October 2009 : Volume 11 : Number 8

Welcome to the October Newsletter,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and able to get outside after so much rain around the country! I love the spring but it has been a particularly tempestuous time in some parts of the globe.

Since starting to write this newsletter a couple of weeks ago, we have had the Tsunami in Samoa, earthquakes in Indonesia and Italy, and typhoons in the Philippines, reminding us of how fragile our environment is and how vulnerable we are in the scheme of things. While we reach out to help those whose lives have been so tragically affected, we should also take time to think about the possibilities which may lay ahead for our own lives.

Adopting homeopathy into your life and using it to treat your family, pets and garden could be the first step in a sense of empowerment about your future health and wellbeing.

What is Homeopathy?

At least once a year in the past ten years of writing newsletters I have attempted a condensed version of "what is homeopathy". In a way homeopathy is different things to different people so sometimes it's hard to give a "one size fits all" definition, but I do feel it's helpful from time to time to revisit some of the fundamentals, giving you an understanding of the extent to which you can incorporate homeopathy into everyday life.

Many of you have used homeopathy for a long time, while some of you have only been exposed to homeopathy more recently. You may therefore have a deep understanding of the possibilities of homeopathy or you may view it as "just another natural therapy". What I do know is that many of you who use it regularly do so because it is such an effective therapy, resolving issues that conventional medicine or other therapies have not been able to help with, and also because you can use it safely and effectively to treat a myriad of things in the home.

I always like to tell people what homeopathy is not: it's not the same as naturopathy, so not about supplements or diets (although we often incorporate this into our treatment plan), it's not herbal medicine or flower essences (although they are often used by homeopaths) and it's nothing to do with reflexology! It certainly works well alongside all these modalities and is safe when used with conventional medications.

Because of the unique way we look at the patient and the special way in which we make up our medicines, homeopathy is a dynamic and powerful system of medicine which can be used to treat anything from depression to diabetes to diarrhea by a practitioner, as well as being safe and easy to use in the home, for travel, for treating animals and plants, and in some cases for immunization.

The roots of homeopathy can be found as far back as Ancient Egypt, while the form many of us use today was developed around 200 years ago by a German medical doctor. Based on the law of similars whereby a substance that can harm can also heal when given in very small quantities, our medicines are specially prepared to make them safe but powerful, and they are tested on willing adults, rather than animals. This process of giving small doses of the medicine to a healthy person until they produce symptoms is called a "proving". When we stop giving the medicine, the symptoms go away again. This allows us to know that the remedy will cure these same symptoms in our patients, and this information is enhanced through clinical experience and cured cases. All practitioners have access to detailed information dating back over the whole 200 years of homeopathy's use, allowing us insight into a huge range of conditions and their treatment and cure.

The most important tenet of homeopathy is "treat the person, not just the symptoms" which in many ways gives us so much more scope for change with our vast range of dynamic medicines. In treating the person, we are not only looking at the physical level - which is where many people's symptoms seem to initially present - but looking at the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects too - and treating symptoms on these levels!

Many of us have produced chronic illnesses following a life situation or event which has affected us on a deep level, overlaid on our inherited tendencies. We may be unaware of the trigger and/or these events may be buried in the past, but because our remedies work dynamically on the mental and emotional level, it is possible to deal with trauma, grief, abuse and lack of self worth, just as well as tonsillitis or asthma.

Equally homeopathy is well able to deal with many issues of the 21st century such as the huge rise in allergies and related problems, infertility, autism, ADHD, and stress, both through looking at the whole person and through treating toxic build up, assisting the body with assimilation of nutrients, and detoxing vaccination side effects.

While new remedies are regularly made available, the way in which we practice remains unchanged. Not because homeopathy is stuck in the past, but because the laws that underpin its application are so fundamental to human life and experience they don't need to change. Homeopathy doesn't suffer from fads as with conventional medicine, and because we treat the person not the diagnosis we're never phased when other practitioners can't work out what's going on! For a homeopath this is a challenge to be met head on, working like a detective on those strange, rare and peculiar symptoms that no-one else acknowledges as being part of the case!

Our remedies are made from all kinds of substances; animal, plant, mineral, disease products, vaccination material; chosen according to what and whom we are treating. Because our remedies are made by a process of serial dilution, they are rendered safe and side-effect free, and while many people still say homeopathy is placebo because of this dilution process, Quantum Physicists have proven many times that homeopathic remedies are delivered as a frequency that our system reacts with, rather than a physical substance.

While homeopathy is still not very well known in Australia, it is very popular in the rest of the world and recognized by the World Health Organisation as one of the most widely used systems of medicine in the world. Countries such as Cuba, India and Brazil make great use of homeopathy in their medical systems because it is cheap and effective, and in many other countries homeopaths work alongside medical doctors. The British Royal Family has used homeopathy since it first came to England, having their own homeopathic physicians and home remedy kits, and many of our older hospitals here in Australia were originally Homeopathic Hospitals.

Homeopathy for the Gardener

I can't go past spring without of course mentioning hayfever. If you suffer from hayfever I always recommend constitutional treatment before the season gets going and this can be effective combined with an acute single remedy or combination if the symptoms still need treating. Having constitutional treatment a couple of times each year over consecutive years can really improve the level of symptoms over time.

On the website you will find our Hayfever Combination which has evolved over a number of years to work at an optimum level for the maximum numbers of people. It probably helps about 80% of people who use it and I know there are people who have also found this has helped Hay Asthma, which is often what arises when hayfever affects the respiratory system.

