Homeopathy News. With compliments from your local homeopath

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1 Summer 2015 With compliments from your local homeopath Volume 15 Issue 4 Natural Focus Homeopathy Homeopathic First Aid for the Traveler Used in conjunction with conventional first aid procedures, homeopathic remedies can aid recovery and healing. Whereas prescribing medicines for chronic conditions such as arthritis or migraines takes a homeopath many years of study, prescribing for first aid is relatively straightforward. Most homeopaths sell small remedy kits for travelers this is a very economical way of buying a relatively large number of useful remedies. These kits give detailed instructions about choosing remedies and how to use them. You may find these following remedies useful: Fear of Flying there are a number of really good remedies that will help this condition. If you feel terrified even thinking about flying a dose of Aconite before you get to the airport and then frequent doses throughout the flight will help. For some flyers it is the fear of heights or of being enclosed in the body of the plane that bothers them and for these people Argentum Nitricum would be a better choice. If you start to feel paralysed and trembling and find that alcohol calms you down a bit you may find that the remedy Gelsemium works even better! Food Poisioning if you are a frequent traveler, this is almost an occupational hazard. Three remedies are often indicated: Arsenicum particularly after meat, Pulsatilla after bad fish and Mercurius Viv after shellfish. Inside this issue: First Aid for Travelers 1 Christmas Closing Times 1 Hay Fever 2 Meditation 3 Tooth Extraction 4 Shock in Pregnancy 5 Continued on page 2... Christmas holidays The clinic will be closed from: Wednesday 23rd December 2015 and reopen on Wednesday 6th January 2016 If you need help with an acute illness during this time please leave a message on my mobile: REMEMBER: THE LANDLINE IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL!

2 Homeopathic First Aid for the Traveler continued from page 1 Jet-lag A dose of Arnica before, during and after the journey will make you feel better. If your sleep has been disturbed because of traveling through different time zones the remedy Cocculus can help restore a sleep pattern. Constipation traveler s constipation affects many when they go on holiday and the remedy to try first is Natrum Muriaticum. This remedy is well indicated if you feel worse for being out in the sun and you start to crave salty foods. Another good remedy is Bryonia this remedy works best if you are dry and thirsty and feeling headachy and bad-tempered. Homesickness this can strike the most unlikely people and in the most unexpected circumstances. Sometimes it can be triggered by simply smelling something that reminds you of home or, more likely, a telephone call from home when you may be sitting in some impersonal hotel on the other side of the world. One of the great things about homeopathy is that it can work on an emotional level as well as a physical level. The remedy Pulsatilla is a good choice if you are feeling alone and abandoned and probably a bit weepy. Symptoms are often worse in the evening and definitely feel better if you go for a walk in fresh, open air. If things have got worse and you are starting to think, talk and dream of home a dose of Bryonia can make you feel a lot happier. Sunstroke and excellent remedy for the effects of over-exposure to the sun is the remedy Belladonna. Sufferers will typically have a fever with a lot of redness and burning. Patients needing this remedy will often have a throbbing headache and like to be in a darkened room. There are many more conditions that can be treated with homeopathy when traveling. For example, bites, diarrhea, dental problems, injury, hangovers, altitude sickness and motion sickness, just to name a few. Obviously, serious injuries should never be treated without seeking medical advice if you are worried call for help first and then take the appropriate remedy whilst waiting for help to arrive. Hay Fever This year has seen a bad start for hay fever sufferers. If you suffer from this condition it is best to see a homeopath during the winter months after appropriate treatment it is common for hay fever to gradually reduce until it is no longer a problem. Hay fever gets triggered when the body comes into contact with environmental factors such as pollens or allergens and when this happens it is only possible to treat the immediate symptoms with acute homeopathic remedies. There are many remedies used to treat acute hay fever and your homeopath can prescribe one especially for you. Three of the most commonly used remedies are: Allium Cepa this remedy is made from the common onion and if you can imagine the physical reactions you would get if you were to chop an onion then these are the types of symptoms this remedy will help. Euphrasia if the problem is centered on the eyes then this is the remedy to choose. Eyes swell and itch and discharge yellow, acrid mucus. The eyes feel worse from warm wind and air and feel better for being bathed in cool water. Sabadilla the main indication for this remedy is frequent bouts of sneezing. The nose itches and tingles and discharges a thin and copious acrid fluid. Page 2

