The 7 'Commandments' of Homeopathic Healing

Do you ever go to a single appointment for a health issue with your doctor and then not go back to find out his/her opinion?  Do you consider that you know better how your treatment might be progressing than the specialist you have just paid to see? It seems with Homeopathy this can happen and it is easy to understand why. I want to share a patient story from my clinic last week and explain why this happens, so you do not make the same mistake. 

The Patient Experience Spectrum

There are two main types of patients in the Homeopathic practice spectrum of experience. At one end of the spectrum we have patients who are using Homeopathy for the very first time. They know someone who has had a good result using Homeopathy so they are prepared to come and give it a go so they have some faith that it might work for them but they do not understand it's philosophy. Then at the other extreme end of this patient spectrum are the regular Homeopathic users. They have had  experience with homeopathy and they always come back when they need it because they know it works and have a good understanding of how it works. 

The Importance of the Second Consultation

When Homeopaths prescribe for a patient who is new to Homeopathy there are some key things they need to convey. The Homeopath tries to convey some information about the process of healing that he/she hopes will occur if the medicine is correct. This is important because a new patient of Homeopathy has been conditioned by conventional medicine to expect the following:

• Immediate but sometimes temporary relief from symptoms
• Diagnosis or 'labelling' so they know where they 'FIT"

Although Homeopaths can be very good diagnosticians, we are not really interested in putting patients into boxes. The reason for this is because we are interested in the patient's individualistic symptomology. We prescribe for the individual, not a disease. Homeopathic medicines do not create side effects, so when we prescribe it is the healing process of the individual that comes into play and when seeing a patient for the first time this can be hard to accurately predict. 

A case example from my clinic

Last week for example I had an email from a patient for whom I had recently prescribed. The email suggested that because the patient had since our appointment determined through some testing that she was deficient in certain nutrients that she should "get this sorted" first. The subtext was that in the few days since the prescription, the most debilitating symptom (that she had had for over 3 years and tried countless health modalities - all unsuccessfully) and therefore the symptom of which the patient was most aware, had not changed. Luckily for me this patient was open to discussion and duly returned 10 more days later. The vital importance of this delay will become apparent so read on.....

The 7 'Commandments' of Homeopathic Healing

It seems that as Homeopathy is little understood in the general population it might help to use this case example to explain how Homeopathy heals and what it might look like for you as a patient.  The following are 7 pointers that will help you to understand how Homeopathic healing can work and what you can expect.

1. Homeopathy can effect deep and permanent healing

It does not palliate unless poorly prescribed and to effect this deep healing takes time. Sometimes the process of healing might take a path that does not fit with your preconceptions about what it means to get better before you reach your desired outcome. 

2. Homeopathic Medicines Do Not Heal You

They act as catalysts or stimuli to enable your body to re-balance and heal itself. This takes time and initial shifts from a deep acting Homeopathic medicine can be subtle at first.

3. Emotional and Mental Symptoms are Just as Important as Physical

When there is a long standing physical complaint or chronic condition the emotional/mental symptoms are always part of the symptomology that needs to be treated. So although you may be desperate for a response to your main physical complaint you may experience subtle emotional/mental shifts first. This is a very god sign that if you hang on in there your physical complaint is highly likely to ameliorate.

4. Homeopaths are Highly Skilled Case Takers.

Homeopaths spend 60-90 minutes at your first consultation because they are trying to really understand you as an individual and how your ill-health impacts on your life and from whence it may have come.

5.The Second Homeopathic Appointment is Crucial 

This is the opportunity for the Homeopath who has spent due diligence on your first consultation and prescribing for you to re-evaluate any objective assumptions that may have been made about your case and more importantly to see and evaluate how your healing has progressed. It sometimes happens that a patient returns with a misconception conception that no healing has occurred as their main symptom has not improved. Once in the consultation however and under the detailed questioning of the Homeopath, it becomes clear that there has been amelioration in many other areas and symptoms and that overall there is a significant improvement in their over all well being. Thus they go away smiling and encouraged. 

