Is it a con or can it help my sick child?

Of course they'll encourage you to use real medicine - in the hope that'll fix you and then they can take the credit.

I'm sorry you have a condition that probably can't be completely cured. But you're exactly the sort of victim they go for. Variable symptoms, can go up and down, some of it possibly relating to stress and / or environmental factors and some stuff that isn't even fully understood. And maybe sometimes you'll think you're feeling a bit better today than you did yesterday and give the credit to the sugar pills. And you'll keep buying them because it's human nature to clutch at straws when you're suffering and can't find a solution. But they're lying to you, and exploiting your illness. Spend the money on a weekly veg box or a meditation app or anything else that might conceivably do your body or your mind some good.

Do you generally not trust conventional medicine, is that why you’re going down this route?

Spend the money homeopathy would cost you on making another aspect of your/your child's life a little easier or happier instead.

Ok. I better tell my horses then.

Have a look at @parenting_pandas if you’re on IG, she is using homeopathy I believe with her child amongst other things and does (free) phone calls with pans parents for support and advice.
No one should make such definitive claims that something will help your child, I’d find a different person if you do go with homeopathy. Personally anecdotal accounts of something being helpful would be enough for me to give it a go, esp as it won’t do any harm either way.

I think homeopathy can have it's place - pre exam nerves, pre driving test nerves, travel sickness if you need to drive after - given with the right convincing tone and the promise of no side effects works wonders but for an actual proper illness no way

As I understand it, homeopathic remedies are diluted to such a minute concentration that they just couldn’t possibly work. E.g. you can buy homeopathic arsenic which has such a tiny quantity of arsenic that it isn’t poisonous and can’t do anything to the body. Even this site selling it says it doesn’t have approved therapeutic indications. Wikipedia says concentrations beyond 12C are unlikely to have a single molecule of the active ingredient in, so I believe it’s all just belief. I wasted time and money on things like these when I was ill and desperate years ago before I realised it was all a con ☹️

https://www.weleda.co.uk/arsen-alb-30c-125tabs-302008

It's crap, OP. They're purveyors of snake oil who take advantage of the vulnerable and desperate. Don't give your money to a charlatan who is trying to profit off your concern for your sick child.

If you want to really understand why it's nonsense I strongly recommend the homeopathy chapter in Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (if I could pick one book to issue to every schoolkid at about GCSE age, this would be it).

Stick with real doctors. I hope they can find the solution soon.

In my experience no, it doesn’t work. Neither does kinesiology. What worked with my daughter was me paying for her to see a paediatrician privately. (He correctly diagnosed abdominal migraine.)

But I was very sceptical about the homeopathy to begin with. Maybe it works if you believe it will (though the practitioner I took my daughter to see told us our scepticism would make no difference because "it even works on animals").

You've never heard of homeopathy? It's a completely made-up thing, invented in the nineteenth century, based on the idea that water has memory. So you can put a drop of the substance that will supposedly cure something into water, but then dilute and dilute and dilute until there isn't a molecule of the original substance left in each dose, then claim it will still work. Homeopaths are charlatans who make money by preying on people like the OP who are desperate and worried and not getting their problems fixed by real medicine. (Or people who only had very minor issues to start with, which were always going to get better on their own anyway). There ought to be a law against it.

Homeopathy works for some conditions where the placebo effect would work. The worried well, for example. It's safer than taking medicine

I’m a complete sceptic but I had a friend who was a homeopath. I had been mentioning to her my child’s verrucas that had been going on for years and I had tried everything they just would not budge. She gave me two small pills which I gave to my child thinking what harm can it do and I was astonished that within a couple of weeks the verrucas had completely gone. I have never used homeopathy before or since but it did always make me wonder. Also I noticed that at Great Ormond Street Hospital they had a homeopathy hospital which also surprised me. What harm can it do to try it?

@SirRaymondClench you're making the same mistake other have on this thread - mixing up homeopathy with herbal medicine.

Some herbal medicine DOES work (although if it's studied and tested enough it just become 'medicine' ).

Homeopathy is bollocks.

In Europe they prescribe homeopathic remedies.

I used to give homeopathic remedies to my horses and it always worked.

Maybe it was the placebo effect with them too.

ON MN everyone will tell you that anything alternative is bollocks as if allopathic medicine from your GP works every time 'because science' 🙄 yet they get paid to prescribe you stuff. Just look how many people are on statins for no good reason, or who are prescribed blood pressure medicine that never improves anything and you stay on it for life.

