A Needle in a Haystack

In our home, we turn to homeopathy for medical care whenever we can.  Homeopathy is the art of treating 'like with like'.  Developed by Samuel Hahnemann 2 hundred years ago, Homeopathy uses small pillules of multiply-diluted plant-based medication to treat the very symptoms that the plants themselves cause, if ingested in their full form.  For example, one remedy for nausea and vomiting is Ipecac - something we know to cause nausea and vomiting.  However, the Ipecac used for homeopathic remedies is really only a very minute amount of the material - the very essence of it, you may say - just enough to kick the body into gear to heal itself.  If you want to know more about this fascinating medicine, go here or here.  I realize many people consider this type of medicine 'quackery'.  I however, do not, as I have seen firsthand, so very many times, how it has healed my family from some pretty tricky ailments that modern, allopathic medicine has missed.

I love homeopathy, and have studied it for many years.  Our youngest son tends to respond to the remedies quickly when he has an ailment.  No two ailments seem to be alike for him, so I often have to go to my homeopathy books to look up his symptoms and find the 'right' remedy.  This is a bit easier now that he can tell me.  It was a bit challenging when he was a baby.  But even so, there are so many remedies, and so many symptoms out there, it is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.  A trained homeopath has rubrics at their fingertips, typing in symptoms, and the program spits out a remedy.  But until now, I had to do it all by hand.

Today, I was lucky to find a good resource for my complaint.  ABC Homeopathy has a remedy repertory that walks you through the symptoms, asking all sorts of questions, then making the suggestion as to which remedy might be the best.  I know some folks might feel uncomfortable with this type of diagnosing, but I feel pretty confident in my abilities to find a good remedy, and to cross-check anything that the computer program suggests with what I know about each remedy.  I also know that if I do not hit on the correct remedy, my son will not suffer.  These pillules contain such a tiny amount of medication that I get it wrong, all I notice is he does not get better within a small frame of time - say 2 hours or so.  If I get it right, he begins to get better pretty quickly - the color returns to his face, he is smiling more, wanting to eat, etc.  Then, if I give one dose too many, his symptoms return.  I stop giving the remedy, and he feels better - back on the road to health.  His body is supported, and he is able to take over the healing process.

The program suggested Phosphorus for our son who is dealing with stomach pain, a sore throat and general exhaustion.  Phosphorus is made from amorphous phosphorous, and suits those people who tend to feel nervous, hate exams, like to be in the limelight and tend to be very sensitive to the atmosphere around them.  Physical symptoms include nosebleeds, headaches, respiratory symptoms and nausea.  Constitutional indications of this remedy tend to be for those folks who are intelligent, gregarious and artistic.  I love how this method of medicine really takes the whole picture into account for each patient.  Another plus is I can find many of the low-dosage (appropriate for colds, flus, sprained ankles, etc) remedies at my local health food store for a small price - around $6 gets me a tube with enough remedy to last for quite a while.  No prescription is needed for remedies at these low dosages, though seeing a professional Homeopath is highly recommended for those who need extended care and medical support.

I know I'm not doing Homeopathy justice by my little lay-person's description.  I encourage you to check out the homeopathy websites if you are interested in more information.