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Homeopathy
Homeopathy has been a form of medicine for hundreds of years. Dana Ullman, whose father was a medical doctor, a pediatrician and allergist, has dedicated a significant portion of his professional life to the practice of homeopathy. Ullman was introduced to this medical art as a junior at University of California (UC) Berkeley, in 1973.
"A Stanford-trained doctor and a male midwife created a group of people to study homeopathy together: three doctors, two nurses, two yoga teachers, a dentist and several laypeople. We met weekly for five years. Towards the end of that, I was honored to be arrested for practicing medicine without a license. That was in 1976.
We won an important court case settlement by differentiating medical care from health care. We made it clear that I wasn't treating a disease. I was treating a person with a disease.
The courts agreed that was a reasonable interpretation, and that as long as I have written contracts with my patients that differentiate medical care from health care, as long as I refer patients for medical care, which is not what I am providing, then it can work out. I've been doing that ever since," Ullman says.
Definition of Homeopathy
The principles of homeopathy were originally developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German physician to the Royal family, and are based in the law of similars, also known as "like cures like."
"Homeopathy is a type of natural medicine that uses nano-doses, really small doses of plants, minerals, animals and chemicals," Ullman explains. "We look to find whatever toxicological symptoms that substance causes. Once you know what syndrome or symptom a substance causes in the toxic dose, you can use specially prepared nano-sized doses of that substance to treat the syndrome that it causes.
The logic of that … [is that] your body does whatever it can to survive. Your symptoms are not the result of breakdown. Your symptoms are the result of that doctor inside of you that is trying to defend you and is trying to heal you. Your symptoms are part of your defenses.
And the very word, 'symptom' means sign or signal, and symptoms are just that. They're signaling us that something's wrong. Instead of turning off that signal, in homeopathy, you turn into the skid.
One of the things that your driver's education teacher probably taught you is that when you skid, you turn into the skid — that's the best way to get control of the vehicle and come to a stop more easily …
In about 20 percent of our patients with chronic illness, [there's] a healing crisis at first, where their symptoms get worse … in the first 48 hours. Sometimes they re-experience old symptoms they haven't had in many months, years or even decades … Especially, it brings out skin problems, or women might have an early menstruation that will be clotted, because it's almost like they're going through detox.
When they begin talking about old symptoms coming back, those symptoms were typically treated in an allopathic way, and thus suppressed. One of the things people have to understand is that when we say conventional medicines work, all too often, that's the bad news.
That means they were effective in suppressing a symptom and a disease, and from a homeopathic point of view, the reason there's more mental illness, more cancer and heart disease, chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction is because we treat illness in a suppressive way.
Our body-mind is so brilliant that it does whatever it can to defend itself and heal. Whatever symptoms we're having are the best effort of our body at that time to defend ourselves. If we cut off that defense, then it's like the body surrenders, and our body gets suppressed and then develops a new serious syndrome."
Homeopathy Was a Leading Medical Treatment Until 1901
In 1900, homeopathy was the leading alternative therapy in the U.S., with 22 homeopathic medical schools, including Boston University, University of Michigan, Ohio State, University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and New York Medical College, which at the time was called New York Homeopathic Medical College.
All of this changed when, in 1901, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research was established, and in 1910 when the Carnegie Foundation (in secret collaboration with the A.M.A.) published the “Flexner Report,” with the aim of replacing homeopathy and other natural medicines, such as herbs, with chemical drugs.
Ullman also delves into some of this backstory in this interview so, for more, listen to the audio or read through the transcript. Here's just one sordid tidbit:
"In 1860, homeopathy was beginning to gain a lot of traction. Homeopathy was already appreciated by the smartest people in America, most of the literary greats — the transcendentalists, from Mark Twain to William James, Emily Dickinson, Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Beecher Stowe — they were all big advocates for homeopathy.
The American Medical Association was so threatened that they wrote into their ethics code that if any conventional doctor simply consulted with a homeopath on a patient, they would lose their membership in the AMA. In the 1860s, that meant you lost your medical license until, finally, the homeopaths organized and created a separate medical board. So, at least if you got your license revoked from the AMA, you could go to the homeopaths."
Homeopathy Basics
Homeopathic remedies are essentially nanomedicines. A 2012 study published in the journal Langmuir, published by the American Chemical Society (ACS), tested six homeopathic medicines — gold, silver, copper, tin, zinc and platinum — at three different dilutions:
- 1 to 100, six times
- 1 to 100, 30 times
- 1 to 100, 200 times
There's a principle in chemistry that says if you dilute something 1 to 100, 12 times, none of the original molecules will remain. This is a mathematical estimation, which turns out to be untrue. Ullman explains:
"What actually goes on is this — and it's quite amazing. In homeopathy, we use test tubes made out of glass … because we thought glass was inert. But guess what, it isn't.
Modern spectroscopy [shows] that if you take double-distilled water, which is the highest pharmaceutical-grade water presently known … [and] shake it vigorously in a glass container, the nanobubbles [hit] the side walls, and six parts per million of silica fragments fall off into the water.
The vigorous shaking, the 40 shakings, create turbulence and increase the water pressure to what the head of Stanford's Department of Material Science estimated to be at 10,000 atmospheres … What that means is that whatever you're making into a medicine will be pushed into these silica fragments.
