Hi, I'm new to homeopathy and thought i might give it a go as a very last solution to my problem and wondered if anyone could give me any advice. I am 33 and since i was 13 suffered with acne on my face, neck chest and back. I have tried several creams, potions prescriptions etc and nothing barring the contraceptivce pill shifted them (although the pill didnt shift them completely, just didnt make it so hideous). I have decided to stop taking the pill and acne has come back with avengence, I feel truly awful and miserable. Can homeopathy help me? how much would i expect to pay for a consultation etc? Thank you for your time Cheryl

Dear Cheryl
Welcome to the forum
Homeopathy works differently than the allopathic medicine you are used to. Since we need all your symptoms physical,mental and emotional a full case needs to be taken. Since you have had this chronic (over one month) it is adviced you see a trained classical homeopath in your area many located in the UK. Smearing topicals on your acne is the worst thing you can do it only suppresses the problem,you need to cure it from within,there is an imbalance in your body that is causing this to happen,yes it might be related to your hormone levels that needs to be checked as well. Antibiotics will do nothing,accutane will do nothing (dangerous side effects) a full body detox also need to happen,cleansing from within. a change of eating habits as well.
A consultation first time may last 1-2 hours may cost a few hundred dollars,every 6 weeks you need a follow up ,but you will see results.
Gina Tyler

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"Great ideas often recieve violent opposition from mediocre minds"...................Einstein

Hi, thanks for your reply. I really do believe that I neda a detox and also a change of diet, i try to eat healthily and cut sugary foods and fatty ones to a minimum but i think that there is something lurking and i need to make that change and i will start to get better. Cheryl. Ps I live in the UK

Dear Cheryl
Here is a link to a homeopathic directory,not many listings for The UK but perhaps a homeopath here on line can help with UK referrals.
www.homeopathic.org
Or you can try another forum www.Hpathy.com
many UK homeopaths on line

Gina Tyler

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"Great ideas often recieve violent opposition from mediocre minds"...................Einstein

Before you decide on choosing a homeopath, keep these things in mind:

1. Not all ointments work suppressively. One notable exception is Retin-A, though it can't be used during pregnancy or lactation. It will not CURE but can provide relief.
2. Imo, the only solution to Acne is either in homoepathy or herbal medicine
3. For herbal medicine, you will see immediate releif (around 50%) within 1-2 months if you use the herbal blood purifier. A very famous (and of good quality) purifier is made by a Pakistani company called Hamdard, the product is "SAFI". Its taste is very bad but the results will be to your liking. You can find it in any Pakistani general store in your area. Won't cost more than 5-10 dollars.
4. An alternate to above approach is homeopathic, which will take somewhere between 3-6 months to show the results i.e. around 50% reduction in acne if the medicine chosen is the correct one. Otherwise may take longer also.
5. You can find great homeopaths who work online and will save you a lot of money vs you looking for a homeopath in England. I can provide some links for you to choose from, if you like.
6. Diet & aerobic exercise - a very important factor if you are serious about your acne. I am sure you know the guidelines already. Add 20-25 raw, almonds to your daily diet and you will know the difference in your skin, nails, hair etc. in 6 months. They are simply superb as they contain Vit-E which works wonder on these parts.
Last of all, the dampener: Even with the best diet regimen, best homeopathic treatment, you may never get rid of acne 100% due to any number of reasons. So don't have your hopes pinned at 100% cure, 80-90% is also very good

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Don't take life too seriously, it aint permanent.

You will not find homeopaths recommending Retin-A. Fitness First is not a homeopath, incidentally.

ANY topical cream or ointment that 'provides relief' with acne will definitely be acting suppressively - and this is NOT good. The only cream that I know of that wouldn't be suppressive would be aqueous cream but it's not usually indicated with acne as far as I know. It's usually used with psoriasis to help keep the skin moist and help soothe the itching.

Not many homeopaths charge hundreds of dollars (pounds) for consultations in UK. That may be the case in the states (as Gina was saying), but generally not in UK. There are a handful of very good homeopaths in UK who do not charge the earth and who can help you. PM me if you'd like a referral.

I don't agree with Fitness First that you can never get rid of acne. No one can predict exactly how your case would unfold. So no one can predict how much or how little progress you'd make with homeopathy. It depends on many factors - one of which is: how effective a homeopathic prescriber you end up with! Choose carefully.

Best of luck,
Lisa

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"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Rightly said, most homeopaths will never recommend anything out of homeopathy even if it were in the best interest of the patient. What I am coming from is called Integrative Medicine which realizes that ALL forms of medicine have some benefit, be it herbal, allopathic, acupuncture etc.

