Gentle, effective homeopathy during pregnancy, labour and beyond

Homeopathy is safe during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for newborns, infants and children.  It works well for those issues that you want addressed during pregnancy without using drugs - e.g. morning sickness, breast tenderness, backache, heartburn, constipation etc.   There are also wonderful homeopathic remedies that can help during labour and other remedies that are useful immediately afterwards for speeding recovery and addressing issues to do with breastfeeding.  Here are links to the British Homeopathic Association's information sheet on homeopathic remedies for pregnancy and labour, as well as their factsheet about babies and children.

http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/bha-charity/how-we-can-help/articles/pregnancy-and-labour/

http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/babies-and-children-factsheet.pdf

I highly recommend Miranda Castro's book Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth and Your Baby's First Years.   This book is great if you want to learn how to use homeopathic remedies at home for yourself and your baby. You can buy it directly from Miranda's webite or Amazon

http://mirandacastro.com/main/books.html

Postpartum depression and homeopathy

Postpartum depression (AKA Post-natal depression) is a depression that comes on within the first year of the birth of a child.  There are a number of symptoms including sadness, grief, feeling overwhelmed, feeling inadequate, a sense of not being able to bond with the infant, fatigue etc.  Many people have heard of postpartum depression but not many might expect to feel this way.  Usually an expectant mother (and father) is excited about the forthcoming arrival of her child and therefore is surprised to feel these difficult emotions after the birth of her baby.  There are numerous theories about what causes postpartum depression and as it can also appear in men it is not only hormonal, as many have theorized.  Naturally there is a desire to help the parent with postpartum depression to overcome it so that he or she will feel better able to take care of the needs of the infant.

There is a body of evidence supporting the homeopathic treatment for mental and emotional health.  Furthermore, homeopathic remedies are safe, effective and non-toxic.  They can safely be taken while pregnant, nursing or by young infants.  They work quickly and they do not cause side effects.  While self-prescribing of homeopathic remedies is fine for certain issues, it is recommended to seek professional homeopathic treatment for postpartum depression.

Here are two links to articles for more information about homeopathy for post-partum depression:

http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/bha-charity/how-we-can-help/articles/post-natal-depression/

http://www.mothering.com/community/a/four-great-homeopathic-remedies-for-postpartum-mothers

                                                       © Olga Vasilkova | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Spring = Allergies (for many people)

It seems that this year the allergy specialists are reporting a bad season ahead for those inflicted with seasonal allergies.  So if you have allergies perhaps you want to try homeopathy.  I have had a number of patients improve dramatically with homeopathic treatment.  Within a very short time they are symptom free and often times subsequent years these clients don't even need to repeat their remedies as they no longer experience the same symptoms.

If you are interested in reading more about homeopathy for allergies and seeing some evidence of its effectiveness in relation to allergies - here is a great article to start with:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathy-for-allergies_b_320998.html

What is the difference between a naturopath and a homeopath?

Naturopath vs. Homeopath  What are the differences?

 Naturopaths are trained in a variety of healing modalities and homeopathy is just one the many methods they learn. A naturopath could be considered like a general practitioner of alternative medicine studying diverse modalities such as clinical nutrition, botanical (herbal) medicine, iridology, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy, among others.

     Naturopathy is practiced very differently from one practitioner to the other depending on his or her own strengths and interests. A naturopath’s education in so many different modalities means they lack expertise in any one, unless or until they choose to specialize. Some naturopaths prescribe homeopathically with a minimum amount of knowledge, some rarely use it, while others choose to specialize in it and work exclusively with homeopathic remedies.  Naturopaths often require numerous expensive tests to be undertaken or a lot of costly supplements, be they vitamins, minerals, herbal tinctures etc.

     A classical homeopath studies for four years only homeopathy and specializes in prescribing homeopathic remedies. Classical homeopathy espouses using only one remedy at a time at a single potency to address all of the symptoms - psychological, emotional and physical -that make up a person’s entirety. By prescribing only one homeopathic remedy makes it easier to determine the effects of that remedy without other factors muddling the picture. There exist thousands of homeopathic remedies and for example there could be 200 possible remedies for a particular ailment for this reason it requires a tremendous amount of learning and experience to prescribe well.  A classical homeopath spends years studying how to accurately prescribe as homeopathic remedies need to be prescribed individually to bring about the greatest and longest lasting improvements in health.  Homeopathic remedies are very inexpensive and have an extremely long shelf life.

