phoenix homeopathy helping you transform your health

Yes. They seem to work by gently boosting the natural energy of the body, and are very safe, even for pregnant and sensitive patients. There is no danger of addiction or toxicity.

Homeopathic remedies are a unique, potentised energy medicine, drawn from the plant, mineral and animal worlds. They are diluted to such a degree that not even a single molecule of the original substance can be detected (after the 6c potency). Most remedies we prescribe are hand-made, many are vegan (and vegan alternatives to all single-element remedies are available on request) they are tested on healthy human volunteers, not on animals. We seek to practice homeopathy mindfully, in a way that minimises harm to the land and the creatures that the land supports.

There are five homeopathic pharmacies in the UK (see Resource centre to find a homeopathic pharmacy). At Phoenix Homeopathy, we source our remedies from Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy (external link). To make a remedy, the raw extracts (from plants or animals) or triturations (from minerals and salts) are made into a ‘tincture’ with alcohol which forms the basis of the dilution procedure. Dilutions are made up to either 1 part tincture to 10 parts water (1x), 1 part tincture to 100 parts water (1c), or 1 part tincture to 1000 parts water (1m). Repeated dilution results in the familiar 6x, 6c or 30c potencies that can be bought over the counter: the 30c contains less than 1 part per million of the original substance. At Phoenix we use all potencies from tincture and 1x right through to 1m, 10m and even 50m.

After each dilution the mixture is vigorously agitated by hand, or in a machine that delivers a calibrated amount of shaking. This is called succussion. It is thought that this process imprints the healing energy of the medicinal substance throughout the body of water (the diluent) as if a message is passed on. The message contains the healing energy. Even in ultra-molecular dilutions, it seems that information specific to the original dissolved substance remains and can be detected.

Unfortunately, while there are several different voluntary registers that homeopaths can join, the practice of homeopathy in the UK is not yet regulated by law. This means that anyone at all can set up in practice and call themselves a homeopath, so it’s vital to make sure that your homeopath is properly trained, qualified, registered, insured experienced and supervised.

Sarah Whittaker is registered with the UK’s largest Register of professional homeopaths, The Society of Homeopaths (external link) which means she practises in accordance with a Code of Ethics and Practice, holds professional insurance and has passed stringent academic and clinical assessments before being admitted to the Register. Sarah has conducted or supervised over 4,500 hours of patient consultations since 1999 and continually refreshes and develops her professional skills via supervision (see Supervision FAQ) and continuing professional development education.

Yes. It’s wise to maintain your relationship with your GP or other conventional doctor or consultant, as they are able to provide a diagnosis of your condition, and can order investigative tests that we cannot provide. We prefer to work in an integrated way with your orthodox or conventional doctors if possible. If you prefer not to tell your doctor that you are receiving homeopathic treatment, we will of course respect your wishes (within the limits of the law). However, if you are a new UK patient, at the start of your treatment we will seek your consent to contact your NHS GP to let him or her know that we are treating you, and we encourage all patients to keep their doctors fully-informed. As always with your Phoenix treatment, you have the choice to say yes or no.

No, we cannot diagnose you in any conventional sense, and you should see a conventional doctor for diagnosis of any unexplained symptoms. Instead, we make an assessment of your homeopathic case which includes an assessment of the likely causes of your health problem, factors which may have contributed to your getting unwell, a treatment plan including consideration of factors (eg lifestyle, toxicity) that may be maintaining you in ill-health, and a homeopathic prognosis (this may differ from a conventional prognosis, as we make the best assessment we can of your body’s ability to un-do whatever it has done to create your ill-health or unhappiness).

No, this is not necessary, although you should still have all and any conventional tests and investigations that your doctor recommends, and tell your homeopath the results when you get them. Your homeopathic treatment will focus on your own subjective experience of your symptoms. This means that we focus on what you tell us about what it feels like to be you, and select remedies for you accordingly.

Good homeopaths always seek to learn more. Supervision

Supervision is increasingly recognised as necessary in a wide variety of professions, particularly as regards professionals in positions of responsibility that involve working with people. This includes social work, teaching, nursing, therapy and business management.

We aim to make your case-taking experience enjoyable and therapeutic. It’s a bit like a long chat with a best friend. We won’t judge you or criticise you, and will listen carefully and empthically to what you say, and sometimes to what you don’t say. Each consultation is a chance for you to see yourself and your path in life in a new light, and to start to understand your health. It’s a little like counselling, but we don’t need to dwell on the past, just to take a quick look at the kind of things that may have knocked you off the path of good health. Patients often say that they feel much better after a consultation, even before they’ve taken their first remedy, because they have started to understand how their problems developed, and therefore know better how to self-heal.

No. You can just tell us about your symptoms, although we may ask to look at the colour or shape of your tongue, eyes etc (only with a parent or guardian present if the patient is under 16 years of age). You will not need to remove any clothes (although you’re welcome to kick off your shoes, sit back and relax).

The aim of the initial consultation, whether by Skype, email, phone or face-to-face in clinic, is to start to get to know you: we need to know what it feels like to be you, so this means we will ask you to tell us all about your own medical history, all about the symptoms that are bothering you, as well as starting to find out what makes you unique.

We’ll be interested in your character and likes and dislikes, as well as about things that may seem totally unrelated to your problems (for example, we may ask about whether you stick your feet out of bed at night, whether thunderstorms affect you, or whether you sip or gulp your drinks).

Homeopaths are aware that tendencies to certain types of diseases can run in families, so we will also want you to tell us as much as you know about your parents’ grandaparents’ and siblings’ health and medical histories. Rest assured that all these questions are entirely relevant to the problem in hand: we need to know you this well because we treat you, the individual, not just your symptoms.

If there is ever anything you don’t want to tell us, that’s fine, too.

Not usually, no. We are an international practice and well-used to treating patients at long distance (see What if I don't live nearby the practice?). However, we are committed to providing a fully-accessible service, so if you cannot use one of the long-distance methods and you live in the Brighton & Hove area, we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

This depends on the individual case: it can be problematic arranging for remedies to be given to patients in hospital or nursing homes, as the staff at such places are often wary of homeopathy and prevented by regulations from supervising homeopathic remedies being given. This means that treatment often requires the understanding and consent of the person in charge of the patient’s care (if not the patient) and the regular help of the patient’s friends or family.

If you cannot visit the practice in person, we can arrange for your consultations to be carried out via Skype webcam, email or telephone, meaning that you can have treatment from the comfort of your own home. For patients with a PC and access to fast broadband, Skype is probably the best option, as calls via your PC are free and the system is easy to use. A basic Skype headset and webcam costs around £40 and is available in store or online from PCWorld. The Skype software is free to download.

Yes, if the patient is a child under 16 years of age, and you are the person with parental responsibility for that child; or if the patient is incapacitated and you have authority to make appointments on the patient’s behalf.

In all other cases, although you can make and pay for the booking on behalf of the patient, the patient must call us within 24 hours of the booking being made, in order to confirm that s/he does indeed desire treatment (this can be done 24 hours a day, using our messaging service).

All payments must be made in sterling (£).

We take most major credit and debit cards, Paypal, and personal cheques drawn on a UK clearing bank. Payments in person can be made in cash at the clinic.

Payment for all consultations is made in full at the time of booking, by credit/debit card. Alternatively, you can mail us a cheque drawn on a UK bank: this must reach us within five working days of the booking being made.

If on-going treatment is needed, payment for the next consultation is made in advance at the end of the initial consultation. Payment for any optional ancillary items is also made at the end of the consultation.