Then, when you dump out 99 percent of the water to make a dilution, a lot of the fragments cling to the glass walls. This ACS study found that no matter how many times you did these dilutions [fragments remain]. Three different types of spectroscopy measured the original gold, silver, copper, tin, zinc or platinum in the water.
And guess what? Our body's hormones and a lot of our neurotransmitters operate at nano-dose levels. They actually found nano-doses of each of these substances, no matter how many times they did these dilutions …
Whenever you see a homeopathic medicine that says 6 X — X is a Roman numeral for 10 — that means it was diluted 1 to 10, six times, 12 times or 30 times. When it has a C after it, that's a Roman numeral for centesimal. That means it was diluted 1 to 100. Two C's would be 1 to 1,000. M stands for 1,000. That means it was diluted 1 to 100, 1,000 times. Now we even have 50,000, 100,000 [times] and even more.
Over 200 years of clinical experience by tens of millions of patients, we have consistently found that the more these medicines go through this potentization process, the longer they act, the deeper they act, and the less doses are needed."
Less Is More
In other words, the more diluted the medicine is, the more effective it becomes. While this may sound incredibly paradoxical to the modern mind, there's a good explanation for it. One is the simple fact that these nano-doses are able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, entering into deeper recesses of the brain.
These nanoparticles can also enter cellular membranes with greater ease without triggering a defense mechanism. A more concentrated dose can set off a proverbial alarm in the cell, causing the membrane to lock itself down to prevent the foreign substance or toxin from entering.
"Once it's inside the brain, the body realizes 'We've just been infiltrated by lead, silver or gold,' and says, 'How do I get rid of it?' When a patient has the symptoms of gold or of the substance that they're having, the body then has a powerful immunological reaction that begins to heal it," Ullman explains.
Another major benefit is the fact that there are no side effects. Were you to select the wrong remedy, nothing happens. There's no reaction — no benefit, but also no adverse effect.
Is There Scientific Evidence That Homeopathy Works?
The media will typically tell you there’s no evidence that homeopathy works. In reality, there are more than 300 double-blind and placebo-controlled trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals, including The Lancet, The British Medical Journal (BMJ), the journal of Pediatrics; the Chest (the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians); Cancer (the journal of the American Cancer Society); Rheumatology (the journal of the British Society for Rheumatology); Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal, and many more.
"Many of the best journals in the world have published positive studies on homeopathy,"Ullman says. "So, whenever you hear people say there's no evidence that homeopathy works, they are either misinforming you or directly lying.
You have to realize that it's a lie, and then you also have to remember that Big Pharma advertises on TV news so that they can own the news … That's one reason why we're not getting accurate information about natural therapies and about the importance of vaccine safety. It's because Big Pharma really runs and owns the news …
And if you think conventional medicine is scientific, please know statistics show that, last year, enough drugs were prescribed to give every man, woman and child in America 13 prescription drugs. Yet there's no evidence of safety or efficacy of multiple drugs together. They don't do science that way. Conventional medicine is standing on Jell-O. The evidence base is really limited."
The AMA has also gone to great lengths to keep homeopathy suppressed, and if it weren't for the AMA, there'd be a whole lot more scientific research backing homeopathy. Here's just one of the stories Ullman recounts in this interview:
"We’re all familiar with the Sloan Kettering Foundation. What people don’t know was that Charles Kettering was a big advocate for homeopathy. Kettering was vice president of General Motors (GM). Alfred Sloan was president of GM, but Kettering was the inventor. He was the one that developed the electric battery. Delco battery was his company.
In 1920, he gave $1 million to Ohio State University for their homeopathic medical schools' research department.
Wouldn't you know it, a month later, one of the key members of the AMA went to meet with the president of Ohio State and gave him an ultimatum, saying that unless you return that million dollars back to Kettering, the AMA would reduce the grade of Ohio State's allopathic conventional medical school (Ohio State had a homeopathic medical school and an allopathic one).
As it turns out, the president of Ohio State returned the million dollars to Kettering. That was supposed to go to homeopathic research. Once again, a million dollars in 1920 money is like a billion dollars today."
The Irrational Stance of FDA
When it comes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), its stance on homeopathy is irrational to say the least, because on the one hand, it claims there's no active ingredient in some homeopathic medicines, in other words, it's essentially a placebo, yet on the other hand it claims homeopathic remedies are dangerous.
As explained by Ullman, the FDA was created in the early 1900s, but the agency really wasn't empowered until 1938, during Franklin D. Roosevelt's reign, when New York senator Dr. Royal Copeland wrote the Federal Food, Drugs and Cosmetics (FD&C) Act of 1938, which charged the FDA with the regulation of drugs. Ullman offers the following bit of historical background:
"Royal Copeland was not just a senator. He was a medical doctor — a homeopathic physician. He was the dean of the New York Homeopathic Medical College. Before that, he was the mayor of Ann Arbor, where he grew up. He was a professor at the University of Michigan, which had a homeopathic department.
A part of this legislation gave recognition to homeopathy on par with the United States Pharmacopoeia. The United States Pharmacopoeia and the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia were on equal footing. Then, in the late ‘70s, the FDA deemed that homeopathic medicines are primarily over-the-counter drugs, because they’re so basically safe, you don’t need a doctor’s prescription to use them.
