Weather Forecast: Sunny Skies
How homeopathy calms hormonal storms

By Samantha Conboy, MA, CCH, and Alexis White, CCH

Just as the weather forecast can change frequently, hormonal change is the hallmark of women’s health. The fluctuations of endocrine hormones chart the course of a woman’s life from puberty to menopause. Changes occur by month, year, and even decade. Over approximately 40 years, women may get caught in a hormonal storm ranging from a gentle breeze to a hurricane–or anything in between.

Navigating hormonal changes is a normal process, and women are lucky if they weather these changes without pain, annoyance and life disruption. More often, suffering is present at some level, with few conventional treatment options. With a focus on overall healing, homeopathy is an elegant and comprehensive option for bringing about hormonal balance and relieving suffering from a variety of hormonal symptoms.

Your starry skies

A homeopathic remedy chosen for you based on your specific concerns can help you weather normal hormonal events better.  Imagine you are a constellation, and the stars represent your mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. Your constellation’s complete picture is unique to you and will guide your homeopath in selecting the homeopathic remedy with the greatest chance of restoring your health.

Everyone is born with an innate, intelligent, and sophisticated system to keep the body balanced and healthy. Homeopathic remedies act as catalysts to stimulate this intuitive intelligence, what homeopaths call the vital force, to balance and strengthen the body, keep it healthy over the long term, and resist further disruption. Your chosen remedy can eliminate your hormonal symptoms by restoring your health and vitality.

The forecast through the ages

Each woman responds individually and uniquely to the hormonal events that arise throughout life. It is impossible to forecast if your first period will be easy or painful, if you will experience pre-menstrual symptoms, or if perimenopause will pass unnoticed or feel like a hurricane brewing. Whatever your symptoms, rest assured they are a part of your unique constellation and can point to your unique homeopathic remedy. Let’s look at some of the main hormonal concerns – menarche (onset of periods), pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), and perimenopause – and how homeopathy can help women feel better.

Menarche

At the onset of periods, is the time of life when a girl’s hormones start to rise. Menstruation begins and begins, and a monthly pattern of hormones that may go unnoticed or just the opposite, causing tremendous disruption and suffering. Girls transition into menarche between the ages of 10 and 16, with the average age being 12.4, according to the National Institute of Health. Menarche can be a tumultuous time for girls as hormones fluctuate, seeking a steady rhythm. Teen hormonal symptoms can range widely and be mild or severely debilitating. Symptoms can include painful cramping, nausea, heavy bleeding, irregularity, mood swings, acne, weight fluctuations, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues.

At the onset of periods, a girl’s hormones start to rise. Menstruation begins, and a monthly pattern of hormone fluctuations develops, a pattern that may go unnoticed or just the opposite, may cause tremendous disruption and suffering. Girls typically begin having periods between the ages of 10 and 16, with an average of 12, according to the National Institute of health.¹ Teen hormonal symptoms can range widely and be mild or severely debilitating. Symptoms may include painful cramping, nausea, heavy bleeding, irregular cycles, mood swings, acne, weight fluctuations, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues. The following story about Emily shows how a homeopathic remedy helped more than just painful menstrual periods.

Emily: Period pain and anxiety

Emily, 15, came to me with two main complaints: anxiety and debilitating pain with her periods. She was fearful and anxious with worried thoughts that would quickly spin out of control about “what might happen.” She had a childlike quality, not fitting in well with teens of her age and a habit of going to her parents each night to complain, vent, and seek reassurance. This dependance on her parents was charming but not developmentally appropriate. She could not make decisions, even simple ones, like what to eat for breakfast. She did express a love for eating bacon, though. (Interestingly, her mother strongly craved bacon when she was pregnant with Emily).

Emily was meticulous about details and loved structure, rules, and routines. She needed her room to be extremely tidy and kept a strict daily yoga practice that she felt compelled to follow. Emily was terrified of germs, illnesses, and vomiting. When anxious, she could not stop picking at the skin on her arms. Her debilitating period cramps felt like waves of intense pressure, and Emily would bleed very heavily for four days.

