Archive for the ‘Homeopathy’ Category

Homeopathic Remedies for Flu

Ten Homeopathic Remedies to Use during the Flu Season and Swine Flu Epidemic of 2009

We’ve used homeopathy, successfully with our kids and ourselves for many years. Here’s a great article on flu remedies.  You should be able to find them at any health food store. For more information about homeopathy, visit Melanie’s site, listed below,  http://homeopathyhome.com/ is a great resource also.  Mom

by Melanie Grimes, citizen journalist

Homeopathy has been very successful in treating the symptoms of flu and the Swine Flu pandemic of 2009 has been no exception. Homeopaths gather symptoms from a large population and discern what is called a “genus epidemicus”. The genus is the remedy, or group of remedies, with the symptoms of most people who have a particular flu. These remedies are therefore the most likely remedies to treat a particular flu strain.

The Swine Flu showed the typical symptoms of a regular flu with the exception of high fever and chills. As for the genus epidemicus of this flu, there are a few variations of this flu, so a few remedies have been required. This is much the same as in the Flu Epidemic of 1918 when two remedies were used to great advantage and a near 100% survival rate. The remedies mostly used in that flu were Bryonia and Gelsemium.

Remedies that homeopaths have found useful in treating this 2009 flu season include:

1. Ferrum Phos is always a good remedy to use in the first stages of flu. Ferrum phos can be taken in the 30c potency. Even the 6x potency, sold as a tissue salt, can stop a flu in its tracks. Ferrum phos can be alternated with Natrum Sulf during the first days of the flu.

2.Dulcamara is useful at the onset of a high fever. The Dulcamara cough hurts from muscular soreness. This flu is frequently brought on by cold, damp weather.

3. Nux vomica treats a flu with chills and pains in bones and joints. The irritability and chills are very marked.

4. Gelsemium treats a low fever, and is also a good remedy if you have not been well since the flu. Gelsemium patients experience weakness with shivering.

5. Arsenicum treats a burning fever that is accompanied with chills, restlessness and anxiety. The person needing Arsenicum is usually thirsty but only drinks small quantities at a time. They can have burning pains.

6. Bryonia is good for type of flu when the person does not want to move. The mouth is dry but they are thirsty.

7. Rhus tox flu can be accompanied with aching bones, restlessness, and a red tipped tongue. This is another remedy that is useful when the flu is brought on by damp weather.

8. Belladonna treats a high fever that comes on suddenly. Other accompanying symptoms of Belladonna include heat and redness.

9. Eupatorium perfoliatum experiences severe bone pains with great thirst.

10. Baptisia is a good remedy for flu, especially if it’s centered in the gastro-intestinal track. This remedy can be helpful in the early stages of the flu. The person needing Baptisia can be weak, listless, and feel sore.

The above remedies cover the general conditions and treat the flu symptoms that most have experienced so far. Try these homeopathic remedies to help speed your recovery during the flu season of 2009.

Originally published May 15 2009

About the author

Melanie Grimes is a writer, screenwriter, journal editor, and adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University.She has written an eBook on natural treatments for the flu, available at her blog.

A trained homeopath, she also raises alpacas and is an avid spinner. She is the editor of the homeopathic journal, Simillimum, has been a medical editor for 15 years, won awards as a screenwriter, taught creative writing, founded the first Birkenstock store in the USA (www.mjfeet.com) and authored medical textbooks.

Follow her blog, and get her ebook on Natural Remedies for the Flu is available at:

http://melanie-grimes.blogspot.com/

Read more, wonderful, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-october-9th/

55 Facts About Homeopathy

To me part of eating real food has also been using traditional medicine, wherever possible.  I have used homeopathy with my kids since they were born and have had great success for many illnesses for our family, including winter flu’s.

For some specific info see our blog post from last Febuary, https://momsforsafefood.org/Blog/Entries/2009/2/8_Wonderful_Kid_Remedies.html

To learn more about homeopathy or find referrals to a Classical Homeopath see,

http://www.homeopathyhome.com/index.shtml

http://www.homeopathy-cures.com/

🙂

Mom

55 Facts About Homeopathy

— Louise Mclean, LCCH MHMA

How Homeopathy Works

FACT 1: Hippocrates ‘The Father of Medicine’ of Ancient Greece said there were two Laws of Healing: The Law of Opposites and the Law of Similars. Homeopathy treats the patient with medicines using the Law of Similars, while orthodox medicine uses the Law of Opposites, e.g. antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, anti-convulsants, anti-hypertensives, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics etc.

