What connects 11 American presidents, seven popes, the British Royal family, Charles Darwin, JD Rockefeller, David Beckham, Tina Turner and Mother Teresa?

The answer is they are all reputed to have used and advocated homeopathic treatment.

With the growing move away from drug-centred treatments, homeopathy offers an alternative, more patient-centred therapy, with
remedies prescribed based on the patient's symptoms and how they experience them.

Remedies are mostly drawn from natural substances which are highly diluted and therefore non-toxic, making them suitable for all ages, including children and pregnant women.

Homeopathy works on the principle of 'like cures like' – that is, a substance that would cause symptoms in a healthy person is used to help those same symptoms in illness.

There are various forms of homeopathy, of which the most commonly used is classical homeopathy.

For classical homeopathy, single remedies (as opposed to multiple or complex treatments) are used. A classical homeopath uses the signs and symptoms of the patient's ailment to choose the correct remedy.

Homeopaths consider 'diseases' to be a secondary result of an internal energetic imbalance, often caused by the stress of vaccines, poor diet, suppression of symptoms, etc.

A good homeopathic practitioner will take a detailed medical history and, along with observation, will match the patient's symptoms to a single remedy as outlined in one or more Materia Medicas – the homeopathic 'bible'.

Local registered classical homeopaths Katherine Law and Patritzia Chand are now making homeopathy more accessible from a low-cost drop-in Homeopathic Clinic, at Castle Lower School in Goldington Road, Bedford.

The clinic is open from 10.30am until noon on Thursdays and offers treatment for ailments such as coughs, colds, headaches, teething pains, minor aches and pains, sprains, bumps and bruises, bites and stings.

The usual price is £9 for a 15 to 20 minute 'acute' consultation, including remedy, but £7 to Times & Citizen readers presenting this article.

You can also drop in for an informal chat about more chronic complaints, and to discuss if homeopathy is suitable for you.

There is no charge for this, and any full consultations booked as a result will benefit from a small discount. Call Katherine on 01234 341611 or Patritzia on 07858 079966.