Tree Pollen and Hay Fever strikes again?

The season of Spring is barely upon us, with only a peppering of crocuses, snowdrops and daffodils around, but it seems that tree pollen is in full force as the hay fever season kicks in.

Hay fever is an allergy caused by a weakened immune system, which results in an irritation to the nose and eyes. It is seen as an extremely obstinate ailment to treat, a permanent cure depends on raising the quality of the immune system.

Homeopathy may help to treat the allergy by strengthening the immune system through individualised constitutional treatment, although it may take several seasons to eradicate the
problem fully. In the short-term, however, the discomfort may be reduced by using a number of different remedies including:

§ Allium Cepa 30C – dripping nose with burning discharge; violent sneezing; stinging, watery eyes

§ Arsenicum Album 30C – sneezing because of tickling feeling in nose; burning sensation in eyes, nose and throat; discharges may be acrid

§ Euphrasia 30c – eyes the biggest problem: itchy and dry eyes, burning discharge. Tickling cough; intense sneezing; runny nose with bland discharge

§ Pulsatilla 30C – bland watery nose and eyes; eyes itch and feel gritty, and may produce yellowy discharge; lots of sneezing; worse in the heat

§ Sabadilla 30c – constant , maddening tingling in nose; burning and redness of eyes; sneezing provokes tears; eyes water and burn

The main cause of hay fever in early spring is tree pollen and therefore a homeopathic
‘Tree Pollen Mix’, available from most homeopathic pharmacies, can be helpful. It is always best to discuss your specific requirements with a registered homeopath since a susceptibility to hay
fever suggests a deeper underlying cause requiring individualised treatment.

This article was first published in Homeopathy Healthy Medicine, March 2011

Homeopathy saves Show Jumper from Tendon Surgery

Animal injuries are commonplace although, when they appear among working animals, the repercussions involved are heavily increased and the resultant situation more severe.

So when Todd, a part bred Hanoverian show jumper, had an accident which led him to have a thorn embedded in his lower leg, his owner and trainer naturally became very concerned. The horse's leg began to swell and scanning confirmed the thorn was interfering with Todd’s tendon.

Following regular scans every two to three days, the swelling showed no signs of abating, and the only option available, was surgery. Liz Morrison, Todd’s owner, was fiercely against this idea and decided to contact her local homeopathic vet. The thorn had become engulfed in a cavity, as the
body reacted to the foreign body, trying to isolate it by healing around the thorn, so the vet, Nick, prepared a homeopathic remedy which included high potency Sulphur and low potency Silica.

The swelling subsided almost immediately and by the next scan, three days later, the thorn had completely vanished and the cavity had considerably reduced in size and was healing. In discussing the situation, Liz Morrison said, 

“I think it is amazing that the homeopathic remedy eradicated the thorn so quickly; I am so grateful Todd didn’t need surgery and made a full recovery.” 

As a result of this experience, Liz has used homeopathic treatment on several of her horses

with considerable success. Because homeopathy can help to promote gentle yet deep healing, Liz

encourages other animal owners to try it out themselves.

(http://www.horsemart.co.uk/news/homeopathy_saves_show_jumper_from_tendon_surgery/2258)

This article first appeared in Homeopathy Healthy Medicine, March 2011

Still suffering from a common cold? How Homeopathy can help

We could be forgiven for thinking, with each day becoming longer and signs of life slowly appearing in the garden, that the days of winter are behind us and the worries of a cold emerging are long gone. However, the sudden changes in temperatures which often occur in March and April, following the long, bleak winter months, can result in us falling ill with a cold at the last hurdle!

There is little point in treating an ordinary cold; it is best to let it take its course and to view it as a useful way to “clean out” the system. If, however, the frequency of annual colds is more than a couple, it is advisable to contact a homeopath to help build up your immune system for the future.

If, additionally, you see no signs of improvement after a few days of catching a cold and are still feeling run down, then the following remedies may help. Please note that for more individualised treatment, it is recommended that you consult with a registered homeopath.

Aconite – use at beginning of illness; when illness strikes suddenly particularly at night; chill caused by exposure to cold, dry winds; you have fever and are thirsty and sweaty, especially on covered parts; dry painful cough

Allium cepa – runny nose with burning discharge; runny eyes

Arsenicum –cold begins in nose which produces thin, watery, burning discharge, you sneeze a lot and cold often moves to chest; you feel chilly and restless but enjoy sips of water

Belladonna – high fever, red face and burning, skin is dry but you are not usually thirsty, head almost always hurts with a throbbing pain

Bryonia – symptoms are slow to develop, you feel irritable and wish to be left alone and still, feel better for large amounts of cold water, remedy works best once the cold has moved to the chest
producing a painful, dry cough

Eupatorium – remedy of choice if the flu has gone to your bones which ache, you are very thirsty and feel better for sweating, although this does not help with your headache

Gelsemium – you shake and shiver, symptoms develop slowly, you feel tired and weak and your body and muscles feel heavy. You may have a headache at the back of your head. You feel ‘fluey’.
(Homeopathy for Common Ailments by Robin Hayfield)

This article first appeared in Homeopathy Healthy Medicine March 2011

Pulsatilla Nigricans

Pulsatilla is also known as pasque flower, meadow anemone, wind flower. It favours sandy soils and sunny conditions, and grows in meadows throughout central and northern Europe. The remedy is made from the whole plant whilst in flower.

Pulsatilla is an incredibly versatile remedy, which can be used in many ways, but can be especially helpful in treating children experiencing the symptoms of common childhood ailments.

The child who might benefit from Pulsatilla is generally, mild, sweet natured, a bit timid, and very eager to please. They really need to feel supported an loved, so if they’re off colour, they will probably be very clingy, and not want Mum to leave them on their own. In fact what they really want is for Mum to give them a good cuddle!