FACT 2: Homeopathic theories are based on fixed principles of the Laws of Nature – unlike medical theories which are constantly changing!

FACT 3: Homeopathy is an evidence-based, empirical medicine.

FACT 4: Homeopathy is both an art and a science.

FACT 5: The Homeopathic PROVINGS of medicines are a more scientific method of testing than the orthodox model of RCTs or double blind trials.

FACT 6: Homeopathic medicine awakens and stimulates the body’s own curative powers. The potentised remedy acts as a catalyst to set healing into motion.

FACT 7: Homeopathic medicines work by communicating a current/pattern/frequency of energy via the whole human body to jump start the body’s own inherent healing mechanisms.

FACT 8: Homeopathy assists the body to heal itself, to overcome an illness which brings the patient to a HIGHER level of health. Orthodox medicine suppresses the illness, bringing the patient to a lower level of health.

FACT 9: The homeopathic practitioner endevors to search for and treat the CAUSE of the disease in order to heal the EFFECT.

FACT 10: Outcomes of homeopathic treatment are measured by the LONG TERM curative effects of prescribing and complete eradication of the disease state.

FACT 11: The homeopathic practitioner treats the WHOLE PERSON, believing all symptoms are interrelated and seeks to select a medicine which most closely covers them all.

FACT 12: Homeopathy works FAST in acute illnesses, slower in chronic illness.

FACT 13: Homeopathic medicine has been proven extremely effective in Epidemics such as cholera, typhoid, diptheria, yellow fever, polio and influenza and were used extensively in 19th century. http://www.whale.to/v/winston.html

Homeopathic Medicines

FACT 14: Homeopathic remedies are cheap.

FACT 15. Pharmaceutical medicines are expensive.

FACT 16: Homeopathy is the 2nd most popular and widely used medicine in the world.

FACT 17: There are more than 4,000 homeopathic medicines.

FACT 18: Homeopathic medicines have no toxic side-effects.

FACT 19: Homeopathic medicines are NON-ADDICTIVE.

FACT 20: In 200 years, there has never been a single homeopathic medicine recalled, unlike pharmaceutical medicines.

FACT 21: Every true homeopathic medicine is made using ONE SUBSTANCE – whether plant, mineral, metal, etc. The exact substance is known, unlike most modern drugs where we are rarely informed of the ingredients.

FACT 22: Any remedy lower than a 12c or a 24x potency still contains some original molecules of the substance according to Avogadro’s number.

FACT 23: Every Patient is Unique so homeopathic medicines are individualized.

FACT 24: Homeopaths treat genetic illness, tracing its origins to 6 main genetic causes or ‘miasms’: Tuberculosis, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, Psora (scabies), Cancer, Leprosy.

FACT 25: High fevers will drop within minutes after taking the homeopathic medicine Belladonna and Aconite.

FACT 26: There are thousands of homeopathic books, available at specialist outlets, not sold in the high street.

Homeopathic Hospitals

FACT 27: There are 5 homeopathic hospitals in the UK. In London, Tunbridge Wells, Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow. They cost the NHS under £10 million a year compared to the £100 billion for the total annual NHS budget for 2008!

FACT 28: At one of the earliest debates on the NHS Act of 1948 the Government pledged that homoeopathy would continue to be available on the NHS, as long as there were “patients wishing to receive it and doctors willing to provide it”.

FACT 29: There is a campaign by certain UK Professors to oust homeopathy completely from the NHS http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1827553.ece and in 2007 they organized a document on NHS stationery to be sent to all Primary Care Trusts telling managers not to refer patients to the homeopathic hospitals. http://dcscience.net/homeopathy_paper_for_nhs_commissioners.pdf

FACT 30: The Homeopathic Hospitals are clean, with friendly, well informed staff. The patients are generally pleased with their treatment unlike those in many orthodox National Health Service hospitals.

FACT 31: The chance of contracting MRSA or C. Difficile at a Homeopathic Hospital is extremely rare.