It's not in the interests of the world of allopathic medicine to advocate for the alternative when they can make so much money selling you their toxin laden tablets. Just look at America.

Not everything works for everyone same as any medicine.
I would find a good herbalist OP.

People who swear by homeopathy need to realise the correlation doesn't equal causation.

I had awful eczema as a child but it got better all by itself. If my parents had given me water/homeopathy that wouldn't have been the cause of the improvement.

Same for any other condition treated by homeopathy. Either it got better by itself or by an unrelated change (diet/exercise/rest etc).

Absolutely agree with this post, many alternative medicines and treatments are well worth while. Herbal medicine can be very affective, but homeopathy no.

How can the NHS say this on their website and then, at the same time, offer homeopathy in some locations? Ridiculous!
I don't believe in homeopathy, by the way.
I think it is beyond a joke that the NHS spends any money in something not scientifically proven

Op I’m so sorry your child is unwell and I hope she gets better as soon as possible.
I’m also relieved the majority of posters agree that homeopathy is mumbo jumbo because it is. Along with astrology. Yes that’s right, astrology. The amount of otherwise educated people who swear by this stuff is alarming.

We dealt with suspected PANS after a severe infection in my DD. We had a lot of involvement from the NHS because she was very physically unwell alongside the PANS issues, we found very few Dr's who would take any interest in it at all.

The PANS/PANDAS UK facebook group is very helpful. We noticed big changes by switching to an anti-inflammatory diet, using ibuprofen for pain relief rather than paracetamol.

We then hand lengthy IV antibiotics which relieved the psychiatric symptoms - however these were not prescribed for the PANS but for the physical illness and involvement from a pediatric psychiatrist through our children's hospital who was amazed at the pre/post antibiotics difference.

PANS/PANDAS is a very overlooked area and I know we wouldnt have had the NHS support we did have if it wasn't for the physical illness side.

Have you already tried treating with antibiotics?

If someone is being pushy with their treatment then I'd be wary. I doubt homeopathy can harm in itself, but if means not following treatments that actually work then yes it's dangerous. You could use it as supplementary to conventional treatments.

And please take care as COVID is rising to keep your child safe from infection which could worsen symptoms. Talk to their school to ensure they are prioritizing ventilation in classrooms and running air purifiers. www.cleanairforkids.co.uk is a great resource to try and make schools less of a cesspit of airborne infection.

This. Do not confuse homeopathy with alternative medicines, many of which work well when combined with modern medical approaches. Make sure you use someone fully qualified, eg NIMH

There are also some fasting techniques which are helpful in adults - I don’t know how they would work with younger people though.

Having said all that, homeopathy by itself will have no effect, but the placebo effect can be quite strong, so maybe use it alongside.

My mum went through the same with me when I was very ill as a child. Homeopathy did nothing.

She really cleaned up my diet though- only organic food, lots of veg, fruit, nuts and seeds. Vitamins, minerals, Fresh air, controlled exercise etc.

Dear @Nightswimminginoldpants im so sorry for what you’re going through. I can only imagine how difficult it is to deal with.

i am a big believer in trying different types of meds (Chinese / Ayervedic and also taking supplements) however I genuinely don’t believe homeopathy works.

If I were you, I would ensure you’re getting a break and looking after yourself frequently enough that you don’t burn out and have strength to deal with this. Do what you need to, so you have the strength to keep fighting for your DC

I would try and ensure you’re following the best medical advice and taking all the meds supplied and throw money at psychiatric support and CBT for your child. And ensure you’re receiving the best advice on how to parent - holding the line on behaviours so they don’t get worse through enabling etc.

I am a big believer in the health of the gut micro biome especially if your DC is taking a antibiotics long term. I do feel as a secondary support to everything else medical you’re probably doing, I would improve this rather than homeopathy. However, I totally get this may be hard if DC not wanting to eat properly or being oppositional or your just simply exhausted .

I hope you’re ok x x

Homeophaty = CON.
Depending on the sickness there are some alternatives that could help like herbal, acupuncture, acupressure,etc. Please, get specific advice from a medical, qualified professional before trying anything new.
I am sorry that your child is sick and wishing a full, quick recovery.

Watch the new Panorama documentary on alternative medicine. It’s interesting. And RIP Paloma