DR. JONATHAN HARDY    
M.A.,B.M.,F.F.Hom.

HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN

I followed a conventional course of training at Southampton University and qualified in medicine in 1984.  After working at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth I began training in Homeopathy.

I have been in full-time practice as a Homeopathic doctor since 1986. I am a Fellow of the Faculty of Homeopathy and serve as the Independent Practitioners’ Representative on the Faculty Council.

I am the Wessex Regional tutor for the Faculty of Homeopathy, organizing Post-Graduate training in Homeopathy for doctors in the region. I am a member of the Faculty of Homeopathy’s International Teaching Group and I enjoy giving seminars both in the UK and abroad.

Why I became a Homeopath

When I was a medical student at Southampton University we had to conduct some original research.  I chose to do a trial of the Homeopathic treatment of house dust allergy, which causes sneezing, itchy eyes and  sometimes asthma.  It has been used as an excuse by teenagers for not making their beds! The trial showed a statistically significant benefit of the Homeopathic remedy compared to a placebo (blank pills with no active ingredient).  Several of the patients experienced permanent relief of their symptoms of asthma. My supervisor, who is now a very well-known professor of Respiratory medicine, was amazed and impressed. The results were so conclusive that they were one of the reasons I chose to enter full-time Homeopathic practice shortly after qualifying in Medicine in 1984.  I have never regretted doing so.  My personal experience is that Homeopathy is a wonderful system of healing capable of relieving very significant suffering.  One of its great advantages is that it can actually promote well-being.  As well as relief of physical symptoms, patients will usually feel an increase in energy, improved mood and often say that they really feel once again like their old selves.

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy has been used in many countries for two hundred years.  Homeopathic medicines help us to overcome disease by stimulating the body’s natural healing abilities.

Homeopathy produces lasting results because it gets to the root of the problem, removing the cause of disease at its source.  As the remedies increase our vitality we feel better, more like “our old selves” and we are steadily freed from the symptoms of our illness.

Homeopathic medicines are prepared from naturally occurring substances, mainly minerals and plants, and are without side effects.

The word Homeopathy is formed from two Greek words and essentially means “like can cure like”.  As an example, a Homeopathic remedy prepared from onions can relieve the well-known symptoms that onions can cause: stinging,watering eyes and sneezing.  The process of preparing the plant into a Homeopathic remedy makes it curative rather than toxic.

Is there evidence it works?

There is a growing body of evidence for the effectiveness of Homeopathic medicine.  This includes randomised control trials (the gold standard of medical evidence).  A total of 142 such trials in Homeopathy have been published in good quality scientific journals: positive effects have been reported in nearly half of these trials, showing  benefit in a range of conditions including respiratory tract infections, rheumatic disease, allergic rhinitis, vertigo, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and sinusitis.  Patient outcome studies have also shown the benefit of Homeopathy. Patient outcome studies are a form of evidence which NICE ( the National Institute for Clinical Excellence ) has highlighted as a key form of clinical evidence. In 2005 a patient outcome study at Bristol Homeopathic Hospital found 70% of 6,500 patients  experienced improvement in their health: eczema, asthma, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome all improved.

So Homeopathy works, but how?

The method of preparation of Homeopathic remedies involves a process of very many stages of dilution with vigorous shaking of the solution at each stage of the dilution process.  Evidence is growing that water is capable of storing information relating to substances with which it has previously been in contact. For example, a number of European laboratories have shown that very high dilutions of the substance Histamine can exert biologically significant effects on the white blood cells that take part in the immune response. In addition Dr. Luc Montagnier, the French virologist who won the Nobel Prize in 2008 supports Homeopathy. In an interview published in Science magazine of December 24, 2010, Professor  Montagnier said “the high dilutions used in homeopathy are right. High dilutions of something are not nothing. They are water structures which mimic the original molecules."

The reason Homeopathic medicines work is because they are able to stimulate the individual’s vitality. It is vitality which keeps us alive and keeps us healthy. But when that vitality is depleted, weakened or imbalanced, then we become ill, in fact that is what illness is. After that happens we start developing mental and physical symptoms. A well-chosen Homeopathic medicine will reverse that process of depletion and imbalance, setting the person (or animal) back on the road to recovery.

Homeopathic remedies are very safe. They are also very cost effective: studies have shown that the purchase costs of orthodox drugs fell after the introduction of Homeopathy to doctors’ practices.

Homeopathy is used in many conditions

Some people come with no specific illness, but complain of feeling generally unwell, run-down or lethargic, with perhaps a number of minor but unpleasant symptoms. This is the first sign of a deterioration in a person’s vitality, and Homeopathy will usually quickly restore the person to a state of health and well-being.

Others will come with a specific ailment for which they may already be receiving orthodox treatment.  Homeopathic medicine does not interfere or conflict with drugs, and it is perfectly safe to take both at the same time.  Homeopathy can bring relief in conditions which might otherwise require continuous drug therapy.

Physical conditions which patients often come with include headaches, migraine, sinusitis, asthma, digestive problems, colitis, bowel disturbances, skin problems, arthritis, rheumatism and many others.  

Other patients need help with psychological ailments  such as depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances.  Many problems are associated with unresolved emotions such as grief, anger or fear and fortunately there are Homeopathic remedies which are indicated in such cases.  The medicines act deeply yet gently, and can bring profound and lasting relief.