FACT 32: Unlike orthodox medicine, where the cost of side-effects of pharmaceutical medicines negligence claims can run into millions, one UK leading insurance company reported only ‘a couple’ of claims against homeopaths in a ten year period! Hence insurance cover for homeopathy is cheap, reflecting low risk.

Orthodox Medicine Opposing Homeopathy

FACT 33: In the United States in the early 1900s there were 22 homeopathic medical schools and over 100 homeopathic hospitals, 60 orphanages and old people’s homes and 1,000+ homeopathic pharmacies.

FACT 34: Members of the American Medical Association had great animosity towards homeopathy after its formation in 1847 and it was decided to purge all local medical societies of physicians who were homeopaths.

FACT 35: Big Pharma does not want the public to find out how well homeopathy works!

Scientific Studies

FACT 36: In 2005 World Health Organization brought out a draft report which showed homeopathy was beneficial, causing Big Pharma to panic and the Lancet to bring out an editorial entitled ‘The End of Homeopathy’.

FACT 37: In 2005 the Lancet tried to destroy homeopathy with a meta-analysis of 110 studies. But they secretly only used 8 carefully selected inconclusive trials. This was a fraudulent analysis.

“The meta-analysis at the centre of the controversy is based on 110 placebo-controlled clinical trials of homeopathy and 110 clinical trials of allopathy (conventional medicine), which are said to be matched. These were reduced to 21 trials of homeopathy and 9 of conventional medicine of ‘higher quality’ and further reduced to 8 and 6 trials, respectively, which were ‘larger, higher quality’. The final analysis which concluded that ‘the clinical effects of homoeopathy are placebo effects’ was based on just the eight ‘larger, higher quality’ clinical trials of homeopathy. The Lancet’s press release did not mention this, instead giving the impression that the conclusions were based on all 110 trials.”

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1375230

FACT 38: There have been many clinical trials that prove homeopathy works. In the past 24 years there have been more than 180 controlled, and 118 randomized, trials into homeopathy, which were analyzed by four separate meta-analyses. In each case, the researchers concluded that the benefits of homeopathy went far beyond that which could be explained purely by the placebo effect.

FACT 39: The Bristol Homeopathic Hospital carried out a study published in November 2005 of 6500 patients receiving homeopathic treatment. There was an overall improvement in health of 70% of them. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4454856.stm

FACT 40: Homeopathy can never be properly tested through double blind randomized trials because each prescription is individualized, since every patient is unique. Therefore 10 people with arthritis, for example, may all need a different homeopathic medicine.

FACT 41: Homeopathic medicines are not tested on animals.

FACT 42: Homeopathic medicines work even better on animals and babies than on adults, proving this cannot be placebo effect.

FACT 43: Homeopathy is safe for women to take while pregnant and safe for old people.

FACT 44: Scientists agree that if and when homeopathy is accepted by the scientific community it will turn established science on its head.

Homeopathic Practitioners

FACT 45: Homeopathic Practitioners train for 4 years in Anatomy and Physiology, as well as Pathology and Disease, Materia Medica, Homeopathic Philosophy and study of the Homeopathic Repertory.

FACT 46: Most homeopaths treat patients who have been referred to them by

word of mouth. Most patients seek out homeopathy because conventional treatment has not benefited them or because it poses too great a risk of side-effects.

FACT 47: The homeopathic community has thousands, even millions, of

written case notes that demonstrate the positive benefits of their treatment. Some homeopaths have video proof of their patients before and after treatment.

FACT 48: Homeopaths charge patients an average of £50 an hour. Specialist

Doctors can charge up to £200 or more.

Popularity of Homeopathy

FACT 49: The popularity of homeopathy has grown in the past 30 years, its revival entirely through word of mouth and estimated to be growing at more than 20% a year the world over!

FACT 50: Hundreds of famous people throughout the past 200 years have enjoyed the benefits of homeopathic medicine. www.homeopathicrevolution.com

FACT 51: The aristocratic patronage of homeopathy in the UK extended well into the 1940’s and beyond as can be easily demonstrated. In the Homeopathic Medical Directories there are lists of patrons of the dispensaries and hospitals. They read like an extract from Burke’s or Debrett’s.

