Over the years, some of the most rewarding work I’ve done has been with children. They respond quickly and clearly to homeopathic treatment — there is little of the complicating layers of suppressed emotion, long-term medication, and habituated illness patterns that can make adult cases complex. A child’s vital force is generally strong and responsive, and when you find the right remedy, the shift can be striking.
I see a good number of children in my practice, from infants with colic through to teenagers navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence. Here are some of the questions parents most frequently ask me.
”Is homeopathy safe for children?”
Yes. This is one of the things I most appreciate about it as a modality when working with young patients. The remedies are highly diluted, contain no pharmacological doses of any substance, and have no known drug interactions. They are safe for newborns, safe during breastfeeding, and can be taken alongside any conventional medication.
This makes homeopathy a genuinely useful complement to conventional paediatric care, rather than an alternative to it. I always want to know what other care a child is receiving, and I encourage parents to keep their GP fully informed about any complementary treatment.
”When do you recommend parents try homeopathy for their child?”
I’d suggest considering it for:
- Recurrent conditions — ear infections, tonsillitis, chest infections, urinary infections — where the conventional approach has been to prescribe repeated antibiotics, and the pattern continues nonetheless
- Eczema and allergic conditions, where long-term steroid use is a concern
- Sleep difficulties in young children
- Behavioural and emotional challenges, including anxiety, school phobia, and adjustment difficulties
- Developmental concerns, in conjunction with conventional assessment
- Teething, colic, and the ordinary distresses of infancy
- First colds and fevers, before reaching automatically for antibiotics (though if a child is very unwell, please always see your GP first)
The Ear Infection Pattern
I see quite a few children whose parents come to me specifically because of recurrent ear infections. The child has been on three or four courses of antibiotics in a year, the infections keep coming back, and the family is understandably looking for an alternative.
This is exactly the kind of situation where a constitutional approach — treating the whole child, strengthening their overall resilience — tends to work well. The aim is not just to treat the current ear infection (though we can certainly do that) but to address whatever in the child’s constitution makes them repeatedly vulnerable to this kind of infection.
The remedies I use most frequently in this context depend entirely on the individual child, but Pulsatilla — one of the great children’s remedies — appears often. The Pulsatilla child is typically affectionate, gentle, changeable in mood, better for fresh air and open windows, worse in warm rooms, and craves company and comfort when unwell. The ear pain in these cases is often accompanied by thick yellow or green discharge, and the child is clingy and tearful.
Chamomilla is different — the child is inconsolable, demanding, better for being carried, and often has one red cheek and one pale one. This remedy is most commonly associated with teething pain, but also appears in ear infections with a particular quality of hypersensitivity to pain.
Eczema in Children
Eczema is one of the conditions where I see some of the most satisfying outcomes in children, though it requires patience. Constitutional homeopathic treatment is a slow process — we are not suppressing the skin response (which would only drive it deeper) but genuinely stimulating the immune system toward a healthier equilibrium.
It is common for the skin to initially flare during homeopathic treatment. This can alarm parents, and I always prepare them for this possibility. It is generally a sign that something is moving — a healing aggravation, in homeopathic parlance — and tends to be followed by a sustained improvement.
I ask many questions about the eczema: its location, whether it is wet or dry, what makes it better or worse, whether it is worse in summer or winter, whether the child scratches until it bleeds. I also ask about the child’s general character, their sleep, their appetite, their emotional life. All of this informs the remedy choice.
A Note on Vaccination
I am sometimes asked my views on vaccination. I want to be straightforward here: I follow the standard professional guidance of the Society of Homeopaths, which is that homeopathy should not be used as an alternative to vaccination. I support the childhood vaccination programme and advise parents accordingly. The question of how to support a child through the vaccination process — addressing any adverse reactions homeopathically — is a different one, and one I am happy to help with.
Getting Started
If you’d like to bring your child to see me, please get in touch via the contact page. Initial consultations for children are the same length as for adults — I need time to understand your child fully — but follow-up appointments are often slightly shorter, as children’s cases tend to move more quickly.
I see patients in Nairn and via video call. For very young children, video can actually work well, as they are more relaxed in their home environment.
I look forward to hearing from you.