Up until that time, the FDA and the homeopaths had a good working relationship. In fact, up until literally a year or two ago, we had a good working relationship in that our medicines were allowed. There were certain [homeopathic] medicines that only medical doctors and naturopathic physicians were allowed to prescribe due to dose issues. We're fine with that too. But the vast majority were over-the-counter drugs.
However, in the last year or two, as a result of pressure brought by Big Pharma and skeptics of homeopathy, they began to change the regulations. We don't know with specificity what they are planning to do. They're saying now that they're changing it from the present model to what's called risk-benefit model.
Because their position is that homeopathy provides no benefits, we are concerned they’re going to find little risks in different things, like they did with Standard or Hyland’s Homeopathic teething tablets … We’re now waiting for them to come out with the specifics of their [new] guidelines.
We've written to them, many of us, in detail, making our recommendations. We're now ready for them to respond … They say they're going to maintain most of the homeopathic remedies, but I am worried they may reduce access to what are called homeopathic nosodes.
Nosodes are homeopathic medicines, super diluted, made from different bacteria and viruses. Right now, only medical doctors, naturopathic doctors and professional homeopaths have access to these nosodes. I'm fine with that. But it would be a real problem [if they were taken away]."
Homeopathy Versus Drugs
Again, it's worth remembering that the FDA must approve all pharmaceutical drugs, and the average American is often taking of several simultaneously — many of which have flimsy justification for their use at best. Drugs, as a general rule, never treat underlying causes. They treat symptoms by suppressing them.
The insanity of this model is evidenced by the fact that drugs, when properly taken as prescribed, kill an estimated 106,000 Americans each year. Yet, in the name of "protecting public health," the FDA claims homeopathic remedies may need to be reined in because they might be dangerous, but also claim that some have no active ingredients. Some preparations do contain active ingredients in concentrations sufficient to have physiological effects. As noted by Ullman:
"Here's where your bullshit detectors need to go up, because it's so obvious that homeopathic medicines are safer. To reduce access … to the safe medicines, and yet have complete access to so many conventional drugs, which are so dangerous, would be the epitome of a 'doctatorship.' That's a word I developed.
There is also what I call 'medical chauvinism.' There's the assumption that there's only one way to heal people. You and I, and I bet every other person listening to this, knows there are other methods. We need to stand up for ourselves."
Arizona is one of the only states in the United States that licenses Homeopathic and Integrative Physicians. The people of Arizona understand that people are looking for choices in their medical care. For acute care medicine, drugs and surgery generally often work very well.
For other more chronic conditions, or simply for health maintenance, drugs and surgery are not always the best choices. Nor are they the only choices, although they are often presented as the only options.
Fortunately, homeopathy and integrative medicine are growing in popularity among doctors and patients in Arizona and worldwide. Homeopathic and integrative medicine are becoming more accessible as well.
The Arizona Homeopathic and Integrative Medical Association represents Homeopathic Physicians in Arizona and welcome applications for membership from practitioners, students, and members of the public as well as organizations who have an interest in homeopathy and integrative medicine.
Homeopathic First Aid
Floods, wars, famines, accidents, earthquakes.
Hardly a day goes by without a disaster making headlines somewhere – they are an inescapable part of life and whether natural or manmade have always been with us.
We’re often transfixed by the media reports of chaos visited on others but for those caught up in the disaster it may mean injuries and sickness, destruction of property, loss of loved ones, starvation, and displacement. Long after the physical wounds have healed, emotional trauma remains.
Homeopathy is front-line medicine at its best. It has much to offer the victims of disaster and those who rush to their aid. It is inexpensive, easily distributed, able to be safely used before other medical help arrives, and can then used beside it without interactive effects.
Over the next three articles we will look at the remedies traditionally used in homeopathy to reduce the impact of physical injuries, soften emotional trauma, and lessen the risk of epidemic disease.
We will show you how to compile an emergency homeopathy kit, teach you how to use it and explain how its remedies can be ‘stretched’ to not only help you but others, also.
In this, our first article, learn the remedies homeopaths use for the initial problems of shock, fear, hysteria, and injuries.
Find out about the ‘corpse reviver’, why homeopathic opium is considered a fantastic treatment for shock, and how the London Police Force used homeopathic gunpowder as a remedy for infections, boils and abscesses.
And, if you ever have the misfortune to be caught in a disaster situation remember the ABCs of first aid – check and maintain the person’s Airway, Breathing and Circulation and certainly call for help.
Contents and Links
First Response Remedies
Shock
Emotional shock is the body’s response to extreme fear, stress, pain, or helplessness. It is also known as acute stress reaction. Symptoms include: disorientation; confusion; agitation; restlessness; and feeling ‘dazed’.
Two key homeopathic remedies for this type of shock are Aconite and Opium.
Aconite napellus (Acon.): Aconite is used when the person is agitated, restless, fearful and anxious (or even in a state of terror) and convinced they will die. It is capable of relieving not only these mental-emotional symptoms but other symptoms that may be present at the same time such as chest pain from an impending heart attack (myocardial infarction) or convulsions.
Opium (Op.): The homeopathic remedy prepared from opium is more useful for emotional shock in which the person looks and acts like a ‘stunned mullet’. They are withdrawn, respond poorly to what is happening around them, and have a dazed, besotted expression. Be aware though that in some countries you will not be able to obtain homeopathic opium as regulators of these countries, unfamiliar with the extreme dilutions of homoeopathic remedies, confuse homeopathic opium with its crude source and so classify it as an illegal substance.