FACT 52: The Royal Families of Europe use homeopathic medicine and Queen Elizabeth II of England never travels anywhere without her homeopathic vials of medicine.

FACT 53: Homeopathy is practiced nowadays in countries all over the world. In India there are 100 homeopathic medical schools and around 250,000 homeopathic doctors!

FACT 54: In a recent Global TGI survey where people were asked whether they trust homeopathy the following percentages of people living in urban areas said YES: 62% in India, 58% Brazil, 53% Saudi Arabia, Chile 49%, United Arab Emirates 49%, France 40%, South Africa 35%, Russia 28%, Germany 27%, Argentina 25%, Hungary 25%, USA 18%, UK 15%. http://www.tgisurveys.com/documents/TGIbarometerhomeopathy_Jan08.pdf

FACT 55: The media as a whole has been unwilling to air a defence of the efficacy of homeopathy and the validity of this 250 year old profession.

—————————————————-

Louise Mclean

http://www.hpathy.com/papersnew/Mclean-Facts-About-Homeopathy.asp

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here, http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-fridays-august-21st/

Wonderful Kid Remedies

Along with safe food, I’ve also tried to use natural medicine for my kids.  Sometimes we have to go to the doctor but there are many natural remedies that can help with common childhood complaints.

I started using homeopathic remedies when my kids were little. They are a great way to help them through the numerous colds and flu’s that they get when they’re young.

If a child is really ill you need to take them to your doctor of course, but I had a number of times when the remedies really turned things around so my kids didn’t end up needing to go.

Here are four remedies that I’d recommend to have around the house if you’ve got young kids or grandkids.  You can get them at any health food store and I’d suggest a 30c potency.

Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla is often used for colds.  If your child is clingy and won’t leave your side, has a left-sided earache.  Wants to be carried and rocked and will fuss terribly if you put them down, this is the remedy to consider.

Some keynotes for Pulsatilla:  Desires company, will not be left alone. Made better by comfort and fuss. Better for gentle rocking. Thirstless. Thick bland yellow-green discharge from the nose.  Desires cool open air. Left-sided ear pain. This can be a great remedy for any age when you have a cold with the same symptoms.

Belladonna

I’ve used Belladonna successfully with my son, when he had a flu with a high fever.

He was fine and the next thing I knew he woke up with a bad earache and his face was bright red. He had a high fever and he was really out of it.  These are the kind of symptoms where you get freaked out as a parent! I gave him the remedy and within an hour his fever had come down and he was doing much better. By the next day his earache was gone.

Keynotes for Belladonna:  Sudden onset with great intensity. Hot red skin. Hot head and cold feet. Intense pain throbbing in character. Dry skin. Twitching and jerking. Burning painful right ear.

Chamomilla

Chamomilla is the remedy that you can think of when your child is so irritable that you are at the end of your rope. LOL It usually affects the right ear, and the earlobes can be red. One cheek can be red, while the other is pale. They are usually in very bad temper and can be very thirsty for cold water.

Keynotes for Chamomilla: Very irritable and angry. Terrible temper.  Great sensitivity to ear pain.  Wants things and then rejects them.  Demands to be carried.  One cheek red, the other pale.  Better for being carried.

Aconite

This is great remedy for colds and earaches of sudden, intense onset. It can come on after exposure to cold, dry wind. There can be burning pains in either or both ears. They will be restless and can be feeling anxious and afraid. Their skin can be hot and dry and they are very thirsty for cold water. The face can be red and congested.

Keynotes for Aconite: Sudden violent onset. Exposure to cold, dry wind. Restlessness, Anxious.  Intense burning, stinging pain.  Worse for noise and covering. Very thirsty for cold water. Congested circulation. Dry hot skin.

If you’d like to read more about caring for yourself and your family using homeopathic remedies, I’d suggest:

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE FOR CHILDREN AND INFANTS

D. Ullman 257pp

EVERYBODY’S GUIDE TO HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE

S. Cummings, D. Ullman

THE FAMILY GUIDE TO HOMEOPATHY

A. Lockie 402pp

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE AT HOME

M. Panos, J. Heimlich

THE COMPLETE HOMEOPATHY HANDBOOK

M. Castro 253pp

And a great website for all things homeopathic can be found at:

http://www.homeopathyhome.com/index.shtml

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