeopathy: Science or Myth'. This clearly and simply explains some of the possible theories about how homeopathy might work and discusses several experiments in detail which indicate that very dilute homeopathically prepared medicines are not only measureable, but also have an effect which is certainly not placebo.
Homeopathy: Science or Myth?

I have copies of all these books and if any of you in the Settle area want to borrow them then let me know.

Some lovely films to make you smile

2010-06-06T11:28:00.000+01:00

I came across these two short films recently and thought I'd share them with you. They are both guaranteed to make you smile!

First one is a short film 'Validation' about love, smiles and parking tickets. 15 minutes long.

A friend emailed me this. Its actually a short advert for the Danish bus company and they arranged 4 or 5 singers to sing the danish birthday song to Mukhtar,one of their bus drivers in Copenhagen, and most of of the passengers joined in too. Lovely.

Homeopathic Adventures in India

2010-05-24T09:49:00.000+01:00

Adventures in India

Monday 31st May

6.30 for 7pm start

Gateway to Health

Behind LloydsTSB, Castle Hill, Settle

I spent time on a postgraduate homeopathy course in Kolkata in 2008 and 2009. This was a combination of lectures and outreach clinics in the slums and rural areas. I also managed to do a bit of travelling in Darjeeling, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and attended a huge Bengali wedding.

So come along and see a colourful slide show of my Indian adventures.

No charge but please leave donations for refreshments. If you would like to come let me know so I can bake enough cakes!

jo@jorhodeshomeopathy.co.uk

0800 298 0701 or 07932 159099
A sign on the road to Darjeeling

Homeopathy is witchcraft.. apparently

2010-05-18T15:23:00.000+01:00

There was an article published recently in the Daily Telegraph by some junior doctors which said that 'Homeopathy is Witchcraft.'

I could write what I thought of it but, as usual, Brian Kaplan has written a brilliant response and you can find it on his blog.

Dr Brian Kaplan - 'Homeopathy is Witchcraft.' Should Homeopaths now be burnt at the stake?

Pondering...

2010-04-17T17:03:00.000+01:00

In Europe at the minute there has been huge travel chaos due to the erupting volcano in Iceland. Some of the pictures coming out of Iceland are spectacular - and a reminder of the power and beauty of nature. Here are a few on flickr

http://snipurl.com/vjsvd

I have several friends who are stuck in various parts of the world including Spain, Italy, Canada, Switzerland and Australia with no hope of getting back to England for several days or longer. The ferries and trains in Europe are all fully booked - it is Easter holidays anyway - and so many have no option but to stay where they are and see what happens.

The way people have responded to this very unusual situation has been really interesting. There are often delays or disruptions to the transport system due to bad weather or industrial disputes and in those cases travellers always seem to get angry or want to blame someone and tempers often flare. This time the reaction seems to have been exactly the opposite - people just accepting that nature can, and does, disrupt things, so there is no point making a fuss. From what I have heard, there is an amazing sense of cameraderie amongst the stranded travellers. A friend in Spain says there is a wonderful atmosphere at her hotel - many new friendships are being made and lots of people are now sharing rooms as there are not enough available for everyone.

These events reminded me of this..

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference

I came across this picture on twitter - this guy lives close to Heathrow Airport and had never seen real blue sky before... So it seems there are some positive things coming out of all this disruption.

Water and Weirdness

2010-04-07T12:02:00.000+01:00

The Institute of Science in Society is a not for profit organisation dedicated to providing critical and accessible information to the public and to promoting social accountability and ecological sustainability in science. There are some interesting articles on on their website on a variety of topics including climate change, nanotechnology, holistic health, stem cells, agriculture and much, much more. There are several about the strange behaviour of water and how this could relate to homeopathy. This one is written by Mae-Wan Ho who is a geneticist and also director of ISIS.

Water Remembers? Homeopathy Explained?

New research suggests water remembers what has been dissolved in it, even after dilution beyond the point where no molecule of the original substances could remain.

For more than a century, practitioners of homeopathy have used highly diluted solutions of medicinal substances to treat diseases. Some substances are diluted way beyond the point at which no trace of the original substances could remain. It is as though the water has retained memory of the departed molecules. This has aroused a great deal of scepticism within the conventional medical and scientific community. To this day, ‘homeopathic’ is used as a term of derision, to indicate something imagined that has no reality.

But a series of recent discoveries in the conventional scientific community is making people think again.

First, there were the South Korean chemists who discovered two years ago that molecules dissolved in water clump together as they get more diluted (see SiS 15 ), which was totally unexpected; and further more, the size of the clumps depends on the history of dilution, making a mockery of the ‘laws of chemistry’.

Now, physicist Louis Rey in Lausanne, Switzerland, has published a paper in the mainstream journal, Physica A, describing experiments that suggest water does have a memory of molecules that have been diluted away, as can be demonstrated by a relatively new physical technique that measures thermoluminescence.

In this technique, the material is ‘activated’ by irradiation at low temperature, with UV, X-rays, electron beams, or other high-energy sub-atomic particles. This causes electrons to come loose from the atoms and molecules, creating ‘electron-hole pairs’ that become separated and trapped at different energy levels.

Then, when the irradiated material is warmed up, it releases the absorbed energy and the trapped electrons and holes come together and recombine. This causes the release of a characteristic glow of light, peaking at different temperatures depending on the magnitude of the separation between electron and hole.

As a general rule, the phenomenon is observed in crystals with an ordered arrangement of atoms and molecules, but it is also seen in disordered materials such as glasses. In this mechanism, imperfections in the atomic/molecular lattice are considered to be the sites at which luminescence appears.

Rey decided to use the technique to investigate water, starting with heavy water or deuterium oxide that’s been frozen into ice at a temperature of 77K. The absolute temperature scale (degree K, after Lord Kelvin) is used in science. (The zero degree K is equivalent to –273 C, and deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen which is twice as heavy as hydrogen).