Making sure to balance all her symptoms without too much emphasis on one area, I searched for a remedy for Emily and chose Arsenicum album. This remedy matched Emily’s extreme anxiety, need for comfort and consolation, slow emotional development, anticipatory anxiety, fear of germs, arm picking, and even her love for bacon. The underlying feeling associated with Arsenicum is insecurity, and, as a result, the person’s behaviors aim to create a more secure-feeling environment. We think of Arsenicum  when someone wants reassurance or depends on others for safety and comfort. Those who need Arsenicum  may compensate for their anxiety with fastidiousness and even obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and they want to be in control.

At her first follow up appointment two months later, I was pleased to see that Emily’s anxiety and spinning thoughts were decreased, and she felt more at ease. She didn’t need as much reassurance from her parents, and her bad moods dissipated more easily. Emily stopped picking at her arms and eased up about her room’s cleanliness and yoga practice. Her period cramps disappeared entirely and her flow decreased significantly. Overall, Emily felt 80% improved.

Deeper issues emerge
Over time, Emily’s deeper issues became more prominent. The ideas of growing up, having responsibility, making decisions, and being an adult were frightening. Also, Emily still struggled to connect with kids her age and make decisions.

When a remedy is not addressing some of a person’s symptoms, it is time to reassess and see if another remedy becomes clear. After considering all of Emily’s symptoms, I suggested a new remedy, Baryta carbonica, which is helpful when we don’t see development moving forward appropriately or when the mental or physical development seems stuck or “childish.” The person can be very compromised on an emotional level, with feelings of insecurity, anxiousness, and inferiority.

As I compared Arsenicum to Baryta carbonica, I noticed with interest that they shared the qualities of insecurity, dependency, anxiety, and irresolution; But Baryta carbonica was a better fit for Emily’s developmental “stuckness.” As part of our plan, I asked Emily to try to stop habitually asking her parents for their opinions on every decision and to make some tiny choices on her own, such as what to eat for breakfast.

After the Baryta carbonica dose, Emily’s emotional state changed profoundly. She became calm and easygoing with no anxiety. She was less lonely and more accepting of herself, and best of all, she connected with a few like-minded friends. She found the courage to stop asking her parents guidance on everything and could now make small and big decisions. Finally, she didn’t need that nightly processing session with her parents. It was a pleasure to see Emily blossom into a developmentally appropriate adolescent girl taking charge of her life.

Premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can affect up to 48% of women of reproductive age. Symptoms of PMS alone can range from various physical symptoms, such as too much or too little sleep or appetite, swollen or tender breasts, digestive issues, cramps, headache, backache, to an emotional tornado of ups and downs. Over her life, an average woman will have 450 monthly periods, each one an opportunity for problematic moods, bleeding, and pain, interrupted only by pregnancy or other endocrine-related disruptions. Read how Marianna’s life dramatically changed after homeopathy helped her PMS symptoms.

Marianna: Worry and sleepless nights

Marianna, a 37-year-old mom of two, sought natural solutions for PMS symptoms that started after the birth of her second child. She was irritable and worried, and her ruminating thoughts wouldn’t turn off. Marianna felt short tempered with her family during the week before her period. She also had significant physical premenstrual symptoms including breast tenderness, trouble sleeping, and ocular migraines with blurred vision disturbed by wavy lines. Marianna was preoccupied with imagining worst case scenarios and felt sensitive to criticism, especially from her extended family. She was chilly and intensely craved chocolate. She had experienced heart palpitations from anxiety in the past.

Based on my evaluation, I chose Calcarea carbonica due to its affinity for addressing fears, anxieties and hormonal disruptions including migraine headaches and aggravated symptoms during the menstrual period. Calcarea carbonica is helpful for sleep loss from relentless thoughts and worries.

Two months after taking a dose of Calcarea carbonica, Marianna reported no trouble with sleep—a huge improvement-and er irritability was much milder. Marianna felt calmer, had no episodes of blurry vision and no longer saw wavy lines. Our plan was for her to repeat the dose each time she felt her symptoms returning.

Over six months, I increased the potency of Calcarea carbonica, which stabilized her symptoms long term. After a year of treatment, Marianna’s periods were manageable, and her ocular migraines and visual disturbances were gone. Her worries and catastrophic thoughts were not consuming her at night anymore. She and her husband noticed a huge difference in her premenstrual moods and emotions. Marianna felt more stable and controlled, and she no longer “changed into a different person” before her period.

After several doses of Calcarea carbonica, Marianna’s life had dramatically changed. She slept without disturbance, felt optimistic, and most importantly, she no longer suffered for an entire week every month. Overall, she was more connected to her husband, her family, and purpose in life.

