December 2010 : Volume 12 : Number 11
Welcome to the December Newsletter,
This is a time to think of others, catch up with friends, to mend bridges and to build new ones whatever culture you are from. This seems to me a better excuse for a celebration than the mass materialism of our time. We have a policy in our house that if we think we need to buy something we go through all the pros and cons of the item until we get to a point where we either say "we can't live without it" or "we don't really need it". This saves a lot of money and we generally end up with only what we actually need!! May I take this opportunity to thank you all for your interest in and support of homeopathy over the past year. Dean joins me in offering our best wishes for a healthy, happy and safe Christmas and New Year. Homeopathy as Information summary of an article by Jan Scholten This very small piece of information by a homeopathic great really resonated with me and I'm sure will help some of you understand the mystery that is homeopathy! One of the first remarks that attackers of homeopathy frequently make is that "there's nothing in homeopathic remedies", and from the point of view of chemistry (the scientific benchmark) they are right. Chemically they are not very interesting and would be analysed as containing only water and whatever preservative is used (or sucrose in the case of pilules), which is only the carrier for the remedy. But they have this in common with many things in our culture like books, CDs and DVDs, which we use for different purposes such as storing music, movies and software. A chemical analysis of a CD or DVD would not pick up any information but rather the material from which the "carrier" of the information is constructed. However regardless of this fact, all of them are interesting for the information that is on the carrier. In books ink is spread on the paper in a pattern which contains information. On CDs little holes are burnt in a special pattern that can be read if you have the right equipment, and in homeopathic remedies a pattern is impressed on the water or sucrose that interacts with or is read by the patient when ingested. As with a CD, if you have the right equipment to analyse the information you can read the information of a homeopathic remedy and use it for its rightful purpose. The basis of "science" is materialism, ie there is substance which can be measured or analysed and if it can't be measured, it doesn't exist. But homeopathy is a science which is incompatible with the materialism paradigm because Hahnemann's "vital force" or "dynamis" (or immune system) are not material. Emotions and thoughts are often more important in disease than physical symptoms and remedies are not chemical. To read the whole article and more go to www.janscholten.com/Downloads.html
Homeopathy & Prolapse A prolapse of the bladder or uterus after childbirth can be an uncomfortable and inconvenient outcome and there are obviously other times when this can happen. Conventional medicine doesn't have a lot to offer and severe cases may require surgery. While homeopathy isn't 100% guaranteed I've certainly seen some good results. This is obviously something which needs to be treated professionally as a constitutional remedy will be required, however, there are some remedies which may bring some short term relief. Nux Vomica - Spasms of colicky pain in the pelvis and irritable bladder problems. There may be irritability (in the patient!) and they may feel worse for dry or chilly conditions. Ruta Grav - This remedy works to improve pelvic ligament tone, helping to strengthen the pelvic floor region after strain during childbirth. It can be used alongside pelvic floor exercises to prevent the condition recurring. Sepia - Indicated for prolapse which is severe with heavy dragging down sensation as if everything would fall out, discomfort and pain. Severe irritability and fatigue are usually present. Tissue Salt Calc Fluor would be useful taken frequently because of its affinity for elasticity or lack of. If symptoms persist see your healthcare practitioner.
Morning Sickness Many women experience morning sickness only mildly and briefly, while for some women the developing baby causes such an imbalance that symptoms can be quite severe and unmanageable. Again this condition should be treated with an individualised remedy to fit the patient's current state, but acute prescribing can sometimes bring good results. Ipecac - Persistent nausea, profuse salivation and vomiting. Always worse for heat or humid conditions. Natrum Mur - The mother may feel cold, tired, sad and tearful, often worse from eating bread, rich food and fat. She tends to be persistently hungry despite the vomiting and is often worse from sea air. Nux Vomica - Indicated for persistent nausea with chronic indigestion, spasms of colicky pain, constipation and a short fuse!! Sepia - Severe morning-vomiting with dragging down sensation in the abdomen which is exhausting. Irritability is marked to the point of indifference to everything. Veratrum Album - Severe nausea and vomiting with cold sweats, unable to get out of bed! If symptoms persist see your healthcare practitioner.
How long is the road to health? This is one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions! The way I explain it to people is to consider how long you've actually been unwell or had the state of "dis-ease". Not just the headaches you're suffering now for example, but all the other little niggly things which pre-dated them. Before physical symptoms appear there is generally an emotional or mental cause, a trigger, an event which has pushed us out of balance and this may be as far back as childhood or even pregnancy. While conventional medicine sees all of our ailments as individual and unconnected symptoms, homeopaths know that there is a string which connects them all together and good investigative skills can usually take us back to this point or somewhere near it. Many times I see people in their 30's or 40's (or even later) who have started to suffer some type of ailment which seems to have come out of the blue. Many times when we start to go back through the patient's life history we come to a point - frequently in childhood or teens - where life has been very stressful. From that point on they have learned to compensate for or to hide the problem and get on with their lives, but there comes a time when additional stress pushes us over the edge and physical symptoms start to appear. Homeopaths often say that it takes one month for every year of sickness to get well, but really this depends on where you take the original point of illness from!! I believe we all heal in our own time and that life is a journey of discovery; we learn about ourselves, we learn about our place in our family and our society and much of this learning happens through illness. You can't put a time on healing and it takes as long as it takes! My own health journey has been going on all my life, with homeopathy a part of that journey for 25 years now. In the beginning I was looking only at physical healing, but now I consider that health is wholeness and I continue my journey healthier and wiser, but not yet fully whole. Perhaps the wholeness is a state of nirvana that we only achieve at the point of death.