As the ice warms up, a first peak of luminescence appears near 120K, and a second peak near 166 K. Heavy water gives a much stronger signal than water. In both cases, samples that were not irradiated gave no signals at all.

For both water and heavy water, the relative intensity of the thermoluminescence depends on the irradiation dose. There has been a suggestion that peak 2 comes from the hydrogen-bonded network within ice, whereas peak 1 comes from the individual molecules. This was confirmed by looking at a totally different material that is known to present strong hydrogen bonds, which showed a similar glow in the peak 2 region, but nothing in peak 1.

Rey then investigated what would happen when he dissolved some chemicals in the water and diluted it in steps of one hundred fold with vigorous stirring (as in the preparation of homeopathic remedies), until he reached a concentration of 10 to the power -30 g per centilitre, and compare that to the control that has not had any chemical dissolved in it and diluted in the same way.

The samples were frozen and activated with irradiation as usual.

Much to his surprise, when lithium chloride, LiCl, a chemical that would be expected to break hydrogen bonds between water molecules was added, and then diluted away, the thermoluminescent glow became reduced, but the reduction of peak 2 was greater relative to peak 1. Sodium chloride, NaCl, had the same effect albeit to a lesser degree.

It appears, therefore, that substances like LiCl and NaCl can modify the hydrogen-bonded network of water, and that this modification remains even when the molecules have been diluted away.

http://www.vhan.nl/documents/Rey.thermoluminescence.pdf

The fact that this ‘memory’ remains, in spite of, or because of vigorous stirring or shaking at successive dilutions, indicates that the ‘memory’ is by no means static, but depends on a dynamic process, perhaps a collective quantum excitation of water molecules that has a high degree of stability (see "The strangeness of water and homeopathic memory", SiS 15).

Sole to Soul in Bentham

2010-03-17T15:45:00.000Z

I will shortly be joining the team at Sole to Soul Holistic Therapy Centre in the market town of Bentham on the fringes of the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland.

The clinic was set up by Marie Rayner, a podiatrist and chiropodist, she bought this old dilapidated Legion Hut on Grasmere Drive, demolished it, and has created a purpose built therapy centre on the site.

The Old Legion Hut in 2008

In June 2009 the new Sole to Soul clinic opened for business and now offers podiatry, chiropody, reflexology, massage, healing, Bowen therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique, food intolerance testing, aqua detox, conscious medicine, naturopathy, herbal medicine and homeopathy.

Sole to Soul, Grasmere Drive, Bentham, LA2 7JP
Phone 015242 63067
http://www.sole-to-soul.net

Some of the Sole to Soul therapists will be at the Lancaster Complementary Health Fair on Saturday 20th March at Lancaster Town Hall if you want to go along and have a chat.

It is on from 10am to 5pm, entry is £1.50 and there will be free talks, taster sessions and the opportunity to meet a wide range of practitioners. There is also a raffle and a wholesome cafe.

Ghandi Quotes

2010-03-17T14:38:00.001Z

Ghandi is always a good source of thought provoking quotes and one in particular has been on my mind recently. The huge amount of anti-homeopathy articles in the media reminded me of this.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

So, hopefully, we're not far from winning.

This is another great Ghandi quote which Dan Ullman came across

Plants and Fungi in Homeopathy

2010-03-04T15:14:00.002Z

Gelsemium Sempervirens

The homeopathic remedy Gelsemium is
often used to treat the symptoms of flu

The fantastic illustrations in the website reminded me of an excellent book that I have somewhere but can't seem to put my hands on at the minute! It is called 'Dangerous Garden: The Quest for Plants to Change our Lives' by David Stuart. He is a botanist and his passion for his subject really shines through every page. There are many wonderful pictures of plants in the book that are still in common use in homeopathy and herbalism. It is full of enthralling tales of the darker side of plants and includes poisonings, plague and pestilence, aphrodisiacs, mysterious mass hallucinations and much, much more. I do love reading Culpeper and Gerard but this is a herbal book with a difference!

The Knitting Nannies

2010-02-27T22:09:00.000Z

This is absolutely nothing to do with homeopathy or anything I usually write about! With all the terrible events going on in the world I thought everyone could do with something a bit light hearted.

I must confess to a family connection here, my mother in law is one of the nannies (2nd from the right), and the musician is Sirius Fawkes, my husbands nephew.

Guaranteed to make you smile.

The Knitting Nannies on YouTube

Sirius Fawkes

Science and Technology Evidence Check

2010-02-21T17:27:00.000Z

The UK government has recently had their Science and Technology Committee look at evidence for homeopathy. There have been concerns that some of the people on the committee were known critics of homeopathy, or had strong connections with groups who were, and so a fair and balanced report is unlikely to be the outcome.

The Liberal Democrat Science spokesman, Dr Evan Harris is a known supporter of Sense About Science, an organisation which is publicly extremely critical of homeopathy. Dr Harris was recently filmed making a speech at an anti-homeopathy 'mass overdose' stunt. He made derogatory comments about Dr Peter Fisher who is director of the London Homeopathic Hospital, and also incidentally, homeopath to the Queen. Hardly an impartial and unbiased act for an MP on a committee listening to evidence on the subject. Dr Harris by criticising a fellow doctor is clearly in breach of Articles 46 and 47 of the General Medical Council’s Guidelines for Good Medical Practice.

Article 46. You must treat your colleagues fairly and with respect. You must not bully or harass them, or unfairly discriminate against them by allowing your personal views to affect adversely your professional relationship with them. You should challenge colleagues if their behaviour does not comply with this guidance.

