Article by Alison Burton
With the responsibility of parenthood and the potential accidents and illnesses that inevitably pepper life, I decided to keep my first aid training up to date. I was reasonably well prepared for the disasters like snake bites and shark attacks, but what I have found infinitely more valuable for my family was a one day course in homeopathy.
I purchased a remedy kit with about thirty little bottles of tiny sugar pills and that kit, combined with my understanding of how homeopathy works, has been unbelievably helpful over the years. My kids call them mum’s magic pills. Even now that they are in their 20’s they will tell friends who might be suffering with various ailments that “My Mum will have a magic pill for that.” I have personally been blown away many times by the effectiveness of homeopathy. My husband and I went skiing once and my poor darling sprained his ankle on his way to the beginner’s lesson. It was swollen, painful and he could hardly put weight on it. Luckily I had my magic pills with me and I gave him several doses of Arnica that day, and through the evening, while he sat with his leg elevated and packed in ice. The next day his ankle was pain free with minimal swelling and the following day, to our amazement, he hit the slopes and was perfectly fine.
Since then I have taken my magic pills on all our camping trips and holidays. Over the years we have enjoyed a number of camping holidays with other families and all the adults learned to send any unwell children to me, the “Witch Doctor.” I would look up my little book for the correct remedy for anything from earache, sore throats, diarrhea, fever, or sunburn to insect bites. Even the adults would occasionally ask for the remedy for hangovers after a big night around the campfire. To my surprise, one little girl made a complete recovery from an earache after three doses of a remedy called Pulsatilla.
How does homeopathy work? Well, these remedies are based on particular substances that cause certain symptoms if you take them in concentrated amounts. They are however extremely diluted, so only a fraction of the substance exists in the remedy. The energetic information or vibration of the substance still exists, and that’s what does the healing. It causes the body to reverse the symptoms. For example Ipecac is a substance that causes vomiting and nausea. When you take a remedy called Ipecac in homeopathic form, it sends a message to the brain, via the nerves under the tongue, to activate the body’s mechanisms to suppress nausea and vomiting. It can have an almost immediate result. The Arnica my husband took would cause bruising and swelling if it was taken in a concentrated form rather than a diluted form. Belladonna causes fever, so it is used to treat fever. It’s a little like an immunization stimulating the body’s own defenses.
Remedies come in two forms. They might be in water with a little alcohol to preserve them, like the well known Rescue Remedy, or they are tiny sugar pills called pillules. The remedies are very safe for even the youngest children. Babies can be treated by briefly holding the bottle of pills under their nose. Even your pets can be easily treated by popping some pills in their water.
Tips for using Homeopathic Remedies…
Find the remedy that best matches the symptoms
Give it frequently until symptoms subside. Every 15 minutes in acute cases
Give the remedy as soon as possible
Dissolve pillules in water for children under three
If symptoms persist consult your Naturopath or Doctor
By Alison Burton