6.Time Needs to Pass Between Appointments

It would be much better for the pockets of Homeopaths to have patients return after a week for follow up appointments. Although this is sometimes appropriate more often than not usually 2-4 weeks are left between appointments. This time is crucial as the body needs time to respond to generate significant healing in chronic cases and if the Homeopath repeats a medicine too soon it can stop the healing process in its tracks. 

7. Homeopaths Treat you Gently

If a Homeopathic medicine is prescribed in a potency that is too high for the patient, there is the potential for a strong aggravation of symptoms. This is unpleasant for the patient and is not good news for business either! Homeopaths therefore start gently when they have a new patient and it is after the response to the medicine has been gauged at the second appointment, that the Homeopath can then tell exactly what potency will be exactly right for maximum speed of healing without further distress.

In summary, Homeopaths work gently and deeply to catalyze your body to heal. It does not do this 'to you' and as such the healing is led by your system. This takes time so patience is very important. If you are confused, or unsure of your progress, talk to your Homeopath and make sure you attend your second appointment. 

Case Update

My patient did attend their important second appointment 10 days after she was wondering if she should return. In that intervening time she experienced some significant and encouraging shifts in her case and symptoms and was highly encouraged. From my perspective she has made a great start and I am very confident that her case will continue to progress and she will be totally symptom free in due course.

Happy Homeopathic healing to you all! 

 

© Sam Adkins 2011

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This article was brought to you by Sam Adkins The Homeopathic Coach who teaches families about healthy living and natural remedies using homeopathic medicine. An internationally renowned expert, her helpful articles are regularly syndicated online.  She publishes the ezine Homeopathy @ Home to provide free Homeopathic tips, tools and resources to educate and inspire you to use Homeopathy at home. Get Sam's BLOG.  

Treating Whooping Cough with Homeopathy

Any chronic cough can be scary but the words "Whooping Cough" strikes fear into most people. Whooping Cough is currently prevalent around Sydney and I have been treating a family who have it. This article with share with you my top tips for treating this potentially nasty cough.

 

In my role as a homeopath I often treat chronic coughs, but recently a mother came to me with her 3 year old daughter,  having tested positive for whooping cough. Although the cough at this stage was relatively minor as they had been tested very early due to exposure to an infected person, the mother was understandably concerned as she also had an 18 month old as well as a tiny new born baby. 

From a homeopathic treatment perspective this was perfect timing because the whooping cough was in its early infection stages. This definitely enhances the positive outcome. In this case I prescribed homeopathically for both the sufferers as individuals, taking all their symptoms into acount. The mother had the early infective stage with feverishness and a cough at night as well as copious mucus and the toddler had an established cough but no classic 'Whoop' as yet. After just a few days they both started to feel better and after one week the toddler is back at daycare and did not develop the 'whoop' sound at all. 

For more information on treating coughs read here and here.

So what can you do to help yourself?

Boost Your Immune System

Firstly you need to boost the immune system. Only a strong adaptable immune system will be able to tackel this cough head on. I advise my whooping cough patients to take the following supplements:

• Vitamin C up to 5000 mg per day (3000mg if a child under 5)
• Probiotic: This supports the gut in its immune fuctioning activities and is doubly important if the patient is also on an antibiotic.
• Immunocare: This is an immune system support combination supplement but if you cannot access this one I suggest you ensure you take a good zinc supplement.
• Vitamin D3: This is very important for your immunity and if you are suffering any infection or have been exposed to one it is adviseable to supplement.

Boost Your Nutrition Intake 

If the body is alkaline rather than acidic this will help substantially to fight infection. This means taking out foods that increase acidity and increasing alkaline forming foods. To achieve this easily immediately remove ALL refined sugar from the diet. Move to whole carbohydrates such as whole grain bread and whole grain rice and pastas. When we eat sugar the body needs to call on many vitamins and substances to metabolise it and while these items are being used to metabolise sugar they are not available for infection fighting activities. This means that removing sugar from the diet frees up resources to fight the infection and boost the immune system.

Increase intake of green fresh vegetables, colourful vegtables and fruit. The easiest way to acheive this in a sick person is to make fresh juices in your home kitchen and ensure that they are drunk straight after making them before they oxidise. As an addition to this take some Spirulina capsules to add both protein and greens to your diet. My favoirite immune system boosting juice recipe is here.