Article 47. You must not make malicious and unfounded criticisms of colleagues that may undermine patients' trust in the care or treatment they receive, or in the judgement of those treating them.

Voice of (not so young) homeopathy blog for the video of Dr Harris addressing the crowd at the 'mass overdose'

The choice of people who gave oral evidence to the committee seems a bit odd. Dr Peter Fisher is the only doctor using homeopathy who was questioned. Dr David Reilly from the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital is regarded as a leading expert on this subject and should have been called. The Society of Homeopaths, the principal organisation representing non-medical homeopaths did not have the opportunity to speak. At least three people chosen to speak have affiliations or sympathies with Sense About Science, an organisation which has no advisors who are experts in the field of homeopathy.

Government policy should be informed by the performance of homeopathy in the real world with real patients, and it is seen to perform there extremely well - providing cost effective and successful treatment to tens of thousands of patients who have not been helped by conventional medicine. An audit by the Bristol Homeopathic Hospital looking at over 6500 patients and 23,000 appointments over a 6 year period showed 70% of patients reported their health improved after treatment. The reports from the homeopathic hospitals were never discussed as part of the Evidence Check.

The NHS budget for homeopathy comprises just 0.004% of the total NHS budget and the annual bill for homeopathic medicines is just £157,000. Compare this with the NHS drugs bill for pharmaceutical products of £11 billion. Incidentally, the NHS expects to pay out over £4.4 billion in compensation and negligence claims this year.

Observational study Bristol Homeopathic Hospital. Over 23,000 patient attendances in a 6-year period, 70% of patients reported improved health, 50% major improvement of wide range of conditions.

Spence DS, Thompson EA, Barron SJ (2005). Homeopathic treatment for chronic disease: a 6-year university-hospital outpatient observational study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11:793-798.

Dilutions and Avogadro

2010-01-29T22:42:00.000Z

The critics of homeopathy are always going on about Avogadro's number, which is 6.022 x 10 to the power 23. I wonder how many of them actually understand it.

So here is a very simple explanation of what it is all about. Armedeo Avogadro in 1811 hypothesised that 'Equal volumes of ideal or perfect gases, at the same temperature and pressure, contain the same number of particles, or molecules'. What he meant was that the same volume of a gas, whether it is hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen or anything else, will contain the same number of molecules if the temperatures and pressures are the same. This is Avogadro's Law.

Long after he died other scientists recognised what an important contribution he had made and the Avogadro Constant is named after him but the concept of the mole to which it refers was not known in his lifetime.

Now for a basic chemistry lesson, so pay attention.

One mole of a substance is the molecular weight in grams of that substance, so hydrogen has a molecular weight of 1, so 1 g is 1 mole of hydrogen, carbon has a molecular weight of 12 and so 12g of carbon is 1 mole.

One mole of a substance will always contain the same number of elemental particles (usually atoms or molecules) and that number will be 6.022 x 10 to the power 23, this can also be written as 602 200 000 000 000 000 000 000 particles, which is an awful lot of particles.

Are you still with me? The problem sceptics have is that homeopathic remedies are very diluted. A 12c homepathic remedy is technically a dilution of 1 x 10 to the power 24, and so larger than Avogadro's Constant so there should be none of the original particles still present. What the sceptics always seem to forget, or ignore, is that homeopathic remedies are not just diluted, they are also shaken vigorously between each dilution which is a process known as succussion.

There is a whole branch of science looking at the peculiar properties of ultra diluted solutions and there is absolutely no doubt that there are many scientific peer reviewed published papers which demonstrate that a substance which has been diluted and shaken is still measurable way beyond the point that it should be. There have been positive experiments using a whole host of different analytical techniques and the laws of physics and chemistry cannot currently explain why these ultra diluted and shaken substances can still be measured.

One of the key papers on this subject is by the physicist Dr Louis Rey, he used very diluted and shaken solutions of lithium chloride and sodium chloride and then analysed them using a technique called thermoluminescence. It showed conclusively that very dilute solutions were measurable when they were diluted beyond the point there should be any particles present.

http://www.vhan.nl/documents/Rey.thermoluminescence.pdf

and there is much more evidence in plant and biological systems too.

Homeopathy ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/homp) is the journal for the Faculty of Homeopathy which has recently published a two part special issue focusing on biological models of homeopathy. The special issue highlights experiments on homeopathic treatments in biological models, ranging from whole animals and plants to cell cultures and enzymes, showing a remarkable range of findings.

Editor-in-Chief Dr Peter Fisher commented: ‘Throughout its 200 year history claims that homeopathy has ‘real’ (as opposed to placebo) effects have been hotly contested. Our special issue brings together a wide range of scientific work in biological systems, where there can be no placebo effect, showing that there are now several biological experiments which yield consistently positive results with homeopathic dilutions’.

Visit www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/14754916 for full contents and abstracts

Sceptic stunt

2010-01-29T19:26:00.000Z

The sceptics 'overdose' stunt is in the news.

This is a statement from the Society of Homeopaths, the largest organisation registering professional homeopaths in Europe, in response to the1023 stunt.

http://www.homeopathy-soh.org/

For a very good overview of the current research and evidence for homeopathy have a look at the website of the British Homeopathic Association which is the organisation for medically trained homeopaths working within the NHS.

http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/

Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on treating the individual with highly diluted substances given in mainly tablet form, which triggers the body’s natural system of healing. Based on their experience of their symptoms, a homeopath will match the most appropriate medicine to the patient.

Since homeopathy is person specific, the action of a remedy cannot be predicted without knowing the patient’s symptoms at the time they take it.

This is one reason why The Society recommends that prescriptions are taken under the guidance of an appropriately qualified and registered homeopath (see www.homeopathy-soh.org for more details).

Over-the-counter homeopathic medicines should only be used as directed on the labeling. Proving guidelines for determining which homeopathic medicines are suitable for which disease focus more on the repetition of a dose rather than a large single dose in isolation.

