Many people do not realise that Homeopaths are licensed to diagnose illnesses in any way necessary, including using laboratory tests of all kinds. Much of their studies involve medical diagnosis. What is different, is that homeopaths do not focus on one system at a time, but trace symptoms through many systems in order to find out how one system is affecting another. This enables them to treat at many levels at once while getting to the root causes. Homeopaths also use the ICD10 coding system for diagnosis.
In the same breath, Homeopaths are not limited by diagnosis in order to treat, and do not have set protocols. This enables a variety of treatment levels even before official diagnoses arrive.
A homeopathic consultation thus also involves questioning ALL levels of a patient. New patients tend to focus on what they identify as the main complaint but do not realise that every illness affects many symptoms in many other systems. They are often surprised when they are asked about emotional events and even very old events. Homeopaths trace symptoms also into the distant past, which may have roots in the current syndrome. Many people also suppress early symptoms with pain killers or anti inflammatories or feel they have “moved on” from events. However, these often work in the background, hiding the original causes and many symptoms.
A Homeopath is like a crime investigator. Much of the first consultation is looking for clues as to causes and consequences. This session usually takes a fair amount of time in order to establish where the symptoms came from. Subsequent consultations uncover the deeper levels of the illness.
Many patients are satisfied with treating these initial symptoms, but to really thrive, deeper levels of illness need to be treated. Long time patients understand this, and although they may have recovered from their initial symptoms, they see that overt symptoms can have deep roots. Homeopaths are well qualified to find and treat these underlying causes. Thus finding a homeopath that you can connect with is like finding a family doctor who can care for your health. Homeopaths see their task as continued and thriving health, where no complaint is too small.