Homeopathy For Women Today

I came across a study done by  Dr. Edzard Ernst, Director of Complementary Medicine  and Dr. Max H Pittler, Senior Research Fellow, Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Exeter, UK. (Source: www.mja.com.au/public/issues/185_11_041206/ern11072_fm.html )

To summarize the study, 

Objective: To collect contemporary accounts of celebrity use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), to aid clinicians in determining which CAM treatments patients are likely to use.

Design: Articles published during 2005 and 2006 reporting celebrity use of CAM.

Results: 38 celebrities were found to use a wide range of CAM interventions. Homeopathy, acupuncture and Ayurveda were the most popular modalities.

The doctors claimed that as the media did not report what the celebrities were using CAM for, “It is thus difficult to assess whether or not the therapies are employed wisely by celebrities”.

Conclusion: ”There may be many reasons why consumers use CAM, and wanting to imitate their idols is one of them.”

My take on this -

As a homeopath and user of homeopathy, I applaud the celebrities for using Homeopathy to maintain or restore their health and for having that fact reported in the media.  While I do not say that celebrities know best or that whatever they do should be emulated,  using Homeopathy is one celebrity-based trend that I can encourage.

Looking at the list of celebrities and well-known personalities who are said to use Homeopathy, I am sure they choose their healthcare options “wisely”. The impressive list includes not just actors, artists, musicians who may be into “new-age therapies”, but fairly conservative people like Queen Elizabeth II and former UK premier Tony Blair. 

Mahatma Gandhi, father of India, whom no one can accuse of peddling quackery, supported homeopathy strongly. In fact, he reportedly said ”Homeopathy cures a larger percentage of cases than any other method of treatment.”

Past advocates of Homeopathy included Yehudi Menuhin (violinist), Mark Twain (author, humorist), William James (pioneering psychologist), H W Longfellow (poet, educator), Nathaniel Hawthorne (writer) and Daniel Webster (politician, lawyer).  These were not people who would have supported quackery.

I do not agree with 2nd part of the study’s conclusion. Most people who choose Homeopathy do not do it to imitate their idols. While we may choose clothes or make-up or cars or some such things trying to imitate our idols, we do not choose to use Homeopathy because celebrities do so. Even if that does happen, it would be a very small percentage of the millions of people all over the world who use Homeopathy.

In India, homeopathy enjoys considerable popularity not because celebrities endorse it, but because it has proven itself beneficial and effective. Look into any Indian homeopath’s website and you will see case studies and testimonials even video cases and laboratory investigation reports of people with chronic diseases who have regained health with Homeopathy.

Who would you rather believe - real people who got good results using Homeopathy or some hard-nosed “scientist” who claims that there is no way homeopathy can work because till date we do not know how it works?  I am happy to believe the former…..

Three cheers for the famous supporters of Homeopathy and for us common folk who choose a safe option like  Homeopathy !

Guidelines for Homeopathic treatment:

• Remedies should be taken ½ hour before or after food/drinks/smoking
• Strong-smelling substances like onion, garlic, toothpaste, mint, eucalyptus (in some lozenges) etc. may reduce the action of these remedies. If you have used these, wait for ½ hour, rinse your mouth and then take the remedy.
• Do not touch the pills by hand, to avoid contamination. Tip the pills into the cap of the bottle, put these into your mouth quickly and suck on them till dissolved.
• Do not drink water after taking the pills.
• Do not consume any pills that have fallen out or become discoloured.
• Do not stop your conventional (allopathic) or other medication without professional advice.

Storage of Homeopathic Remedies:

• Ensure that you keep all remedy bottles tightly closed to avoid evaporation
• Do not refrigerate the remedies
• Store the remedies in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, away from magnets, electro-magnetic fields, electrical appliances (e.g. near clock radios and alarm clocks, on top of refrigerators, near computers or monitors, handphones, etc).
• Store the remedies away from strong-smelling substances such as perfumes, spices, aroma oils, potpourris, naphthalene (moth) balls, Tiger Balm, Axe Oil, Liniments, etc.
• Store the remedies away from reach of small children.

Caution:
After taking the remedy, if you did not see any improvement after 3-4 doses, it is likely that you have not chosen the correct remedy or there may a deeper/more serious problem that needs to be treated. Please stop the remedy and consult with a qualified homeopath or other healthcare provider near you.

After taking the remedy, some people experience a slight worsening of EXISTING symptoms, which is like a healing reaction. This could last from a few hours to a few days. If you have such an aggravation and if it persists, stop the remedy completely, drink some black coffee (an antidote to homeopathic remedies) and consult with a qualified homeopath or other healthcare provider near you.

Although homeopathic remedies are safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women and diabetics, please check with a qualified homeopath or healthcare provider near you, before using these remedies.

If you’ve read my earlier posts (Homeopathy Basics) you would know that Homeopathy is a 200 year old holistic healthcare system that is highly effective, safe and natural, used by millions of people all over the world.

Many common minor illnesses are well suited to be treated at home with Homeopathic remedies. It is a system you can use at home for a fraction of the cost of conventional / allopathic approaches.

In Homeopathy, every case is individualized. Therefore, 5 patients with the same problem may be given 5 different remedies because of symptoms or other factors that are different in each case.

When you are treating yourself at home, try to find the remedy that best fits (or most closely matches) your symptoms from the list of remedies we recommend. 

Once you have identified that remedy, purchase it in 30c (or 30CH) potency in 30 or 40 size lactose pills (pellets) from a reliable Homeopathic Store near you or from an online store. A list of our recommended online stores will soon be available at www.AllswellHomeo.com/online.html.

Homeopathic dosage and frequency of dosage varies based on your age, how severe your problem is and in what potency you are taking the remedy. Assuming you bought the remedy in 30c potency, you can use the following guidelines (or refer to the manufacturer’s directions).

Size of oral dosage:
Adults & children above 12 years of age – 4 pills
Children under 12 years of age – 2 pills
Infants, babies, toddlers – 1 pill – it can be dissolved in 1/4 cup of water to prevent choking.

Frequency of dosage:

For Very acute condition:  Every 15 or 30 minutes, up to 4 doses.   Then reduce to 4 doses a day until you feel well again. Then stop.

For Acute condition: 4 doses per day (up to 2 weeks), until you feel well again. Then stop. 

For chronic condition:  We do not recommend that you treat chronic conditions at home. It is best to consult with a qualified homeopath. You can also consult us online from the comfort of your own home.

(See Part 2 of this post for further information).

Hello everyone

Allow me to apologize to you, my dear readers, for the extremely long delay since my last post.  I had been meaning to get back to writing but got tied up with a whole host of other things. 

One of the things I have been working on is developing a live workshop and a home-study course on ”Managing Stress and Mastering Emotions with Flower Remedies”. It has been an exciting experience for me to do this.  I am now working on putting it on the web soon. More about that later.

Another project I have been working on is developing a system of doing client consultations via the internet (online consultation) for those who cannot come to my clinic or those who live in other countries and would like to consult with me from the privacy and comfort of their own homes. This facility will soon be available. Please check it out when it becomes available.

I will resume writing on specific health issues women face and how they can use Homeopathic remedies at home to help themselves. Obviously, only some conditions are suited for self-treatment at home, and others will require professional diagnosis, advice and treatment. I will highlight these as we go along.

As a first step, please see my next post on “How to Use Homeopathic Remedies at Home” in which I give guidelines and detailed advice.

As always, I would love to receive your feedback and comments. Please leave a comment, a compliment (or constructive criticism !!).  No spamming, please.

Yours in health.

Vimala