How many times has someone told you a sickness is all in your head? For a span of about two months last year, that is all I heard. The story is long and drawn out, but in short, I was in and out of the hospital with excruciating pain in my stomach. Pain along the lines of what I would assume getting stabbed feels like. My doctors put me through every test imaginable, but they all came back negative. The only solutions they could give me were a morphine drip and an oxycodone prescription. Seems pretty intense, I know!

I quickly figured out my body hates hates hates prescription pain meds and I developed a huge phobia of morphine. It was right around a month into this nightmare that my therapist suggested a much less intense course of action. She knew I appreciate living life as natural as possible and I respect the thought of eastern/alternative medicine, so she sent me to a homeopath.

Upon first meeting my homeopath Paula, I was skeptical thinking the whole process was an expensive waste of my time. But low and behold, no more than two visits in my stomach problems were manageable and I was completely off of prescription drugs. In tandem with my therapist, Paula helped me get in touch with the underlying cause of my pain. She helped me realize the powers of my emotions and energy and how they translated into physical symptoms.

I am by no means a homeopath, nor do I claim to know all there is to know about homeopathy. What I do know is I am a convert and a true believer in everything it is and can do. Here are the basic things I have learned since I started seeing a homeopath:

• If you are used to seeing a therapist, your sessions with a homeopath will be very similar. The only difference being a remedy is given to you at the end of the session.

• A remedy consists of an extremely diluted substance that will interact with your individual energy and physical chemistry.

• You must go into this experience with an open and questioning mind.

• Yes this is a little bit ‘hippie,’ but for me it has literally saved my quality of life… so bring on the daisies and rainbows, apparently I’m a hippie now.

• There is a homeopathic remedy for absolutely everything. I have a whole case of remedies for possible ailments I could contract traveling abroad, while at the same time remedies for grief and anxiety.

• Just like a good therapist you have to find a homeopath you trust and who understands you personally.

In my opinion, this whole process has opened me up to living a much more healthy and enjoyable lifestyle. I have found the more natural I live the better I feel about myself and how I exist in the world.