Perimenopause

At some point in the latter part of a woman’s lifetime average of 450 periods, estrogen and progesterone levels become less stable. Perimenopause is the time when a woman’s hormones are transitioning as she moves toward menopause, when menstrual periods cease. These hormonal shifts can start as early as age 32 and as late as age 50 and may last as many as 4 to 10 years. Perimenopause can produce a litany of strange and irritating symptoms. Common physical symptoms of perimenopause include heavy or irregular periods, insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, painful sex, and dry vaginal tissue. Mental-emotional symptoms may be heightened, such as anxiety and feelings of overwhelm, and many women face an empty-nest identity crisis. Read how Leslie and Janae’s varying perimenopausal symptoms were relieved with homeopathy.

Leslie: Overwhelm and a need for control

Leslie, a 47-year-old mother, was in a state of breakdown and overwhelm. Patterns that had developed in her childhood had remained in place in adulthood, slowly becoming increasingly untenable. Leslie had been given an inappropriate level of responsibility as a child, which included the management of a sibling with an emotional disability, both at home and at school. The way she coped with this intense level of pressure was to become extremely responsible and capable. Over time, this developed into independence, fastidiousness, perfectionism and very high expectations of herself. She told me she was a “control freak.” 

Leslie was overwhelmed by the task of caring for her family. One of her three children had a developmental disability, which required extra care, attention and energy. She was demanding perfection from herself, long past her capacity to give, and she couldn’t bring herself to ask for help. The situation made her resentful, angry, frustrated and exhausted. Leslie felt overwhelming anticipatory anxiety about what might happen next, she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Grief was another thread running through her whole life; loss of childhood, loss of the family she expected, loss of motherhood as she expected, loss of the future she dreamed of. She had lost her ability to find joy or meaning in life. She had no energy to do the things that used to bring her pleasure. She was filled with a sense of dread and a feeling that life was impossibly difficult. She just wanted to be alone. “What is the point of it all?” she asked herself – every day.

To top it all off were her hormonal symptoms; hot flashes, mood swings, difficulty getting to sleep and wakefulness in the night – the usual perimenopausal nightmare. Her thyroid was also sluggish, and I knew from her history she was sensitive to hormonal disruption.

After reviewing Leslie’s case, I suggested the remedy Carcinosin. This is a remedy we think of when we see a pattern of control, overwhelm and excessive responsibility. This remedy is characterized by the feeling that the world is chaotic, and being in  control is the solution, but it is an overwhelmingly impossible task. The effort needed to feels superhuman, and people who need Carcinosin are capable of superhuman levels of effort and capacity to keep this chaos at bay. We see this very clearly in the fastidiousness that comes in Carcinosin, the need to keep the environment very tidy and organized. I often hear my clients say, “everything has to be in its place.” The price that we pay for this type effort is complete exhaustion and overwhelm. 

After the Carcinosin, Leslie was more at ease, less overwhelmed, controlling and moody, and with less anticipatory anxiety. She was finding more time for herself and enjoying life and time more with her kids. When I asked her about being a “control freak”, she said she was allowing her family the space to step up and help out. She was going to sleep easily and was waking less at night. 

Over the 4 years I’ve been treating Leslie, I have modified her treatment as needed to help support her endocrine and thyroid health. For Leslie’s perimenopausal symptoms I suggested that she take the remedy Hypothalamus for a short period of time to support overall Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis healing. Later in her treatment, I recommended she take the remedy Spongia for a short time to nourish and support her thyroid gland’s functionality. These treatments have brought her relief from her wakefulness, hot flashes and thyroid symptoms.

Over this time, Leslie has become increasingly more relaxed and mellow. She has become much less controlling of her environment and the people around her, and more focused on stepping into her authentic self. She was brought up in an environment where a certain behavior was expected of her, and she adapted herself to that role for the sake of love and survival. She is now redefining her life; finding what brings her joy and purpose, with the profound sense of self she has developed through her homeopathic journey.

Janae: Can’t get off the couch

Janae, 52, wanted relief from perimenopause symptoms: mood swings, low energy, brain fog, and weight gain. As is typical for someone her age, Janae was having fewer and fewer menstrual cycles. She had mood swings, lethargy, and irritability. Janae became more opposed to her family, snapping at them angrily and wanting to be alone.

