Homeopathy and Horses

It is interesting to note, with the Derby having just passed and Ascot about to begin, how homeopathy has been used in the treatment of injuries and the general well-being of racehorses for several decades. I

n fact the idea of using homeopathy, as a treatment for animals - termed veterinary homeopathy, dates back to the inception of homeopathy when Hahnemann, the founder of Homeopathy, wrote and spoke of the use of homeopathy in animals other than humans.

The owners and trainers of horses have found this natural system of medicine hugely benefits the racehorse as it treats the totality of the animal, stimulating the body’s healing process whilst having no side effects or withdrawal symptoms.

It is believed that homeopathic remedies can help horses with physical, mental, and emotional

conditions and because the Horses, and their relationship with homeopathy remedies come in tiny pills or drops, they are extremely easy to administer.

There are a number of homeopathic remedies for horses but some of the most common ones available include:

Arnica helps with wound, tendon, and sprain injuries.

Aconite can help with laminitis and gastric ulcers

Arsenicum can help with colic and indigestion

Thuja helps with skin conditions such as warts, rain rot, and swelling from vaccinations

For more information on treating animals through homeopathy, please visit the Faculty of Homeopaths or the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons website.

This article was first published in an ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine".

Homeopathy and Cancer - can it help our quality of life?

Over a period of 30 months, 639 patients took place in a study researching whether classical homeopathy can be of benefit to cancer patients in addition to conventional medication.

There were 259 participants from the homeopathic clinics and 380 from conventional clinics.

The majority of patients indicated, over the course of the study, that their Quality of Life (QoL) had improved due to the homeopathic treatment they were given. 

They, additionally, believed that their physical and mental fatigue symptoms had reduced. This suggests that classical homeopathic care could complement conventional cancer care to the benefit of patients.

The effects of homeopathy on the quality of life in cancer patients has been studied very rarely and, therefore, it would take considerably larger samples and further investigation in order to establish a definite correlation between these positive effects and homeopathic treatment.

Since homeopathy is, however, one of the most popular complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities for cancer patients in seven out of fourteen European countries, further research would be eminently suitable.

For more information on this research paper, please visit

http://www.biomedcentral.com/14

71-2407/11/19.

This article first appeared in ARH Newsletter,"Homeopathy Healthy Medicine"

How Homeopathy can help protect you against adder bites

The unseasonably warm spring and the current inclement weather has resulted in dog walkers and ramblers being warned to be on their guard against adders after the number of attacks has increased this year. 

The snake is not aggressive and usually only bites when alarmed or disturbed but there are still around 100 cases of adder bites reported in the UK each year. Their presence has been far more prolific this year, as they go out in the open to bask in the sun and subsequently come into contact with people and dogs.

About 70% of adder bites result in significant poisoning to cause damage, yet less than 20% of these cases die in the absence of treatment.

The symptoms include rapid swelling and pain at the point of entry, with gangrene and bruising around the bitten area with abnormal bleeding and collapse due to the physical shock being symptomatic. 

The average death time is forty-eight hours so it is essential you immediately seek medical assistance by visiting your local hospital or vet. 

Simultaneously, take Aconite and/or Rescue Remedy as soon as possible to alleviate the initial shock whilst either Vipera berus or Lachesis should help in the aftermath of an attack for the actual wound.

(The World Travellers’ Manual of Homeopathy by Dr Colin Lessell and Poisonous Snakes by Tony Phelps)

This article first appeared in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine"

Surgery? How can Homeopathy help?

Having surgery, whether dental or otherwise, can be a stressful, painful and restless time for all those involved. Surgical treatment is often accompanied by anxiety and anticipation as well as shock and injury, which can feel as painful as the operation itself. 

This list below illustrates several homeopathic remedies which can help to alleviate the discomfort experienced, whether physical or emotional.

Please ensure, however, you take the homeopathic remedies in accordance with any conventional medicine which you have been prescribed. 

Arnica - this is the first choice of remedy for shock and bruising. Take Arnica 30C immediately after surgery, and then whenever you feel necessary. If you are particularly scared of the treatment, then take the remedy before the surgery as well.

Calendula - this is specific for open cuts and wounds and is used externally by applying as a cream or diluted tincture to the area around the incision. Please note, Calendula heals rapidly and can seal dirt into the wound so ensure the wound is clean before applying 

Hypericum - this remedy is predominantly used if you have injuries to the nerves, when the pain shoots along the nerve tracks. Hypericum is often used instead of Arnica, or if Arnica does not work, after operations to areas such as the nose, fingers, toes, eyes, ears or gums

Phosphorous - this remedy will stop excessive bleeding after an operation, such as a tooth extraction. In addition, it can help alleviate the post-anaesthetic“spaced-out” feeling

Staphysagria - consider using this when you feel that the operation has invaded your private space, such as rough dentistry or childbirth involving an episiotomy or forceps delivery. In addition, Staphysagria is also useful when the pain or scars are slow to heal

(Homeopathy for Common Ailments by Robin Hayfield)

This article first appeared in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine"

Summer holiday, diarrhoea and Homeopathy

Booking your summer holiday? Don’t forget the diarrhoea remedies!

Many of us are perusing the holiday brochures, penciling dates in the diary for our Summer holiday and it is easy to forget that many destinations should come with prior warning – an almost inevitable few days, often at the beginning of the holiday, when we seem to disagree with local cuisine, climate and suffer from diarrhoea.

Since this often happens when you are miles away from home and unable to speak the local language proficiently, it is best not to forget to include some remedies which may help deal with the dreaded diarrhoea, in your holiday suitcase.

As diarrhoea is the body’s way of quickly removing impurities and toxins from the digestive system, it is advisable to allow natural processes to take their course, within reason. Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids, but if symptoms persist, you could try one of the following remedies.

Arsenicum  – first remedy to try for food poisoning, when diarrhoea is often accompanied by vomiting and nausea, you feel chilly, weak and restless.

Colocynthis  – diarrhoea is accompanied by dreadful stomach cramps, the pain comes in waves and your intestines feel as if they are being squeezed, doubling up eases the pain as does hard pressure, you are very angry.

Phosphorous  – the diarrhoea is very watery and often painless, feels like a tap has been left on, you crave cold water but this is vomited up as soon as the stomach has warmed it through.

Podophyllum  – you can’t tolerate food, there are gurgling sounds and after painless diarrhoea.

Veratrum alb  – only use as an emergency remedy where you have diarrhoea and violent vomiting, you sweat, feel cold and suffer from painful cramps that may lead you to collapse, you crave ice-cold water

(Homeopathy for Common Ailments by Robin Hayfield)

This article was first published in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy, Healthy Medicine".

Homeopathy. Provings make this medical therapy effective and safe

In another recent article, we learned how people discovered the healing potential of

naturally occurring substances by a combination of 'trial and error'. By observing and recording the effect these substances had upon individuals, (including poisonings!), we were able to establish a database of knowledge that is still relevant today. 

In homeopathy, we go one step further. We learn about the finer details of our remedies by running what is called a 'proving'. A proving is where a group of healthy volunteers take a homeopathically prepared substance over a period of time. Not everyone will react but if a prover is sensitive to the substance, they will eventually exhibit symptoms. 

All the symptoms experienced, physical, emotional and mental, are gathered and recorded in detail. The 'provers' are not told anything about the substance they are taking, so they cannot be influenced by any pre knowledge. Also, the person supervising the proving does not know what substance is being tested. 

Finally, all the symptoms experienced by the 'reactive' provers are collated and organised systematically. This information forms the basis of our 'Materia Medica', a vast and rapidly expanding database which describes the curative properties of our remedies. Once a newly proved remedy starts to be used in clinical practice we can fine tune some of the prescribing details as we learn more about the substance's healing potential.

So, unlike conventional medicine, which is first tested on laboratory animals such as mice, rats and monkeys, homeopathic remedies are only trialled on healthy human volunteers. Because of the special way homeopathic remedies are prepared they are safe and non toxic, so, even if a prover experiences unpleasant symptoms whilst participating in a proving, they know the symptoms will pass once they stop taking

the substance. 

The first proving was undertaken by the founder of homeopathy, a medical doctor called Samuel Hahnemann. He had been reading about the toxicological effects of Peruvian bark (Cinchona, known by homeopaths as China) and noted the poisoning symptoms sounded remarkably similar to the symptoms of malaria. 

So, by way of an experiment, he took some doses of crude China, and recorded his

reactions. He describes his experience in great detail: 

'My feet and finger ends at first became quite cold. I grew languid and drowsy, then my heart began to palpitate….intolerable anxiety, trembling, prostration throughout all my limbs, then pulsation in the head, redness of my cheeks, thirst, and in short, all these symptoms which are characteristic of intermittent fever.' 

All the symptoms ceased when he stopped taking the China but returned as soon as he took it again. Hahnemann had discovered that, when China was taken by a healthy person, it could produce a symptom picture very similar to that of malaria. He went on to use China to successfully treat thousands of cases of malaria.

Hahnemann also undertook similar experiments with many other substances, thereby establishing the 'proving' as a basis upon which we can learn about the healing properties of different substances with great accuracy. 

Karin Mont

Chair, ARH

This article first appeared in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine"

New Research on Statin drugs

A new report, published in the British Medical Journal, researched the effects of statins for over two million users of the drug, including 225,000 patients who had

recently started taking the medicine. 

Statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol levels and therefore prevent cardiac diseases in those who are most susceptible to heart attacks, strokes or peripheral artery disease. This is achieved by interfering with the liver’s job of producing cholesterol, whilst helping the liver absorb more bad cholesterol from your blood. It

is generally regarded that statins are a long-term solution to high-cholesterol issues and therefore most users of the drug are expected to be on it for life.

The study concluded that statins did reduce the chances of heart disease by 2.7% but unfortunately the side-effects caused by the medication affected 4.4% of the participants. 

These ranged from liver damage to cataracts, acute kidney failure and extreme muscle weakness. 

To detail this further, they found for every 10,000 women on statins there were 271 fewer cases of heart disease but 74 cases of liver damage and 307 cases of cataracts.

Given the potentially serious side-effects which have been described in the report and the long-term use that is often attributed with statins, it may be worth  considering talking through other options with your homeopath and addressing the underlying causes of your cholesterol problems before embarking on the statins route.

(http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/may19_4/c2197m)

This article was first published in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine".

How Homeopathy cured my ear infection

As a child I suffered from repeated middle ear infections that were very painful. I eventually had a burst ear drum from an infection at about the age of 11. 

Unfortunately I continued to suffer from painful ear infections at intervals throughout my young adult life, until I discovered homeopathy in my early thirties. By this time, any approaching ear infection frightened me so much, because of the pain I knew was coming, that I would always rush to the GP for antibiotics.

Fortunately my homeopath was kind enough to understand this and treated me with homeopathy alongside antibiotics to begin with. I was treated constitutionally (an individualised therapy for my specific symptoms) in this dual fashion through 3 ear infections and I noticed straightaway that each subsequent infection was milder,

shorter in duration and not as painful as the last.

Finally I decided to manage future ear infections with only homeopathic treatment and paracetamol. This was the breakthrough and shows the wonder and  effectiveness of homeopathy.

After finally managing to deal with an ear infection using only homeopathic remedies, I have not suffered a single ear infection since.

Because of the excruciating pain I used to endure this was a huge relief. Naturally enough I became fascinated with homeopathy, took a short first aid course and then bought books and began to study the subject myself for use at home. 

My sister is now an experienced homeopath and after 20 years I am a pretty good amateur. With my sister’s help, homeopathy is the first port of call for any condition

in my family and we find it to be extremely effective. I have treated innumerable situations successfully with homeopathy - panic attacks in my autistic son, wasp

stings, emotional stresses from bereavement, croup when my son was a baby, teething problems, sore throats, headaches, colic, eczema, asthma, to name just a few. 

I also used homeopathy throughout my pregnancy and for the birth of my son at

home. I cannot praise homeopathy enough and I do not know what my family would do without it.

The ARH would like to thank Kim Quance from Sutton Coldfield for her enlightening and informative story.

This article first appeared in the ARH Nerwsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine".

How to protect yourself from the sun through homeopathy

With the strawberries and cream season now upon us and the school holidays in full swing, chances are you may be exposing yourself to the sun over the coming months. 

Naturally, in order to prevent any ill-effects which the sun and heat may cause, we suggest that you drink regularly to keep yourself hydrated, only expose yourself to the sun for short periods at a time and protect yourself with sun cream, re-applying frequently, especially after swimming.

Despite these preventative measures, if you do happen to find yourself unwell due to the heat and sun that you have experienced, below are a few remedies which may be able to help. 

Please note, however, that these are only a guideline and so consult with a homeopath for a more specific course of action. 

Alternatively, if you do not have any remedies to hand and are suffering from sunburn, try applying cold tea, cool whole milk or plain yoghurt to the affected areas.

To relieve a throbbing headache from excess sun exposure and sunstroke try:

§Belladonna 30c

§Glonoinium 30c

To ease sun burn, gently rub the following creams into the areas which have been exposed and are irritating:

§Aloe Vera

§Calendula

§Hypercal

§Urtica

The ARH would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday. 

This article first appeared in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine".

Fragrance Allergy and Homeopathy

“You could wear a plastic bubble on your head and an oxygen tank on your back!” The general practitioner laughed as he spoke these words to me. I had suffered, for at least five years, with a chronic struggle to breathe. 

At the acute stage I would gasp for breath; my eyelids would redden, burn, swell and

itch and I scratched until the skin bled. I had consulted several general practitioners who agreed the symptoms were an allergic reaction.

A patch test was performed: the application of various substances to the skin under adhesive tape then left in place for forty-eight hours and examined for response - inflammation indicating an allergic reaction. 

The diagnosis: allergy to fragrances.

I was advised: “stop wearing perfume and keep away from fragrances.”

I ceased wearing perfume but avoiding fragrances was impossible since many items in daily use have a fragrance: soap, shampoo, deodorant, washing powder, bleach - the list is endless. 

Our home was almost fragrance free but I became desensitised and fragrances in the

outside world were more noticeable.

One day at work I collapsed. A hint of polish spray, in another room, had been sufficient to take my breath and affect my eyes. 

A colleague had recently read a newspaper article on homeopathy. I made an appointment with a homoeopath and within days of beginning homoeopathic treatment my breathing was easier. My symptoms disappeared without return.

A cure – yes! 

I had been told: “nothing can be done” and “allergies are difficult to treat. Learn

to accept and live with the symptoms.”

Well, I didn’t have to live with the symptoms or wear a plastic bubble on my head and an oxygen tank on my back - thanks to homeopathy!

This article first appeared in the ARH Newsletter "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine".

The ARH would like to thank Anne Bagust for sharing her interesting story.

Homeopathy and Travel Sickness. Give yourself an easier time!

With school holidays now underway, it is inevitable that many families will be taking to their vehicles for their annual ‘car journey’ to the seaside, grandparents or campsite over the

coming months. Memories of previous trips may have you reconsidering the length of your journey and, unfortunately, even homeopathy can’t help with pacifying backseat drivers, occupying squealing impatient children with car games or dealing with that infamous line “are we nearly there yet?”

However, we appreciate that travel sickness is a prominent problem among many families on long-haul trips and hence hope that the remedies described here may alleviate at least one extra worry that your family will have to endure during the holiday season. It is suspected that motion sickness, known as kinetosis, affects around one third of the population in mild circumstances, such as a boat in calm water, but about two thirds in more severe conditions. 

It is also generally more prevalent amongst children. The condition arises when there is a conflict between the visually perceived movement and the balance systems of the inner ear and symptoms include nausea, sweating, dizziness, headaches and vomiting. Any of these symptoms can be brought on by air, boat or car travel, as well as the smell of petrol and even watching 3D films!

§ Cocculus – use when you want to lie down and when food or the thought of food brings on a feeling of nausea

§ Petroleum – use if headache is overriding symptom but there’s a feeling of hunger

§ Tabacum – use when the slightest motion causes extreme nausea and you are pale,

sweat a lot and feel better in cool, fresh air

§ Zingiber – use when there’s a sense of vertigo and limbs being heavy

In addition to the above, there are a number of over-the-counter therapies such as wrist bands, Kwells and other travel-sickness relief pills which may help ease the symptoms, although, we recommend that for a more individualised remedy, please consult a homeopathic.

This article was first published in the ARH Newsletter, "Homeopathy Healthy Medicine".

Sporting Glory or just sprains and strains?

If the recent football frenzy, or Murray mania didn’t totally take you over, maybe the extensive press coverage of the World Cup and Wimbledon will have inspired some of you to try your hand at a sporting activity. 

For those of you who are already heading to the nearest playing field or local tennis courts in anticipation of becoming the next Maradona or Federer, we have put together a basic list to help you to cope with any sprains and strains which you may encounter on your way to winning glory! 

§ Arnica – eases bruising and soreness

§ Bryonia – useful for torn/damaged ligaments or tendons, especially if

the least movement is excruciating

§ Ledum – if injury is purple and feels cold to touch

§ Rhus tox – helpful for muscle strain, worse on first movement, better for

continued movement, better for warmth

§ Ruta – particularly good for tennis elbow, use when bones feel bruised

In addition to the above remedies, the pain of sprains may either be eased by hot baths and applying warmth to the vulnerable area, or the opposite, by the application of an ice pack to reduce swelling. Resting the muscles and tendons may also prove helpful whilst firm bandaging can alleviate the pain of dislocation.

There is nothing more frustrating than wanting to play your sport, and not being able to do so. Let homeopathy get you back in action quicker!