Arnica - The Most Practical Homeopathic Remedy

Arnica montana, the go-to remedy for trauma and shock, is a must in any medicine cabinet. It's such a practical remedy! It has so many applications and it's easy to use.

Here are a few of my favourite uses:

• Bumps & Bruises:  From adults to toddlers, we all get a little bashed up now and again. Arnica will reduce swelling.
• Breaks, Sprains & Muscle Strains:  Athletes would do well to keep Arnica in their gym bags in case of injury during training.
• Shock:  Arnica will help someone move through shock brought on by emotional or physical trauma.
• Post Flight Insomnia:  Long-haul flights are hard on the body. If you struggle to sleep after a flight and feel bruised and achy, Arnica could be what you need. 

These are all really practical uses. And unlike some remedies, Arnica is easy to get as it's available at many chemists and health food shops in Britain. 

Try it and get relief! 

Feeling Blue This Winter?

After the seasonal high of Christmas, it is easy to feel a little blue come January. The sky is grey, purses are lighter, scale numbers are higher, and it seems the next holiday is quite a long way off! Winter blues, a collection of symptoms including low mood, increased body weight, lower libido, sleep disruptions, and apathy most commonly occurs between October and March.

Lots of things can contribute to the winter blues such as less sunlight and shorter days, returning to work after the holidays, and decreased exercise. An increase in exercise and sunlight as well as the right foods in your diet may help raise your moods. Cottage cheese, peas, milk, brown rice, whole-grain breads and cereals, peanuts and fruit will all help raise the feel-good hormone serotonin.

But if low mood or depression persists it is important to take action and get some help. Homeopathy, the drug-free, holistic treatment of ailments, can be effective for people suffering with depression and low mood. Your homeopath is interested in looking at the whole picture of your health, which includes both physical and emotional symptoms. By looking at the big picture, rather than just the symptoms, a homeopathic medicine called a remedy can be chosen specifically for you.

Low mood or depression can be caused by emotional triggers. Some people find the holidays particularly difficult due to the loss of a spouse, parent, or other family member and they don’t feel well the entire holiday season. Others may feel anxious about spending too much time with their family over the holidays. Some may find things at home or work are more difficult in January and February and feel overwhelmed by the increased stress, work hours, or lack of time with family and friends.

While many people suffer from low moods or depression often the manifestation of symptoms varies person to person. This is why homeopathic treatment is so effective. A homeopath approaches each case individually and is interested in the symptoms rather than the common name of the ailments. Depression in itself isn’t a symptom, but a label for a collection of symptoms. During a homeopathic consultation, the patient is given the time they need to discuss how they are feeling in detail. Your homeopath will ask many questions about your symptoms and lifestyle habits in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of your health. Many patients find this part of the treatment therapeutic in itself.

Anti-depressants are commonly used to treat depression; and although the symptoms may be lessened or even alleviated, consistent us of the drug is necessary to maintain this lightened state. Homeopathy searches for the causation of the symptoms and then prescribes a remedy to help the body heal and restore its natural balance. It is the homeopath’s aim to stop the cycle of the symptoms persisting rather than masking symptoms with a drug.

Homeopathic remedies are not addictive. They are gentle, effective and safe to use on people of all ages. They can be particularly effective for symptoms that stem from emotions, like low mood and depression, as well as clearing up acute illnesses. Don’t suffer with winter blues every year; see your homeopath so you can start a new year with the right attitude!

Be well again!

Would you like to enjoy spring without suffering from hayfever?

If you are one of the lucky people who do not suffer from hay fever, then no doubt you know someone who does as it affects two to three million people in Great Britain every year. Hay fever is a seasonal allergic reaction of the nose and sinuses caused by pollens from various grasses, trees, weeds, and mould spores.

Hay fever season starts in March and lasts until September. The body overreacts to various allergens in the environment and treats them as if they were toxic. The result is irritation and inflammation of the nose, eyes, and throat. Symptoms include sneezing, runny or congested nasal passages, red, watery, itchy eyes, itchy throat, and often a wheezy chest – which can be indicative of asthma. Sometimes hay fever sufferers, due to their increased sensitivity to certain allergens, may develop nettle rash when their skin comes into direct contact with grass or eczema that is aggravated by certain pollens.

The most common treatment for hay fever is antihistamines. Histamine is a chemical released in the body in response to allergens. A person with hay fever produces high levels of histamine, which is why they can suffer from symptoms associated with an allergic response such as runny and inflamed eyes, nose, and throat. Antihistamines suppress that natural response in the body, and stop the allergic response symptoms. Steroids are also a common form of treatment and are prescribed in nasal sprays and eye drops to help limit inflammation and irritability in the eyes and nose.

Many may find relief with these treatments, but they are not without their side effects which can be long-term and harmful in themselves. Side effects of Antihistamines include dizziness, tightness of the chest, headaches, skin reactions, and thickening of mucus in the chest or throat. Nasal sprays made with steroids have side effects which may include nosebleeds, nasal ulcers, sneezing, and a sore throat.

An alternative and healthier treatment for hay fever is homeopathy. Homeopathy is an effective, gentle, more natural approach to a cure without the side effects of traditional treatments. It helps your body restore itself to health by supporting the natural processes that heal illness.

Your body is working constantly to keep you healthy. Every day it fights off things in your environment that can cause illness. You can tell when your body is fighting off an illness because you develop symptoms like a runny nose or a fever. This is your body’s natural response working to restore the balance of health and wellbeing. But sometimes, when your natural balance has been affected by illness, your body isn’t able to heal itself and further symptoms develop such as a cough or a rash.

Homeopathic medicines, called remedies, are made of minute substances, which are then diluted in water. Because there is only a small amount of the actual substance in the remedy, there is no toxicity and the remedies are not addictive. However, they are powerful and effective medicines that are safe for pregnant women, babies, children, and adults.

Homeopaths work by assessing all of the patient’s individual symptoms. So, rather than prescribing on a diagnosis of ‘hay fever’, a homeopath takes a detailed medical history and prescribes a remedy based on all of the symptoms – emotional and physical. Not everyone experiences hay fever in the same way, expressing the same symptoms or even at the same time of year, so why should all people with hay fever be given the same medicine? This unique way of prescribing is what makes homeopathy so effective. The remedy prescribed is chosen for the patient’s precise collection of symptoms, which means it is specific to that patient’s needs and will therefor be able to heal the illness and help the body to restore its natural balance.