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What Can Homeopathy Do For You? Homeoprophylaxis

by | May 19, 2015 | Belladonna, Homeopathy

The term Homeoprophylaxis has been around for at least a century.  Basically, it means lessening the likelihood of getting some acute illness by taking certain remedies associated with that illness.

Really, any type of homeopathy can do this, but this concept is focused on acute illnesses that may be “going around” or could go around in the future.

Belladonna, commonly known as deadly nightshade or Delphinium, is a remedy for Scarlet Fever.

Belladonna, commonly known as deadly nightshade, is a remedy for Scarlet Fever.

Lets first take an historical look at homeoprophylaxis.  As early as the time of Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician who founded and developed the principals of homeopathy in the early 1800’s, homeopathy has been used to prevent people from getting sick.  According to his series of books Materia Medica Pura, when Scarlet Fever was at epidemic levels in Europe, Dr. Hahnemann recognized that Belladonna was a common remedy for those who were suffering from this life threatening affliction.  So he decided to try to prevent others from getting scarlet fever by giving them a pre-emptive dose of Belladonna.  It was so successful, that in 1838 the Prussian Government ordered its citizens to receive a dose of Belladonna due to the Scarlet Fever epidemic going on there.  There is a reason it was called Scarlet Fever.  Today it is rare due to Anti-biotics when people are diagnosed with a strep infection.  But when someone needs Belladonna with a fever, their face turns red, they are warm to the touch except for their hands and feet–you can even feel the heat above their body, and they have a high fever.

Since the time of Hahnemann, homeopaths have tried to determine the genus epidemicus for the current acute illness. Many times I have recommended to families to take a dose of Arsenicum, for example, if that is the remedy that others in the family have needed when a stomach bug is the current affliction du jour.  This is why it is so important to call when you get sick.  Often I may already have a good idea what you need.  Or, you could help yourself, and others, including family members, when you call.  When it is recognizable, I do try to post suggestions either on Facebook or through emails.  (Like my Lotus Homeopathy Facebook Page if you haven’t done so yet. I did a quick search in my electronic books (over 800) on the word “prophylactic”.  There were 1355 hits.  Many come from homeopathy journals of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

You can see that preventing illness with homeopathy has long been an effective strategy.  In the late 1900’s, Dr. Isaac Golden studied the effectiveness of using Homeoprophylaxis to prevent childhood diseases as an alternative to conventional vaccines.  His results from a study of nearly 2500 children in Australia over more than 15 years showed them to be as effective or more effective than conventional vaccines.  And not only that, but the unvaccinated children who participated in in the program were generally healthier than the unvaccinated children who did not participate in the program.  For more information about Homeoprophylaxis, please click here.

This past winter I had an interesting experience.  I took a dose of a remedy which I was unfamiliar with.  I just never thought to recommend it (it doesn’t always come up when searching for acute remedies).  So I took it to see what it was about.  I developed the same set of symptoms I always seem to get when I get sick, only not as intense or long lasting.  The end result was that I did not get sick this winter.  I didn’t even feel like I was going to get sick.  (I may have an exacerbation of chronic symptoms, but that is not acute illness, as was disgusted in earlier sections of this series.)  This is what is called the Complementary remedy.  That is, the remedy you need when you get an acute illness, which often has symptoms opposite of what you need when for you chronic state.  For example, a high energy person may need a remedy such as Gelsemium, which is wiped out, flat on his back, when he gets an acute illness.

I have decided that next November, I will take another dose of that complementary remedy just to see if I can use it as a prophylaxis for all things acute.  Hopefully I will remember to let you know how that goes.  But it is hard to determine what your complementary remedy is without a constitutional consult.

Now that you know about the potential of homeopathy to prevent disease, you can feel safe venturing out during an outbreak, with the comfort of knowing you can lessen your chances of getting sick.

Kathryn
651-748-1556
lotushomeopathy.com

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Meet Kathryn Berg the Classical Homeopath at Lotus Homeopathy, Inc.

 

Some of you know me, others of you may have heard of me. And for most, you probably have no clue about me or my business. So I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself, my family, my business, why I am a homeopath and how I became a homeopath—not necessarily in that order.

Like many people, I found out about homeopathy accidentally. I fell down while walking my Akita pup on an icy sidewalk on a typical Minnesota winter day. I was scheduled to go to a friend’s house later that day, so when I did, I asked her for some ice. You need some Arnica, she told me. Arnica? What’s that? She explained that Arnica is a homeopathic remedy for trauma.

At the time, the only place to get homeopathic remedies was a book and herb store in South Minneapolis. So I went there to get some. When I got there, I decided I should read some books so I actually knew what I was doing. I left with the Arnica 30c and three books. By the time I got done reading them, I knew I wanted to be a homeopath.

It was only several years later that I realized that I was attracted to homeopathy as a profession because I am a problem solver. It is what drives me. There is nothing like a well chosen homeopathic remedy to solve problems.

At the time I decided to become a homeopath, there wasn’t even a school here in in Minnesota. But eventually, my homeopath and his business partner started the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy. I was a graduate of the third class. At the time I went there, it was a part time program taking three and a half years! Since then I have studied with numerous other well known and respected homeopaths in continuing education studies.

While I do work with all sorts of folks with a variety of conditions, I really have studied how to treat people suffering from PTSD, health issues related to aging women, and children’s health issues of all sorts, including autism. I have also been successful in removing blockages to healing due to suppression of symptoms by western medicine. I chose those specialties because people really suffer who have those forms of dis-ease, and Western Medicine doesn’t seem to have much of a solution for them.

After over twenty years of practice, I still get excited for clients when a remedy has helped them heal.

So that is about my business. Now, a little bit about me.

I have two adult sons in their early twenties, so I have shed the title of “Soccer mom”. My husband and I are empty nesters living in Woodbury, MN. For fun, I like to play piano, sing, sew, garden, hike, and travel. I am in a community choir. I also enjoy cooking healthy meals and, out of necessity, am an expert at cooking for special diets.

If you have any questions about homeopathy or my approach to homeopathic case taking, please feel free to put some questions in the comments below.

If you have a health issue you need help with, please click the Book Now button on my Facebook page or Main page of my website and schedule a complementary consult to see if homeopathy can help you!

Thanks!

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