Janae felt detached and indifferent about things that used to excite her, such as running for exercise, and now she couldn’t get off the couch. She was so tired that at times that she would go to sleep in her work clothes, lacking the energy or motivation to get ready for bed. In times of stress, Janae would sometimes have two periods in one month. She would also have an insatiable appetite for salty and sweet foods the week before her period and felt much better and almost relieved after eating. Janae loved the taste of coffee and the stimulation it provided. She had a history of postpartum depression, and her libido was in the tank.

Janae had a stressful and demanding job working with behaviorally aggressive kids who needed high levels of support. She knew she couldn’t change her work stress but wanted to manage her reactions better. She used to love her job but was now on the verge of burnout and often forgot things that she used to remember easily. Janae was trying to find her identity as a mom with grown children living at home who didn’t need her in the same way anymore.

After reviewing her symptoms, Sepia came to the top of my list. Her strong feelings of indifference, aversion to company, along with her snappishness and previous love of exercise, led me to choose this remedy. Other matching symptoms included a history of postpartum depression and specific food cravings. Women needing Sepia can often have a hard time with hormonal changes such as pregnancy and menopause.

At our first follow-up, Janae showed more energy and enthusiasm. After the Sepia dose, she noticed that her intense food cravings had diminished, and she laughed more. Her intense mood swings and irritability with her family smoothed out dramatically. She initially saw me during her summer break, and once she returned to work, the real test of the remedy started. Janae’s brain fog improved, and her focus returned to its previous level. She had steady energy even during a busy month with work and family. Her mood was lighter, and she was finally off the couch and exercising again.

At one point, she started feeling melancholy and a bit on edge again. The symptoms still pointed to Sepia, so I increased the remedy potency, which helped resolve those feelings. After several months of doing well, she again noticed a dip in her energy and moods, and I increased the potency again. Janae said she felt clear and light at her latest follow-up, the best she had in years. Her weight had stabilized with better eating habits, and her energy and activity levels increased. As she hoped, she could better tolerate her family and her work stress. Janae’s life transformed–she was no longer stuck on the couch, feeling irritable and wanting to be alone. Sepia supported her natural hormonal change so she could get out and be a part of life again!

Menopause

Menopause, the final female frontier, begins 12 months after a woman’s last menstrual period, which usually happens between ages 40 and 58, with an average menopausal age of 51. The later the menopause, the longer estrogen sticks around and is more protective of brain, bone, and heart health. Going through menopause may look and feel like perimenopause without the bleeding. Typical symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, urinary problems (See Homeopathic Remedies for Urinary Tract Infections below), irritability/mood changes, vaginal dryness, and difficulty staying asleep. Family history and lifestyle choice such as smoking and diet can influence these symptoms. For more help managing these symptoms, see the Homeopathy Today Special Edition that NCH members received in April 2024.

Forecast: Sunny skies ahead

Change is the constant in life. For women, hormones go up and go down; that’s their life rhythm. Whether you are a teen girl with crazy cramps and heavy bleeding or a frustrated, frazzled lady having hot flashes and crying spells, homeopathy can help by recruiting the body’s natural intelligence and drive for balance and health.

Though we are all human beings, we will respond individually and uniquely to the hormonal events that are coming our way as we age. There is no way of knowing whether your first period will be easy or painful, whether perimenopause will pass unnoticed or feel like a hurricane brewing. Whatever your symptoms may be, rest assured they are a part of your unique constellation, the signature of your unique remedy.

Like the weather, hormonal changes have a small amount of predictability with a healthy dose of the unknown. Using homeopathy is like having an umbrella and waterproof boots: it prepares you to weather the storm, whenever it may arrive and whatever it may bring.

(Originally published in Homeopathy Today Summer Issue 2024)
https://www.homeopathycenter.org

About the Authors

Alexis White, CCH, MFA has practiced homeopathy in the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. She has a women’s healthcare practice with a special interest in thyroid health and self-care. Alexis is passionate about advancing the use of homeopathy, with many years of experience teaching both homeopaths and parents. She is a graduate of Berkeley Institute of Homeopathy (CHC), The Other Song Academy, Art Center College of Design (MFA) and the School of Visual Arts (BFA). In her spare time, Alexis enjoys family time, organizing, mountain biking, coaching, traveling, and games of all types. Learn more about Alexis at www.florafaunahomeopathy.com.

