Patients often assume that I treat my family with homeopathic remedies, but the truth is that I try to avoid prescribing for those close to me if I can, at least for all but the most minor ailments – of course, we do all use homeopathy, but I have my own homeopath, as does my husband, and our cats see a homeopathic vet. My 81 year-old mother has used homeopathy for decades, but is without her own homeopath at the moment, though (more about that later).

In the case of minor acute problems (the sort of things that can often be helped at home using a homeopathic self-help kit: period pains, insect bites and stings, infant teething, minor injuries, one-off headaches, hangovers, exam, pre-operation or driving test nerves, upset tummies, mild and short-lasting children’s fevers, earaches, toothaches, sore throats, coughs and colds and so on), I will self-prescribe if necessary, and I’m happy to help my family to choose a remedy for themselves (the cats, of course, rely on me and their vet, not being ones for self-prescribing!).

For anything more than a simple acute ailment, though, my family see their own homeopathic practitioners, and quite right, too. I’ve often said that I agree with the critics of homeopathy when they say that the care and attention given during a good homeopathic consultation can itself contribute to how much better many patients feel afterwards (I just don’t agree that this is all that happens – I’ve seen homeopathic remedies work dramatically well on babies, animals, and on highly-sceptical patients on too many occasions to doubt that they have a real action, even if we’re not yet sure exactly how they work).

A good homeopath should act as a mirror, helping the patient to see him or herself more clearly in the context of his or her life, and to make the connections needed to move into health and happiness.

Accurate homeopathy also requires a degree of objectivity – this is why it can be so hard to treat one’s own family and friends. After all, on the rare occasions that my husband Paul needs an acute remedy, perhaps for a headache, I need to treat the problem he’s complaining about, and not the things that I perceive need ‘fixing’ in him (if only there was a remedy for falling asleep in front of the sofa…).

Given that homeopathy treats the whole person, not the complaint alone, it’s just too easy for the practitioner-who’s-a-wife to focus on the things she’d like to change about her husband, rather than to view him objectively. (Not that there’s anything I’d ever want to change about you, darling, if you’re reading. Gulp.)

Someone wise once said that the physician who treats himself has a fool for a doctor, so if I ever need an acute remedy, I tend to call my homeopath up for advice, even if only to check my choice of remedy with her. It’s not that I don’t trust my own homeopathic skills – it’s just that I value her objectivity and know that she’ll be able to see the wood for the trees, even if I can’t.

I do treat a few friends who’ve twisted my arm enough, but with the caveat that boundaries need to be maintained so that I don’t end up with my metaphorical homeopath’s hat on during a night out at the pub, and on the understanding that, to ensure I’m being as objective as I should, I’ll have even more regular peer supervision of my friend’s case than usual.

Finding the right homeopath can be tricky, because the chemistry needs to be right, and after an occasion when remedies prescribed by her homeopath didn’t work too well, but the one I carelessly mentioned in passing did the trick, my elderly mother has recently decided that she’d rather be treated by me right now. This is a tough one for me: I want to help her, of course, but I also know that I don’t want a new role as a dispassionate practitioner to conflict with my role as her loving daughter.

For now, we’ve agreed that I’ll prescribe for her when needed, with extra help from my supervisor so that there is a degree of objectivity and someone checking what I do, but mum’s agreed to keep looking for the right local or Skype (online) practitioner for the future. In her 80s, my mother realises that it’s better to build a relationship with a homeopath now, while she’s well, rather than rely on me, or even a stranger, prescribing for her should she become too sick to take part in a homeopathic consultation.

It’s for this reason that many parents bring their healthy children to see me for a constitutional remedy: if I get to know the child’s characteristics and constitutional remedy when they’re well, it’s much easier to prescribe for the child when they get sick.

So the next time a friend or family member asks me to be their homeopath, I hope they’ll forgive me for pausing before answering. I’ll be asking myself: “if I treat this person, will they end up having a fool for a homeopath?”.

For more information about how professional homeopathy may be able to help you heal your physical and emotional problems, visit www.phoenixhomeopathy.com, and for self-help homeopathic kits, visit www.holistic2go.com.

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. Prescribed medication should not be stopped or varied without conventional medical advice. Please remember that homeopathic remedies and other health measures should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. Seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing if your complaint is chronic, severe or long-standing, or if you are pregnant, elderly or on orthodox medications.