May 2009 : Volume 11 : Number 4

Welcome to the May Newsletter,

Well the wintry weather is upon us in most states but down in Tassie, with plenty of rain and not much frost so far, our veggie garden is still producing a wealth of items to keep us topped up with vitamins and minerals!  Remember good diet with a range of fruit and vegies is even more of a priority than using supplements, as they come in a form that nature intended our bodies to use - especially if you can buy or grow organically.

On the health front, we have already been faced with the anxiety of a possible influenza epidemic (or even pandemic).  While I don't believe we should panic as the numbers so far as very low compared to what we'd expect, stress puts an increased strain upon our immune systems.  We should be aware and be prepared!

Homeopathics are a great first line of defense, stimulating the body's immune system to work harder to overcome the virus.  If you have had constitutional treatment from a homeopath in the past, taking your individual remedy can be very helpful - but do check with your practitioner first! 

Common acute remedies can be found in your Home Remedy Kit and are easy and safe to give to the whole family, often producing more rapid improvement than OTC medication or antibiotics.  Save the antibiotics as a last resort and remember that giving Panadol and similar is actually immune-suppressive and prevents the body doing its job.  Use all OTC medication in moderation.

Remedies for Winter Illnesses

Swine Flu, Pandemics & general preventative remedies

Anas Barb (Oscillo) 200c taken fortnightly thru winter can be a good remedy if you are prone to picking up colds or flu, and especially for children in care or starting school.  As France's number one flu remedy there's plenty of clinical experience to show it is an effective remedy for the majority of situations: a bit like a homeopathic flu shot.

This is also the remedy par excellence for situations like Swine Flu, Avian Flu, SARS, etc.  It can be taken weekly if a pandemic threatens and if you suspect you have been in contact with a carrier, take the remedy once a day for 5 days.  Should symptoms arise, increase to every 2 hours along with whichever other remedy is indicated.

Our updated Colds, Flu, Sinus kit is available on the website containing all you need for treatment of the above ailments.  The kit now contains Aconite 30c, Allium Cepa 30c, Anas Barb (Oscillo) 200c, Ferrum Phos 30c, Flu Combination (Ars-Iod 30c, Gelsemium 30c, Eupatorium 30c) and Sinusitis Combination (Ferrum Phos, Kali Mur, Kali S, Nat M 6x). The remedies are also available individually on the website if you wish to add some to your winter kit.

See the FREE Leaflets & Information page of the website for the accompanying flyer.

Should the flu virus appear close to home, do not panic as this causes the body to increase the depth of symptoms.  Remember that while there have been 8000-odd cases confirmed to date, this is very few for an influenza epidemic and the symptoms have been a normal level for flu in the majority of cases.  If you use homeopathics you have good and effective tools to help you thru this situation.  If you are not confident to prescribe in this situation consult your homeopath.

You can also add Vitamin C at 1000mg (or 1g) twice a day to work on the cellular level as a preventative.  You can double the dose to 4000mg (or 4g) daily ie every six hours if you are in the midst of an outbreak. Consult your pharmacy or health food shop before taking if you have any chronic health problem or for children.

Early treatment of Influenza

Along with Anas Barb you should be thinking of remedies like Aconite, Gelsemium or Eupatorium in the early stages, or our new Flu Remedy - AGE 30c - which is a combination of Arsenicum Iodatum, Gelsemium and Eupatorium 30c and covers a broad spectrum of flu symptoms.

In addition to this it is recommended you use a good quality combination of vitamins A, C, E, Zinc and Selenium (if you can get the last in the combination).  Vitamin C** can be taken in high doses and a powder is a good way of taking this.  Vitamin C helps the body produce more immune-fighting chemicals and reduces the inflammatory response among other things. For acute symptoms you can take 1000mg (or 1g) hourly, along with drinking plenty of water.  Precautions as above.  If there is diarrhea or abdominal cramping halve the dose.

Echinacea, Olive Leaf Extract, Astragalus or a combination such as our new Immune Boost in an easy-to-take  homeopathic form are all powerful immune stimulants. These can be taken preventatively - recommended at 3 weeks on and one off, or 5 days on and 2 off.  Continual use of Echinacea can make the immune system lazy!

** Information on Vitamin C from "Bird Flu Virus, Your Personal Survival Guide by Dr Sandra Cabot"

Top Remedies for Colds & Flu

Aconite 30c - No.1 remedy for first stages of a cold, fever, sore throat or similar illness.  Onset is usually sudden and often after becoming chilled.  Much sneezing with pain at root of nose, tingly throat, dry mucous membranes.  Worse in the evening or night, especially around midnight.

Allium Cepa 30c - Common feverish cold with streaming eyes and nose.  Profuse water nasal discharge which burns upper lip.  Red, running eyes with bland discharge. Headache worse in warm room.

Arsenicum Album (Ars Alb) 30c - Catches cold easily, burning, watery nasal discharge alternating with dryness. Frequent sneezing, nostrils become sore and red and nose feels blocked. Chilly and shivery.  Wants to sip hot drinks. Worse: change of temperature, cold, damp and around midnight. Better: heat, warm applications, hot drinks.

A.G.E. 30c (Flu Remedy) - see above, useful for typical flu symptoms if you aren't sure what to give.

Eupatorium Perforatum 30c - Chill followed by heat and sweating. Intense aching of bones as if broken or bruised. Great thirst for cold drinks. Worse: movement, cold, open air. Better: resting, warmth, sweating.