The Society would not therefore expect any reaction to the proposed ‘overdose’ by this group unless, by chance, an individual in that group already had symptoms that matched that remedy at the time of taking it.

The Thin Line That Leads Us

2010-01-26T15:48:00.000Z

Lemon Leaf

This is nothing to do with homeopathy but is a wonderful blog which is written by a friend of mine, Rhiannon. We shared an office many years ago at the Open University where we worked in geochemistry research, both our lives have changed quite a bit since then!
She now lives in a beautiful part of Cumbia, is a keen walker, fellrunner and sea kayak-er and her blog is full of amazing pictures, mainly of things that her and her partner, Stu, get up to on their travels. It is so much more than looking at someones holiday snaps, the photos are really quite wonderful and beautifully observed. So, if you are stuck at a desk and not enjoying your day then have a look at her blog and escape in to Rhiannons world for a bit!

http://heliospanoptes.blogspot.com/

Pumpkins drying on a Spanish balcony

Winter scenes

2010-01-24T11:36:00.000Z

Catrigg Force

There has been much doom and gloom on the news about the recent disruptions due to the snow and ice. But with all the cold weather we also get some fantastic scenery, particularly in our bit of the Yorkshire Dales. We went for a walk in the snow to Catrigg Force which is close to where we live. The ice in the stream above the waterfall and cascade of water had created some wonderful ice formations so I thought I'd share some of our pictures with you.

Ice in the beck

Down the waterfall

Looking towards Giggleswick

Clinic Move

2010-01-06T08:40:00.001Z

The Gateway to Health Clinic has now moved, but not very far. From January 2010 we have relocated to larger premises off Castle Hill in the centre of Settle. The new clinic is in a courtyard just behind LloydsTSB bank which is in the Market Square. New address is Gateway to Health, Castle Hill, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 9EU.

To celebrate the move we will be having an Open Day on Sunday 14th February 10am to 2pm. This will be an informal event where visitors can come and have a look around the building and meet some of the therapists. As there is space for more practioners we now offer Homeopathy and Flower Remedies, Acupuncture, Tai Chi and Chi Kung, Reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique, Holistic Massage, Shiatsu, Person Centred Counselling and Life Coaching.

The Open Day is the same day as the Farmers Market in Settle so why not come over and make a day of it. Unfortunately, due to family commitments down south I am unable to be there.

http://www.gatewaytohealth.co.uk/

Dana Ullman Blog

2009-11-30T12:36:00.000Z

Dana Ullman is an eminent homeopath and writer. His book, The Homeopathic Revolution, talks about some of the key characters involved in the development of homeopathy and the many famous people who have used it over the years.

Several well known characters have been helped by homeopathy including Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, many members of the Royal family, several US presidents, a multitude of scientists, actors, sporting personalities, singers and politicians but for some reason these homeopathic connections often disappear when biographies are written.

Dana has started to write a regular blog on the Huffington Post website, these articles are thought provoking and informative and certainly well worth a read.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman

Huffington Post is an online internet only newspaper which offers coverage of politics, media, business, entertainment, living, style, the green movement, world news, and comedy, and is a top destination for news, blogs and original content.

If you would like to know more about Dana's book or his writing in general have a look at www.homeopathicrevolution.com which also has articles on various homeopathy related stories and news.

Testimonial from Sylvia

2009-11-30T11:53:00.000Z

Having recently suffered from a nervous breakdown I have been extremely grateful for the professional, compassionate service you offer as a homeopath. Having had experience of other homeopaths in the past I feel I have particularly benefitted from your considerable knowledge of mental health. I would certainly recommend you to others.

Sylvia, North Yorkshire

Placebos getting more effective

2009-08-31T18:42:00.001+01:00

This is a very interesting, but quite long, article about a mysterious phenomenon which is causing havoc in drug trials. The placebo (dummy) pills given to people seem to having a more powerful positive response than the drugs being tested.

http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=1

an extract from the article

In a study last year, Harvard Medical School researcher Ted Kaptchuk devised a clever strategy for testing his volunteers' response to varying levels of therapeutic ritual. The study focused on irritable bowel syndrome, a painful disorder that costs more than $40 billion a year worldwide to treat. First the volunteers were placed randomly in one of three groups. One group was simply put on a waiting list; researchers know that some patients get better just because they sign up for a trial. Another group received placebo treatment from a clinician who declined to engage in small talk. Volunteers in the third group got the same sham treatment from a clinician who asked them questions about symptoms, outlined the causes of IBS, and displayed optimism about their condition.

Not surprisingly, the health of those in the third group improved most. In fact, just by participating in the trial, volunteers in this high-interaction group got as much relief as did people taking the two leading prescription drugs for IBS. And the benefits of their bogus treatment persisted for weeks afterward, contrary to the belief, widespread in the pharmaceutical industry, that the placebo response is short-lived.

Gallery on the green

2009-07-20T23:12:00.000+01:00

One of the things I love about living in the countryside is the quirky things that happen.

A phone box in Settle was decommisioned by BT and the town council bought it. Volunteers and local residents have now turned it into an art gallery, but due to the small space available, all artistic donations must be in the form of postcards.

http://www.galleryonthegreen.org.uk/

Probably the smallest art gallery in the world

Big Lunch

2009-07-02T23:33:00.000+01:00

This is nothing to do with homeopathy but I think it is a great but simple idea. Have a look at the website and see what is happening near you. I will be going to our local event which is happening in the market square in Settle on Sunday 19th July.

http://www.thebiglunch.com

Imagine a summer's day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together, with our neighbours in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks and on every patch of common ground. The food, entertainment and decorations we will have either grown, cooked, or created ourselves. This will be a day to break bread with our neighbours, to put a smile on Britain's face.

