Diagnosis

Acupuncture Allergies Alzheimer's Disease Androgen Anxiety Disorders Asthma Atherosclerosis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Bacterial Vaginosis Biofeedback Bipolar Disorder Birth Control Pills Blood Donation and Transfusion Breast Augmentation and Reduction Breast Cancer Breastfeeding Breast Reconstruction Caregiving Cervical Cancer Chiropractic Chlamydia Cholesterol Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinical Trials Colon Cancer Contraception Depression Diabetes Dry Eye Syndrome Eating Disorders Endometriosis Epilepsy Estrogen Fibroids Fibromyalgia Fitness Flu/Colds Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Genetic Testing Genital Herpes Glaucoma Gonorrhea Health Insurance Heart Disease Hepatitis High Blood Pressure HIV/AIDS Homeopathy Human Papillomavirus Hypnosis Hysterectomy Incontinence Infertility Irritable Bowel Syndrome Legal Health Tools Liposuction Lung Cancer Lupus Macular Degeneration Medication Safety Menopause Menstrual Disorders Metabolic Syndrome Migraine Multiple Sclerosis Naturopathy Nonsurgical Aesthetic Procedures Nutrition Obesity Ocular Allergies Oral Health Osteoarthritis Osteopathic Medicine Osteoporosis Ovarian Cancer Overactive Bladder Pain Management Pelvic Organ Prolapse Pelvic Pain Peripheral Arterial Disease Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Pregnancy Premenstrual Syndrome Preparing for Surgery Progesterone Rheumatoid Arthritis Schizophrenia Scleroderma Sexual Dysfunction Sinusitis Sjogren's Syndrome Skin Cancer Skin Health Sleep Disorders Smoking Stress Stroke Substance Abuse Tai Chi Teen Health Thyroid Disorders Trichomoniasis Urinary Tract Conditions Urinary Tract Infection Uterine Cancer Varicose Veins Violence Against Women Vulvodynia Weight Management Yeast Infections Yoga

Homeopaths don't treat specific symptoms; rather, they treat the individual. Accordingly, homeopathic remedies are used in a wide variety of situations. Homeopaths often treat chronic conditions, such as insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, headaches and arthritis. Homeopathy is also used for digestive problems (including diarrhea), acute infections, bruises and injuries, emotional disorders and various women's conditions such as PMS, postpartum depression, menopause-related problems and fibroids.

It's extremely popular for treating respiratory problems, including asthma, allergies, colds and flu.

Finding a Homeopath

If you decide to try homeopathy, be sure to let your regular health care professional know. He or she may be able to suggest someone. Your local health food store or alternative newspaper may be able to point you in the right direction, as can friends who have tried homeopathy. You can also check out online resources: The National Center for Homeopathy offers a searchable directory, located at nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org; it allows you to search by name or location. The Council for Homeopathic Certification also offers a list that's searchable by name or location at www.homeopathicdirectory.com.

With no single regulatory or licensing entity, it's impossible to know precisely how many homeopathic practices there are in the country.

Before committing to a homeopath, ask about his or her training and experience. Laws about what is required to practice homeopathy vary among states, so the quantity and quality of training may vary widely. Many homeopaths are regular physicians—licensed medical doctors (MD) or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO) who studied homeopathy in addition to their traditional course of study. Doctors of naturopathy (ND) studied homeopathy as part of their medical school training. Homeopaths may also be chiropractors, veterinarians, dentists, nurses, acupuncturists and other health care professionals. They can be lay people with special training.

While there is no central certification program in the United States, a number of organizations provide certification, including Council on Homeopathic Certification (CHC), North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH), American Board of Homeotherapeutics, Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (HANP) and National Board of Homeopathic Examiners.

MDs and DOs can obtain certification from the American Board of Homeotherapeutics and use "D.Ht." after their names; naturopathic physicians can earn a Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (DHANP); the North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH) grants registered status (RSHom (NA)) to homeopathic practitioners who meet its requirements; chiropractors (as well as some other health care professionals) can be certified through the National Board on Homeopathic Examiners. Other non-physicians (including naturopaths who are not naturopathic doctors) can earn a Certified in Classical Homeopathy (CCH) degree through the Council for Homeopathic Certification.

Other organizations may offer other designations or degrees, so be sure to ask if you don't recognize the letters after your practitioner's name.

Your First Visit

One of the basic tenets of homeopathy is that each person is sick—and heals—in a unique way. Your cough can't be treated like your husband's or your sister's. So the homeopath looks at your symptoms, but also talks to you about your mental, physical and emotional health.

This process not only provides information to the practitioner, but it's designed to give you a sense of being heard. You'll probably be in the office an hour or even two.

Be ready to answer questions about your eating habits, sleep and work patterns, health history, stress factors, and more. Some questions may seem personal and unrelated to your condition, but that's how the homeopath gets the complete picture of your health. Of course, he or she will also ask about your specific complaint.

If your homeopath is a naturopath, a chiropractor or practices conventional medicine (MD, DO, nurse, etc.) you may undergo a physical exam, including urine and blood tests. It all depends on the practitioner and on your symptoms.