It Is Never Too Late To Become a Homeopath

From Merrie-Ellen W., Victoria BC

In other words, why homeopathy? Why now?

There are lots of reasons why I decided to become a homeopath, some philosophical, some political, some practical.

First, the philosophical. Homeopathy works: it cures people of both acute and chronic conditions, thereby improving their lives and helping them live in the world to their fullest potential. I have experienced homeopathy at work first-hand over the course of almost 30 years, seeing cures brought about by homeopaths in myself, my family and my friends: my chronic fatigue syndrome, my husband’s lifelong asthma, my son’s pertussis, my children’s warts and nosebleeds, even a friend’s myasthenia gravis.

Having tried to apply homeopathy myself to address my family’s everyday complaints, however, I have experienced more failure than success. I have also experienced and heard of people “practising” homeopathy (usually as one tool among many) and doing more harm than good, whether simply by making no difference at all or by making things worse. I therefore have an appreciation for the depth of knowledge and understanding and the finely tuned skills required of a true homeopath. I want to have that knowledge and those skills myself, in order to be in a position to really make a difference in the lives of others.

Second, the political. For much of my childhood and adolescence, I wanted to be a medical doctor. As a child I spent many, many hours studying Gray’s Anatomy (the book, not the TV show!). I saw medicine not only as the perfect continuation of my training as an elite athlete, but also as a calling, and had my trajectory through medical training well planned. But in Grade 13, when an injury ended my athletic career, the experience of dealing with the medical industry also ended my medical plans. I couldn’t see myself fitting into that world, or at least didn’t want to suppress important parts of myself in order to survive in it.

It cannot be denied that allopathic medicine works exceedingly well in some areas, including fixing broken bones. But it is also clear that allopathic medicine fails badly in many areas of human health – including, sadly, many of the complaints that affect us every day and for much of our lives – and often just worsens our overall health. And yet it continues to make people believe that it is the only viable approach to human health, and that if allopathic medicine can’t help, nothing else will.

I want to be a homeopath so that in a small way I can help show people that there are other, more effective and ultimately less harmful ways to restore health that do not involve industrial medicine and Big Pharma.    

Third, the practical. The interest in health and the desire to alleviate suffering that I felt so many years ago have never gone away. For a while, after giving birth to my second child at home with a midwife, I considered becoming a midwife, although in the end the logistics were impossible. I have always been keenly interested in the health issues of my friends and family, looking for approaches that they might find helpful, connecting them with practitioners of various kinds who I know to be wonderful at what they do. And two years ago I was invited to join the Board of Directors of the local hospice, an opportunity to be involved in a place that is very much about alleviating suffering.

I have worked in my current career for more than 25 years. I am a partner in a wonderful company of professional women. But the landscape is changing rapidly, and I’m not sure what that career will look like in 10 years. In addition, for a long time I have felt a nagging lack of fulfilment and a need to find new challenges. And with my children now having left the nest, it feels like time to move forward and fulfil the desire to cure that I had even as a child.

I recognize that 54 may seem like a rather late start on a career as large as homeopathy. But if I can acquire the homeopathic knowledge and skills to apply in restoring the health of even a few people, it seems to me worth the effort, regardless of when the effort is made. And having completed the first two lessons of the distance education diploma program, I’m hooked – and energized – and looking forward to completing the diploma and getting to work.

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