Guidelines: Either remedy can be given as often as every 15 seconds if the person’s symptoms are severe. Once symptoms start to settle only give another dose when improvement stops or symptoms start to return. If there is no improvement by 3 doses, stop, as this means the remedy is incorrect – choose another remedy that better matches the symptoms. As long as the person is improving with each dose, the remedy can be given as often as needed and for as long as is needed.
Hysteria and Panic
Following shock, panic and hysteria are the next most common reactions to emotional trauma. People may shriek, scream, have rapidly changing emotions, sob convulsively, hyperventilate, or frantically clutch at others for help. Two remedies to help reduce panic and hysteria are Aconite and Ignatia.
Aconite napellus (Acon.): Those needing Aconite, as already mentioned, will be extremely restless and agitated, fearing they are about to die. They are likely to have palpitations and will hyperventilate, producing symptoms of pins and needles and numbness throughout the bod
Ignatia amara (Ign.): Ignatia is used for rapidly changing moods and crying with sobbing. The person may hyperventilate, twitch, jerk, have cramps and display contradictory, unpredictable behaviour. They will pull away from comfort and reassurance and may sweat from the face
Guidelines: Either remedy can be given as often as every 15 seconds if the person’s symptoms are severe. Once symptoms start to settle only give another dose when improvement stops or symptoms start to return. If there is no improvement by 3 doses, stop, as this means the remedy is incorrect – choose another remedy that better matches the symptoms. As long as the person is improving with each dose, the remedy can be given as often as needed and for as long as is needed.
Injuries, Wounds and Hazardous Effects
Allium cepa (All-c.): When eyes and nose are streaming from some sort of irritant. Burning discharge from the nose, bland discharge from the eyes. A good remedy to counter the effects of tear gas. (Also see Euphrasia.)
Arnica Montana (Arn.): For bruising and damage to soft tissues such as skin and muscles. Slows bleeding, reduces swelling, promotes healing, helps with shock and reduces the risk of infection. Ideal as a first remedy for broken bones (fractures) that cause bleeding and swelling into the tissues (use Bryonia for fractured ribs or Symphytum after 24 hours when swelling and bleeding is no longer a problem). Do not use in herbal form if skin is broken as it will irritate; it is safe to use in homeopathic potencies.
Bryonia (Bry.): Fractures such as fractured ribs when the pain is worse for the slightest movement (breathing) and better for firm pressure or being supported.
Calendula (Calen.): Useful for superficial wounds, grazes and lacerated skin – promotes healing and reduces the risk of infection. Can be taken by mouth or applied topically (directly on the skin). To apply topically, place 10 drops of the herbal tincture or potentised remedy into a cup of water, cleanse the wound and then bind with a dressing moistened with the solution. Leave the dressing intact for as long as possible but keep it moist with the solution to speed healing and stop infection.
Cantharis (Canth.): A key remedy for 2nd to 3rd degree burns where there is severe pain and even blistering of the skin. (See Urtica urens for 1st and 2nd degree burns, Causticum for chemical burns, and Phosphorus for electrical burns.)
Causticum (Caust.): A useful remedy for deep burns and chemical burns. (See Urtica urens for 1st and 2nd degree burns, Cantharis for 2nd and 3rd degree burns, and Phosphorus for electrical burns.)
China officinalis (Chin.): Relieves exhaustion and debility that follows the loss of body fluids such as blood, sweat and diarrheoa.
Carbo vegetabilis (Carb-v.): This remedy has the reputation of being a ‘corpse reviver’ among homeopaths. It treats many near-death states with the following symptoms: faintness; collapse; exhaustion; chilliness; cold sweat; gasping for air; wanting to be fanned; flatulence and distension; heart failure; blue or mottled skin. (Also see Laurocerasus
Euphrasia (Euphr.): When eyes and nose are streaming from an irritant. Bland discharge from the nose, burning discharge from the eyes. A good remedy to counter the effects of tear gas. (Also see Allium cepa
Gunpowder (Gunp.): Used in its crude form in the past by soldiers and the London Police Force (of all people) to fight infection, homeopathic gunpowder is still an excellent remedy today to prevent boils and abscesses developing in cuts and wounds.
Hypericum perforatum (Hyper.): For injuries to nerves and nerve rich areassuch as finger tips and the spine. Numbness and tingling. Pains shoot upwards along the nerve pathways. Also helpful for lacerations and puncture wounds.
Laurocerasus (Laur.): A good remedy for lack of reaction when the heart and /or respiratory system is in failure. The person may: be in a state of collapse; have chilliness that is unhelped by warmth; be gasping for breath or suffocating; and be blue or mottled. (Also see Carbo vegetabilis
Ledum palustre (Led.): Main remedy for mottled puncture wounds. Useful for sprained and twisted joints
Natrum sulphuricum (Nat-s): For concussion and head injuries that potentially involve brain damage or bleeding into the brain. Also useful for some types of spinal injur
Phosphorus (Phos.): The main remedy for electrical burns or electroshock. (See Urtica urens for 1st and 2nd degree burns, Cantharis for 2nd and 3rd degree burns, and Causticum for chemical burns.
Staphysagria (Staph.): Especially useful for cuts and incisions that have clean rather than jagged edges. Promotes healing and reduces the risk of infection. Also helps the person process emotions following violations such as rape.
