A passion that started in motherhood has grown into a profession for Rachel McDaniel.

The Hartley woman recently opened Central Homeopathy, LLC, in the former HartleYoga building next to Jackie's Floral Center. Though she's starting small, McDaniel is looking forward to growing her clientele base in the months and years to come.

"This has really just seemed to fit for me," she said. "From top to bottom, really. Homeopathy is really beautiful for mental and physical issues that are hard to deal with."

Homeopathy is an alternative form of healthcare that runs counter to traditional medicine. Rather than relying on pharmaceutical drugs, homeopaths use a variety of remedies for ailments derived from plants, minerals or animals.

McDaniel became interested in homeopathy 16 years ago when she had her first child. As her flock grew to three, so too did her interest in home remedies. She eventually joined several online communities to increase her acumen and knowledge.

"I was digging for a lot for information about what I could do for these issues, whether it was mental and emotional issues, colds and flus, or really just anything," she said. "What do you do when your kid has an ear ache, or just any little thing when you feel a little helpless as a parent? The more I studied it, the more I was using it for my children."

McDaniel took online classes through the Colorado-based Homeopathy School International for two years before graduating this summer. She is considered a Practitioner of Homeopathy right now, but she's hoping to achieve national certification within the next two years.

So far, she's helped family, friends and neighbors. The process to find a remedy starts with a two-hour consultation, which includes a bevy of questions for the client about a variety of topics ranging from their sleeping patterns to whether they prefer hot water or cold water.

After the consultation session wraps, the real work begins. McDaniel starts scanning her homeopathy books looking for the right remedies to match the client's symptoms, which can take time.

Remedies can vary greatly depending on the client's affliction. If they're suffering from a cold, McDaniel might give them Allium cepa, an onion-based remedy, to help with symptoms. If it's a rash, she might consider Apis, which is derived from a honeybee.

McDaniel sources her remedies from homeopathic pharmaceutical companies, which she said are regulated by the FDA.

"You don't just buy a bucket full of herbs. It's not like a witch doctor sort of thing going on," she said. "I find a lot comfort in that fact. It's not a bunch of people chanting at the light of the moon. I wouldn't really go for that, because it's not my style."

McDaniel said homeopathy is used to care for clients with chronic issues like arthritis, sciatic nerve pain, ear infections and other ailments. She said the process to feeling better takes time, which requires patience from the client.

Follow-up appointments are often necessary to see how remedies are working or if the care plan needs to be adjusted.

NICK PEDLEY/SENTINEL-NEWS

Rachel McDaniel's new homeopathy office is located in the former HartleYoga studio at 100 S Central Ave. in Hartley. She is pictured here with her husband, Jeremy.

"It takes years for us to get chronically sick, and it can take months to cure it," McDaniel said. "It's not going to be like when you have a pain, you get a painkiller. My goal is to heal, not cover up."

McDaniel's office is open by appointment only by contacting her at CentralHomeopathy@protonmail.com. She looked forward to caring for local residents' physical, mental and emotional needs.

"The principles of it are simple, but there's an art to matching the symptoms to the remedy that you want to use," she said. "Homeopathy is for people who don't want to be on pharmaceutical drugs their whole life who don't have a lot of options."