Festival fun

2009-06-19T20:56:00.000+01:00

It is that festival time again. I am off to Glastonbury on Monday and will be working with the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective. Our enormous tent is just on the right hand side as you enter the Healing Field. So pop in for a chat if you're passing or are in need of some treatment.

http://www.thc.org.uk

While I'm away if you need some advice or remedies in the Settle area please call my colleague Samantha Glossop 07877 138210

Or you can call the Homeopathy Helpline for advice on 0906 534 3404. A qualified homeopath is available between 9am and midnight every day. Calls cost approx £1.50 a minute but if you are clear on what symptoms you want help with the calls will not last long.

http://www.homeopathyhelpline.com/

India 2009 - travels part 2

2009-05-18T10:07:00.001+01:00

After Pondicherry we travelled inland for a few days. We got the bus to Tiruvannamalai which is about 180 km south west of Chennai.

The Arunachaleswarar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva dominates the town and was built between the 16th and the 17th centuries by the kings of the Vijayanagara empire. The temple is famous for its massive gopurams. The temple is a site of great religious importance and many people come here for pilgrimages and for the many festivals that take place in the town. We got up early one morning to walk up Arunachala hill to see the sunrise, unfortunately we saw more cloud and mist than sun but we had a nice walk!

We spent a day exploring the nearby ruins at Gingee. The fort was built on three hills and the walls are up to 60 feet thick in places. The buildings were carved out of the rocks and included shrines, temples, accommodation and huge stores for grain and oil for when the site was beseiged, which it often was. The oldest part dates back to the 9th century while most was built in the 13th century. The scale of the fortifications is quite incredible and in spite of this the fort was the site of frequent battles and changed hands many times over the years. It was declared a national monument in 1921 and is well looked after by the Archeological Department. It really is a fantastic and impressive site but seems to get very few visitors.

After a very long, hot, walk up and down the hills to see the fort we were pretty exhausted and hungry. So we wandered along the main road towards Gingee town and stopped for a welcome chai and some food. The parota are always very tasty all over southern India and making them is a very specialised job. The parota maker was very happy for us to take some photos of him at work.
It makes me feel hungry just thinking about all that tasty food!

India 2009 - travels part 1

2009-05-18T09:40:00.000+01:00

After Kolkata we spent a couple of weeks travelling round Tamil Nadu. We flew into Chennai and headed straight for Mamallapuram on the coast. On our visits to India we have generally avoided touristy areas so this was a bit different for us, we initially found it hard to find Indian food as most of the cafes seemed to be catering for the bland tastes of european visitors. All around the town are fantastically ornate temples which have been carved out of the rocks. Most of the carvings were done between the 7th and 9th centuries. The five rathas are particularly impressive and are carved out of one huge lump of granite. Two of the rathas are in the picture below.After this we spent a few days in Pondicherry. A bizarre but fantastic bit of France in southern India. A town where you can get proper coffee and croissants and hear locals chattering away in french in cafes. The street signs and tree lined avenues near the seafront really do make you feel like you are in France, but the market area, especially on a Sunday, is very much like any other part of India. The beach is a real focal point for the locals and tourists alike. It seems everyone comes out to promenade along the seaside at sunset and quite a few come along at sunrise too.

Those of you who know my fiance Lyndon will know he likes goats. I've promised him that one day we will get some of our own! He took this picture in Mamallapuram early one morning.

India 2009 - wedding

2009-04-13T11:21:00.000+01:00

The main reason for our return to Kolkata in February was to go to a wedding. Our friends Suve and Ellie had a traditional Hindu ceremony in Kolkata on Valentines day. Suve's family are from Shibpur and many relatives still live there and they were all very hospitable and made us feel welcome. One of Suves uncles gave us a little tour of the district, this picture was taken just near the Banerjee family home.
The first day of the celebrations took place in Shibpur and was a huge meal for friends and family of the bridegroom. There was a seemingly endless supply of wonderful food and Suve had a quite enormous plate to get through, all his female relatives stood behind him to tell him what order to eat it in! He doesn't have much of an appetite so some of the others had to help him out and tidy it up.

The main wedding service took place on the Saturday at a large marriage hall. The ceremony was very interesting to watch and at various points friends and relatives got involved. The priest was very patient with Ellie's dad as he struggled to get to grips with Sanskrit. Ellie and Suve looked fantastic in their wedding outfits.

India 2009 - homeopathy

2009-04-10T10:38:00.000+01:00

We went back to Kolkata for a week in February this year to attend a wedding then spent a couple of weeks travelling around Chennai. While we were in Kolkata I was able to join Dr Banerjea for a couple of days in his homeopathy clinics. The Bengal Allen Medical Institue run an exchange every year for foreign homeopaths and this comprises a combination of lectures and clinic visits. I did this course in 2008 and it was a fantastic experience. The Institute runs free homeopathy clinics in various parts of Kolkata and we spent a great deal of time in these. They have a small van which acts as a mobile dispensary.
It always amuses me when people criticise homeopathy and say that people only appear to get better because they have a chance to talk about themselves for a while. In my clinic the first appointment would take 90 minutes to 2 hours, in these free clinics the first consultation could well be less than 5 minutes. Dr Banerjea has such a detailed knowlege of homeopathic remedies he regulaly sees around 50 patients in a 3 hour clinic and patients still get better without the long chats! A new clinic has recently been set up near Dr Banerjeas ancestral home which is near Barasat to the north east of Kolkata. Dr Banerjeas uncle was a Hindu priest and the house still has a shrine and a resident priest. A clinic building has recently been constructed in the grounds. The clinic is in a very rural area and as they don't get many foreign visitors we were a bit of an attraction. Myself and Camilla were sat by the window and regularly had small children jump up behind us to see what was going on!