3 How to Use Meditation to Help You Out of a Depressive State by Robert L. Rupp From the Art of Healing Newsletter We live in interesting times. On the exterior, we live in a vastly advanced society with impressive social structure and the ability to innovate. On the exterior, we have hundreds of differing medicines and procedures to help us deal with a myriad of physical ailments that could affect us. As they say, beauty is only skin deep. Depression is a formidable opponent for millions. If left unchecked, depression can also lead to stress, illness, feelings of hopelessness, and feeling like there is no way out. Brain chemistry is also effected by depression. From a neurological standpoint, most people affected by depression show reduced alpha activity in the frontal lobes. Alpha brainwaves are one of the most common brainwave patterns among those who meditate. This presents an opportunity for the advancements of our modern society to explain how you can use meditation to help bring you out of a depressive state. It should be understood that meditation, although simple, has been proven to offer moderate relief in addressing psychological stress. If you are feeling depressed, you should consult your preferred healthcare practitioner. That being said, many medical professionals are now beginning to see more scientific proof that meditating can help with treating and preventing depression and clinicians should be prepared to talk with their patients about the role that a meditation program could have in addressing psychological stress. Because of the increase of proof backed by research in neuroscience and many published articles, it is hard for even the most trained of doctors to dismiss its benefits. Knowing that meditating causes an increase in alpha brainwave activity and that those with depression show reduced alpha wave activity in the frontal lobes helps many to place belief in their meditative practice. Learning that it is a spiritual practice backed by scientific and medical research can help reduce our inner skeptic. Believing that meditation will help reduce your depression is the first and most important principle of practice. Through your belief in its methods and faith in its practice, healing can be promoted, as many argue that intention alone facilitates this. In order to use meditation to help bring you out of a depressive state, the first thing you must do is believe it will work. This trust in its purpose must come from your heart. This is a very important step. You need not know everything there is to know about it just yet, but you need to trust that it can and will work for you. Once you have the desire to improve your mental health and mood with the aid of meditation, you need to simply start practising. Find a time of day you can commit to for daily practice that will be easy to adhere to and will not cause stress. If you are stressed out finding time to meditate or a place you will not be disturbed, this can make it more difficult to enter meditation. Because the alpha brainwave state is the goal, and alpha is a state of relaxation, it is important that you be relaxed. Have fun with it meditation is intended to be a pleasurable and relaxing practice.. Do not worry if at first you find it hard to clear your mind and relax. If you remember learning to ride a bike, you probably realise not all things are perfected on the first try. The results will come. While meditating, visualising is also an important tool. Close your eyes and relax while trying to picture what you perceive to be pleasurable. We all like different things. Not everyone wants to picture themselves on a beach. While visualising, it is important to make it personal. What place would you love to visit? What activity might you enjoy doing? Have fun with your visualisations and be playful in their construction. In your mind, you have the ability to be at ease. Volume 15 Issue 4 Page 3

4 How to Use Meditation to Help You Out of a Depressive State Continued from page 3 You can also mix sitting meditations with relaxation music to achieve good results. There are hundreds of options available when selecting music. This music does not always have to be soothing new age music. For starters, think about music you love that always makes you feel good or relaxed. Using meditation to bring you out of a depressive state is a very personal undertaking. Simply go with your intuition. Do whatever feels right and feels good for you. There are thousands of different types, all with volumes of research and resources. From the formless meditation called Shikantaza to the more involved zen or mudra meditations, it is very possible to find a practice right for you. The most important thing is to start meditating with the intent of bringing you out of a depressing state. Believe in your goal and in your purpose. The type and the details of your perfect practice will then begin to unfold for you with less effort. You may even find that solutions will come to you. Look for people, places, and circumstances that present an opportunity for you to learn to meditate, or a related practice. Meditation mixed with visualisation, soothing music, and the belief in oneself can have a tremendous impact on depressive states. Other forms of moving meditations such as Tai Chi, Yoga, or Qi Gong can greatly complement sitting meditation. These practices focus on a calm mind, relaxing the breath, fluid movements, and good posture. They also teach how to discover and control the theorised life force of the human body. In most practices, this life force is called Chi. The confidence gained from learning how to control ones vital life energy and the grace that can come with these practices can help many individuals overcome depression by anchoring accomplishment. Meditating also has no bad side effects or risks other than the possibility of falling asleep. In today s fast-paced world, most people do not get enough sleep. I believe we could all use a little more rest and relaxation. From the Art of Healing Newsletter YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q I have to have a tooth extracted and would welcome some advice. A There are a number of helpful homeopathic remedies. First of all try Arnica after the extraction. Do not use it before the event! If after the extraction the pain becomes severe and feels better if you put something warm against the face try Nux Vomica (especially if you are feeling irritable and fed up with it all!). Sometimes when a tooth is extracted the dentist has to remove part of the covering of the jawbone (the periosteum). This can be extremely painful afterwards and the remedy Ruta is probably called for. Another complication of extraction is referred to as a dry socket. This is a very painful experience ideally the socket should fill up with blood and heal over, but sometimes the socket dries out and the nerve endings are irritated and tight. Usually a return visit to the dentist is necessary to have the socket filled and packed out with special fibrous material, but a dose of Hypericum and Ruta can often make this unnecessary. Page 4

5 Natural Focus Homeopathy 2 Logan Court, Mt Ommaney 4074 Ph: When your fear touches someone's pain, it becomes pity, when your love touches someone's pain, it becomes compassion. Stephen Levine natfocus@tpg.com.au YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q I had a nasty car accident when I was pregnant with my daughter who is now four years old. It was all a tremendous shock to me and I felt shaky for a long time afterwards. I still don t feel I am completely over it. My daughter also seems very nervous and startles easily. I can t help thinking this may have something to do with the accident before she was born, but everyone tells me this is impossible. A Homeopaths believe that whatever happens to a pregnant mother can affect the emotional or physical health of the foetus. Evidence to back this up has come from a very unexpected source. Scientists from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York investigated thirty eight pregnant women who experienced the 9/11 attacks in 2001 at close quarters. About half went on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition known to produce lower amounts of the hormone cortisol in the body. The scientists found that a year after birth, infants born to mothers with symptoms of PTSD had significantly lower levels of cortisol than those born to mothers who suffered few or no symptoms of the condition. This suggests that experiences in the womb leave children more sensitive to cortisol in the same way as their traumatised mothers and it is likely to increase their risk of suffering psychiatric symptoms. Homeopaths have remedies that help can release shock from the body and even though it is some time after the event, it is not too late for both of you to be treated.