Homeopathy has been a valid medical form of natural healing for 200+ years. It is still used as the first course of healing treatment in many countries today. Homeopathy does not treat disease per se, but symptoms of disease. When someone has an illness or a disease, they will have physical and/or mental and emotional complaints. As we observe these symptoms and listen to their complaints, we are able to choose the remedy that best fits the individual.
Like cures like.
Developed in the 18Th century by a German physician, Dr Samuel Hahnemann, homeopathy is a natural pharmaceutical science that uses small, diluetd doses from plants, minerals, and animals, to activate the body's own healing process, which allows the body to heal itsef naturally. The first law of homeoppathy is that like cures like, or the "Law of Similars."
-Â Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy 61
I was asked this week about my usage of homeopathic remedies with my clients, especially with some of the more typical pregnancy discomforts. Here's a list...a very incomplete list I know...of some of the common complaints I hear from clients during pregnancy.
Acid Reflux - Lycopodium clavatum (club moss) 200c + Iris versicolor (Iris) 200c 2x daily for 2 days
                         asleepRobinia pseudacacia MQ (black locust) when symptoms present with hyperacidity causing nausea, indigestion, and frontal lobe headache (GERD) 10 drops/half cup of water, 3x daily
Heartburn - Natrum Phosphoricum (sodium phosphate) 3c before each meal
                        Nux Vomica 200c (poison nut) + Chelidonium majus 30c (Greater Celandine) 2x daily
Fatigue & Exhaustion - Aconitum Napellus 200c (monkshood) 200c 1x daily for 2 days
                        Kali Muriaticum 3x (potassium chloride) + Ferrum Phopsphoricum 3c (iron phosphate) 3x daily for 2 days
Morning Sickness - Tabacum 30c (Nicotiana tabacum) or Arsenicum album 3c (white oxide of arsenic) or Ipecacaunha 30c (Ipecac root) 2x daily or Sepia 200c (cuttlefish ink) 2x weekly
Yeast issues - Mercurius solubilis 200c (Quicksilver) 1x daily
                         Arsenicum album 200c 2x daily for 2 days if itching is present
                         Kreosotum 200c (Beechwood kreosote) 2 every 3 hours
UTIÂ - Medorrhinum 200c (nosode) 1 dose 2x daily or 1 every 3 hrs if presenting with fever alternate with Pyrogenium 200c (May-Apple) 1x daily
            Thuja Occidentalis 30 c 2x daily or every 3 hours
Varicose Veins - Hamamelis virginica 200c (witch hazel) + Arnica montana 3c (Leopards Bane) 2x daily or 1 each every 3 hours
                      Crotalus horridus 6c (Timber Rattlesnake) 2x daily if pain is present, add Hypericum Perforatum 200c (St Johns Wort) every 3 hours
Insomnia - Coffea cruda 30c (unroasted coffee bean) 1 daily for constant thoughts, early waking with difficulty returning to sleep
                       Pulsatilla 30c (Wind Flower) sleepless during 1st half of the night, extreme restlessness, single fixed thought that prevents falling asleep
                       Nux Vomica 30c sleepless during 2nd half of the night 3-4 am waking, the light sleeper who is easily awakened
                       Arsenicum album 30c anxiety keeping you awake after midnight, restlessness during the daytime
                       Chamomilla vulgaris 30c (German chamomile) frightful dreams, fearfulness multiple times nightly, sleepless until 2 AM then irritable/tired during the daytime
                       Opium 30c Papaver somniferum) restless, tossing and turning, unable to sleep despite being tired, small noises aggravate and disrupt sleep
                       Zincum Metallicum 30c (zinc) restless leg syndrome of feet and lower legs, twitching and moving legs continually at night, drawing pains and cramping in lower legs, with formication (tingling, creepy crawly sensation) at night
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Another common request I get as a midwife is how can I use homeopathy to better prepare for Optimal Laboring -
This Cell Salt schedule should be used for the duration of the pregnancy, with the protocol for the last month continued for as long as the baby nurses.
