Homeopathy is a diagnostic dialogue. One-hour long sessions allow the practitioner to peel away the layers of symptoms and treat the patient’s core problems.
But be warned: questions ranging from sex life to daily bowel movements may be uncomfortable for the faint-hearted. “The symptomatic picture that a homeopath takes is much more detailed than a conventional doctor,” says local homeopath Marianne Baasch.
Homeopathy encourages a holistic view of the human body and emphasises the connections between the body, the mind and the emotions. Baasch believes a person can never really be healthy if they are not happy. “Disappointed love” and “lack of joy” are considered official conditions that a homeopath can treat with homeopathic remedies.
But the treatments are not without controversy. They are based on the principle that like will cure like. Miniscule amounts of poisons are diluted with water to treat the symptoms that the poison would produce in large doses. For example, arsenic incites vomiting in large amounts but can be used to treat vomiting if it is administered in minute doses. Baasch compares this method to how immunisation works – a patient is slowly healed from an allergy by exposing them to the allergen in small doses.
Because the doses are so low that the poison is often impossible to detect scientifically, critics question whether homeopathic remedies are, literally, just water. However, Baasch argues that water is an important ingredient. "It is no different to conventional medicine, says Baasch, “There is a good dosage and a bad dosage for everything.”
Other points of criticism include the lack of scientific proof for how homeopathy works. Baach says the homeopath's approach to research is simply a more collaborative one, using methods similar to psychologists. The focus of their research is according to a comprehensive picture, rather than a medical check list, which makes the treatment more specific to the person and therefore more likely to aid the healing process.
Baasch does admit that homeopaths need to start exposing their research to the greater scientific community. “Homeopaths are ditzy,” she laughs, “they are only starting to realise how the mechanism of getting into journals works.” She also puts the minimal research done by homeopaths down to a lack of funding.
Although different to a doctor’s training, homeopathy requires thorough training and careful procedures. Under South African law homeopaths must complete a five year degree and be registered with the Allied Health Professions Board of South Africa.
Their methods require homeopaths to be sensitive to all aspects of a patient’s life. Getting to the core of a patient’s problem is a practiced art. “My job is a hell of a lot more satisfying than a medical doctor’s,” says Baasch, “I get to see what’s going wrong.”
Marianne Baasch charges R180 for the first session and the remedies start from R60. She can be contacted on 073 997 7286.