Samantha Conboy, CCH, M.A., is a board-certified classical homeopath and certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who has been helping women since 2009 regain balance in their health. She is passionate about helping women who suffer from eating issues find peace and serenity with food and their bodies. She has been in recovery from an eating disorder since 1990 and knows the ups and downs of recovery. For more information, please visit www.highesthealthhomeopathy.com

 

Sidebar article
Homeopathy and Urinary Tract Infections (Cystitis)

Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder that’s generally caused by a bacterial infection. Bladder tract infections occur when bacteria from the area between the vagina and rectum enter the urethra and travel into the bladder. They account for more than 8.1 million visits to health care providers every year. Bladder infections are very common, especially in women. Approximately 60% of women will have at least one UTI during their lifetime. Additionally, between 20% and 40% of women who have one bladder infection will experience at least another in their lifetime. Some women experience chronic bladder infections with discomfort, urging, pain and repeated need for antibiotics.

There are many homeopathic options for treating urinary tract infections (also called bladder infections or cystitis). Our first line approach is to give a remedy based on individualizing symptoms in a 12C or 30C potency, repeated as often as 3-4 times in a day. If you don’t get relief in 24 hours, reassess your symptoms and consider a different remedy. In addition to homeopathic remedies you may also consider taking cranberry capsules (or unsweetened juice), vitamin C, stinging nettle tea/capsules/tincture, or D-mannose. Refer to your practitioner for exact dosing instructions.

Homeopathic Remedies for Cystitis:

Aconite: Think of it in the first 24 hours of a bladder infection
Symptoms appear very suddenly, especially after exposure to cold or a fright. Pressure and burning sensation before urine. Take this remedy right at the onset of symptoms. If it’s been more than 12 hours and symptoms have progressed, then move to a different remedy that matches the new symptoms.

Berberis: Think of it when there is radiating pain in the abdomen
Radiating pains from kidney to bladder that are sharp and radiate down and outward. Cutting and burning pains that extend to the urethra. Violent urging to urinate and burning pain during the last drops. Pain feels better when urinating, but worse from any motion. Urine may be dark with reddish sediment. 

Cantharis: Think of it when there is extreme pain and voluptuous itching
Intense burning pain before, after, and especially during urination, each drop feels like scalding acid. Pain feels worse from urinating. Very rapid onset of bladder symptoms. Intolerable pain with tremendous urgency and frequency. Intense stinging, burning pain on urination. Urine is scalding and comes out drop by drop. Voluptuous itching or pain, which is relieved somewhat by rubbing or scratching. 

Mercurius corrosivus: Think of it when there is a feeling of ‘never being done’
Horrible continuous urging and burning in bladder and urethra, unrelieved by urination. Urine feels hot, excoriating, and burns like fire. Blood or mucus in urine, scanty urination. 

Nux Vomica: Think of it for frequent urging, with small amounts of urine
Constant urging and full sensation, but only small unsatisfying amounts of urine are passed. Urge for stool with urination. Better from warm bathing. Irritable, restless.

Petroselinum: Sudden, intense urging to urinate with itching or tingling
Sudden intense urging with sudden jumping up to run to the toilet. Intense itching or tingling deep in the urethra. Desire to jam something up there to stop it.

Staphysagria: Think of it when there are frequent bladder infections with sex
Bladder infections that occur after intercourse. Symptoms can come on after suppressed anger or embarrassment. Burning, urging and spasms during and after urination.

 Pulsatilla: Pain with urge to urinate
Sudden, strong urge to urinate with no capacity to hold it in. Pain increases with postponing urination. Pain after urination. Urging to urinate begins even after one drop has collected in the bladder. Involuntary urination. Blood or mucus in urine. Worse cold.

Sarsaparilla: Think of it when there is pain at the end of urinating
Burning pain at the end of urination; the pain comes with the last few drops. Unable to urinate without standing. May have the appearance of “white sand” in urine. May also experience skin problems such as dry skin and cracks in hands, fingers, soles of feet. One of the best remedies for uncomplicated cystitis.

References:
Homeopathic Self Care by Robert Ullman & Judy Reichenberg-Ullman
Desktop Companion to Physical Pathology by Roger Morrison, MD
clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21203-bladder-inflammation-cystitis