Homeopathic medicines for Whooping Cough

Whilst Homeopathy treats the individual and their specific sympotoms rather then the disease, there are some common Homeopathic medicines that are often indicated  in Whooping Cough if the symptoms match.

Antimmonium Tartaricum

Give this medicine if the patient has a scanty, productive cough but expectorates with great difficulty and feels full of mucus. The cough will be worse 10pm til midnight and after eating and lying down. The cough will be in paroxysms and the patient will be breathless and exhausted afterwards. The effort to expel the mucus may result in vomiting. The key indictaor for this medicine is that the chest is rattly with mucus, but hardly any comes up.

Drosera

The paroxyms of coughing are extreme causing cyanosis (blue face/lips) and a feeling of suffocation. The cough is violent and the patient may vomit in the recovery stage. The patient will be better for cold drinks but may get cramps in the hands and feet during coughing. The cough will be worse at night.

Belladonna

I like this medicine in the early feverish stages of Whooping Cough. If used apropriately it can really change the course of the illness. Once at the coughing stage the cough will be violent with red face, bulging eyes and marked abdominal pain. Between the paroxyms is marked tickling in the larynx until the next bout of coughing. There is likley to be a severe headache with the coughing.

There are many Whooping Cough medicines and if you suffer from it you will need a professional consultation with a qualified and experienced Homeopath. But if you follow the guidelines above you will find that you give your body the most support as it works with the infection. 

Happy Homeopathic Prescribing!

© Sam Adkins 2010
Would you like to include this article in your newsletter or website? 

You can as long as you include the following blurb with it:

This article was brought to you by Sam Adkins The Homeopathic Coach who teaches families about healthy living and natural remedies using homeopathic medicine. An internationally renowned expert, her helpful articles are regularly syndicated online.  She publishes the ezine Homeopathy@Home to provide free Homeopathic tips, tools and resources to educate and inspire you to use Homeopathy at home. www.thehomeopathiccoach.com

Solve Back to School Anxiety with Homeopathy

Going back to school can be really daunting for many kids but especially if they are starting at a new school, or beginning school for the first time. Homeopathy treats back to school anxiety or nerves very effectively and I am going to show you what to do, as well as give you some further self help tips if you a parent of an anxious child.

Although severe or chronic anxiety needs a consultation with a professional Homeopath, if your child is worrying unduly about starting school this year, or about an exam, test or performance, then Homeopathy may be an easy solution. 

How to Soothe your anxious Child with words

• Reassure: It’s important for your child to know that this is normal and that everyone sometimes has this feeling and that it will pass.

• Reflect: Reflect what you observe in your child back to them. Try and avoid talking about how you felt on an occasion but instead use phrases that show you understand what they are feeling such as: “I can see you are feeling really nervous/anxious”; or for older kids: “I noticed you looked anxious when we were talking about school today….is there anything in particular you were worried about?” 

• Validate: Explain to your younger child that it is normal to sometimes feel worried about something new but once they get to school and get used to the newness, they will feel better fast. 

• Provide Opportunities to Talk: Younger kids may find it difficult to express why they are worried, whilst older teenagers may just not want to talk about it. Just letting them know you are there to chat should they want to, is sometimes enough.

How to soothe with Homeopathy

There are many effective Homeopathic medicines for back to school anxiety and they are also perfect to use with other types of anxiety such as a trip to the dentist, or nerves before an exam or performance. All medicines should be available in your local health shop or online. Read the descriptions for each medicine below and choose the one most appropriate for your child. Give the homeopathic medicine 3 times a day if the symptoms are present , for up to 14 days. 

• Calc Phos 30: This is the number 1 medicine to try when your child is reluctant to go to school. They may have headaches and/or tummy aches that prevent them from going. They may deny there is anything is wrong at school but they have the convenient ‘illness’ that allows them to stay at home. Often the medicine to think of for the younger child.

• Gelsemium 30: A great general anticipatory anxiety remedy for anxiety before an event such as a first day, exam, or performance. Child feels cowardly and weak. They feel the task ahead of them is too much. (If in doubt and your child’s anticipatory anxiety symptoms are hard to define, try Gelsemium first before other homeopathic medicines.)