Your assumption that all ointments are suppressive seems incorrect, what about calendula, hypericum, rhus tox, to name a few. Probably a little reading about Retin-A is due before giving any conclusion.

I didn't claim that she will NOT get rid of acne, I merely mentioned that she MIGHT not get rid of it 100%, just to make sure she doesn't get her hopes unrealistically high.

Cheers.

__________________
Don't take life too seriously, it aint permanent.

Dear Lisa annan
Thanks for your imput,well said
Yes homeopathy is not about 'suppression' via topicals retin-A has many adverse effects look it up in the PDR on line (that's why the precautions who should take and who should not take retin-A )
A trained classical homeopath can deal with acne easily,if homeopathic principles are applied to the case.
Gina Tyler

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"Great ideas often recieve violent opposition from mediocre minds"...................Einstein

Retin-A is suppressive and dangerous. Full stop.


In relation to the 'advice' that topical applications are 'okay', I was thinking of this when I posted earlier:

"A single one of the symptoms present is no more the disease itself than a single foot is the man himself. This procedure was so much the more reprehensible, that such a single symptom was only treated by an antagnostic remedy (therefore only in an enantiopathic and palliative manner), whereby, after a slight alleviation, it was subsequently only rendered all the worse." (footnote to § 7)"

In laymen's terms: If you target a single symptom (e.g. acne) - without taking the whole case into account - then the case will worsen.

Very simply: use suppressive treatment -- only targeting one symptom (i.e. acne) - then you end up with a sicker patient.



I was also thinking about this (particularly in reference to the 'advice' imparted about 'homeopathic' topical creams):

§198
"The mere topical employment of medicines, that are powerful for cure when given internally, to the local symptoms of chronic miasmatic diseases is for the same reason quite inadmissable;"


Hahnemann goes on to tell us WHY topical applications are a bad idea:


§198 cont'
" for if the local affection of the chronic disease be only removed locally and in a one-sided manner, the internal treatment indispensable for the complete restoration of the health remains in dubious obscurity; the chief symptom (the local affection) is gone, and there remains only the other, less distinguisable symptoms, which are less constant and less presistant than the local affection, and frequently not sufficiently peculiar, and too slightly characteristic to display after that, a picture of the disease in clear and peculiar outlines."

[pssst - local symptom -- in this case would be the acne.]


In laymen's terms:

Topical applications - even if they are of the indicated remedy - are suppressive. If we try to remove a local symptom - something like acne (or pimples, psorarsis, eczema, etc etc etc) while ignoring the internal root of the trouble - then we cloud the case. The topical symptoms go away - sure. But we have not cured anything. We have effectively removed the chief symptom - and what's left over is not peculiar enough - or characteristic enough to display a clear picture. This makes it very difficult to select a homeopathic remedy. Effectively, one confused the case! Poor patient!! Irresponsible treatment plan!!

Go to §74 to see what he says about chronic diseases caused by allopathic means! Its very clear.

§203 is another one to look at (but by no means is this all Hahnemann had to say on this topic):
"Every external treatment of such local symptoms, the object of which is to remove them from the surface of the body, whilst the internal miasmatic disease is left uncured....this pernicious external mode of treatment, hitherto so universally practised, has been the most prolific source of all the innumberalbe named or unnamed chronic maladies under which mankind groans; it is one of the most criminal procedures the medical world can be guilty of, and yet it has hitherto been the one generally adopted..."


THOSE are the things I was thinking about when posting advice.

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Hahnemann cautions us again about this ill conceived notion that we can 'integrate' allopathy and homeopathy. Please read this carefully:

§ 52 from The Organon of Medicine:

"There are but two principal methods of cure: the one based only on accurate observation of nature, on careful experimentation and pure experience, the homeopathic [before we never designedly used] and a second which does not do this, the heteropathic or allopathic. Each opposes the other, and only he who does not know either can hold the delusion that they can ever approach each other or even become united, OR TO MAKE HIMSELF SO RIDICULOUS AS TO PRACTISE AT ONE TIME HOMOEOPATHICALLY AT ANOTHER ALLOPATHICALLY, ACCORDING TO THE PLEASURE OF THE PATIENT; a practice which may be called criminal treason against divine homeopathy."



What an absurd statement.

If one reads and grasps the Organon of Medicine - one will clearly see Hahnemann talks about a lot of other considerations where health is concerned. Diet, lifestyle, mesmerism - etc etc etc.

Incidentally it's NOT entitled "The Organon of HOMEOPATHY" for a good reason.

It is only the uninformed - who ignorantly advise people that things like Retin-A are 'okay'. Or that topical applications are 'okay' to get rid of things like acne.

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham