What is Homeopathy?

In last month's newsletter, virologist Dr. Gillian Bullock had asked us to briefly define 'homeopathy', and had quoted the following from the New Collins English Dictionary, which says that Homeopathy is:

 'A method of treating disease by the use of small amounts of a drug that, in
healthy persons, produces symptoms similar to those of the disease being treated'. 

We learned that homeopathic medicines are called 'remedies', and are made from naturally occurring substances such as plants and minerals. Remedies are prepared in a special way to make them safe, non-addictive and free from toxic affects.

Now we will explore the reference Collins Dictionary makes to 'similar' symptoms. In conventional medicine, you are usually given something that has an opposite effect on your symptom. So, for example, if you find it difficult to sleep, you will be given a drug which will make you sleep.

The trouble is that the sleeping pill only helps with the symptom(sleeplessness). It does not sort out the reason behind the sleeplessness. This means that after a while, you may find you have to use a more powerful sleeping tablet in order to sleep, which could start to have an adverse affect on the way you feel during the day.

With homeopathy, you will be given a remedy which is known to produce similar symptoms in a healthy person, to those you are currently experiencing. We know that drinking coffee can stimulate the nervous system, and that if you have a cup of coffee shortly before going to bed, you may find it difficult to fall asleep.

Coffea (the Latin name for coffee), when given as a correctly prepared homeopathic remedy, may actually help some sufferers of insomnia to naturally overcome their sleeplessness.

This is known as the 'Law of Similars'. Basically it means that a naturally occurring substance which can cause a particular set of symptoms in a healthy person, can be used to treat a similar set of symptoms experienced by a sick person. The closer the match between the patient's symptoms and the remedy's ‘symptoms', the more effective the treatment.

This article was first published in the ARH Newsletter, May 2010.

A Pill for every Ill?

‘A pill for every ill’ was a paper published in the March edition of the Journal of Social Science and Medicine. Written by Professor Joan Busfield from the University of Essex, it states that the NHS prescription bill has exploded in the past 20 years from £4 billion in the early 1990’s to around £18 billion at the present time. This means that the number of prescribed medicines per head has risen from 8 per person to more than 16 per year in the past two decades.

Prof Busfield cites the pharmaceutical industry as the main reason for why this escalation has come about. According to the author, the pharmaceutical industry has recognised that in order to maintain steady growth and profitability in the future, it needs to expand its markets.

Therefore in addition to treating recognised illnesses, the industry is creating ‘new disease’ categories by prescribing normal, healthy individuals with drugs for naturally occurring problems such as sexual dysfunctions.

The report also suggests that the general public have lost their sense of stoicism, and have become more demanding in recent years. Michael Sumners, the vice-chairman of the Patients Association, believes people are generally reluctant to tolerate any discomfort, seeking a drug solution for even the slightest of ailments.

Furthermore, it seems many people no longer accept what they are told by medical professionals, and use the internet to find solutions for their health problems.

(Journal of Social Science and Medicine, March 2010; Daily Telegraph, March 2010; The Observer, 28 March 2010)

This article was first published as an ARH Newsletter in May 2010.

Homeopathy Helps Piglets!

Are they telling porkies?

E-Coli diarrhoea amongst newborn piglets is a major problem within the agricultural industry. The antibiotic cure is often labour-intensive to administer to large numbers of sows, and subsequently costly. Therefore when research was undertaken to investigate the effect of homeopathic remedies on pigs in the last month of gestation, many farmers were eager to find out the results.

The study was conducted on a commercial farm in the Netherlands by The Biological Farming Systems Group at the Wageningen University. It included assigning fifty-two sows (none of which had been vaccinated against E.Coli) to either a placebo group, or homeopathic treatment group, for the investigation. The 525 piglets that were born from these sows were monitored for frequency and duration of diarrhoea.

The results published in the journal Homeopathy in January 2010, showed that the placebo group suffered over 6 times more diarrhoea than the homeopathic group. Moreover, within the homeopathic treatment group, the diarrhoea was less severe, there was less transmission and the duration appeared shorter.

Since a high use of antibiotics can cause problems within animal health, and, in the organic sector the amount of antibiotics given to livestock is restricted, this investigation provides farmers with a safer and less expensive alternative to conventional treatment.

This article was first published in an ARH Newsletter in May 2010

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