Annabel Duff studied medicine at Queen's University and worked both in general practice and as a hospital doctor. She trained as a homoeopath at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital. She set up the first Medical Homoeopathic Clinic in Northern Ireland and also taught homoeopathy to doctors and veterinary surgeons.
She did further training in Yoga, relaxation therapy and hypnotherapy. Following a move to Galway, she now works mainly with cancer patients. She is a director of Slanu, the Galway Cancer Help Centre. She continues to work part-time in Co. Tyrone.
What prompted your interest in complementary health therapies?
It was my own ill-health which stimulated my interest in homoeopathy. I suffered from chronic stomach ulcers from the age of 17. I also had very severe premenstrual syndrome. I wasn't finding any orthodox medicine that helped either problem. One of my family was attending a homoeopath so I decided to consult one too. Both my problems were solved by homoeopathy. Once I met homoeopathic doctors, I also realised that their interests in the psyche, the spiritual and emotional aspects of illness were similar to mine. Thus, I began my studies in homoeopathy.
Do you believe complementary therapies work better than orthodox approaches for some conditions/illnesses?
Homoeopathy works very well for recurring childhood infections and it can also help diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, arthritis and many cancers. Modern medicine is brilliant for removing obstructions such as tumours and gallstones and solving some congenital defects. Homoeopathy can be used with surgery to relieve pre-operative stress and reduce internal bleeding post-operatively. However, as an alternative practitioner, the first question I will ask my patients is: "What has been going on in your life?" The emotional backdrop is a big factor which is often ignored in orthodox medicine.
Do you find it difficult to combine the two disciplines?
I don't combine the two disciplines but I believe they can be combined. For instance, I give homoeopathic remedies to cancer patients when they go for surgery and also while they are receiving radiotherapy. Because homoeopathic medicine is so highly diluted, it can be used very freely and safely with ordinary medicine. However, it won't work with immunosuppressant medicines or steroids.
I also work with relaxation and visualisation techniques, encouraging patients to visualise getting rid of their cancer. There has been some research in Australia which found that you can halt a cancer through intense deep meditation for 15 minutes twice a day. My tape, Healing Images (45 minutes of relaxation and meditation techniques) is used by many people who do the weeklong residential courses at Slanu.
How have your medical colleagues responded to your interest in complementary therapies?
Many of my patients won't tell their GP or consultants that they are taking homoeopathic remedies as well. I wish they would.
In general, I have found the response of orthodox doctors different here to that in Northern Ireland. It's probably because in Northern Ireland, the doctors knew me well and gave me referrals. Here, I get fewer referrals. In Northern Ireland, homoeopathy is part of the National Health Service and therefore free, which is a significant difference. I would like to see homoeopathy, acupuncture and hypnosis working alongside ordinary medicine in a much more integrated fashion.
How have your patients responded to your change of focus?
I think patients have been ahead of their doctors in wanting alternatives to orthodox medicine. I find many of them need orthodox medicine as well as their alternative therapy. They will only go for an alternative when their GP doesn't give them what they want. However, it will always be their GP who they will call on in a crisis.
Annabel Duff's tape, Healing Images, is available at Slanu, the Galway Cancer Help Centre, Uggool, Moycullen, Co Galway. Slanu runs a drop-in centre, a helpline and residential programme for people with cancer. 091-555898.