• Argentum Nitricum 30: Your child has an anticipatory anxiety and feels very nervous. They are likely to have diarrhoea and flatulence with their anxiety.

• Lycopodium 30: Give this medicine when your child is fearful that they will fail and look foolish or incompetent in front of others. They are likely to cover this anxiety up with an overly confident manner but they don’t feel confident. Often these types will ‘perform’ very well each time but still have the preceding anxiety.

• Aconite 30: Give this medicine for a child who is extremely fearful with marked restlessness. They cannot sit still and may actually have a scared expression. This is also the main acute Homeopathic medicines for panic style attacks with a beating heart, senation of not being able to get enough air, and feeling faint.

• Arsenicum 30: Give this Homeopathic medicine when your child is very restless and insecure with their anxiety. They may show a degree of exhaustion but you know this tiredness has an emotional basis and is linked to anxiety.

Nutrition for the Anxious Child

It is important if your child is anxious to watch their sugar intake. Anxiety makes the adrenals work as it causes over production of both cortisol and adrenaline amongst other hormones. The adrenal glands also have to work hard with a diet high in sugar so frequent sources of protein in snacks/meals is important such as nuts and seeds, humous with carrot sticks, eggs, meat and fish. This balances the blood sugar and takes the load off those adrenal glands.

There are certain supplements that will help support your child’s system and ensure they have the best resources available to help them cope:

• Multi B vitamin: B vitamins are very important for the nervous system so adequate intake is essential

• Magnesium is important for many systems in the body but will also help your child be calm at night for restful sleep

• Vitamin C 1000mg daily: Vitamin C supports the adrenal glands and as they work extra hard in times of anxiety this is key.

For Parents

When our kids are not happy it is easy to worry ourselves. Know that this is just a short phase and that your child’s ability to weather this storm will give them tools to weather greater storms that may happen in their lives. If your children never hit adversity and find ways to self cope, they will not grow into coping adults. Love is the best provision you can provide as well as a sense of normality in their home environment. 

If you would like further help with Helping your anxious child, take a look at my tele-seminar “How to Soothe Your Anxious Child with Homeopathy and EFT” which includes an audio, guide and EFT videos.

Happy Homeopathic prescribing! 

If you want regular homeopathic inspiration from The Homeopathic Coach, visit her new blog and join as a member to be the first in line for new tips and offers as they are released! 

© Sam Adkins 2010

Would you like to include this article in your newsletter or website? 

You can as long as you include the following blurb with it:

This article was brought to you by Sam Adkins The Homeopathic Coach who teaches families about healthy living and natural remedies using homeopathic medicine. An internationally renowned expert, her helpful articles are regularly syndicated online.  She publishes the ezine Homeopathy@Home to provide free Homeopathic tips, tools and resources to educate and inspire you to use Homeopathy at home. www.thehomeopathiccoach.com 

Can You Simply CHOOSE Health?

Choices are everywhere at every moment. What shall we eat? What shall we do or say? To those of you who like to be aware and conscious about how you are living your lives, you will be very aware that we also have a choice in every moment what to think or not to think. Although our minds are often very dominant in our lives, WE ARE NOT OUR MIND and we do have a say in what thought processes can be dominant at any given time. 

Let's get right back to basics here. When you are unwell and you know that getting more sleep or eating such and such will help you recover, and you do not do it, you are effectively saying to yourself that you are choosing to maintain or encourage your poor state of health. When you do the opposite, you are signaling to your body that you place a value on it beyond what it can do for you and that you are prepared to give yourself what you need to get well. 

 

But let's get beneath this surface layer and look at the deeper issues around choice and health.

 

Accommodation of Ill-Health 

 

As a Homeopath I see many chronically unwell patients. Some with a multitude of conditions lasting many years. Often they have done many practical things to try and get well and conventional medicine has had no answers for them. Sometimes they have also tried many alternative medical approaches for their health, and for some reason they still are unwell.  When this happens there is consequentially a considerable accommodation of their illness within their lives. They have to change behaviors to make sure there is a place for their illness; in effect ...they make room for it. Although completely understandable, this is also an encouragement for ill-health to be maintained. 