Cell Salts Needed are: Calc Fluor 6X, Ferrum Phos 6X, Mag Phos 6X, Nat Mur 6X and Silicea 6X
Month 1: Calc fluor 6x, Mag phos 6x, Ferr phos 6x
Month 2: Calc fluor 6x, Mag phos 6x, Ferr phos 6x
Month 3: Calc fluor 6x, Mag phos 6x, Nat mur 6x
Month 4: Calc fluor 6x, Nat mur 6x, Silica 6x
Month 5: Calc fluor 6x, Ferr phos 6x, Silica 6x
Month 6: Calc fluor 6x, Mag phos 6x, Ferr phos 6x
Month 7: Calc fluor 6x, Mag phos 6x, Nat mur 6x
Month 8: Calc fluor 6x, Nat mur 6x, Silica 6x
Month 9: Calc fluor 6x, Ferr phos 6x, Silica 6x this last protocol is continued as long as the mom is nursing.
Dosing:Â Take three to four pills of each remedy assigned for the month three times each day. If you wish, you can also dissolve the pellets in four ounces of water and take a sip of this preparation three times a day.
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Some tips for selecting and using remedies at home...
if you have several competing symptoms, the rule of thumb is to treat the mental/emotional first over the physical. The mind always plays a dominant role in our feeling or perception of discomfort. Remember, we are healing the symptoms, not the disease itself. once our mind has released the issues, the body will respond with the physical aspect of healing.
Never open your remedy container in presence of strong odors. This can cancel the effectiveness of the entire bottle.
take your remedy 15 minutes on either side of food or drink (other than water.
avoid taking anything with mint or camphor (including toothpaste) while using homeopathy as this will cancel the effectiveness as well.
one dose is one pellet
never touch the remedy with your hands/fingers and return it to the bottle. Homeopathic remedies are micro-sprayed onto the exterior of the pellets so by touching them, you are removing the remedy from the pellet. There will be times when handling the pellets are necessary, such as dosing a small child or an animal.
Always success the bottle (1-4 times for sensitive people/10-12 times for non-sensitive people) before each dose.
Water Dilution for multiple doses: 1-2 pellets added to 8oz of spring water (never chlorinated), success 3-8 times before each dose (1 dose = 1 TBS) This remedy bottle should be labeled with the remedy name and may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You may add 20% vodka to the bottle for longer preservation (30 days as-is or indefinitely if sterile water is used)
Any single remedy should be given at intervals of 10-15 mins for up to 3 doses for initial use (loading dose), then spaced to 1-3 hours. for up to 4 more doses per 24-hours time.
STOP a remedy when you see "much improvement" and only repeat the remedy when symptoms begin to return
30c is a starting point for most acute needs. 200c is for emergency acut4e usage
I would love to share more remedies if you have other issues you'd like to discuss. I also teach a Basic Foundations course for Family Homeopathy if something a little deeper is what you're looking for. Homeopathy is a wonderful addition to every family's 'medicine kit' at home! Just contact us for more information.
references:
Boerickes Manual of Homeopathy Materia Medica and Repertory
HomeoQuest software
Joette Calabrese
Banerji Protocols vol 1&2
Remedy Seeker, Guide to Homeopathy for Pregnancy
Notice of Disclaimer, Deanna Smith/Hands and Hearts Birth Services:
So many other things are involved with each of these 'symptoms' of pregnancy so always review your symptoms with your Healthcare Provider.
Deanna Smith/Hands and Hearts Birth Services is not a Physician, and the relationship between Deanna/Hands and Hearts Birth and the reader is not one of prescriber and patient but educator and reader. It is fully the readers' choice whether or not to take advantage of the information shared in this post or on this website.
Homeopathy in the example of this blog, addresses the entire person as a matter of wholeness that is an educated process, not a medical one. Deanna Smith/Hands and Hearts Birth Services urges you to discuss your diagnosis with your Physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment.
Deanna Smith/Hands and Hearts Birth Services disclaims all liability for any loss or risk, personal or otherwise incurred, as a consequence of the use of any material on this website. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.