However, the Pulsatilla child can also become cross, irritable and even manipulative, if they don’t get their own way. Their moods can be very changeable, laughter and sunshine one moment, then
tears and tantrums the next (rather like the ‘wind flower’ changing direction with the breeze).

Physical symptoms can also be very changeable, so for example, pains can shift rapidly from one spot to another, or a cold may be accompanied by a free flowing runny nose, which suddenly changes to become blocked and ‘bunged’ up.

Generally, someone who might benefit from Pulsatilla is warm blooded (so will often shed layers of clothing, and hates being in the hot sun!), thirstless, and craves fresh air, which relieves their symptoms. Catarrh and discharges (from nose, ears, eyes, cough etc) are yellow or yellow/green, and although they may be profuse, they are generally bland, but might be smelly.

Pulsatilla ‘types’ tend not to like rich foods, which can also disagree with them, so they’ll often either love or loathe butter. However, the Pulsatilla child may both love and crave peanut butter!
In conclusion, Pulsatilla can help with a whole range of symptoms which have the characteristics described above.

If the picture fits, you can try giving one Pulsatilla 30C every half hour for up to four doses, then reduce as symptoms improve.

This article was first published in Homeopathy Healthy Medicine, March 2011

Musculoskeletal complaints improve with Homeopathy

There are millions of people throughout the world enduring musculoskeletal complaints which can
include rheumatic diseases. Many sufferers find that consulting with a complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner helps in relieving their pain, and may also prevent further occurrences of their problem.

It is interesting to note, since one of the most frequently used CAM therapies is homeopathy, that 23 research studies have been carried out to determine the effect of homeopathy for patients suffering from rheumatic and musculoskeletal complaints, namely rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. These trials, which have included over 2,300 patients in total,
have shown positive results for homeopathy, over and above conventional treatment and placebos.

The studies mostly used patients who suffered from long-term complaints and were treated with homeopathic remedies for an average of four to five months. There was, within these studies, a 77% improvement in 400 rheumatic patients over the first month of treatment and reduced severity of pain in 87% after six months. In addition, after just three months of treatment,
85% of osteoarthritis sufferers found that they had reduced pain, stiffness and swelling of joints.

The multiple investigations also concluded that the safety of homeopathic treatment was greater than conventional treatment, where side-effects to the drugs prescribed are typical. It has been advised, with all these positive conclusions, that homeopathy should be considered a viable
therapeutic option for patients suffering from rheumatic and musculoskeletal complaints.

If you would therefore like to know more about this research, please visit www.homeopathy-ecch.eu.

If you suffer from similar problems to those mentioned in this article, please go to http://www.a-rh.org/FindMembers/find.php to find a homeopath in your area, and to obtain advice specific for your needs.

This article first appeared in Homeopathy Healthy Medicine, March 2011

Yeo Valley uses Alternative Treatment

The company, Yeo Valley Organic, takes pride in having a proactive approach to animal welfare and minimising the stress to livestock which may result in illness. The routine use of antibiotics as a preventative measure to treat the ailments of its cows is not permitted at Yeo Valley Organic. The Herd Manager has invested time and money in studying a course on homeopathic treatments, which he believes has been enormously beneficial to the company.

On conventionally run farms, the administration of antibiotics always results in withdrawal periods for milk and meat during treatment, but homeopathy has no such effect. The cows do not build up immunity to homeopathic remedies - a major consideration; in fact, homeopathy appears to encourage the cows’ immune systems to fight ‘bugs’ for themselves, so the cows stay healthy naturally.

Homeopathic treatment is used in a number of different ways; including to ward off flies, to ease the cows’ stress levels when they have their feet clipped, and to help them during a difficult calving. Yeo Valley Organic are keen to increase the homeopathic care they offer to their animals in the future, and aim to continue to treat their herd homeopathically, whenever appropriate.

This article was first published in Homeopathy Health Medicine, March 2011

Switch off your technology to have a fuller life?

The advancements in technology, over the past decade, have been immeasurable but at what price to our self-esteem and life experiences?

Recent research has demonstrated that the introduction of Twitter and social networking sites such as Facebook have resulted in shorter concentration spans among users and has made us more impatient and dissatisfied with the pace of normal life. While 60% of the population crave to be constantly stimulated, it is not surprising to learn that many of us live life on autopilot, walking down the street plugged into an iPod and reading texts on a phone, completely oblivious of anything that is actually going on around us.

The University of Michigan’s Brain Cognition and Action Laboratory has also identified that the idea of multi-tasking is a myth and that the brain has inherent limitations for processing information. This means, despite consuming more information than ever before, our ability to retain it is worse than ever and we are, therefore, feeling less fulfilled than in the past.

In addition, the vast volume of information confronting us, dulls our sense of excitement
and de-activates our emotions with regard to that information. The human brain, according
to the University of California, needs 6-8 seconds to respond to a story which requires us to react with a feeling of emotional pain and, although that may seem fast, it is enough time to sift through 20-30 Twitter messages, without registering any of them!

It is obvious that huge positives have come out of technology, for example, keeping in touch with friends and family all over the globe and having a constant flow of information available with just a single touch of a keypad. It is, however, important to step back once in a while and “de-tech” in order to live a more enriched and engaged life. Studies have shown those who step away from the gadgets show an increased blood flow to the frontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for memory, problem solving, decision-
making and planning.

And as Sharmash Alidina, a Mindfulness Trainer says, “You only get one moment in life to truly enjoy something and so many of us are missing out on those moments due to distraction”.

(Stylist, 23 February 2011)
First published in Homeopathy Healthy Medicine, March 2011