The New Year is here, filled with our resolutions to be fitter, healthier and happier. I invite you to consider the health and wellness that homeopathy can bring to your family, without the side effects of medications. Homeopathy is a gentle, effective medicine that, if used wisely, can prevent the need for medical intervention. I welcome your ideas and questions. Please email me with your questions and topics of interest, and I will answer them here.

Homeopathy notes:
With January’s colder temperatures, and post-holiday let down, viruses are apt to strike. This is one area where Western medicine can’t really help, but to tell you to go to bed and rest. That’s great advice, but it’s nice to have a few remedies in the back pocket for a faster recovery from colds and flu. Here are some remedies to have on hand. There are, of course, many remedies for different ailments. These are recommendations, not prescriptions! If the remedy you have chosen doesn’t help, calling a homeopath is always an option!

Arsenicum Album:
This versatile remedy is good for so many things! Use it when you are feeling flu-ish, and your symptoms are extreme chilliness, thirst for small sips of water, and restlessness that keeps you moving around the house straightening things up. You may feel worse at midnight or 1 a.m. People who need Arsenicum typically think they may never be well again, and feel quite despairing. It is wonderful to have a remedy that treats this symptom!

Belladonna:
This is the remedy we often think of first for fevers. You can treat all kinds of illnesses with this remedy, but they will typically be accompanied by a high fever with a rapid onset. The face will likely be bright red, and the eyes may look glassy or glistening. You have probably seen this if you know any children. Hands and feet may remain cold, though the fever is burning them up. Often you will find a strong craving for lemonade or sour drinks. You won’t even need Tylenol if you have Belladonna in your medicine cabinet.

Rhus Toxicodendron:
You may think you know this remedy for poison oak, but this is an amazing remedy for the flu. Think of how you feel the day after you suddenly decide to do a lot of heavy yardwork. Yes, you are stiff and sore. You ache. You can’t get comfortable on the bed, and you keep moving around to see if another position is better. You feel a bit restless. You feel better from staying warm, and worse from the cold and damp. The remedy you need is Rhus tox!

Arnica:
This is one of my favorite remedies. I have a special pocket in my purse where I keep Arnica, and I have pulled it out a lot! Arnica is for trauma to soft tissues. That is fancy-speak for falling down, hurting yourself and ending up with a bunch of bruises. It is great for injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments. If you have sprained or strained yourself, there is bound to the swelling and inflammation, which Arnica will help relieve. The person who needs Arnica will feel sore, lame or bruised. They may also deny help when they obviously need it (husbands!). They will say, “I’m fine!” when they need Arnica! They may not want to be touched, but that’s ok, you don’t need to touch them to give them the remedy. This is a good one to carry in your car, bike bag or purse.

Book note:

enjoy every sandwich by Lee Lipsenthal, MD. Like nothing you have ever read before. This beautiful book was written by a man learning the process of truly living with courage, integrity, compassion, honesty and most of all, love.

Nutrition note:

Gut inflammation can lead to inflammation elsewhere in the body; including common areas like the skin and the lungs. Gut inflammation can be caused by irritation from foods to which you are sensitive. Consider IgG allergy testing if you are having chronic inflammatory issues. I have test kits in my office.

Education note:

I am excited to announce some further education for me. I will be traveling to India to take a month-long advanced course in homeopathy in March. I look forward to sharing my new knowledge and experience with you when I return in early April. I will have normal business hours until February 24th.

Deal of the month:

Refer a friend to my practice for a constitutional visit, and receive 15% off your next visit. Make sure your friend mentions your name!