Symphytum officinale (Symph.): Known as the ‘Arnica of the eye’. Helpful when the eyeball has been punctured, ruptured or damaged. Also used in the ongoing repair of fractures.
Urtica urens (Urt-u): Main remedy for 1st and 2nd degree burns that sting, burn and possibly itch. An unusual symptom is that the burn may feel worse for cold water. (See Cantharis for 2nd and 3rd degree burns, Causticum for chemical burns, and Phosphorus for electrical burns.)
X-ray: Minimises genetic damage following exposure to radiation.
Dosage Guidelines
Remedies can be used in any potency from 6C to 200C but remember, good results depend on getting the remedy right rather than getting the potency right. If none of the above potencies are available, dose with whatever one you have on hand. Because homeopathy is an intrinsically safe system of medicine, free of toxic effects, no harm will be done.
How often to dose will depend on the intensity of the person’s symptoms and how quickly they respond to the remedy. Initial doses may be needed as often as every 15 seconds or at intervals of several hours.
How Often Should I Take My Remedy?
The following instructions are suitable for acute (short-lived) problems rather than chronic complaints.
One dose equals one pill or pellet, or ¼ dropper (5-7 drops) of liquid taken by mouth. It’s not necessary for the remedy to be placed under the tongue or to be swallowed.
Contents and Links
Minor Conditions (for which you would probably not seek professional help.)
Examples: A mildly sprained ankle, or a nuisance-value sore throat.
Dose: Every 4 hours until symptoms start to improve. With improvement, space the doses further apart, taking a dose only when symptoms start to return. If there is no improvement at all by 3 doses (after 12 hours) choose a more suitable remedy or contact your homeopath.
Troubling Conditions (for which you might seek professional help.)
Examples: A painful and swollen sprained ankle that can tolerate some weight, or a troublesome sore throat.
Dose: Every 2 hours until symptoms start to improve. With improvement, space the doses further apart, taking a dose only when symptoms return. If there is no improvement at all by 3 doses (after 6 hours) choose a more suitable remedy or contact your homeopath.
Serious Conditions (for which you would seek professional help.)
Examples: A painful and swollen ankle that you cannot place any weight on at all, or a sore and red throat that makes eating or drinking difficult.
Dose: Every ½ hour until symptoms start to improve. With improvement, space the doses further apart, taking a dose only when symptoms return. If there is no improvement at all by 3 doses (after 1 1/2 hours) choose a more suitable remedy or contact your homeopath.
Emergency Situations (Conditions for which you would phone urgently for an ambulance.)
Examples: An obviously broken ankle where the bone has pierced the skin and the person is in severe pain or shock, or a painful, swollen throat that is leading to suffocation.
Dose: Every 15 seconds to a minute while waiting for the ambulance. If the remedy is correct there should be a rapid improvement in symptoms. With improvement, space the doses further apart. If there is no improvement at all by 3 – 6 doses (after 1 – 2 minutes), change to another remedy.
Aggravations
An aggravation is a temporary intensification of symptoms after taking a dose of the remedy. Stop dosing at this point.
Once the aggravation settles, improvement should follow if the remedy was correct for the symptoms.
Once this happens, repeat the remedy only when this improvement stalls or symptoms start to return.
If the aggravation settles but without following improvement, the remedy choice was likely incorrect.
Review the symptoms and choose a better-matching remedy
Disaster has struck. Panic and shock are now subsiding. The immediate threat is over.
Those caught in the disaster are literally starting to pick up the pieces of their lives and possessions.
Homeopathy is front-line medicine at its best. It has much to offer the victims of disaster and those who rush to their aid. It is inexpensive, easily distributed, able to be safely used before other medical help arrives, and can then used beside it without interactive effects.
Over our three “First Response” articles we will look at remedies traditionally used in homeopathy to reduce the impact of physical injuries, soften emotional trauma, and lessen the risk of epidemic disease.
We also show you how to compile an emergency homeopathy kit, teach you how to use it and explain how its remedies can be ‘stretched’ to not only help you but others, also.
Contents and Links
Moving on to the Next Stage
Once the immediate threat is over, anger, accusations, grief and ongoing fear grip many and raw emotions may bubble to the surface.
Perhaps the most striking thing that outsiders witness, though, is the compassion and support people give to each in the middle of what seems an insurmountable tragedy.
Physical injuries that were not seen as severe at the height of the disaster now need attention and the spread of disease has to be prevented.
Even here, homoeopathy, with its easy production and distribution of remedies should have a key role to play with problems as diverse as gangrene, sunstroke, boils and abscesses.
The following is a summary of remedies and their traditional indications for the symptoms and complaints seen in the second stage of a disaster.
Fear, Anxiety and Despair
Argentum nitricum (Arg-n): Anticipatory anxiety with strange fears or phobias. May become claustrophobic or agoraphobic. Wants company but anxious in a crowd. Fears losing control. Diarrhoea develops with anxiety.
Arsenicum album (Ars.): Anxious and afraid to be alone. Fear of death or disease. Restlessness leading to exhaustion. Controlling behaviour of others and circumstances. Anxiety worse after midnight.
Gelsemium (Gels.): Anxiety with weakness and trembling. Needs support when standing; knees shake. Heaviness of eyelids and drowsiness. Wants to be alone.
