Homeopathy For Women Today

“Being healthy is about two things: it’s about fixing things when they go wrong, but it’s also about trying to make sure they don’t go wrong in the first place.”

I came across this quote somewhere, and that got me thinking  [Ya, I know, sometimes I think too much :-) ]

I asked myself what does ‘being healthy’ mean to me -

• is it a lack of annoying physical symptoms
• is it not having with any chronic ‘dis-ease’
• is it not catching the flu, cold, cough, fever (acute illnesses) easily
• is it not being in pain
• is it ‘preventing illness’
• is it popping tons of supplements, vitamins, going around wearing a mask over my mouth and nose, denying myself any so-called unhealthy foods, all the time worrying that I would fall sick

OR

• is it about being healthy on all levels- emotional, mental, spiritual, physical
• is it about waking up full of energy looking forward to the day ahead
• living each day at my best, not just in earning my living but making a contribution to others
• feeling emotionally centred
• feeling mentally alert and agile, and
• physically strong and able to accomplish all the things I want to do each day

I decided that a lack of disease or symptoms is not the meaning of health.  For me, Health means Life itself.  Our ancestors were right when they said “Health is the Real Wealth”.

Feeling happy, confident, calm, looking forward to each day, enjoying and loving what I am doing, having relationships where true mutual respect and love is present, being in the moment not hung up on the past not worried about the future, and so on…….

So, I have just raised the bar for myself.

How about you?  How are going to define what ‘being healthy’ means to you?

Think about it.

Vimala 

When was the last time you slept really well?  

According to the 2009 results of the National Sleep Foundation’s annual Sleep in America poll, 64 percent of adults in the U.S. have trouble sleeping at least a few nights a week, and 41 percent say it’s a nightly occurrence.

What’s more, the same survey found that women are 10 percent more likely than men to report insomnia.

So what’s causing you to regularly lose sleep? Experts say that they most likely cause is Stress. Whether it is children, sick parents, job (or loss of job), lack of time, lack of money, relationships (or lack of meaningful relationships), state of the economy or the zillion other issues that we deal with each and every day, stress is a part-and-parcel of modern living.

So, short of giving up everything and going to live in an Himalayan ashram (or some such place), what can we do?

Well, we could try Valium (and worry about its side-effects or whether we would become dependent on it), we could practise meditation (if only we had the time………), change our attitude and stop worrying (easier said than done……) or we could find easy, simple, natural remedies that can help us get good sleep.

Welcome to the world of Homeopathy.  Homeopathic remedies for Insomnia work gently, safely and effectively. While you can try the following remedies at home, if your problem is a chronic (long-term or serious) or you have a medical condition that causes your sleeplessness, please consult with a professional homeopath. 

Top remedies for Insomnia are -

Kali Phos 30c or 6x - for mental strain or overwork, restless mind, business or job worries that plague the mind and cause sleeplessness.

Coffea Cruda 30c - for mental excitement and nervous stimulation, e.g. about an upcoming event; for sleeplessness from overuse of caffeine; for very light sleepers

Passiflora 30c - Useful for most types of insomnia.

Cocculus 30c - For those who are “too tired to sleep” from over-exertion, jet lag, disruptive work schedule or long-term caring for a sick relative.

Nux Vomica 30c - Sleeplessness from over-indulgence in food, alcohol or other stimulants;  from overwork. light sleepers who wake up around 3am and toss and turn. Often impatient, irritable, fidgety. Sleeplessness in alcoholics.

Ignatia 30c - Insomnia due to grief, loss or sadness. Very light sleeper with lot of anxious thoughts.

Select the remedy that best fits your symptoms.  For detailed instructions on using the selected remedy, see my blog posts on “How To Use Homeopathic Remedies At Home Part 1″ and “Part 2″ posted on 20th and 23rd Sept 2008.

You can also try the Bach Flower Remedies listed in my post “Flower Remedies for Insomnia” dated 16 Dec 2007.

Wishing you peaceful, relaxing sleep…..

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

Do you go to bed only to toss and turn, count sheep, worry through the night, finally fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning and wake up feeling like a zombie?  If this happens to you quite often, you could be suffering from Insomnia.

Insomnia can happen in different patterns -

• difficulty in falling asleep
• taking inordinate amount of time to fall asleep
• very light sleep
• waking up frequently at night
• waking up in the wee hours of the morning and not able to go back to sleep

The net result is that you feel unrefreshed, fatigued, stressed or become irritable, anxious or depressed. Sleep deprivation over long time can affect your alertness, clarity, performance, overall health and well-being.

