A few days into the New Year an email came in from Ryan’s wife, Nikki. She wrote, ‘Ryan’s been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. He’s had psoriasis for a few years, just a couple of small patches on his leg. Over the past year he’s started to ache in his joints: wrists, ankles, feet, and the back of knees.

They’ve prescribed cream and anti-inflammatories plus stomach liners which he only takes when it’s really bad. He’s not keen on this long term. Can you help?

There are many problems with the current conventional treatment of arthritis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (known as NSAIDs) are commonly used. None of them halt the disease process. Acidic in nature, they have powerful effects on the gastrointestinal tract and used long-term may lead to kidney damage. This is the reason Ryan was prescribed a stomach lining drug. In his late forties he did not want to embark on such a regime.

‘At my worst, I feel like I’ve been hit by a sledgehammer,’ he said. ‘I’m struggling to walk. You can imagine what it’s done to me mentally.’

In treating someone diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis with homeopathy, just as with any other condition, I look at the person as a whole. In practice, this means identifying what exactly the problem is: pain, stiffness, limitation of activities, sleep loss, or something else. It is important to trace changes in the condition over time. For example, a tenderness in the left sole was the first hint of something going awry for Ryan. Initially he struggled walking, and, over the ensuing months, the disease progressed rapidly to his small joints.

In homeopathic prescribing the modalities of the condition are important pointers to the correct remedy. Any factor which makes the problem better or worse is considered. This may cover such things as weather, pressure, touch or hot or cold applications. For example, Ryan told me that he was at his worst first thing in the morning and the first steps were agony but once he got moving, things gradually improved. ‘I’m like a rusty gate’. He’d also cut out cow’s milk (which he loved) and thought this made a difference.

It is very useful to understand what was going on in the person’s life around the time the problem started and what has happened since. Ryan had moved to France in the preceding years and worked hard to construct his home and garden with his own hands. He had had to learn how to fit windows and cut stone blocks and navigate French bureaucracy. Like any transition, the move had had its challenges.

Normally energetic and upbeat, he had been laid low by the diagnosis and felt quite helpless anxious and despondent, not at all his usual self.

After just one week I was delighted to receive a text saying he was much improved! He checked in again two weeks later symptom free. Not every case of arthritis will be turned round so quickly. We were fortunate that Ryan had clear symptoms and had only been taking conventional drugs for a short while.

In a large-scale study in France, where national health insurance covers homeopathic as well as conventional primary-care doctors, the former prescribed half as many nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]) for musculoskeletal disorders while providing better results in terms of pain reduction and quality of life.

Seven months on Ryan says, ‘I was at my wit’s end when I spoke to you. I don’t know why I didn’t call earlier. The results from the remedy have been truly fantastic. It’s like I’ve got a new body. I was expecting the pain and swelling to return when I stopped taking the medicine, but my skin is intact, and I haven’t had any pain.

I went back for my check-up with the doctors. Here they are more open minded than in the UK about homeopathy as are pharmacists. I can’t recommend it enough.’

These are the success stories of some of my clients. They appear with the consent and approval from the individuals concerned.

Always check with your GP or other health professional if you have any concerns about your health.