Stramonium (Stram.): Symptoms usually develop after a frightful experience. Violence towards others from fear of being attacked or hurt. May hit, scratch, kick or bite (children especially). Fear of the dark. Feel much better in company and light.
Comments: If shock, panic or hysteria are still present, refer back to Part 1 for helpful remedies.
Grief
Ignatia amara (Ign.): Main remedy for acute grief. Hysterical and changeable behaviour. Angry outbursts and recriminations. Crying when alone rather than in public. Convulsive sobbing. Brooding and sighing. Sensation of lump in the throat. Refusal to eat.
Phosphoric Acid (Ph-ac.): Indifferent, apathetic or physically weak with grief. Slow to answer. Silent suffering – want to be alone. Lack of energy. Exhausted.
Anger
Chamomilla (Cham.): Anger with contrariness. Discontented and dissatisfied no matter what is done – can’t be pleased. Hypersensitive and intolerant of pain, even from minor injuries.
Nux vomica (Nux): Angry, irritable, driven and impatient. Irritable when interrupted or obliged to answer. Intolerant of others especially if they are perceived as being too slow or doing inappropriate things. Overindulgence in stimulants or alcohol.
Staphysagria (Staph.): Suppressed anger and indignation following humiliation, insult or violation. also a key “go to” remedy for rape victims during disaster or war.
Injuries and Wounds
Many of the first aid and emergency remedies suggested in Part 1 may still be useful during this ‘mopping up’ stage. For example:
Broken bones (fractures): See Arnica montana, Bryonia alba, or Symphytum. (Part 1)
Concussion or brain injury: See Natrum sulphuricum. (Part 1)
Bruising and damage to soft tissues: See Arnica Montana. (Part 1)
Superficial wounds, grazes and lacerated skin: See Calendula or Hypericum. (Part 1)
Cuts and incisional wounds: See Staphysagria. (Part 1)
Puncture wounds: See Hypericum or Ledum palustre. (Part 1)
Chemical, electrical or 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree burns: See Urtica urens, Causticum, Cantharis or Phosphorus. (Part 1)
Sprained or twisted joints: See Ledum palustre. (Part 1).
Additional helpful remedies are:
Bryonia alba (Bry.): Pain that is worse for the slightest movement. Better for firm strapping, pressure, or lying on the affected part. Useful for fractures, especially fractured ribs.
Hypericum perforatum (Hyper.): Damaged nerves with shooting pains that travel up the limbs, along nerve tracts.
Rhus toxicodendron (Rhus-t.): Pain and stiffness that is worse after rest and better for ongoing movement.
Ruta graveolens (Ruta.): For tendon injuries, especially of wrist and ankle. Pain worse after rest. Hard nodules from blows to shins.
Infected wounds, boils and abscesses.
See Gunpowder as a preventative for infection in Part 1 of this article. Additional remedies include:
Anthracinum (Anthr.): Intense burning pains. Offensive discharges. Black or blue blisters. Anxious with fear of death. Weakness with difficulty in swallowing even though very thirsty.
Arsenicum album (Ars.): Burning pain that is better for warmth. The person is anxious, restless, chilly and thirsty for small sips.
Hepar sulphuris (Hep.): Sensitive wounds with splinter-like sticking pains. Lots of the pus. Sensitive to cold and drafts but better for warmth. Old cheese odour.
Pyrogenium (Pyrog.): Offensive wounds with foul smelling discharges. High fever with slow pulse or low fever with rapid pulse. Exhausted but restless. Bruised feeling.
Silicea (Sil.): Abscesses that drain but don’t heal. Splinter-like pains. Chilly and worse for cold.
Bites and Stings
In many disaster situations, animals and snakes are displaced just as much as humans. Once out of their natural habitat, bites and stings are more likely. When this happens, the following remedies should be considered.
Aconite napellus (Acon.): Rapid, intense symptoms following bite or sting. Restlessness, anxiety and fear that they might die. Very thirsty.
Apis mellifica (Apis.): The site of the sting will be puffy. Swelling will be warm and white or rosy pink in colour. Prickling, stinging pains that are improved by cold applications.
Lachesis muta (Lach.): Skin around bite or sting will be hot and look dark red or blue–purple. Useful remedy for tarantula bites.
Ledum palustre (Led.): Main remedy for puncture wounds, including the bites and stings of animals or insects. Wound swollen, cold, and discoloured. Pain improved by cold applications.
Cantharis (Canth.): Intense burning pain following insect bites such as from wasps.
Gangrene
Tissue gangrene occurs from infection, crush injuries, obstructed circulation and frostbite. The correct homeopathic remedy minimises damage and aids recovery.
Anthracinum (Anthr.): Intense burning pains with offensive discharges and blue-black blisters. Restlessness leading to exhaustion.
Arsenicum album (Ars.): Burning pains that feel better for warmth. Restless, anxious and chilly. Thirsty for small sips.
Cantharis (Canth.): Intense raw, burning pains. Blackish blisters. Delirium in which they might bite.
Carbo vegetabilis (Carb-v.): Bluish, ice-cold skin and extremeties yet person wants to be fanned – cannot get enough air. Frequent belching. Exhaustion and breathlessness.
Crotalus horridus (Crot-h.): Rapid spread with offensive odour. Swollen limb. Blackish blisters. Right side of body feels tender. Easy weeping.