Homeopathy works and new research supports this.

Despite the fact that back in the 1800s there were a number of homeopathic hospitals and medical schools in the US and Canada, the climate shifted and homeopathy became almost forgotten in North America.  However, homeopathy continued in Europe as well as in South and Central America, and India.  Now increasingly North Americans are looking for alternatives to traditional medicine, pharmaceutical drugs and surgery.  They want something that is less invasive as a first line of defence or homeopathy is being used when traditional medicine has not provided long term healing.

More and more research has been emerging recently that supports the validity of homeopathy.  And this   is helpful for those who are new to homeopathy to have confidence in its efficacy.  It is difficult to find reliable, factual on-line sources of honest information about homeopathy and its studies -- so I have provided some useful links to homeopathic research summaries and scientific publications of homeopathic studies for you to peruse at your leisure:

http://hpathy.com/scientific-research/research-homeopathy-part-13/

http://audesapere.in/database-of-scientific-publications-in-homeopathy/

The Swiss government commissioned a report that found homeopathy to be an effective, cost-efficient addition to the traditional and complementary medicine landscape. Here is a link to said report:

http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-642-20638-2

The eyes have it

Homeopathic treatment is effective for a number of issues related to the eyes.  I have treated a number of cases of conjunctivitis (pink eye) as well as styes very successfully using homeopathic remedies.  

Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva - the transparent membrane covering the eye.  There are three causes: bacterial infection, viral infection or allergic reaction.  Both the bacterial and the viral causes of conjunctivitis are contagious while the allergic reaction is not.  In most cases conjunctivitis clears up by itself within two to five days.  However, homeopathic treatment is worth considering if there are recurrent episodes of conjunctivitis or if there is a need to clear the conjunctivitis more quickly.  I gave a homeopathic remedy to my son when he returned after a weekend away and had had symptoms of pink eye since Saturday.  I gave it to him on his return Monday evening and by the next morning he awoke with clear eyes that no longer felt "scratchy".  I have prescribed a homeopathic remedy for one boy who had many recurrences of conjunctivitis.  It cleared up the flare up he had at that time very quickly and I haven't heard of him having another episode since.

A stye is an infection at the root of an eyelash.  It looks like a pimple or a boil and can become quite red, swollen with pus, and painful.  Traditionally styes are treated with ointments, drops, antibiotics and are surgically removed, if all else fails.  I have successfully treated cases of stubborn styes that were not responding to conventional treatment and in fact in one case the very next day after a stye had been surgically removed another stye appeared on the opposite eye.  Therefore, if you have a susceptibility to developing styes, if nothing has helped you get rid of a stye or if you want to consider a less invasive form of treatment before considering surgically removing a stye  - you might want to consider homeopathic treatment.

Homeopathy works to boost the immune system to quickly overcome an existent health challenge and it also makes the body more resistant to disease so that subsequent episodes are less likely to occur.

Homeopathy: For mental and emotional wellbeing

  Homeopathy works wonders when we are feeling out of balance emotionally.  Psychopharmaceuticals often have side effects and once started are hard to come off of or are never given up because then the same symptoms return.   Unlike prescription drugs that suppress the emotions, homeopathic remedies help to heal by addressing the underlying cause.   Homeopathic remedies are given in minimal doses and are stopped as soon as there is an improvement.


Consider homeopathy for anxiety, phobias, depression and other mental and emotional problems.  I saw a patient who was so fearful of flying that she would vomit several times each flight.  It was such a huge impediment as she really wanted to be able to travel.  This young woman did so well on a remedy that she has been able to fly frequently and even very long haul flights with no problems whatsoever.  To my knowledge she hasn't had to repeat the remedy at all.


I have also seen homeopathy work really well for depression.  A woman who was distraught at the end of her marriage was crying daily.  She couldn't seem to get out of that darkness and despair.  After taking a homeopathic remedy she stopped crying and within a short time she had a sense of hope, clarity and strength that had eluded her up to that point.


Here is a link to an article if you'd like to read more about the treatment of depression using homeopathy.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/healthier-ways-to-treat-d_b_740720.html