While I was in homeopathy school, the realities above were very true for me. I had three small children, and while I trusted homeopathy, I didn’t quite trust my prescribing. I found myself in a situation where I needed help — and fast. My 2-month-old daughter had developed a high fever and was lethargic. It was around 5 p.m. and I couldn’t reach my homeopath. Being a quite worried and out of options, I headed to the ER with my remedy kit tucked into my purse.
In the end, my daughter got some Tylenol for her fever and was prescribed antibiotics for an infection. Having reached my homeopath by then, I never filled the prescription and took care of the infection with remedies. While it ended up to be quite inconsequential, the whole experience was eye opening for me.
I started thinking about my passion for homeopathy and how much I wanted to bring it to the world, but the current practice model was prohibiting. If you wanted to see a homeopath, you’d set up an initial appointment, which was not only time consuming but expensive. There was no place to go when you had a cough or your child had an ear infection unless you were already seeing a homeopath (and could reach them at that time).
I wanted to make homeopathy available to the larger public, in a way that was familiar. Given my experience with my daughter, I wanted a place where people could go in the evenings and on weekends. This place would have a talented, well-trained staff and an extensive pharmacy.
Thus, in 2009, Spark Clinic was born.
It began with staff of six homeopaths, sharing shifts a few nights a week and on Saturdays treating acute illness. Surprisingly, our clients were people who had never tried homeopathy before. Some had no idea what homeopathy was. They did know that they were not being heard by their conventional doctors and were not getting well.
We have seen a lot of children at the clinic and have numerous success stories in healing childhood illness. These situations are always great, especially when you are able to stop the cycle — in this case, of ear infections. Ben’s mom brought him to us out of desperation. He had had numerous ear infections already in his 12 months of life and had been to the ER for many of them.
Normally a happy kid, Ben was uncomfortable and screaming with pain. He had a temperature of 104 with bright red cheeks and glossy eyes. His right ear was also bright red. I gave him Belladonna while they were in the office and additional doses to take at home. The next day his mom called to report that by bedtime that night, Ben’s fever had gone down and he was able to sleep. By that morning, Ben was back to being a happy kid.
Shortly after the turn of the year in 2010, I secured additional space and began building a team of body workers. Along with homeopathic care, we began to offer massage, shiatsu, acupuncture and Reiki. Realizing that people walk through many different doors as they begin their healing, these modalities complimented homeopathy and allowed us to reach more people.
One evening a woman came to us with a very painful sore throat. She had been having pain for two weeks with no relief. When she described her pain, she said it was like shards of glass in her throat. We also talked about an issue she was having with her husband, which left her feeling resentful and angry. After our half-hour acute visit, I gave her the remedy Nitricum acidum. After taking her remedy, she received a half-hour Reiki session. By the time our client reached her car that evening, her sore throat was completely gone.
It became clear that we were outgrowing our small building that was tucked away on a quiet street. In late 2011, I was given the opportunity to move into a new and much larger location with storefront signage on a busy street. Thus on January 1, 2012, we opened our new Walk-in Clinic, Wellness Center and Yoga Studio with a special 108 Sun Salutations class.
Our move gave us the opportunity to expand our hours, offerings and staff. We now offer homeopathic care, holistic medical care, chiropractic, acupuncture, Reiki, cupping, tuning fork therapy, raindrop massage, therapeutic massage and shiatsu. Yoga, being therapeutic for both mind and body, helps our clients stay active, flexible and grounded. Over 20 classes in many different styles are offered throughout the week.
Acute illness is a wonderful gift to the homeopathic practice. When we are able to treat someone successfully with homeopathic remedies, it opens a door. We are given an opportunity to educate patients about homeopathy, how to listen to their bodies and what healing really means. Brief acute visits are a wonderful way of inviting people to try something new for a small investment. It can bring a whole new outlook on homeopathy and other alternative therapies, thus opening them to a new level of health and healing.
