Questions Worth Asking Before You Book Any Homoeopath
A short list you can take to any practitioner, including this one, and what the answers tell you.
Dr. Aarti Gadhavi, BHMS
Classical Homoeopath, Magarpatta, Pune
Medically reviewed by Dr. Aarti Gadhavi, BHMS, on 31 July 2026
The most useful questions before booking are about process rather than promises: how long the consultation is, whether you will be asked to stop prescribed medicine, what you should bring, how progress will be measured, when you will be reviewed, what happens if nothing changes, whether they refer people elsewhere, and what the fees are including follow ups. Reluctance to answer any of them is itself informative.
This is a short, practical blog. It is a list of questions you can take to any homoeopath, including this one, with what a good answer sounds like and what a poor one tells you.
Nobody should be uncomfortable being asked any of these.
The eight questions
| Question | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| How long is the first consultation? | Sixty to ninety minutes, with an explanation of why |
| Will you ask me to stop any prescribed medicine? | No, immediately and without qualification |
| What should I bring? | All reports, all medicines with doses, and your history |
| How will we know it is working? | Specific measurable things, agreed with you |
| When will we review? | A defined point, agreed at the start |
| What if nothing has changed? | A willingness to say so and to reconsider or refer |
| Do you refer people to other doctors? | Yes, with examples of when |
| What are the fees, including follow ups? | A straight answer, in advance |
Why "can you cure my condition" is the wrong question
It is the question most people want to ask and it is the least informative, because the honest answer and the dishonest answer sound completely different in a way that rewards the wrong practitioner.
An honest practitioner will say they cannot know without assessing you, that nobody can promise a cure for a chronic condition, and that they will tell you at review whether anything has changed. That sounds hesitant.
Somebody willing to promise sounds confident, and confidence is what an anxious person is looking for.
So ask about process instead. Process questions cannot be answered with reassurance.
Questions about them
- What is your qualification and registration? BHMS is the recognised degree in India and registration is a matter of record.
- How long have you been practising, and in what? Not a test, but useful context.
- Do you treat many cases like mine? A straight answer either way is fine. "I see very few of these" is honest and useful.
- Will I see you at follow ups, or somebody else?
- What happens if I need to reach you between appointments and something worsens?
You should expect a straight answer before committing to anything, and if you do not get one, that is your answer.
What to notice in how they answer
Beyond the content, the manner carries information.
Somebody who welcomes the questions is comfortable with scrutiny. Somebody who becomes defensive, or who responds by criticising conventional medicine at length rather than answering, has told you how the consultations will go.
Somebody who answers a factual question with a testimonial about another patient has not answered it.
And somebody who asks you questions back, about what you have tried and what you are hoping for, is already doing part of the job.
Questions specific to your own situation
The list above suits anybody. A few more are worth adding depending on what you are bringing.
- If you take prescribed medication: how will you work alongside my doctor, and will you write to them if needed?
- If you are pregnant or planning to be: what changes about your approach, and what will you not do?
- If the patient is a child: how do you take a case from a child, and how much of it comes from me?
- If you have already tried homoeopathy: what would you do differently from what was done before?
- If you have a diagnosis that needs monitoring: will you want to see my test results, and how often?
- If you live far away: can follow ups be done remotely, and does that change what you can assess?
The point of these is less the answer than whether the practitioner has thought about it. Somebody who has treated many children will have a ready answer about taking a case from one.
Somebody who has not will say so, which is also useful and perfectly acceptable.
What not to judge them on
A few things people weigh heavily that carry less information than they appear to.
A busy waiting room means the clinic is popular, which may mean it is good or may mean it is cheap and fast. A confident manner is not evidence of competence, and in this field it correlates slightly the wrong way, because the honest answers to the questions patients most want to ask are hedged ones.
An impressive website says nothing about the consultation, which is a point worth making on a website.
And a practitioner who cannot promise you an outcome is not being evasive. They are being accurate, and the alternative should worry you more.
After the first appointment
Two more questions worth asking yourself rather than them. Did I feel listened to, and did I leave understanding my own case better than when I arrived.
Those are reasonable expectations of a long consultation and they are largely independent of whether the treatment eventually works.
The blog on choosing a homoeopath in Pune covers the claims that should send you elsewhere, and what a follow up is for covers what to expect at review.
Common questions
What is the single most important question to ask a homoeopath?
Whether they will want you to stop any medicine you have been prescribed. The answer should be an immediate and unqualified no. Anything else, including "we will see how you get on" or "gradually, naturally", is a reason to look elsewhere.
Why should I not ask whether they can cure my condition?
Because the honest answer sounds hesitant and the dishonest one sounds confident, which rewards the wrong practitioner. An honest answer is that nobody can know without assessing you and nobody can promise a cure for a chronic condition. Ask about process instead, since process questions cannot be answered with reassurance.
Is it rude to ask about qualifications and registration?
No, and nobody properly qualified will mind. BHMS is the recognised degree in India and registration with a state or central council is a matter of record. A practitioner who is uncomfortable being asked is telling you something useful.
Should a homoeopath ever refer me to another doctor?
Yes, and a practitioner who never refers anybody is not properly assessing anybody. Ask whether they refer people and for examples of when. A good answer includes situations where their approach is not the right tool.
What should I expect to know after my first appointment?
You should feel you were listened to and leave understanding your own case better than when you arrived. Those are reasonable expectations of a long consultation and they are largely independent of whether the treatment eventually helps.
Written for the clinic of Dr. Aarti Gadhavi, BHMS, a classical homoeopath practising in Magarpatta, Hadapsar, Pune. It carries no remedy names, no cure claims and no invented statistics, because none of those belong on a doctor's website. If something here does not match what your own doctor has told you, your own doctor knows your case and this page does not.
