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Homeopathy is the longest established complementary or alternative medicine to have arisen in Europe. It was founded by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), who grew up in Meissen in Germany, received his medical degree in Erlangen in 1779, and died in Paris in 1843. During his first fifteen years as a physician Hahnemann struggled desperately to make a living. One day, however, he made a discovery. He started to take regular doses of cinchona or ‘the bark’ (quinine). This, he said, produced all the symptoms of intermittent fever (malaria) but to a mild degree and this led Hahnemann to an idea which was published in 1796 as Essay on a New Principle for Ascertaining the Curative Power of Drugs, which was followed in 1810 by his famous work The Organon of the Healing Art.

Hahnemann believed that if a patient had an illness, it could be cured by giving a medicine which, if given to a healthy person, would produce similar symptoms of that same illness but to a slighter degree. Thus, if a patient was suffering from severe nausea, he was given a medicine which in a healthy person would provoke mild nausea.

By a process called ‘proving’, Hahnemann compiled a compendium of remedies, which are still used today and added to on a regular basis as ‘proving’s’ continue – these then form Materia Medica’s that are used throughout homeopathic practice. This revelation of Hahnemann’s led to his famous aphorism, ‘like cures like’, which is often called the ‘law of similars’.

Medical treatment at the time was to a large extent crude and ineffective, consisting largely of potentially dangerous polypharmacy, purging, and profuse bloodletting. Hahnemann showed little interest in detailed pathology, conventional diagnosis or conventional treatment. He was only interested in the principles of homeopathic medicine which he could see the clear results coming through from. Classical homeopathy was therefore seen by its supporters as an attractively safe system, simple, easy to understand, and centred on the patient as a whole and not on individual ‘illnesses’. This goes a long way to explain why homeopathy was and still is so popular even after hundreds of years.

There are a large number of people who, with great certainty, state that they have been cured or at least helped greatly by homeopathy, where allopathic medicine has previously failed. Homeopathic remedies can come from lots of different places, all occurring naturally, from minerals, plants and animals; so, it creates safe bodily responses without ‘side effects’ that we are so used to seeing; they can also be combined, and support continued use of allopathic drugs safely. Homeopaths are fully trained and accredited, we can be members of a number of bodies and forums and support is widely available.

The history of Usui Reiki begins with its founder, Dr Mikao Usui. Sometimes called the Usui Sensei, Dr Mikao Usui was born to a wealthy Buddhist family in 1865. Dr Usui’s family was able to give their son a well-rounded education for the time. As a child, Dr Usui studied in a Buddhist monastery where he was taught martial arts, swordsmanship, and the Japanese form of Chi Kung, known as Kiko.

Sometime during his years of training in the monastery, Dr Usui attended his own training rediscovery course in a cave on Mount Kurama. For 21 days, Dr Usui fasted, meditated, and prayed. On the morning of the twenty-first day, Dr Usui experienced an event that would change his life forever. He saw ancient Sanskrit symbols that helped him develop the system of healing he had been struggling to invent. Usui Reiki was born.

After his spiritual awakening on Mount Kurama, Dr Usui established a clinic for healing and teaching in Kyoto. As the practice of Usui Reiki was spreading, Dr Usui became known for his healing practice.

Reiki involves the practioner's hands over the patients body, slightly above them, and channeling energy to where it is most needed. This process incourages the bodies natural healing.

Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. 

The popularity of meditation is increasing as more people discover its many health benefits. You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings.

Many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration. People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns, and even increased pain tolerance.

Stress reduction is one of the most common reasons people try meditation. Normally, mental and physical stress cause increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. These effects can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking.

In an 8-week study using the meditation style called “mindfulness meditation” participants saw a marked reduction in the inflammation response caused by stress. Furthermore, research has shown that meditation may also improve symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia.