As Chairman of the Friends of the Royal London Hospital, Society Registered member Caroline Ford represents the group on 4Homeopathy. Caroline opened the 4Homeopathy practitioner event held in April and reports on her experience of the day.
It was in December 2019 that 4Homeopathy agreed to thank David Tredinnick and suggest a reception to celebrate and recognise the contribution he made over his tenure as MP. Little did we know how long this would take to become reality, and just how much our lives would be affected by the policies introduced in response to a WHO declared pandemic.
So finally on 19 April 2023, having morphed from a simple reception, the 4H practitioner event “ A United Voice: Bigger, brighter, bolder” got underway. Around 60 people from a range of homeopathy related organisations gathered at Church House, Westminster; the enthusiasm to make the most of this event was palpable. The focus for the morning discussion was on acutes and the afternoon session was more wide ranging, including empowerment of homeopaths and patients.
As a Society member the event gave me an opportunity to meet fellow homeopaths, share experiences of practice and discuss ideas honed over the previous three years. Most importantly it was a relief to know that other homeopaths were faced with similar conundrums – how to manage approaches from unwell people who, out of desperation, decided to try homeopathy even though they were not sure what it was! How do you explain the healing process to someone not used to observing their own symptoms? How can you speed up access to remedies, especially when travel was limited during lockdown. What about issuing a first aid kit and helping the patient gain confidence in prescribing for acutes? In times of adversity the most ingenious ideas are often spawned – and this event was invaluable for collating them and setting in motion the means to exploit them for the benefit of all.
As chairman of the Friends of the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (formerly the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital) I had presided over the AGM of this patients group the day before the 4Homeopathy event. Again, we had not met in person with members for over 3 years. Apart from the usual business, the meeting was an opportunity for members to share their experiences of the lockdown years. Patients were grateful for having discovered homeopathy earlier in their lives but wanted to know more. They wanted to know about the methods of prescribing, how homeopathy is being used for certain ailments and wanted the opportunity to interact with homeopaths in a learning situation. Above all they yearned for empowerment – the ability and confidence to self-care appropriately, and to spread the word to others less fortunate than themselves. Such views from patients clearly resonated with much of the discussion at the 4Homeopathy event. Opportunity knocks.
