Well recognized throughout Europe, homeopathy is fast growing in popularity throughout North America. The desire for a more natural form of healing has many people interested in knowing more about this type of therapy.
Homeopathy is often described as the branch of natural medicine where 'like cures like'. Relief is achieved when the homeopathic medication stimulates the body's own healing abilities in response to the organism or substance that has caused the sickness. For example, syrup of Ipecac is frequently used to induce vomiting in people who have swallowed poisons. A homeopathic (extremely low) dose of Ipecac, however, will actually stop vomiting. Although this may seem strange in a 'scientific' world, homeopathy has a large following because , for many people, it provides gentle, effective relief from a number of health conditions. Over 2000 homeopathic substances are currently in use, and many more are being added in response to modern day health requirements.
Less is More
The lower the concentration of a homeopathic remedy, the stronger its effect. Homeopathic remedies are produced from a 'mother tincture' which is diluted many times and then shaken or succussed. Each time the tincture is diluted to one-hundredth of its original strength, it is shaken vigorously. This entire process increases its therapeutic effectiveness and is known as potentization.
Homeopathic remedies normally have a number such as 6x or 10x on the packaging. This refers to the number of times it has been diluted from the mother tincture. A remedy that is 6x has been diluted and succussed six times, and a remedy that is 10x has been through this process 10 times. The 10x is therefore considered stronger in therapeutic ability than the 6x.
Homeopathic remedies are available in a variety of preparations. These include drops, granules and tablets.
Popular Formulations
Among the more popular homeopathic formulations are the following:
- Arnica (leopard's bane) for bruising, muscle aches and stiffness caused by over-exertion or acute trauma. Arnica is the most popular homeopathic medication worldwide.
- Apis (bee venom) for insect bites and stings, nettle bites, itching.
- Calendula (marigold) for cuts, burns and sunburn.
- Belladonna (purple nightshade) for fever, headache, nosebleeds, menstrual cramps, teething and toothache.
- Chamomile for teething, stomach cramps, and nerves.
- Nux Vomica (poison nut tree) for gas, heartburn, indigestion, headache, menstrual cramps, and constipation.
- Pulsatilla (windflower) for various women's complaints including premenstrual syndrome, vaginitis, allergies and headaches.
Favourites for Travel
Travel Sickness
Boiron Cocculine and Meirs Laboratories' Trip Ease help to prevent/relieve the nausea, dizziness, 'queasiness' and vomiting that signal travel/motion sickness.
These products should be taken prior to the journey, according to package instructions and continued for the duration of the motion sickness.
Insect bites, stings, itchingNon-greasy Boiron Apisgel helps relieve the itching, stinging and pain associated with insect venom (bee, wasp, mosquito, tick and horsefly) or contact with nettle. (Please note that this product should NOT be used if you are allergic to bee stings. If the area affected becomes bright red, if pain is extreme or worsens, or if breathing becomes laboured following an insect bite or sting, you should seek immediate medical attention.)
Muscle aches, stiffness, bruising
Boiron Arnica Ointment and Arnica Gel are helpful for the aches and stiffness that often accompany a day spent sightseeing, particularly when strenuous physical activity such as hill climbing is involved. These products should not be applied to cuts and open wounds.
Minor cuts, scrapes, skin irritation, including sunburn
Boiron Calendula Gel is a First Aid preparation that also helps ease sunburn. The gel has antiseptic and healing properties and may be applied to minor open wounds and burns. (Please note that, if symptoms worsen or do not improve after 72 hours, you should consult a health care professional as soon as possible.)
Naturally Helpful for Jet Lag
Homeopathic medications that help prevent/relieve jet lag are now available from London Drugs. Meirs Laboratories' No Jet-Lag helps relieve the lethargy, fatigue, insomnia, inability to concentrate and irritability that often follow longhaul flights. This formula is available in chewable tablet form and may be taken with other medications.
No Jet-Lag should be taken on life-off, every two hours throughout the flight, and on landing. Children under 12 years of age should take half the adult dose. (Children under the age of 4 years should not be given this product.) No Jet-Lag has been recognized internationally for over a decade by business and pleasure travellers, professional athletes/sports teams, flight crews and the military as a helpful remedy for jet lag.
A 1994 survey questioning 228 New Zealand based flight attendants who regularly flew routes to Asia, the United States and Europe, reported that 75 percent found that No Jet-Lag was good to very good in countering symptoms of jet lag. Eighty-seven percent found this product to be helpful in stopping tiredness on arrival.
Homeocan Jet Lag homeopathic pellets are also helpful for the discomforts that often follow the crossing of time zones. This product should be commenced two days prior to departure, and every hour during the flight. The convenient dispenser is easily slipped into a pocket or purse and dispenses the appropriate number of pellets into the cap for ease of use. Children under 12 years should take half the dose.
Neither jet lag product should be taken if you are pregnant or nursing a baby, unless approved by a homeopathic practitioner.
Feeling Fatigued or Anxious?
Fatigue, exhaustion and anxiety are all-too-common complaints of 21st century living. Fast-paced workplaces, family and household responsibilities, and finding the time to exercise and shop can collectively make us feel stressed and spent.
Homeopathic tissue salts can help relax and energize the body, while helping to combat stress and anxiety. Tissue salts are inorganic mineral substances that are part of every human cell. Dr. Schussler, a 19th Century German physician, believed that a deficiency in one or more of these elements gives rise to disease. He subsequently developed a variety of formulations to address specific health issues. You will find Schuessler Tissue Salts General Tonic for overall fatigue and exhaustion and Schuessler Tissue Salts Nerve Tonic for anxiety, neuralgic pain and general debility, in the London Drugs pharmacy.
A Short History
Homeopathy, a branch of natural medicine, was developed in the early 19th century by German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
Dr. Hahnemann was disappointed with what he termed 'the excesses of orthodox medicine' and was a strong advocate of natural methods of healing. The clinical practice of medicine was rife with superstition and did not stand up to scientific examination. The treatments of the day - purgatives, blood letting, blistering poultices, herbal preparations adn emetics - were often more harmful than effective.
With a background in chemistry and a naturally curious mind, Dr. Hahnemann took a long, hard look at some of the most popular medicines of the day - including quinine, which was used to treat malaria. While translating William Cullen's A Treatise of the Materia Medica into German, Hahnemann came across a passage that dealt with cinchona bark, from which quinine was derived. Cullen attributed its ability to cure malaria to its 'stomach strengthening properties'. Dr. Hahnemann did not accept this explanation and took 'four good drams of Peruvian bark, twice a day for several days', to attempt to identify the action of the quinine-containing bark. Significantly, he began to develop symptoms identical to those of malaria. Dr. Hahnemann went on to compile a list of substances that produced specific symptoms and used these to treat patients suffering from those syptoms. The results of his experimentation were both excellent and reproducable.
Dr. Hahnemann concluded that effective drugs produce symptoms in healthy people that are similar to the symptoms of the diseases they should be expected to treat. Today this principal is known as the Law of Similars and is the source of the term homeopathy, meaning 'same suffering'.
Since many of the substances identified by Dr. Hahnemann were themselves toxic in large amounts, he began to dilute them and was surprised to discover that the smaller the amount, the better the patient responded. From this 'less is more' approach, the philosophy of homeopathy was born.