The Homeopathic Profession is not for the Faint of Heart
by Edi Pfeiffer
I started studying homeopathy in 1979! I was 20 years old and visiting friends in England when I kept hearing about this amazing healing modality from the community of young people I became a part of. I soon realized homeopathic remedies were being sold in regular pharmacies all over Europe. I wondered how I’d never heard of this in California, where I'd been born and raised! I ended up moving to Wales, where I became a fascinated homeopathy student, first in a Welsh farm house at a study group, then at a homeopathy school in London. I eventually moved back to the Bay Area, attended the Hahnemann College of Homeopathy while I worked at the Hahnemann Clinic Pharmacy. I was part of the pioneering group of homeopaths in California in the 80's and also part of the pioneering consumers of homeopathy at that time. I've been in practice as a professional Classical Homeopath in Berkeley, California for about 25 years now. I've seen homeopathy wax and wane in popularity in that time (15 years ago I remember hearing the word "homeopathy" often in strangers' conversations in cafes and on the street) and I've noticed my practice shift and change in terms of my clientele. At the time I started my practice, I saw many more young families with moms who could afford to stay at home. Now my practice includes a lot fewer households where both parents don't need to work. I see many more clients who are dealing with anxiety and depression, as well as digestive disorders, and that isn’t necessarily why they come in! It’s become such an accepted reality to be taking mood stabilizers and digestive medications. At this point most of my clientele are middle class professionals of all age groups. I have more clients now from countries where homeopathy is popular and more understood, like India, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil. About half my clients are kids.
Over the years I studied nutrition and digestive health, found the Weston Price Foundation and began incorporating cooking classes and nutrition into my practice. My niche is digestive health and children's health - I'm certified in Homeoprophylaxis and CEASE, and I also coach people through metabolic balance - a program to help people eat whole, nutritious food while lessening their inflammation and insulin ups and downs and lose excess weight. I felt that I needed more services to add to my repertoire as there are more and more obstacles to cure that we’re dealing with in our society. Vaccines are mandated, the autism epidemic is spiraling, and our food supply is less and less nutritious as the earth is polluted and leached of minerals.
When I began my career as a homeopath, there was more of a momentum and enthusiasm with three well-established homeopathic colleges in the Bay Area and clinics in quite a few locations. But many in those groups are aging and retiring and/or turning to CBD oil or regular medicine for their aches and pains! Now we're dealing with more of an atmosphere of corporate greed and the realization that homeopathic remedies are a big business. I’m beginning to feel more like a renegade! So our homeopaths and our pharmacies are having to deal with accusations and innuendos which the main stream media picks up and turns into headlines like: US Government Says Homeopathy Doesn't Work. Great. We already had our work cut out for us. My meditation practice is essential now more than ever. And yoga, and activism, and laughter!