Other useful single remedies and indications are:

Here are some indications for the use of your home remedies within the garden which you may find interesting and useful! This is not a comprehensive list, but if you want to try some of your remedies, put 1 or 2 pilules in your watering can or spray bottle, fill with water and use once a day for a week.

Discoloration of parts; black, blue, blue-green or light green: Arn, Calen. Orange, red, yellow: Aconite, Bell, Carbo V, Sul. Fungal disease; Aconite, Bell, Silica. Leaves, burnt, blistering; Bell

Fruit falls early: Bell, Calc Carb, Silica. Red fruits look pale: Bell. Fruit set, poor: Ruta, Silica. Fruit, small: Bell, Calc Carb. Fruit, spongy or unhealthy: Calc Carb

Disease: Damping off: Calc Carb, Carb Veg, Cham. Dieback: Silica Mould: Kali Mur, Silica, Sulphur. Black mould: Sulphur. Grey mould: Kali Mur, Sulphur. Rust: Sulphur. Scab: Zinc (not in the kit but interesting!).

Pests, general Most common remedies (not in the kit) are: Bombyx, Coccin, Chrysop, Nat Sal, Ruta, Staphyl, Syrph, Tanac, Teuc. Interesting most of these are actually made from pests.

Hayfever, Rhinitis & Similar

If you didn't see last month's newsletter, it's available on the website and contains a list of useful remedies for hayfever and associated symptoms. Chronic hayfever always responds best to constitutional prescribing rather than acute remedies. It may require treatment periodically over a number of years, but each year generally brings more improvement, until symptoms become minimal and easily managed.

I know I've mentioned Neti Pots in the past but I just want to bring them to your attention again if you suffer from hayfever, rhinitis and other allergic symptoms, including asthma. Because they use warm salt water to cleanse the nose, many people assume they will work in the same way as FES and other similar products. In fact neti pots work much more effectively as the warm water clears the sinuses and desensitizes the nasal system. They've been around for centuries and many people use them as part of their daily regime to keep hayfever, sinus, runny noses and even asthma at bay.

Homeopathy Babies

In the past I have run a section in the newsletter featuring new babies (and their families) with stories of using homeopathy during pregnancy, birth or the post natal period. This was always a popular feature which seems to have fallen by the wayside over the last year or so. If you have a story you would like to share, do send it in with a photo of your family or baby to share with other homeopathy users.

Website Changes: please read

Our website was originally set up when we moved from Perth to Tasmania and wanted to continue providing consults and remedies to existing clients. Over that time our profile has increased considerably and this means we have to be more aware of what the TGA requires in terms of what we can sell and advertise.

To this end, we have had to make some changes to what is offered through the website while we continue to operate as a homeopathic practice rather than a manufacturing company.

Our range of combinations will no longer be available through the shopping cart but we will keep our list updated and you can order via the comments box on the cart (or via email), if you know what you want, or you can request the list from us at any time.

If you are already a client by virtue of the fact that you have consulted with me or already bought products then there should be no problems. If you wish to make a purchase but are not already a client, we can arrange to do a short complementary phone consultation.

There will be no change to the sale of single remedies or kits.

What's New

Colic Combination I've looked at some of the homeopathic combinations being sold to help treat colic and felt that there were other better remedies that could be included, so I've put together my own based on past clinical experience. Containing the most indicated remedies for babies and small children (or adults) suffering from colic, indigestion or even just tummy ache, this combination is sure to be a winner with the majority of users. Available by request only.

Ear, Nose & Throat Kit We've updated this kit with 2 additional remedies and new instructions to give you a great starter kit for those illnesses children seem to pick up in the early years. Also covers conjunctivitis.

As always orders over $75 receive FREE standard postage.

Remember, if your home prescribing does not prove effective, please contact your homeopath.

Research on Flu Prophylaxis

If you used Anas Barb (Oscillo) 200c as a prophylactic against the flu this winter I would be interested to know of your experiences - positive or negative - for a research paper I am planning. Please contact me by email in the first instance and I can then let you have my list of questions. The questionnaire should only take a few minutes to complete and all information gathered is confidential.

Vaccination Issues

With the new swine flu vaccination being rolled out from the end of September, this is just a reminder to consider the necessity of adding another vaccination to your child's list. If you do decide to go ahead consider using the Safe Vacc Pack thru the process and observe your child (or yourself) carefully for at least a month after vaccination. Because of a very short lead time and inadequate testing we do not know what side effects will appear and within what time frame. We do know however that symptoms can appear weeks if not months after a vaccination and it can be useful for your homeopath (or other healthcare provider) to be aware of any changes. I have already treated a number of cases of chronic illness following the standard flu vaccination this winter and would expect more given the higher numbers of people accepting the vaccination.

I was just about to send the newsletter out when this information came into my Inbox regarding the swine flu epidemic of 1918 and the new vaccination. The item is interesting in itself, but the associated items in the right hand bar are even more interesting.

http://www.wddty.com/flu-pandemic-deaths-may-have-been-caused-by-drug.html

Vaccination Information Database I am receiving more and more information on various aspects of vaccination that I would like to pass on to interested parties. Rather than mail this information out to everyone on my database, I would prefer to create another database specifically related to this issue. If you would like to receive information related to vaccination issues please email me and I will add your name. All names and email addresses will remain confidential.

Daylight Saving

Just a reminder that Tasmania is now on daylight saving. If you are in WA or Queensland please could I ask you to bear this in mind if you are going to ring me.

Note: Some of the items in the newsletter are published for general interest and information and do not necessarily represent the view of Elements of Health.

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