Another Indian Adventure

2009-02-04T21:38:00.000Z

I will be in India from 9^th Feb until 1^st March and back in the clinic in Settle as normal on Monday 2^nd. I will not be able to deal with email or phone messages while I am away. I will update you on my travels when I return but we will be in Kolkata to attend the wedding of our friends, Suve and Ellie, then heading south to spend a couple of weeks around Chennai. If you need some homeopathic advice during this period then contact my colleague Samantha Glossop on 07877 138210.

If you want some urgent advice over the phone you might like to call the Homeopathy Helpline which is available between 9am and midnight. This is particularly useful if you have some remedies at home as they can often suggest something which may help deal with the problem. If they suggest a remedy that you don’t have they will be able to tell you where you can get hold of it. The advice given is mainly concerned with acute problems such as fevers, coughs and colds, tummy bugs or childhood illnesses but they can also discuss other problems and help you to decide whether homeopathic treatment is appropriate. If it is not suitable they may direct you to another form of therapy or suggest you contact your GP.

This service is only available within the United Kingdom and calls are charged at BT premium rate which is approx £1.50 per minute, this may sound a lot but calls can be short if you are clear about the symptoms and think about what questions you are likely to be asked. These are things like - when did the problem start, did it come on quickly or slowly, does anything make the problem better or worse, are there any desires or aversions to food or drink?

Homeopathy Helpline 09065 34 34 04

http://www.homeopathyhelpline.com/

Positive local news

2009-01-04T20:14:00.001Z

There has been a lot of doom and gloom in the news recently so it was nice to see a positive local story.

Tom is a shopkeeper in Settle who decided to open up his shop then go home and leave his customers to help themselves.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7809031.stm

Photo from BBC website

A Rational Choice

2008-11-29T23:19:00.007Z

Mo Morrish was one of my lecturers at the British School of Homoeopathy and I was also fortunate to have him as my supervisor for student clinical cases. His lectures on the principles and philosophy of homoeopathy were always inspiring and often included literary or scientific quotes, music, art or poetry from very diverse sources which he used to illustrate his points very clearly.

His book ‘Homoeopathy, A Rational Choice in Medicine’ is aimed at readers who want to know more about the effectiveness, safety, history or principles of this form of treatment. There have been a lot of negative comments about what we do in the media recently and I feel this is a valuable tool to counter many of those criticisms. Sadly, I doubt many of those critics will take the time to read it.

This is a very short and eloquent book which gives a simple overview of homoeopathic medicine. At only 66 pages it can be easily read in one sitting but contains many thought provoking passages and references should you want to explore further. You may be a complete sceptic, a satisfied patient, a student or an experienced practitioner. I think this book has a lot to offer us all.

British Homeopathic Association

2008-11-17T20:13:00.000Z

The British Homeopathic Association have revamped their website and it has a huge amount of interesting information, research and other articles for you to browse through.

http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/

Some very clear info about homeopathy and what to expect from treatment, as well as articles on specific topics, case studies from patients and an A-Z (well it goes from ADHD to urinary infections so technically A-U!). All the articles have been published in their magazine 'Health and Homeopathy' which is well worth a read whatever your level of knowledge of homeopathy.

On a very different subject I was shocked to see this article in the news. The NHS could have to pay out as much as £12bn in compensation to patients for clinical negligence. That amount of money is the equivalent of around ten percent of the whole NHS budget. This estimated figure comes from the NHS Litigation Agency which pays out patient claims.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/health/3202619/NHS-compensation-bill-could-be-12-billion.html

Like cures like

2008-10-24T15:45:00.000+01:00

One of the core principles of homeopathy is let like cure like. In practical terms that means we use remedies made from substances, which in larger amounts, would cause similar symptoms. Just think what happens to you when you chop up a strong onion and you can see why a homeopathic remedy made from onion might be useful for hayfever. Another example is that a remedy made from coffee might be appropriate for helping someone with insomnia.

This principal of like cures like is also used in conventional medicine but not as frequently as in homeopathy. In patients who are in a persistent vegetative state there have been some successes when they have been given sleeping pills.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5008744.stm

A very recent example is of children in the USA with extreme peanut allergies who have been given small amounts of peanut protein in liquid or powder form. Initially they are given the equivalent of one thousandth of a peanut and this amount is slowly increased over time. Four children who have completed years of the treatment are now able to tolerate 13 to 15 peanuts without showing even mild symptoms.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Allergy/story?id=6097888&page=1

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME IF YOU HAVE A CHILD WITH A NUT ALLERGY

Another case of like cures like, and one with a strong homeopathic connection, is the use of radiation to treat tumours. Dr Emil Grubbe developed blistering and tumours on his hands and neck while he was experimenting with X Rays as a student at the Hahnemann Homeopathic Hospital in Chicago in the 1895. As the radiation was very clearly the cause of the tumours one of the professors suggested it might be a useful therapeutic tool in treating cancers. Dr Grubbe was the first person to use radiation therapy on Mrs Rose Lee for breast cancer in 1896 and she benefited from this treatment. For reasons which remain unclear, he is often referred to as a radiologist, physicist or doctor but his homeopathic connections and credentials rarely get a mention!

Dr Emil Grubbe (1875-1960)

Food for the Brain

2008-10-20T10:05:00.000+01:00

As well as being a homeopath I am very interested in how diet and lifestyle can affect health and mental health in particular. I recently went to London to attend a conference organised by Food for the Brain - they are a charity whose aim is to raise awareness of the link between learning, behaviour, mental health and nutrition. Food for the Brain have done some excellent work, particularly in schools and young offenders institutions. These studies have shown great improvement in learning ability, attention and behaviour by using supplements of vitamins, fish oils and/or improving diet.