 

Sub-conscious Beliefs 

 

When we are suffering, on a conscious level of course we want our suffering and discomfort to stop. On a deeper sub-conscious level however, we might be telling ourselves a whole different set of things. These are often referred to as limiting beliefs and play a very powerful role in whether we get well or not. Some common examples are:

 

• My body does not have the capacity to get over this 
• If I let go of this illness who will I be then? (Common after very prolonged ill-health) 
• When I am ill I get lots of attention from people who are close to me...this will stop if I recover 
• If I am well I will have to face situations that are frightening to me and I am not up to it

 

So how can we access these limiting beliefs and change our health? 

 

Homeopathy is one of those medicines that actually works profoundly on all levels. The most rewarding part of constitutional Homeopathic treatment (when the Homeopath prescribes for the whole person rather then just their physical acute symptoms), is that the original complaint the patient presented heals, but more rewarding still is that the person undergoes a whole transformation in personal growth. The degree of which depends on both the condition and the person, as well as the efficacy of the Homeopathic prescription. For example:

 

A workaholic patient came to the consulting room with his chronic skin condition. Over time with Homeopathic treatment, his workaholic, obsessive nature softened and he ended up living a life free from self-restraint, feeling empowered about his choices and with a good work-life balance. (His wife was very pleased!). (His skin condition was also cured after 20 years.)

 

Or the patient with sinusitis for over 10 years learns after a Homeopathic medicine to express her emotions and starts connecting better with friends, family and work colleagues and feels a sense of freedom in her life that she had forgotten was possible. She also stopped having recurrent sinusitis.

 

Ask Yourself This...

 

One of the most important questions you can choose to ask yourself if you are chronically unwell is this:

 

What is the pay-off for me in maintaining this state of ill-health? 

 

Take a piece of paper and write this question at the top. When you have overcome the initial sense of understandable indignation from the idea that you might be getting any benefits from your ill-health, take a deep breath and start downloading all the things that spring to mind. Don't consider , just let ideas flow, and pretty soon you will find that although you detest your health issue, you often have quite a few benefits too. Becoming aware of this fact will in itself start to shift your subconscious beliefs as you are tapping right into your deepest fears and ideas and bringing them into conscious consideration. 

 

This is a great place to start. Once you have completed this exercise this may be enough to help start a conscious shift and release of old patterns. If it is not, then you need some assistance so make an appointment with me or your local Homeopath today. 

 

Happy Homeopathic Prescribing

 

 If you want regular homeopathic inspiration from The Homeopathic Coach, visit her new blog and join as a member to be the first in line for new tips and offers as they are released!  

© Sam Adkins 2010

Would you like to include this article in your newsletter or website? 

You can as long as you include the following blurb with it:

This article was brought to you by Sam Adkins The Homeopathic Coach who teaches families about healthy living and natural remedies using homeopathic medicine. An internationally renowned expert, her helpful articles are regularly syndicated online.  She publishes the ezine Homeopathy@Home to provide free Homeopathic tips, tools and resources to educate and inspire you to use Homeopathy at home. www.thehomeopathiccoach.com 

  

A New Approach to Asthma With Homeopathy and Diet

  

Like eczema, asthma is an inflammatory disease. In asthma the airways become constricted by swelling, making breathing difficult. In developed countries 1 in 4 children have asthma as opposed to 1 in 18 people 40 years ago. Corticosteroids such as Flixotide and Pulmicort in the form of puffers are widely used to treat asthma but these pharmaceutical drugs do nothing to change the progression of the disease. A broader, nutritional and environmental approach is required, and when combining this approach with Homeopathy, significant improvements or cures can be achieved. 

 

Pharmaceutical medications

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, there was no difference in rates of asthma or morning breathing between those individuals using their medications daily as prescribed, and those using them intermittently.(1) This study suggests that daily use of corticosteroids may not be necessary and this is good news as these medications have some serious side effects. These longer term side effects include reduction of 1 inch of height per year in children and loss of bone density in later life. This does suggest that it would be worth exploring with your GP whether you can safely reduce the use of your puffer. 

