Dr Richard Laing, M.B., Ch.B., M.F.Hom: Medically qualified doctor with over
30 years experience, offering Homeopathy and Acupuncture in
Colchester, Halstead and London. Tel: 01206 575581 for all enquiries.
 
Homeopathy 
I was fortunate to see how useful homeopathy was before I knew what it was and before I had been affected by any medical prejudices. Homeopathy has survived attacks on it for 200 years for only one reason—it works. Other than the fact that it works it has not much going for it—its mechanism of action is not understood and on the face of it, it seems contrary to common sense to think that very small doses of medicines work. The kind of trials designed to test the efficacy of drugs do not work well with homeopathy. However, these trials also often fail to show that widely prescribed drugs have any useful effect. For example, antidepressants seem to be no more effective than placebo according to some research. In homeopathy you cannot give everyone with the same disease the same medicine. The individual reaction to the disease must be considered. This requires careful questioning and observation. Homeopathy has been used in a great many diseases.

In practice we often see:

arthritis • acne • allergies • anxiety • asthma • back pain • cancer – all kinds,
as complementary therapy • catarrh • children’s complaints • chronic fatigue • cramp
and colic • depression • diabetes type II • eczema • fibromyalgia • hayfever •
headaches • high cholesterol • indigestion & flatulence • insomnia • interstitial cystitis• irritable bowel • joint pain • leg ulcers • ME • menopausal complaints • migraine •painful periods • palpitations • prostate problems • psoriasis • recurrent urinary infections • rheumatism • sexual disorders • sinusitis • sleep disorders • stress-related complaints • urticaria

In some of these, homeopathy may be given as the sole therapy; in others it works
well with other therapies such as counselling, psychotherapy, osteopathy, surgery,
and so on. Please phone if you would like to discuss your own situation.

Acupuncture & Auriculotherapy
Acupuncture has not been subjected to the calumnies that have been heaped on
homeopaths by the enemies of natural medicine. It has a long and respectable
pedigree in the East and its efficacy has often been demonstrated in, for example, many pain conditions and also anxiety states,
attacks of asthma and other acute forms of suffering. My impression over more than
30 years of observation—I first saw acupuncture demonstrated in 1974—is that when used according to the Chinese system it is more beneficial than when the Westernised method is used, although even that gives good results in many conditions, such is the power of acupuncture. I therefore chose to train in the Chinese method which is a fascinating subject in its own right. One advantage of the Chinese approach is that one makes a proper diagnosis in Chinese Medical terms that also allows herbs to be suggested, and dietary and lifestyle advice to be given.