The speakers at the conference were leaders in their field and had come from all parts of the world to present their current research. The conference covered nutrition and child development, Alzheimers and memory loss, addiction and psychiatric disorders.

The majority of the conference delegates were nutritionists but it was interesting to see that there were also many nurses, psychiatrists, GPs and teachers who wanted to know more about current developments in these areas.

A recent government report said

A diet lacking essential nutrients or containing ingredients that are detrimental, is likely to have adverse consequences for brain function, mental health and behaviour. Evidence of the links between nutritional status and childhood disorders, depression, aggressive and anti-social behaviour merits further publicly funded research. Because of the major potential benefit for the fields of education, crime, health and well-being of vulnerable sections of society, we believe more research is urgently needed in this area and we recommend that more Government resources are devoted to this.

The Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum, 2008

For more information have a look at the Food for the Brain website

http://www.foodforthebrain.org

Brian Kaplan

2008-09-12T12:54:00.000+01:00

Dr Brian Kaplan is a homeopath and a medical doctor based in London. His book, The Homeopathic Conversation, is one of the most inspiring books I read while I was studying homeopathy.

He has an excellent blog on his website which deals with the negative press homeopaths seem to be getting a lot of at the moment. We are continually criticised by members of the medical profession for being dangerous and/or ineffective but the report he mentions in his most recent post shows how few of their own treatments are safe and effective. This is very graphically illustrated in the pie chart which shows only 13% of modern medical treatments are proven to be effective.

http://drkaplanarticles.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

http://drkaplan.co.uk/

Northern Green Gathering 2008

2008-08-26T18:04:00.000+01:00

Earlier this month I went to the Northern Green Gathering which was held at Lime Tree farm near Ripon. I was working with the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective to provide a clinic at the festival.

Northern Green Gathering is an annual camping event focused around sustainable living and green campaigns which has been running since 1998. The camp was powered entirely by sustainable means - wind turbines and solar panels - and the aim was to ensure minimal impact. The site also has composting toilets, recycling was encouraged, and all on-site food was organic and vegetarian.

The weather was not kind to us with a fair bit of rain and very strong winds but a good time was had by all. There was loads of stuff for kids to do, a big craft area as well as a permaculture and gardening area and a large campaigns tent where there was information and literature on environmental and other issues.

Our clinic was based in the healing field where there were lots of free classes and workshops including yoga, tai chi, meditation, Tibetan chanting and even how to make softpots (plant pots made out of old tights!)

Lime Tree Farm is a beautiful location and a fine example of conservation in action. The farm has wonderful roundhouse, tepee, lake and a stone circle, a bird hide and woods.

http://www.nggonline.org.uk

http://www.limetreefarm.co.uk/

Glastonbury 2008

2008-07-08T21:40:00.000+01:00

I had a great time at Glastonbury and it was wonderful to have some good weather for a change!

I worked as a volunteer with the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective who provide drop-in clinics at various festivals over the summer. Working in the clinic was often a very busy, but rewarding, experience. Many people popped back in to see us to let us know they were feeling better after their remedies so it was nice to have some instant feedback.

We helped with a variety of conditions including dodgy tummies, cystitis, hangovers, coughs and colds, sunburn and skin rashs. By far the most common problem we treated was hayfever. Most people who came to us were taking medication which usually kept their symptoms under control. Spending a few days in a dusty, festival site with lots of unfamiliar pollen and their symptoms came on with a vengeance.

There are several published research papers which show that homeopathic treatment is effective for hayfever. Hayfever is an excellent example of the individual nature of homeopathy. A remedy is chosen based on the symptoms so we need to know what is causing the person the most trouble, is it constant sneezing, itchy and runny eyes, burning nasal discharge, hoarseness or anything else.

Three of the most commonly used remedies for hayfever are

Allium Cepa Burning nasal discharge causing sore nostrils and upper lip, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing

Euphrasia Eyes severely affected with profuse burning and watering, burning and swelling of eyelids, sneezing, nasal discharge which does not burn

Wyethia Particularly good for symptoms confined to the back of nose and throat; dry and intensely itchy; dry wheezy cough

Some of these homeopathic remedies are available over the counter and can be helpful when symptoms appear. However, hayfever is a deep-seated condition, and constitutional treatment from a qualified homeopath over two or three seasons may be able to cure the condition completely. I recommend starting treatment before the hayfever season in order to strengthen general health and reduce sensitivity to pollens.

I thoroughly enjoyed my festival experience, and am looking forward to doing another clinic with the Travelling Homoeopaths at the Northern Green Gathering near Ripon in August.

Travelling Homoeopaths Collective http://www.thc.org.uk/
Northern Green Gathering http://www.nggonline.org.uk

Homeopathy worked for me

2008-07-08T20:06:00.000+01:00

This is a great website which has been set up by H:MC21, Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century. They are a group of homeopaths who have created the site to counter the criticisms levelled at homeopathy and alternative medicine by some sections of the media.

If you have been helped by homeopathy then you can sign the declaration on the website to show your support.

http://www.homeopathyworkedforme.org

Health Insurance Companies

2008-05-23T12:42:00.000+01:00

The following list of Private Medical Insurance Companies all cover homeopathy and recognise members of the Society of Homeopaths. Depending on your level of cover, policies may pay some or all costs of treatment by a complementary practitioner, some companies may need a referral from a GP. Contact the company directly for more information.

Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0121 454 3601
No GP referral required

CIGNA UK

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 01475 492 187
GP referral required

Civil Service Healthcare

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0208 410 0440
GP referral required

Clinicare

Contact: Claims Helpline
Telephone: 01462 688 100
GP referral may vary

First Assist Insurance Services Limited

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 01202 292 464
GP referral required

Forester Health

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0208 628 3434
No GP referral required

Health Shield

Contact: Claims Department
Telephone: 01270 588 555
No GP referral required

HSA

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 08702 425 454
No GP referral required

Medisure

Contact: Claims Department
Telephone: 0870 333 1174
GP referral may vary

Norwich Union Healthcare

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0870 155 5789
GP referral required

Patient Aid Association

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 01902 371 000
No GP referral required

Pinnacle PLC

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0208 207 9100
No GP referral required

Provincial Hospital Association

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 01234 267 371
No GP referral required

Standard Life Health Care

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0161 475 3404
GP referral required

Westfield Health Scheme

Contact: Claims
Telephone: 0114 250 2000
GP referral required

Oh Calcutta

2008-05-10T11:20:00.000+01:00

In January 2008 I went to Calcutta for a month to spend time at the Bengal Allen Institute. The course was organised by Dr Subrata Banerjea and was a combination of lectures and visits to slum clinics and lecturers consulting rooms. The first, and most striking thing about the trip, was that there is absolutely no animosity between homeopathy and allopathy in India. We were taught by homeopaths and also by a medical doctor, they work together in harmony. It can happen!

In India there is no form of state health system so people have to pay for all treatment themselves whether this is medication, blood tests, scans or surgery. This means they also choose what type of treatment suits them and will pay to see an allopathic doctor, a homeopath or an ayurvedic practitioner. Surgery and biopsies are expensive procedures which are financially out of the question for many people. We saw patients in the clinics from all social backgrounds, from people living in slums to a multi-billionaire shipping magnate. All of them chose homeopathy and use it because they know it works for them.

One of the criticisms levelled against homeopathy in Europe is that we spend so much time listening to patients that they are likely to feel better just because they are having a nice chat and being listened to. In India the patient certainly doesn't get time to chat but the results are still very impressive.

In one slum clinic session we saw 50 patients treated in less than 3 hours! Many of the consulting rooms were far from restful places. Often there were several students observing and a queue of patients waiting to be seen either in the same room or just outside.

Calcutta is a bustling and noisy place but I loved it and had a great time there. The clinics and lecturers were an inspiration and it was a fantastic opportunity to see a huge number of difficult cases successfully treated with homeopathy.

One of our lecturers, Dr Basu, in the consulting room at his home.

Indian Homeopathic Pharmacies

2008-05-04T15:32:00.000+01:00

In England there are a handful of specialist homeopathic pharmacies and shops. In India, and especially in Calcutta, that is not the case. There are many, many shops, clinics and pharmacies particularly around BB Ganguly Street. They are always full of people waiting to collect remedies or to see a homeopath.

Just around the corner from the Bengal Allen Institute was the dispensary and offices of the National Homeopathic Pharmacy. It was a fantastic old building with cabinets everywhere full of books, tinctures and remedies. It always seemed very chaotic in there but the system worked and we always got what we had ordered!

Photos

2008-04-15T23:27:00.001+01:00

A huge thankyou to Mike for letting me use his photos for the website.
If you want to see more of his work then check out his page on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaeljohn/

Steve's Testimonial, Leeds

2008-01-22T22:25:00.000Z

When I first met Jo, I would say I was an open-minded sceptic – however, after our first meeting I could see that her counselling skills alone made the treatments worthwhile. After receiving the homeopathic remedies I found they worked and they have helped me hugely with my recovery and there have been no side-effects.

I would describe Jo as trustworthy, sympathetic and non-judgemental. She has time to talk and has the skills needed to treat the root cause of problems and not just the symptoms.

I would recommend a consultation with Jo to anybody who needs help.

Steve, Leeds

Rachels Testimonial, Exeter

2008-01-22T22:24:00.000Z

I had developed an ultimately life-threatening fear of eating, following a long bout of bowel disease and subsequent surgery, dropping to 5.5 stone with ever-decreasing hopes of being able to reverse the trend.

Jo stepped in as a concerned friend and a professional homeopath, to give me help prior to my taking myself off into hospital for some long term treatment. Her consistent positivity and cheeriness (during homeopathic consultations and 1:1 chats over the odd latte or two!) gave me a huge amount of confidence and hopefulness for the difficult period ahead.

She prescribed a gentle but rather powerful remedy which was to encourage a healthy appetite and help my poor starving body retain the nutrients it so desperately needed once the intensive re-feeding programme was initiated. Within days, I started feeling hungry (very!) and could feel myself relaxing both mentally and physically before meals. I also found that my inner strength and my resolve increased and were constant, throughout the often traumatic admission - which, I'm sure, was due to the remedy.

I am now almost fully recovered and I most definitely have my life back! A heartfelt THANK YOU to Jo for her timely intervention, her thoughtfulness and her insightful prescription. I never thought I would attain this healthy 'me'....

Rachel, Exeter

Homeopathy Volunteering

2008-01-22T22:21:00.000Z

I have always wanted to be able to bring homeopathy to people who would never normally have access to such therapies.

I am currently working as a volunteer with the Hub at Connexions based in Settle which helps support young people in the area. I am providing homeopathy, Bach Flower Remedies, advice on diet and relaxation techniques to young people and liaising with support workers, GPs and drug workers where necessary.

http://www.connexionsyorkandnorthyorkshire.org.uk

When I lived in Bristol I ran a drop-in clinic for homeless magazine vendors and staff at the Big Issue. I used homeopathy and Bach Flower Remedies to help reduce anxiety, sleep problems and other emotional disturbances and also provided homeopathic first aid for such things as injuries, colds, headaches, hayfever and infected wounds.

www.bigissue.co.uk

I have also worked as a volunteer for SANE the mental health charity on their helpline. This involved taking calls from a variety of people affected by mental health issues in some way. The training was intensive and included a great deal of information about the mental health system and conventional treatment as well as excellent counselling training.

http://www.sane.org.uk