Dear Agnes:

You are correct in wondering about the practice of "reading hands." This practice is not part of homeopathy. Many people who gravitate toward alternative medical techniques are occultist, witches, or New Agers. Beware of these people and run, do not walk, away from them. Find a homeopath who is not into these aberrations.

Such things as "reading of hands" and palm reading are forms of divination and is absolutely condemned by the Church:

Divination and magic

2115 God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future (cf. Deut 18:10; Jer 29:8.). Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

Never go back to this so-called homeopath.

Unfortunately, medicine is returning to superstitions and unscientific methods. While some homeopathic, naturopathy, and other alternative approaches have scientific veracity, some do not.

Often homeopaths, naturopaths, and other will indulge themselves in Oriental alternative medical approaches. This includes a cosmology that is utterly inconsistent with Christianity. There is no such thing as Ch'i, Chakras, energy flows in the body, and other such nonsense.

We recently placed Dr. Oz on our Hall of Shame for promoting physician-assisted suicide and other intrinsic evils. We are about to induct him again for his promotion of Oriental occultism (i.e. nonexistent ch'i, chakras, energy flows) as an alternative to legitimate medicine or homeopathic/naturopathic approaches.

Herbs and plants may have legitimate medicinal value, but be careful. Some herbs are marketed to do things for which they do not do, and thus can harm you. One should always talk to their doctor and never, and I mean never, self-diagnose or self-medicate. Various herbs in certain dosages can be poison. Some herbs can react to other herbs or medicines in way that can harm you.

The problem is that the FDA does not regulate the herbal industry, so you cannot know for sure about the real dose or quality of the herb you buy. Be careful.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary