New practice offers homeopathic care in the Heights

Patti Carlyle, a certified homeopath, is the owner of Heights Family Health. Photo by Kari Elsila.

Although the Law of Similars may sound like something mathematical, it's actually the underlying philosophy of homeopathy, a type of wellness care that uses natural substances to stimulate the body’s immune system. The idea behind the Law of Similars is that a material that causes certain symptoms in a healthy person can, in extremely small doses, cure those same symptoms in an ill person. In other words, the thing that’s making someone sick can also help make that person better.

Area residents interested in exploring homeopathy can now visit Heights Family Health, located in The Heights Medical Center Building in the Cedar Fairmount district. Established by University Heights resident Patti Carlyle in November 2011, the practice addresses a wide range of conditions.   

Carlyle, a certified homeopath, is excited about bringing this type of healing to the Heights. “I believe low-tech, gentle homeopathic treatment has the potential to change the health of this community,” she said.

Heights Family Health offers an initial complimentary 15-minute consultation. The next step is a one- to  two-hour appointment, which includes an in-depth health history review. “We’ll talk about your main complaint and what you want help with,” Carlyle explained,  “and how it limits you.”

After studying the information gathered during this session, Carlyle will then provide a homeopathic remedy that is designed to gently push the body further into symptoms so it can begin to heal itself. Remedies are made from thousands of different plant, mineral, and animal substances, including onion, salt, calcium, and a variety of other substances.

An extract of these substances is diluted in water and then “potentized” through a process of vigorous shaking, called succession. Because of the minute dose, the remedies are completely safe. The solution is then sprayed onto milk sugar pellets, which are dissolved under the tongue. The cost of most remedies is under $10.

Carlyle can recommend remedies to address a wide range of adult chronic and acute conditions including asthma, chronic fatigue, pain, depression, anxiety and sinus infections, to name a few.

For children, she can help with ear infections, teething, diaper rash and eczema, colds and flu, sunburns, bee stings, nightmares, and behavioral issues, such as hyperactivity.

Carlyle offers family packages for treatment of young children and their parent(s) together. She conducts community-based informational sessions about homeopathy, and can also create customized classes and workshops.

Although critics have branded homeopathy a pseudoscience, Carlyle firmly believes in its effectiveness. “The body has everything it needs to heal itself,” she said. “We mostly need to stay out of the way, and give it a gentle nudge when necessary.”

Kari Elsila

Kari Elsila, a resident of Cleveland Heights, is a proposal writer for the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes.

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Volume 5, Issue 4, Posted 11:25 AM, 04.04.2012