Ferrum Phos 30c - First signs of cold or flu, especially if you have no strong picture and are not sure what to give. Tired, weary, not feeling quite right. Red inflamed eyes, and/or hot, burning, gritty. Chill with shivering and fever with flushed face.  Kali Mur/Ferrum Phos 6x is better in situations where there is accompanying runny nose and for children. Better: rest, cold applications.

Gelsemium 30c - No. 1 remedy for flu. Symptoms usually come on slowly over a number of days. Dull, sluggish with heavy looking eyes, dull headache usually at the back of the neck, burning throat. Chills and shivering up and down the spine. Aching muscles in limbs and back.

Nux Vomica 30c - Colds and flu with extreme chilliness - unable to get warm. Nose blocked at night, running during day or much sneezing alternating with blocked nose. Sore or raw throat and teeth may ache. Thirsty and irritable. Worse: early morning, eating. Better: heat, lying down, sleep.

Pulsatilla 30c - Chilliness even in a warm room. Thick, bland mucous, dry mouth but no thirst. Painful headache with changing, shifting symptoms. Worse in a warm room, after lying down. Better in open air.

Rhus Tox 30c - Very restless with aching in all muscles and stiffness. Cannot get comfortable. Heat alternating with chills, pain in head and eyes, with red face.  Worse: night, first movement. Better: warmth.

Sinus Combination - For symptoms which come on after a cold or do not resolve quickly - Ferrum Phos, Kali Mur, Kali Sulph, Nat Mur 6x Tissue Salts.

WHAT DOCTORS DON'T TELL YOU on the Swine Flu Pandemic

"Seven - not 159 - swine flu deaths in Mexico (effective early May 2009)
 
How many people have died from swine flu so far?  If you believe what you read in the newspapers, you might think around 159 people have died in Mexico from the H1N1 virus.  They haven't - it's just seven."

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.wddty.com/03363800372602779674/seven-not-159-swine-flu-deaths-in-mexico.html

Contacting Me

Because things have changed with regard to my previously limited availability, I just wanted to update you with my contact times. 

I consult on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and some Saturday mornings (Hobart only).

I do admin on Mondays, but am available if you need to talk to me about acutes or similar.  Thursday is my day off.

Best time to call is between 9.00 and 12.00 EST (except Thursday).

If you call mid afternoon or later, your call may be returned on the next business day if I am busy in the clinic.  Please try not to call after 5pm EST for obvious reasons!

Please leave a message if necessary and I will call you back as soon as I can.  We check emails regularly throughout the day during the week, so if you haven't heard back about an urgent item, call me on 0409 089965.

Urgent calls: if you need to contact me on Thursday or outside office hours, please call the mobile and leave a message including the reason for your call.  If you do not leave the reason for your call, I may not call you back until the next working day. 

I am never too busy to talk if there is an urgent matter or a concern regarding treatment, but you may need to leave a message initially.

Association Guidelines - On-line Shopping

If you've bought anything in the last couple of weeks from the website you may notice a new question as you go thru the shopping cart process.
Both Australian Homeopathic Association and TGA tell us that as practitioners we can sell kits and remedies to our clients, but if we sell via a website we may be deemed to be a manufacturer.  Since this is obviously not the case because we hand make our kits and remedies to order, I've taken the same stance as the pharmacies when they sell you a packet of Panadol or a Brauer combination.

If you are a regular user of homeopathy and are happy you know what you're doing, you just tick the relevant box. If you are new to homeopathy and particularly if you are buying a Birthing Kit, I now offer the option of a short consult (up to 10 minutes) on your kit purchase, via the relevant box on the shopping cart.  Your response is then printed out at our end on your invoice, so we (Elements of Health) know we are meeting the guidelines.

Hopefully this is not going to cause anyone any problems and please don't feel anyone is going to check up on you!!  I think it provides a professional solution to meeting the needs of many people who find it more convenient to shop online or who live in remote areas and could not consult even if they wanted to.

Australian Vaccination Network

The AVN is a great resource for helping you make informed choices about the vaccination process, with a wide range of information, books and other products.  They produce a great magazine called Living Wisdom which is full of really interesting articles on a wide variety of subjects apart from vaccination.  For an annual fee of just $50 you can receive this publication and also support a group of people who are committed to giving you genuine, well researched information on what is really going on.  You can find them at www.avn.org.au.

Kalamunda Chiropractor Homeopathy Stand

Just a reminder that the Homeopathy Stand at Kalamunda Chiropractic in the Perth Hills has a good range of our products including kits, books and remedies.  Do drop in and say hi to Tami who is probably a bit of an expert on homeopathy by now, and also the lovely Kim!!  If you are looking for a homeopath in the area, you will also find Sally Moore located here.

Full Spectrum Daylight Globes

I am waiting to hear from the Australian outlet for the above items which I mentioned last month as being useful to negate EMFs from electronic and electrical equipment.  I will send out an email once they have made contact.

Users of Homeopropylaxis (Homeopathic Immunisation)

If you have purchased a kit to use with your family, please ensure you keep me updated of any changes in your email/contact details.  Sometimes there are changes to the program and I may need to get in touch with you.

You can contact me at: melanie@elementsofhealth.com.au or phone 0409 089965

Please note the clinic is closed on Thursdays.

Until next time,
Warmest wishes

Melanie Creedy