There are many things you can do to get a good night’s sleep. Lifestyle changes such as eating dinner early, reducing or not drinking tea, coffee or alcohol before bedtime can help.

If your insomnia is resulting from stress, managing your stress levels is key to finding a solution to your sleeplessness. Flower Remedies can help you overcome insomnia and get your zzzzzz… Some useful ones are listed below.

Pick the remedy that best fits your pattern of sleeplessness from the list below (remedy name is given in CAPITALs) -

• When you get irritated and impatient with yourself, you start counting hours until the alarm clock will wake you up    IMPATIENS
• When your mind is too wound up with plans or things to do - VERVAIN
• Sleepless due to terrifying dreams or nightmares - ROCK ROSE
• Sleepless due to restlessness at night from repressed worries - AGRIMONY
• Overwhelmed by work overload and cannot sleep well - ELM
• Suddenly feel depressed for no reason, and cannot sleep - MUSTARD
• Feel anguished that seems to be unbearable. You feel like you are at the uttermost limit of endurance. – SWEET CHESTNUT
• Depression and sleeplessness after a setback or disappointment – GENTIAN
• Feel guilty about something, and keep thinking about it at night - PINE

Detailed instructions on where to buy these remedies, and how to take them are included in my free eBook on Stress Relief for Women, using Flower Remedies. Simply sign up on the right hand side, and download your copy right away!

Wishing you restful night sleep……

Vimala

You read about Stress, you think you may be Stressed, but how do you know if you, a loved one, or a friend is suffering from chronic stress or burnout? Here are the early warning signs:

1. Chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down (mentally or emotionally too)
2. Anger at those making demands
3. Self-criticism for putting up with the demands
4. Cynicism, negativity, and irritability
5. A sense of being besieged
6. Exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things
7. Frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
8. Unexplained Weight loss or gain
9. Sleeplessness and depression
10. Shortness of breath
11. Suspiciousness
12. Feelings of helplessness
13. Increased degree of risk taking  (or somewhat reckless behaviour)

Adapted from an article by Henry Neils, President and Founder of Assessment.com, the leading online career assessment company focused on helping employees and employers work together for their mutual benefit. Millions of people have gained personal insight into their careers by using the tools, such as MAPP™ (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential), provided at Assessment.com.
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You can get Quick Stress Relief in just 2 minutes by deep breathing. See the video posted on Dec 10, 2007 to learn how. You can also manage chronic stress using Flower Remedies (safe & easy to use). Sign Up on the right side and get my free eBook on “Stress Relief for Women, using Flower Remedies“.

The above signs may also be symptoms or results of certain underlying conditions like diabetes, thyroid problems, hormonal disorders and other metabolic disorders.  Please consult with your physician or healthcare professional as required.

Vimala

Hi

Have you ever noticed that when you are very stressed, you breathe very shallow or sometimes even hold your breath without realising it? 

One of the quickest ways to relieve stress anytime anywhere is to take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing with awareness instantly calms you down, besides supplying your brain and body with oxygen thus enabling you to think better and perform better in the stressful situation. 

Here is a video that shows how you can use yoga-based deep breathing techniques for quick and easy stress relief. Enjoy……..

Make it a point to breathe deeply today, and every day.

Vimala 

In the last 2 posts, I wrote about a simple scale you can use to measure your stress level and to assess your risk for illness due to stress.

In this post, I am writing about how stress affects your health -

If you are living with high levels of stress, you are putting your entire health at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional stability, as well as impact on your physical and mental health. Stress weakens your immune system, and you fall sick more often.

Long term uncontrolled stress can result in or aggravate many areas of your health such as –

Brain & Nervous System - Fatigue, Brain-fag or lack of focus, Short-term Memory Loss, Crying spells, Depression, Anxiety Attacks, Sleep disturbances, Migraine.

Digestive System – Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Cramps, Diarrhea, Gastric disturbances, Acidity, Difficulty in digestion, Ulcer, Colitis

Cardiovascular System - High blood pressure, heart attack, abnormal heart beat (arrhythmia), even stroke.

Skin - Itchy skin rashes.

Glandular / Hormonal System - Thyroid malfunction, Aggravation of Diabetes, Aggravation of Menstrual disturbances

Immune System - Increased tendency to infections, catch cold, cough and flu often

General – Generalised aches & pain. Back, neck and shoulder pain.

As we can see, Stress affects many areas of you health, including emotional, mental and physical health.

Sign Up on the right side now, and get your own copy of my eBook on Stress Relief that will show you how you use safe and effective Flower Remedies to take control of your stress, and achieve emotional stability. Why wait and suffer when help is available.

Vimala

As we saw in the earlier post, Perimenopause is the period in a woman’s life when hormonal changes start to happen before menopause (or the complete cessation of periods). Both Perimenopause and menopause can be extremely stressful if you are not prepared or do not know what is happening.

Changes that happen during Perimenopause & Menopause not only affect your physical health, but your emotional and mental health as well.  Since Homeopathy treats a person as a whole, and not her disease symptoms alone, it is well-positioned to treat the woman holistically during this period. I will write more about using Homeopathy for this in later posts. 

Common symptoms of Perimenopause & Menopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Insomnia
• Palpitations of the heart
• Migraine headaches  (see my earlier posts on Migraines too)
• Weight gain
• Aching and sore joints & muscles
• Tingling in hands and feet
• Dizziness or loss of balance
• Depression and mood swings
• Fuzziness, inability to focus or concentrate, disorientation
• Short-term memory loss
• Fatigue
• Increased sensitivity (for example, allergies)
• Cold hands and feet
• Changes in libido
• Mastitis (Breast swelling) and tenderness
• Heavy, irregular or erratic periods
• Fibroids
• Recurring urinary symptoms such as urinary tract infection
  Bone loss, skin and nail problems
• Tinnitus, ringing in ears

Note:  Not all symptoms will be seen in every woman. Some of these symptoms may also be signs of other disease conditions, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and depression with other causes. If you suspect you may be suffering from  any of these conditions, please see your healthcare professional or doctor immediately.

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Extracted from an article entitled “Perimenopause : the Beginning of Hormonal Change”, by Dr. Marcelle Pick, Obstetrician & Gynecologist [www.womentowomen.com].

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In integrative medical circles, there has long been recognition that a transitional period of time exists before menopause, which is different for each woman, when fluctuating hormones may cause her serious distress.

Thankfully, conventional medicine has caught up and we now have an official name for this passage in medical textbooks: perimenopause — defined as a transition period that precedes menopause, as in “pre-menopause,” which is symptomatic of hormonal imbalances and fluctuations in a woman’s body.

Symptoms of perimenopause can begin as early as 10–15 years before menses completely stop. Women in their late 30’s, 40’s and early 50’s may transition in and out of a perimenopausal state many times before they finally enter menopause. I

f you are currently experiencing symptoms such as irregular periods, heavy bleeding, hot flashes, sleep disruption, headaches, dry eyes, vaginal changes, hair loss, and weight gain, or extreme emotional distress, you may be relieved to know that these are all common signs of perimenopause.

Along with the more obvious changes listed above, many of my perimenopausal patients find their short-term memory impairment or a lack of focus to be very irksome. These cognitive effects of hormonal imbalance are frequently overlooked in mainstream discussions about perimenopause. Yet fuzzy thinking and an inability to multitask can definitely be traced to your physical state, as can increased anxiety, fatigue, depression and drastic mood swings.

These symptoms are actually signals being thrown up by your body to make you stop in your tracks and take notice. Women often remark on the brain fog that comes over them after childbirth, affording them only the attention span to focus on their new baby. A similar phenomenon occurs with the hormonal fluctuations leading up to menopause — only this time the miasma of your hormones is telling you to stop and pay attention to yourself!

It may be reassuring to remember that a woman’s body is always in flux, always changing, and never more so than in the years that characterize puberty and perimenopause. In the same way you can be “pubescent” you can also be “perimenopausal.” But these are just words, not a rigid definition of who you are, what your body is capable of, or who you are going to be.

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As stated in my last post, Homeopathy provides one of the safest solutions for Migraine. Besides your migraine, homeopathy will treat ALL of your symptoms by going to the root cause of the problem.

If your headaches are fairly infrequent or have started only recently,  you may be able to treat yourself with any of the remedies suggested below. However, for chronic, recurrent headaches, please consult with a qualified homeopathic practitioner.

Some homeopathic remedies that have shown good results in treating Migraine are:-

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