Sunburn or Heat/Sun Stroke
Working in extreme temperatures or facing sun exposure after the destruction of shelter can leave both victims and helpers at risk of sunburn or sun and heat stroke.
The following remedies can be considered for the pain of simple sunburn plus the fever, vomiting, weakness, cramping, diarrhoea and delirium of sun or heat stroke.
Apis mellifica (Apis.): Swelling of the tissues (oedema) with stinging, prickly pain. Better for cold applications. Worse for warmth. Reduced urine output. Drowsiness or irritability.
Belladonna (Bell): Hot, red face. Throbbing headache that is worse from light, noise, lying down, or being jarred. Eyes red and bloodshot all glassy in appearance.
Cantharis (Canth.): One of the main remedies for painful and blistering sunburn. Smarting, burning pain relieved by cold applications. Restless and thirsty.
Glonoinum (Glon): Throbbing in head and body. Dark spots before the eyes. Clenching of jaws. Deathly feeling in the stomach.
Natrum carbonicum (Nat-c.): For the chronic effects of sunstroke. Weakness on exertion.
Urtica urens (Urt-u.): Simple sunburn with stinging, burning or itching pain. Better for lying down. Worse for touch and after sleep.
Exhaustion and Collapse
It’s not just those involved in the disaster who are affected. Those who rush to help may work themselves to the point of collapse. See Part 1 for details on remedies such as China officinalis, Carbo vegetabilis and Laurocerasus for exhaustion arising from physical injury or disease.
Additional remedies to consider are:
Arsenicum album (Ars.): Restlessness leading to exhaustion. Anxious and afraid to be alone. Fear of death or disease. Controlling behaviour of others and circumstances.
Calcarea carbonica (Calc.): Weakness from exertion. Sweats on the least exertion and during sleep. Confused and under-confident. Can’t bear to see or hear of cruelties or horrible things.
Cocculus indicus (Cocc.): Symptoms such as numbness, twitching, dizziness, confusion and exhaustion especially following loss of sleep from caring for others.
Gelsemium (Gels.): Anxiety with weakness and trembling. Needs support when standing; knees shake. Heaviness of eyelids and drowsiness. Wants to be alone.
Kali phosphoricum (Kali-p): Nervous exhaustion from overwork or worry. Insomnia from nervous exhaustion. Tongue is coated yellow.
Phosphoric acid (Ph-ac.): Indifferent, apathetic or physically weak from grief or loss of body fluids. Slow to answer and unable to think of words. Silent suffering – want to be alone. Lack of energy. Exhausted.
Disease Prevention
Damaged infrastructure, polluted water, lack of sanitation, and decaying matter all encourage the spread of disease. Whether it be a simple diarrhoea or a more serious epidemic disease such as cholera, homeopathy has a history of helping with prevention as well as treatment.
Nosodes, for example – remedies made from the diseased tissue or discharge – are regularly used for prevention. Many can be obtained from homeopathic pharmacies or, if time is of the essence, can be made on site by rapidly potentising the source material. (If you have to resort to this, remember to take all precautions until the remedy has been fully potentised so you don’t become infected yourself).
The other option is to choose the standard homeopathic remedy that best matches the symptoms of the disease for which prevention is sought.
Both nosodes and standard remedies are listed below. Either can be used preventatively ahead of an outbreak but if an epidemic is already in progress, the “genus epidemicus” – the remedy that best matches the characteristic symptoms of the outbreak – will produce the best results. That remedy may be one of those listed or a different one altogether.
Amoebic dysentery: Arsenicum album (Ars.) or nosode.
Anthrax: Anthracinum (Anthr.).
Bubonic plague: Baptisia tinctoria (Bapt.) or nosode.
Chickenpox: Antimonium crudum (Ant-c.) or Pulsatilla pratensis (Puls.) or Rhus toxicodendron (Rhus-t.) or nosode.
Cholera: Cuprum metallicum (Cupr.) or Camphor(Camph.) or Veratrum album (Verat.) or nosode.
Diphtheria: Mercurius cyanatus (Merc-cy.) or nosode.
Hepatitis: Phosphorus (Phos.) or Chelidonium majus (Chel.) or nosode.
Hydrophobia: Belladonna (Bell.) or nosode.
Influenza: Gelsemium semervirens (Gels.) or Arsenicum album (Ars.) or Rhus toxicodendron (Rhus-t.) or Eupatorium perfoliatum (Eup-per.) or nosode.
Lyme disease: Ledum palustre or nosode.
Malaria: Cinchona (Cinch.) or Arsenicum album (Ars.) or Natrum muriaticum (Nat-m.) or nosode.
Measles: Pulsatilla pratensis (Puls.) or Aconite napellus (Acon.) or Arsenicum album (Ars.) or nosode.
Meningitis or Encephalitis: Belladonna (Bell.) or nosode.
Mumps: Mercurius vivus (Merc-v.) or Phytolacca decandra (Phyt.) or nosode.
Polio: Lathyrus sativa (Lath.) or Plumbum metallicum (Plb.) or nosode.
Puerperal fever: Pyrogenium (Pyr.) or nosode.
Scarlet fever: Belladonna (Bell.) or nosode.
Small pox: Malandrinum (Maland.) or nosode.
Tetanus: Tetanus toxinum (Tetan.) or Cicuta virosa (Cic.) Hypericum perforatum (Hyper.) or Magnesium phosphoricum (Mag-p.).
