New Year, New Information

What is it about nice round numbers and clean slates that appeal to us as humans? We are conditioned to believe that something magical happens at midnight on January 1, allowing us to start over again from scratch.

Some years may bring minor adjustments toward our best selves. Other years may result in no changes at all. But some years … ah, some years result in a sea change of our thinking.

That’s what happened to me in 2013.

My office fields several calls each week seeking clarification on what some readers consider to be “inconsistencies” when comparing my early blog posts to today. Now, you’ll note that I put inconsistencies in quotation marks, for I don’t see them as such. Instead, I see the variations in my teaching as progression, growth, evolution.

If you’ve scoured my blog, podcasts and articles, you’ve no doubt observed the most apparent distinction occurred in 2013.

My pre-2013 blog posts are based on classical homeopathy. Sure, I had adopted a few protocols here and there, but, for the most part, I still considered myself a practicing classical homeopath, albeit with a deep-seated yearning to evolve.

So, what changed?

In 2013, I traveled to India to study under the Drs. Banerji at the Prasanta Banerji Homoeopathic Research Foundation.

Talk about a fresh perspective! I relished the overwhelming amount of protocol information that surrounded me there. 2013 was one new year that lived up to the hype, for it ushered in a new paradigm for my homeopathic practice and educational offerings!

Now, almost ten years later, I plan to address some of those changes that occurred in my thinking. So, occasionally throughout this coming year, I’ll be going back through some of my pre-2013 blog posts to help you understand the logical unfolding of my journey from classical homeopathy to Practical Homeopathy®. (Please let me know in the comments section below which pre-2013 blog posts you would like me to revisit.)

This week, at my office team’s behest, I want to readdress the proper care and handling of homeopathic medicines.

Many of my older articles repeat the classically strict and almost arcane rules for maintaining the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines. “Don’t keep them in the heat.” “Keep them away from electromagnetic fields, such as the microwave, computer and VCR.” (Okay, you can tell how old that article is by its reference to a VCR!)

But recently, someone called my office concerned about having the newest smartphones in their purse with their remedies. Believe me; I get it. I understand. The old school of thought contributes to making people think that homeopathic medicines are enigmatic and non-scientific.

But they are a lot hardier than we used to think.

As my team member shared with the caller, “I personally have my remedies next to my computer and beside my phone. They have gone through the airport X-ray. I'm sure I could even have them next to the electric lines outside, and they'd be okay!”

I agree. Here in 2022, my advice is to treat your homeopathic medicines with respect, but their storage does not need to trigger neurosis. I have remedies from 1918, which I doubt were meticulously handled at every moment. Imagine the heat, cold and electromagnetic waves they’ve absorbed throughout the last one hundred years. Yet, I’ve used them, and they still act!

So, as far as heat? Granted, I wouldn’t leave anything I cared about in a blisteringly hot car. However, as I mentioned to you in last week’s blog post, Heartburn, Reflux, Indigestion, we do keep Nat phos 6X in the car in case we run into a case of agita while we’re away from home. Does it still work after having been in the car’s moderate heat? Yes. Yes, it does.

Think about this. Homeopathy is prevalent in India — a sweltering country where air conditioning is not widely adopted. Do their medicines still act? Yes, they do!

When my boys forgot to remove remedies from their parka pockets, I’ve accidentally run tubes of Arnica through the washer and hot dryer. In fact, as a scientific experiment, I marked those tubes with “in the dryer” to allow me to test if they still worked. Indeed, they did!

So, in my experience, I think these homeopathic medicines are much more robust than we’ve previously given them credit for. So, as a result, I don’t tie myself in knots over some heat.

Have my homeopathic medicines been near electromagnetic fields? Absolutely. I have homeopathic medicines in my purse with my cell phone. They’re still as efficacious as the tubes in my linen closet at home.

Have my medicines gone through X-ray machines? Yes, they most certainly have, and yes, they still work.

In India, many shopping plaza requires purses and bags to be X-rayed upon entrance. So, even if I had taken the utmost care of my medicines when they passed through airport security, the malls would have done them in! But the remedies in my purse came through unscathed — and so did the remedies of myriad Indian individuals who’ve gone through this same level of security for their entire lives.

To quote myself from Podcast 59 — Myth Busters, “I have played it safe, but I’m becoming more and more nonchalant, to be honest, because I’m noticing that it doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

So, as you read through my blog posts, be sure to make a mental note of the date of each article. It’s an easy way to follow along with my journey as my homeopathy knowledge expands, and I hone my practice of Practical Homeopathy®.

The older blogs are still valuable. Variation in information doesn’t necessarily imply an inconsistency; it means there are options! It demonstrates that, in homeopathy, there’s always more than one way to skin a cat. But if anything, a new year allows for new information to fine-tune our opinions.

So, as far as the storage and handling of medicines? As I said before, I simply pay the same due respect to my homeopathics as I would with anything else that I value. Remember, a medicine is only as good as its proximity to you when you need it. So, I can’t keep them all hermetically sealed in climate-controlled conditions. At certain times I need them with me. In my purse, in my car, on a plane — with me.

Let’s not conflate homeopathy with old notions of fragility. Pass on the good news that our homeopathic medicines are hardy, resilient and robust!

Warmly,

P.S. There is no better way to learn homeopathy or continue progressing in your understanding than joining a Gateway to Homeopathy Study Group. You’ll start to learn how to observe the entire picture of a condition and how to use that observation to choose the best medicine for your unique situation. 

And every study group member is given the opportunity to meet with me for a live question-and-answer group session via Zoom to help clear up any ongoing confusion you might have.

My curriculum makes it easy to start your own group, OR you can join a group that is forming. You can find the groups starting soon at Joette's Study Group: Find your new Study Group Friends. 

I urge you to join a group today. Group study is what catapulted my abilities to care for my family decades ago, and I know it will help nurture you as well.