Most of us are living our lives at a very fast pace. We rush from one thing to another. We have many opportunities and expect things quickly. Instant gratification has become a defining feature of our time. We want quick results and quick fixes so we can carry on without interruption.
When we become unwell, we often see our symptoms as an inconvenience — something that gets in the way of our busy schedules. We don’t tend to see them as signals from the body, inviting us to pause, turn inwards, and pay attention.
So understandably, we want to recover quickly. We either try to fix the problem fast, or, if it’s not that simple, we ignore the symptoms until we can’t anymore — or take something to take the edge off so we can keep going.
In holistic medicine, and especially in homeopathy, we learn that healing comes from within. Symptoms are like an alert system — like an orange flashing light on a car dashboard. They are asking us to look “under the bonnet” and understand what’s going on, rather than simply covering the light with a sticker or a plaster. And yet, even knowing all of this, even homeopaths — or at least one of them, me — can still fall into the trap of wanting instant results.
During my training, we were often presented with cases where healing seemed quick, almost miraculous. And even now, I sometimes see cases — from colleagues or in my own practice — where changes happen fast. Naturally, this creates a desire to see those kinds of results every time, for every client… and for our own families too.
But things don’t always work that way. In fact, they rarely do. And I had to learn that the hard way.
Last year, one of my children was diagnosed with rhinitis. He had always been prone to colds and a blocked nose, but we had managed it well over the years with homeopathy and other natural approaches. However, about two years ago, it became much worse. His nose was constantly blocked, and my usual methods didn’t seem to help.
I tried treating him myself with homeopathy — which is often not ideal in chronic cases. We then worked with another homeopath, thinking a more practical, objective approach might help.
We also explored food intolerance and allergy testing, and the results suggested eliminating quite large food groups. As a family, that felt very difficult — especially with fussy eaters. I know that some people do get good results with elimination diets, and they can be helpful in identifying triggers. But I found myself questioning how much this approach supports long-term healing. In many cases, once foods are reintroduced, the symptoms return. This suggests that while removing certain foods may reduce the reaction, it doesn’t always address why the body is reacting in the first place. From my perspective, it often comes back to supporting the body as a whole — including gut health, the immune system, and overall balance — rather than only focusing on removing specific foods. So, in the end, I decided not to pursue this route, as I didn’t feel confident managing it properly.
We also saw an ENT specialist. Whilst in homeopathy we often say that a diagnosis is not the most important thing — because we treat the individual rather than the label — it can still be helpful to understand what we are dealing with.
Chronic nasal congestion can have different causes: enlarged adenoids, polyps, allergic or non-allergic rhinitis. In homeopathy, this can help guide remedy selection, even if the main symptom appears the same.
In my son’s case, it was diagnosed as rhinitis, but with no clear cause. The recommendation was a steroid nasal spray for several months. When I asked further questions, it became clear that it wasn’t certain whether it was allergic or non-allergic, and the long-term outlook was unclear. He might grow out of it — or he might need to use the spray for the rest of his life. And if the spray didn’t work, there were no real alternatives offered.
This brought me right back to the beginning of my journey into natural medicine — when I was told something very similar about eczema.
When someone you love is suffering, you want to do anything to help — and you want fast results.
But knowing what I know now, and after researching the potential side effects of long-term steroid use, it became clear that we needed a different approach. Conventional medicine, once again, didn’t feel like the right answer for this situation.
That said, I’m still glad we had the consultation. It helped me understand the condition better and gave me clarity about our options.
In the end, we decided to continue with natural medicine. Not surprisingly 😊
This time, however, we worked with a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I have a lot of respect for different natural approaches, especially herbal medicine and TCM, because of their depth and holistic understanding.
I also want to be honest here.
Homeopathy is not always the only answer. Sometimes a particular practitioner may not be the right fit. And sometimes, despite everything, healing takes time — or doesn’t happen in the way we expect.
If it were otherwise, homeopaths would never get sick or die. And as far as I know, there are no immortal homeopaths.
So, back to our journey.
The practitioner prescribed herbal remedies for a month and recommended acupuncture alongside dietary changes. We tried acupuncture once, but my son didn’t enjoy it, so we continued with the herbs and diet, which felt manageable.
At the first follow-up appointment, about 4–6 weeks later, there was only a small improvement — maybe 10%.
And I felt disappointed.
Yes, I was still hoping for a miracle. For quick results.
At the time, his symptoms were quite severe — constant nasal blockage, poor sleep, low energy. The practitioner explained that healing needed to come from within, and that local treatments alone wouldn’t resolve the issue.
Of course, I already knew this.
But that was the moment when something shifted for me.
There was a deeper acceptance. A realisation.
We had tried different options, and there was some improvement — even if it was small. So I decided we needed to be patient. I remember thinking: if he improves by 10% each month, then in ten months that’s 100%. And we continued. Each month, there was another 10–15% improvement. Sometimes it didn’t feel like much had changed, especially when focusing only on the main symptom. But overall, things were improving.
His sleep got better.
His energy improved.
And that reassured me that we were moving in the right direction.
We are still on that journey — slow and steady. And as long as there is progress, I am happy to continue, because my goal is not quick, temporary relief. It is lasting, deeper healing — even if that process is not always visible.
Reflecting on this experience brought me back to everything I learned in homeopathy — the philosophy, the principles, and the teachings of Hahnemann. I also realised that if we had continued with a classical homeopath and remained patient, we may well have reached the same outcome.
I often see people say, “I’ve been working with a homeopath and nothing has changed.” But when I look more closely — both in my own practice and in conversations — that’s not always entirely true. Sleep may have improved. Energy may be better. Other small symptoms may have shifted.
Even if the main complaint hasn’t changed yet. And that’s okay.
Healing often happens on a deeper level first. It takes time for the body to rebalance and work through what needs to be healed.
If you are currently on a healing journey and feel like nothing is happening, try to notice the small changes. Even 10% matters.
Stay consistent — don’t skip your follow-ups and take your remedies as prescribed.
Follow the guidance you’ve been given.
And trust the process, even when it feels slow.