Typhus: Rhus toxicodendron (Rhus-t.) or Baptisia tinctoria (Bapt.) or nosode.
Tuberculosis: Drosera rotundifolia (Dros.) or nosode.
Typhoid: Baptisia tinctoria (Bapt.) or nosode.
Yellow fever: Crotalus horridus (Crot-h.) or Carbo vegetabilis (Carb-v.) or Arsenicum album (Ars.) or nosode.
Dosage Guidelines
Remedies can be used in any potency from 6C to 200C; good results are dependent on getting the remedy right more than using a certain potency.
If none of the above potencies are on hand, dose with whatever is available knowing that homeopathy has an excellent safety record with non-addictive and non-toxic remedies.
How often a dose of the chosen remedy should be given will depend on the intensity of the person’s symptoms and how quickly they respond. Initial doses may be needed as often as every 5 minutes or at intervals of several hours. To find out more about dosing, read: How Often Should I Take a Dose of My Remedy.
Homeopathy is a system of medicine that heals by “energy” rather than chemicals.
Sugar pills, pellets, and water are used as carriers to transfer energetic information to the body to stimulate a healing response.
While sugar pills are a convenient and delicious way to do this, a mild and temporary worsening of symptoms (an aggravation) may occur if given when not needed, too frequently, or to a person who is highly sensitive to homeopathic remedies. This aggravation is not harmful and settles when you stop giving the remedy.
Aggravations in sensitive people are avoided by giving smaller than normal doses, something that is easily done if the pill is first dissolved in water. The most surprising thing is that its energetic effects are not halved or quartered when this is done – as would be expected with a conventional, chemical medicine – but just ‘softened’ so it is less likely to aggravate; and it still works just as well for those who are not over-sensitive.
Another benefit of turning your pills into liquids is that their potency can be altered before each dose, by succussion, so that each dose works at a slightly deeper level than the previous dose. (Succussion is hitting the base of the bottle on the palm of your hand firmly. This potentises the remedy slightly so that each dose works at a slightly different level and so is less likely to aggravate.)
In addition, because each pill can be turned into literally hundreds of liquid doses it is an easy way to extend the life of your remedies while saving a little money.
So how exactly do you do it? Here are the instructions:
Using a Cup to Turn Your Pill (Pellet) into a Liquid Remedy
- Choose the remedy that most closely matches your symptoms.
- Drop one pill of the remedy into approximately ¼ cup of water and gently stir until dissolved.
- Before each dose, briskly agitate the liquid with a spoon for 5 seconds. This mimics succussion and potentises the remedy slightly so that it works more deeply and is less likely to aggravate (ie., temporarily worsen the symptoms).
- Dose according to the intensity of your symptoms, either as advised, or by your homeopath. A dose is generally one small sip, or a teaspoon amount from the cup. Babies or small animals can be given a smaller amount but this is not essential – they will do just as well with a teaspoon dose if it is not too much liquid for them.
- Keep the remedy away from light by covering it with a saucer between doses. Your remedy will be fine to use in this manner for one or two days – plenty of time to treat an acute complaint.
Using a Bottle to Turn Your Pill (Pellet) into a Liquid Remedy
- Fill a 20-30ml dropper bottle two thirds full of water. (The remaining air space provides room for the remedy to be agitated during succussion.)
- Label the bottle with the remedy name, potency, and date of preparation.
- Drop one pill into the bottle and gently “swish” to dissolve. It is now ready to use.
- Succuss the bottle five times before each dose.
- Dose according to the intensity of your symptoms, either as advised in by your homeopath. One dose is 5-7 drops, or about a ¼ of a dropper. Again, the amount is not critical, and babies or small animals can be given less.
Notes
1. Because the bottle does not contain a preservative to stop the growth of mould and bacteria, store your remedy in the refrigerator and replace it at monthly intervals. If you would like to use your liquid remedies for much longer, brandy can be added – its alcohol content will act as a preservative. Just add 1/3 of brandy to 2/3 of water. Your liquid remedies are now safe to be stored at room temperature for twelve months or more.
2. Homeopathic pills (pillules, gobules, pellets) are made from sucrose or lactose and will dissolve fully in the water (Note: Those supplied by Homeopathy Plus are prepared on sucrose). If you have purchased homeopathic tablets instead of pills, binding and bulking material mixed with the sucrose or lactose will not dissolve but settle as a powder at the bottom of the cup or bottle. This is perfectly safe – just ignore it and use the liquid
Nutrition is the best medicine.
Most medicines were originally herbal or botanical medicines, as they came from plants. For example, Dandelion which helps the liver, or Elderberry which builds a strong immune system were once part of the common diet. Today many of these plain and precious herbs are no longer a part of the common diet. Instead, they have been replaced by devitalized, dead, and often toxic or irritating chemical-based, processed food. By adding these healing plants back into the diet in the form of herbs (botanical, plant-based nutrition, aromatherapy in the form of essential oils, and organic-based, whole food nutrition) we can help the body to heal itself... We've seen amazing responses and successes with this approach, and both you and your child will enjoy learning what plants and good nutrition has to offer you.
The Children’s Hope Center is a healing home for children where they can, for a time retreat from the stress of the everyday world, and receive state of the art Integrative approaches in a child-friendly environment.