(1) H Boushey et al., 'Daily versus As-Needed Corticosteroids fro Mild persistent Asthma' New England Journal of medicine, vol 352 (15), 2005, pp1519-28  

Environmental Load 

An effective approach to asthma treatment is to reduce the total 'environmental load' that an asthma sufferer is experiencing. This includes identifying food, chemical and environmental allergens, decreasing inflammatory agents in the diet, and reducing stress which is a well established asthma trigger. Reducing this load as well as introducing important nutritional and Homeopathic measures can have a highly positive effect on an asthma sufferer, sometimes eradicating asthma altogether!

Nutritional Self-Help Guidelines for Asthma

• Increase your antioxidants intake of fresh fruit and vegetables especially increase your intake of broccoli, apples, berries, peppers (capsicum) and citrus fruit. 

• Antioxidant vitamins such as Vitamin C and A have been shown in studies to have some positive results and I suggest combining them with Vitamin E and Selenium. 

• Take an Omega 3 supplements 1000mg of combined EPA/DHA daily (adult dose) 

• Reduce meat and dairy content of the diet to reduce the intake of arachadonic acid which contributes to inflammation. If you are a severe asthma sufferer remove all wheat and dairy from your diet for 6 weeks to see how you improve:) 

• Take an MSM supplement as it decreases allergic responses and provides intestinal flora with the requirements to make anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory amino acids. 

• Increase intake of Zinc, magnesium and Qercertin 

• East plenty of organic free range eggs

 

The Homeopathic Approach to Asthma 

Homeopathic medicines can be a viable alternative to steroid medications. They can be given as an acute treatment in place of puffers but more importantly, Homeopathic professional treatment working with the whole person can cure asthma entirely. Please remember that although you may be keen to try some natural and effective alternatives, you must consult your doctor before you take any steps to reduce your asthma medications. When treating asthma patients I always wait until significant positive changes are observed and then suggest the patient pays their GP a visit to discuss whether a reduction in medications might be viable. 

Some Homeopathic medicines for acute asthma 

The following medicines are a few of the many Homeopathic prescriptions for an acute asthma episode. If one of these medicines fits your asthma symptoms, you will find it highly effective. If you can't find a good fit here see your local Homeopath (or book a skype consult with me) because there are too many options to include in this post!

 

Antimonium Tartaricum 30

This is a good asthma remedy for children and the elderly particularly when the asthma has been caused by an infection such as bronchitis or obstructive pulmonary disease. The cough will sound wet and there will be coarse rattling in the chest on both inspiration and expiration. The patient will be worse lying down and at night generally.They may be irritable and want to be left alone.

 

Apis Mellifica 30

Use Apis for an asthma attack in an acute allergic reaction. Breath feels tight and painful with dry wheezing. The patient will feel better in open air and much worse for heat or hot drinks.

 

Carbo Vegetalis 30

Severe acute attacks of wheezing with significant belching and flatus. patient feel very weak and may collapse.

 

Arsenicum Album 30 

Short, dry asthmatic cough with a wheeze.

 

Phosphorus 30

use this medicine when every infection goes to the chest with a wheeze and cough. Worse in the morning, at twilight and especially at 10pm or with sudden changes in temperature. Better for lying on the right side.

 

Pulsatilla 30

This patient has both forms of asthma: wet acute infections with greeny discharges and also allergic asthma (often hayfever related). In both cases the patient must sit up during the asthma crisis and is better for fresh air. Even fanning may help them feel better. 

 

Natrum Sulph 30

Asthma worse in damp conditions often with morning diarrohea.

Warning!
If you try one of these Homeopathic medications because it describes your asthma well, you are in danger of seeing a significant improvement in the frequency and severity of your acute attacks. For complete overall improvement or cure you need to book in with your local experienced Homeopath. 

If this selection of Homeopathic medicines for acute asthma does not describe your type of asthma, then I advise you to visit your local Homeopath who can combine environmental, dietary and Homeopathic treatment to treat your asthma highly effectively. Or alternatively book a skype online consult  with me

Happy Homeopathic prescribing :)  

Note: I am indebted in this article to the excellent nutritional advice in Patrick Holford's book: " Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs"