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Shoplifters, Alcoholics and Libertines, Oh My!

Joette Calabrese, HMC, PHom M

March 5th, 2015  |  33 Comments

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I was a presenter at the Weston Price Foundation Conference a few years ago, and as such, I was given a booth from which to sign my books and meet attendees. The table was loaded with my CDs, homeopathy kits and sample remedies. It’s not uncommon to have attendees hanging around my table two and three people deep.

It’s a blast!  I meet folks with whom I’ve worked on Skype over the years, and I get to encounter the most interesting sorts from around the globe.

On Monday night, after three days of this, my husband, sons and I packed everything up to head home. That’s when I noticed that my Hyland’s Homeopathy Kit, which carries 29 remedies, had one remedy missing.remedy5

I figured I must have misplaced it when demonstrating how remedies work, but nowhere on the table did I find it.

My family had no idea either.

That’s when I decided to look and see which remedy was missing. When I saw it, I knew exactly what had happened.

The bottle of Nux vomica 30 was gone.

If you know anything about homeopathy, you might know that there are remedies that are specific to personality traits, especially flaws, and Nux vomica is the remedy used when someone has kleptomania!

It also covers oncoming colds, and, if taken early enough will abort a cold within hours. Nux vomica also has the ability to help with nausea and diarrhea after a night of decadent drinking or eating and is reputed for righting the wrongs inflicted by poisons of sorts.

So, someone stole my bottle of Nux vomica 30 — probably for an oncoming cold or the previous night of debauchery.

I have a confession to make. For the first time in my homeopathy career, I had a wish that it wouldn’t work!

Somewhere, walking the halls at the Hyatt in San Diego, a kleptomaniac with sniffles, diarrhea and perhaps a hangover was prowling with my bottle of Nux vomica in his pocket.

It was likely I’d never spot him because if he took it enough times that day, his illness would no longer show evidence.

How sardonic. The bottle cost no more than about $7, but that is not the point when it comes to people who have this compulsion. Instead, it’s about taking something from others.

So, of course, this begs the question of whether or not, by taking a few doses of Nux vomica, the person would be cured of his psychological urge.

More on this later.

For now, let me offer another story.  When my children were very young, I used to teach homeopathy to groups of mothers in my local area. One of the first remedies I wanted moms to learn was Nux vomica.

As always, I taught that it is used when someone has not only a cold coming on but for over-doing life.

For example, a child who had too much candy on Halloween and got a sick stomach. Or for someone who stayed up too late and was unable to have a normal bowel movement as a result. Also, and this is my favorite because it is so powerful for those suffering from this lifestyle, Nux vomica 30 can be used for a hangover, either from drugs or alcohol; in fact, any substance.

I explained that usually, it takes repetition of its use for at least a few days to act in the case of someone who takes prescription drugs etc.

Months after teaching this class, one of the mothers in the group, Claira, who had missed several previous meetings, could barely contain herself. She wanted to share her story of success after using Nux vomica 30 for her husband’s friend.

Apparently, this friend was an alcoholic and had too much to drink at her house shortly after the Nux vomica class.

He was worried about his wife knowing that he was drunk again and about getting to work the next day, so this woman offered him Nux vomica 30 to help with the after-effects of his consumption.

The morning after taking the remedy, he went to work, as usual, only this time without the usual hangover. Later that day, he called to ask her what those little white pills were because he wanted his own bottle.

A few weeks later, he called again. This time to tell her that he had been taking the pills daily, and he had not had a drink since that night at her house. The best part is, he didn’t have any desire to either!

“This is a miracle!” he declared. Claira’s husband nodded in agreement.

Claira explained to our group that until this time, there was not a day that went by that he didn’t end without a belly full of beer. His wife was on the verge of leaving him, and his job was at stake.

But now that was changed. He shared with her that, although his intention was to simply not suffer a hangover on a day-to-day basis, he felt so well after taking the little white pills, he decided to continue.

They had done much more than any of them had estimated.

So was he cured of his drinking habit? Can homeopathy cure such social ills?  Let me give you a resounding YES! This man inadvertently did just that.

Dr. Roger Morrison, in The Desktop Guide to Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms, lists Nux vomica for breakdown from substance abuse and notes its significance in its antidoting effects for a simple hangover.

More importantly is the following in a book I found in the archives of the State University of N.Y. at Buffalo, from when Buffalo had three homeopathy hospitals within its city limits.

Homeopathic Treatment of Alcoholism, by Dr. Gallavardin, published in 1890, spends nearly the entirety of his treatise on the importance of Nux vomica for this particular substance abuse.

He advises that there are other homeopathic medicines that he used to cure alcoholism, but Nux vomica was the most important to consider.

In both cases I present here, to be certain that the effect is enduring, the remedy is often best taken twice daily for a few weeks, and after stopping its use, if the compulsion returns, to take it up again for another round or two.

I’ll never know if the shoplifter in San Diego was reformed with my bottle of Nux vomica because I don’t know whether he continued the use of the remedy long enough to have an effect on his behavioral condition.

Nor do I know that the man with the drinking problem has rehabilitated his ways permanently.

What I do know is that Nux vomica and the thousands of other homeopathic medicines have the remarkable ability to transform people and their lives. Even in the most unexpected ways.

And, with a little knowledge, can help keep it that way.

Join me in this revolutionary medicine and make your mark with cures such as Claira did — or even the scoundrel at the conference.

But buy your own bottle!

 

I am a homeopath with a worldwide practice working with families and individuals via Zoom. I'm also a teacher and most importantly, a mom who raised my now-adult children depending on homeopathy over the last 31 years. I lived decades of my life with food intolerances, allergies, and chemical sensitivities until I was cured with homeopathy, so I understand pain, anxiety, and suffering. You may feel that your issues are more severe or different than anyone else’s, but I have seen it all in my practice and in my work in India. My opinion is that nothing has come close to the reproducible, safe and effective results that my clients, students and I have achieved with homeopathy.

Call today and learn how homeopathy might just be the missing piece in your health strategy.


Joette is not a physician and the relationship between Joette and her clients is not of prescriber and patient, but as educator and client. It is fully the client's choice whether or not to take advantage of the information Joette presents. Homeopathy doesn't "treat" an illness; it addresses the entire person as a matter of wholeness that is an educational process, not a medical one. Joette believes that the advice and diagnosis of a physician is often in order.


We've provided links for your convenience but we do not receive any remuneration nor affiliation in payment from your purchase.


The Author disclaims all liability for any loss or risk, personal or otherwise incurred as a consequence of use of any material in this article. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.



 

33 thoughts on “Shoplifters, Alcoholics and Libertines, Oh My!”

  1. Anna says:

    This was a great article! I have used Nux Vomica several times now for myself and for family…I didn’t realize that it could also help with an oncoming cold! Very interesting!!!

  2. Alice Smith says:

    Very dear friend has a daughter with alcoholism.
    I will send your article ASAP. Thanks for the warning about kleptomaniac in San Diego!

  3. Kevin says:

    OK but how did you know the shoplifter was a man?

    Kevin

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      ‘Just using traditional gender pronouns common in writing. But you’ve got a valid point and I believe that men are too often blamed.

  4. Diane says:

    Interesting, I didn’t know about oncoming colds either. Does it also apply in general to all oncoming infections such as sinus, throat, viral, etc.?

    And does it apply to smoking also?

    Thank you *^~^*

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      Often Nux is the 1st choice for many kinds of infections such as throat, sinus, etc. at the very onset, but not for everyone.

  5. Frances Molinengo says:

    Thank you so much! I learn so much easier with stories like this one. I now know “nux vomica” and will know how to use it for myself, family and friends! Awesome!

    Fran Molinengo

  6. martha says:

    Hi Joette – Thank you for this informative post. My “take way” from this post is threefold (1) I commend you for involving your family (husband and sons) in your quest to educate others in achieving better health. As I read through your countless posts, it amazes me how you were able to include your family as you studied and practiced homeopathy to gain better health for your family and then your clients. Your passion and drive is truly amazing. (2) I thought kleptomania was a symptom primarily covered under Nat Mur — surprised to learn it was also under Nux Vomica. (3) The polycrest remedies seem to be very far reaching in terms of how many symptoms each of them cover. One important lesson I have learned is that it is really important to write down the remedy that your family needs (your point about note taking) because surprisingly to me a person will go back to needing that remedy more than once. Question: Have you found that your sons at times needed the same remedy at the same time for very different reasons i.e. my son needed Phosphorous for his sensitivity to changes in weather at the same time my daughter needed Phosphorous for her nosebleeds. Martha

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      I have indeed found that my children have needed the same remedy at the same time, but it was always because they had the same illness. For example, when all of them had colds, I could count on Bryonia to act across the board. The same held true for stomach flu with Arsenicum.

  7. Missy says:

    Thank you for sharing this story. I learned that Nux Vomica has many uses other than overindulgence in food and drink. Would you use this as a first line remedy when one suffers ill effects from prescription medicine? Our daughter was treated with a Z-pack, prednisone and albuterol inhaler and had a bad reaction. The ER informed us it was a common reaction to the steroid and it would clear. Eight weeks later she still has trouble catching her breath and other effects. We tried arsenica but never thought to try nux vomica. Thank you again for enlightening all of us on safer remedies to bring one back to balance.

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      Nux vomica would best be chosen for someone who had a bad reaction to a drug, with weight on the gastrointestinal tract, irritability and perhaps sleeplessness. But for some people a good place to start can be Camphor 200 as the antidoting opening to a case. That’s not to say however, that that is all that may be needed.

  8. Amy S. says:

    Would NuxV work for a young child with fetal alcohol syndrome? My friend recently adopted the little guy and I would love to help clear some of those effects.

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      It may be indicated, but it would likely take more than just one remedy to help with something of this nature.

  9. Chandrakant Kulkarni says:

    Nux Vomica is ‘Kuchala’ (कुचला / विष तिन्दुक / कारस्कर): a poisonous herb in Ayurveda with Valuable medicinal properties!

  10. barb says:

    my husband tried nux v for his drinking but he said it didn’t help him I did more study and one book said that quericus has been a good chose for some is there a protocol for this problem can you mix these 2 together or 30 min apart he wont get help but we are going to counseling for it

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      If NV didn’t act (I assume it was used for a few months) then to continue its use would also prove unfruitful. Quericus is also a good remedy choice for this condition, but food intolerances, such as blood sugar issues might also be considered.

  11. Stephanie says:

    I’m a counselor living in an area with a huge heroin problem (see this article: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/06/05/the-addicts-next-door). I want to use homeopathy to help treat heroin abuse. Can you recommend books, etc. for me to research the topic? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the problem of not enough beds at rehab facilities were no longer a problem?

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      I don’t know of any books discussing heroin addiction and homeopathy, but homeopathy has a history of treating addictions.

  12. Mary Herman says:

    Hey, I used to have a kit like that! Much nicer than the card board ones… loved the article, wish I had known when I was married to an alcoholic…

  13. Mary Herman says:

    So how often do you take it when you feel a cold coming on? Thanks

  14. shellysil says:

    Would Nux Vomica be helpful for opiate addiction?

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      It is used for OA but there is more than simply NV alone.

  15. Pamela says:

    Hi! How many pills of nux a day and at what time for alcohol addictions ?

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      The number of pills that comprise a dose is printed on the bottle. If a homeopathic is advised twice daily, then 12 hours apart is best.

  16. Need more of this type of content from you, as this was quite an interesting one to read. I wish the article would have been a little more longer.

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na) says:

      Keep reading my blog posts; I have around 9 years of weekly posts of this sort that will flesh out your understanding.

  17. Sophie says:

    Can Nux Vomica act as an antidote to other remedies I’m taking, for ex, calc carb, pulsatilla etc.? Should I use it with caution?

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH says:

      I’ve not seen it act in that fashion.

      1. Sophie says:

        Thanks Joette!

  18. Belinda Yeung says:

    I have kleptomaniac that tortures me for 20 years.i live in Hong Kong. I have been to courts hearing for 5 times. This happened again in December last year. I will appear in court in the coming chinese new year. How can I get the remedy nux vomica in here.
    Thanks.
    Belinda Yeung aged 73.

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, PHom M says:

      Helios in England, Boiron on line, Amazon.

  19. Vaani says:

    Will Nux Vomica help with Marijuana, Juul and vaping addiction as well ? If not then Is there anything else which will help it ? Thank you so much for all you do.

    1. Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, PHom M says:

      It has been known to do that.

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