What's new on the Website
Don't forget delivery is free on orders over $100 Australia wide! Still trying to work out some of your Christmas gifts? We are having a sale on some of our more popular kits just in time for Christmas. With dollars off our zip around kits and also our gorgeous soft kits you really can't go wrong and your friends and family will be delighted with such a useful gift! Can't see what you want? You can tailor your own from anything you see on the website packed up in a box or a soft kit. Safe Vacc Combination We have discontinued the Safe Vacc Pack and in its place we have produced a single combination remedy which includes those remedies indicated for supporting the immune system through the vaccination process. Easy to use and offers peace of mind during what can be a stressful experience for parent and child. Retails for $13.95 in pilules or $15.95 in drops
Enviro Sprays - EnviroToxins (offgassing from carpets and new furniture, paint and petrol fumes) and ElectroEmission (EMFs, mobile phones and towers, computers) are selling well as people become more aware of the toxins that float around in our environment. In large 120ml bottles these make an unusual but thoughtful Christmas gift to safeguard family health retailing at $19.95.
Gift Certificates We now have gift certificates available through the website so if you'd rather let someone choose what they want from the website this would make a great Christmas present for a keen home prescriber! Young Living Essential Oils I haven't spoken about these wonderful oils for a while as I got sidetracked, but we are still as keen on these oils as ever! We now have our own website which you can access via the Essential Oils menu on the Elements of Health website. If you're keen and want to get 35% off the RRP, give Dean or myself a call and we'll tell you how. This is a great offer which has allowed us to build our own range of oils for over a year now and collect reward points to use on more oils! Along with homeopathics, this is our first line of defence for all kinds of illness. The Essential Oils Desk Reference is our bible and is available to purchase on the internet - we can't unfortunately access wholesale copies of this item. Young Living Essential Oils are therapeutic quality and many of the oils can be taken internally - don't try this with your over the counter oils! They also have some lovely gift packs which would make perfect gifts and the savings are substantial on the single oil prices.
Going Vegetarian It wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas vegie recipe and here's one we've made for years and years courtesy of Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Christmas cook book! Chestnut Sausage Rolls
Mix together all of the ingredients, except the flour for rolling! Ensure you taste for seasoning. Leave for a few minutes for the breadcrumbs to thicken and if necessary add some more to make a soft mixture which you can roll into sausages. On a lightly floured board roll out the homemade pastry (if using). Cut into long strips about 5cm wide. Roll pieces of the chestnut mixture into sausages about the width of a slim little finger and the same length as the pastry strips. Dampen the edges of the pastry with cold water, then roll them round the chestnut mixture, pressing the edges together. Prick the pastry with a fork, then cut into 2.5cm lengths and place seam down on a baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake at 190C for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is gold brown and crisp. These don't last long in our house. Sometimes I make them larger and we have them for dinner with salad.
Bits & Pieces Christmas Post - as Christmas is approaching the post is starting to feel the effects. if you are anxious to get your orders in reasonable time can we suggest you opt for Express Post. It's a small price to pay for peace of mind! Skype Consultations - our internet connection is working better than it has in the past and I am now able to offer skype consults again. This can be very useful for treating children and just for having a face to face chat. Let me know if you would prefer skype to a phone consult. The Skype program is a free download and is easy to use. www.naturalnews.com This is a great website about all kinds of natural things. I get an email most days about everything from research on vitamins and foods to vaccination issues. They make some very clever satirical videos too! Sign up if you are interested in health and wellbeing and want the truth about what's going on in this industry. Buy Local, Grow Your Own With imports of fruit and vegies from China where they use chemicals banned in Australia 40 years ago and now apples from New Zealand coming into pristine Tasmania which is fireblight and fruitfly free, I urge you to read labels carefully, to buy from local growers if possible and to grown your own. Do also be aware that if a product says that it is a mix of local and imported ingredients, probably the only local ingredient is the water!! Our choice is being taken away from us and in time we will lose our local products. In the event of economic difficulties, a catastrophe or perhaps war, we could end up being unable to feed our nation. You, as the consumer, are the only person who can make decisions which will stop imports of overseas produce and support our own local markets.
Vaccination Issues Homeoprophylaxis (HP or Homeopathic Immunisation) - Adding new babies to your program If you have a new baby and want to use your homeopathic immunisation program for this child ask me to sent you a questionnaire and organise a phone consult, after which I will send you out a record card and offer the usual support. There is a small fee to cover the cost of the paperwork and the consult. Your new baby will then be added to the register I hold in the clinic of all children who are currently using an HP program, which is at the request of the Australian Homeopathic Association.
Clinic Hours I am now consulting in Hobart all day on both Tuesday and Friday. Saturday mornings are now by arrangement only. Consults (including phone consults) are available at Mountain River all day Wednesday and some Mondays if I have time. 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,
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Christmas is only just around the corner and not only does this mean that I'm panicking about how many cards and letters I should have written, presents not bought and arrangements not made, but it is the start of a busy time in the homeopathic clinic as people try to start on the road to health before Christmas or make a New Year's resolution and an appointment!
Pre-Christmas Sale
Prices start from as little as $29.95 for a six remedy first aid kit. All our vials are now 10g containing approximately 100 doses.
Family Guide to Homeopathy; Miranda Castro
Website: www.elementsofhealth.com.au
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