Disclaimer: Any views or advice in this weblog should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, especially if you know you have a specific health complaint. Please remember that homeopathic remedies and other health measures should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. For chronic, severe or long-standing complaints, or if you are pregnant, elderly or on orthodox medications, seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing.

The communications guys put a new phone line in for me at Phoenix’s new clinic space near the seafront in Eastbourne this week, meaning that I can now do email, phone and video call consultations from the new location, as well as see patients face-to-face. I generally like change, so having two clinic locations as well as conducting homeopathic sessions via a wide range of methods really appeals.

Patients tell me that they appreciate being able to choose a location and a consultation method that suits them, too: although quite a few of our patients are Sussex-based, we have clients from all over the UK, as well as overseas, choosing from telephone, email, video call or face-to-face sessions.

I was interviewed (by email!) by a journalist this week about the work I do via video call (see http://share.skype.com/sites/uk/2008/02/skype_improving_lives_two_stor.html). Video calls are eco-friendly: it’s definitely better for the planet if a patient has a video consultation from the comfort of their own home, rather than travelling hundreds of miles to the clinic. They’re also a great solution for people who can’t easily get to the clinic in person: so patients with newborns, young children, mobility challenges, social phobia, agoraphobia (or just very busy lives) find them invaluable.

Despite the convenience of long-distance homeopathy, it’s not always suitable, and I’m careful to assess with each new patient whether their choice of consultation method is suitable for their particular case. Some patients are likely to benefit the comfort and support of face-to-face interaction, while others find the time lapse on video calls off-putting. In other cases, it might be vital for me to get particular non-verbal information – obviously, I can’t find out what an infant patient smells like via video call! (Though I can ask the parent to tell me, and I do – tactfully – because a baby’s odour can point to particular remedy: for example, a baby needing the homeopathic remedy Calc carb is likely to have a rather sour smell.)

On the subject of modern business methods, I’ve been investigating e-commerce options recently, because I’m aware that the development of our online shop has been sorely neglected: keen readers of this blog will know that we’re (ahem) rather behind schedule with it. At present, www.holistic2go.com has just one product listed for sale (which is proving popular), but I’m working on a stock list of my ‘must-have’ natural health products – the items that we know and trust, and use ourselves at home and in the clinic. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, when I eventually do get round to sorting the site out, we’ll be able to offer a small range of tried and trusted natural healthcare items online.

The faster pace of life that’s part and parcel of the modern Western world has a lot to answer for, and the spread of mobile phone masts is definitely a concern, but I am very glad that I can take advantage of modern media and telecommunications methods – because I can’t think how else I’d be able to develop a truly global patient list, and an online shop that will be able to sell to customers in Brighton & Hove, as well as all around the world.

For more information about long-distance homeopathic and natural healthcare treatment, visit www.phoenixhomeopathy.com/skype_consultations.php