3 Homeopathic Remedies for Pesticide Exposure

I love our lawn. It’s large enough for an animated game of badminton, for the dog to zig-zag wildly across it and for large family gatherings around the fire pit. I also take pleasure in the creeping Charlie, dandelions and plantain that tiptoe through the grass and give it an embroidered appearance. 

But not everyone thinks that way. 

Although I live in a country/suburban neighborhood, there’s a neighbor down the road who contracts to have his lawn sprayed with pesticides.

One evening when my husband and I were on a walk, we ran into him, and I delicately mentioned that lawn pesticides have long been associated with certain cancers in humans and dogs. He paused momentarily. “Now that you mention it, every dog we’ve ever had has died of cancer … and my wife had breast cancer.” (more…)

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Nsalata di Aranciu (Orange Salad)

 

It’s hard to believe that this simple Italian salad has such a unique flavor from common ingredients. You have to taste it to believe it!

I grew up eating this with crusty, homemade Italian bread still piping hot from the oven. My mother served it around Christmas and into January.

Ingredients

3 oranges

Sprigs of fresh mint leaves (but dried will do)

A good drizzle of cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of Celtic salt

Freshly ground pepper (a must, as it makes the whole dish sing)

 

So easy…….

• Peel the oranges, cut into bite sized pieces and smash down so they extrude their juice. (When the olive oil is mixed with the orange juice, it makes the salad’s distinctive flavor.)
• Cut mint into ribbons and intersperse on top of the oranges
• Drizzle olive oil over the mixture, add salt and  pepper to taste and mix well
• Serve in a festive dish

 

Mangia!

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My health philosophy combine sound nutrition, like this delicious salad, with the curative power of homeopathy.  To schedule a free 15-minute conversation with me, contact our office.

 

 

 

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Lessons in Parenting, Bird Style

These cheeping babies outside my door have made me aware of their presence lately by their constant squawking.  Not to get too philosophical, but passing by them the other day made me stop and ponder our role as parents.

Like these little birds, our children are completely dependent on us.  If the mama bird doesn’t bring back a nutritious dinner of insects and worms, these babies won’t grow.

It’s that simple; they are helpless without her.

We, too, have a crucial responsibility to provide our children with nourishment and care.  This idea seems facile, but how often do we really consider the enormous weight of our everyday decisions?

I’m thrilled that I knew about the discoveries of Dr. Weston A. Price since the time my kids were small. His invaluable nutritional wisdom and common sense continue to inspire and guide me in making healthy food choices for my family. 

Another thing that struck me about this humble robin’s nest was the confidence of the mother bird.  She instinctively knew how to construct a safe dwelling for her babies.

The incredible ruckus she sets up whenever anyone approaches the nest illustrates how protective of a mother she is.

Why then are we as parents frequently afraid to stand up for the health of our children?

Whether it means questioning a doctor who assures us that the antibiotic prescribed for our child is really very “mild” or convincing Grandma that strawberry Pop Tarts don’t count as a serving of fruit, we need to feel confident enough of our parental authority to take a stand when our gut tells us something isn’t right.

Homeopathy has helped me more than anything else to feel secure in my God-given role as a mother.  Just knowing that I possessed the ability to cure an ear infection, or sore throat, or even halt an allergic reaction imbued me with a feeling close to euphoria.

You’ll no doubt experience it too, the first time you witness the effects of your well-chosen homeopathic remedy.

Over the years, it has become my mission to empower moms and dads to do what this little bird has done and take the health of our children into our own hands.  It can be as simple as owning a homeopathic remedy kit and a comprehensive book and/or taking a good course.

If you’re serious about increasing your knowledge, my year-long course for parents might be a good fit for you.  Classes have started, but we would be glad to get you up to date with the material.

We have no choice. If we bring them into the world, we must do what we know is right.

Committed parenting.

Homeopathy.

Whole nutrition.

Once you know this, you have to do what’s right.

That’s all there is to it!

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Don't wait!  Start taking charge of your family's health now by checking out the many free downloads on my website http://homeopathyworks.net like this handy first-aid chart.

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Joette interviewed for Natural Parenting Center blog

Tell us some of the important nutritional basics for nourishing our kids:

The most important basics in the kitchen  are also the most  interesting to kids  so they can easily get involved.   Making raw cultured dairy such as raw yogurt and  kefir are science and life  projects  at their best.  So are fermented vegetables. It teaches kids not only that food has life and can chemically change with  the right inoculants, but it trains them to make something from  nothing.  This is  the way we need to think. If we can learn to make something from a simple raw material, we will become more independent which leads to an admirable lifestyle and robust health. This is one of the fundamentals upon which we, as first-rate mothers need to build.

 

 

What else embodies this?  While most will simply throw out the bones and feet of the chicken, venison, beef, I encourage moms to make something  even more nourishing from  what at first glance appears to be nothing.  Bone stocks are the foundation of good respiratory health, joint suppleness, brain  acuity and reproductive vigor. So I entreat moms to make bone stocks regularly.  Then use the stock to make soups, cook their rice in it,  simmer their beans in it, and even boil their pasta in it.   It makes everything we eat infused with nutrient dense gelatin and vitamins that would otherwise be thrown into the garbage.

 

It’s also paramount that we have snacks available  that are kid pleasing.  On my blog  I make a point of offering snack recipes that fulfill  three standards.  They must  be nutrient dense, delicious  and filling.  Why filling?  So that you can offer them your treat just before they leave for a birthday party or a school function.  When they arrive stuffed to the gills with coconut truffles that are nutrient dense, they won’t find much room for  soda and commercial cake. A full belly  has little interest in junk food.

 

 

 

Tell us some of the fundamentals of learning to treat our children homeopathically:

The more children you have, the easier it is, because it’s a matter of experience.   (‘Another good reason to have larger families!)  But if you  happen to have a small family, I love to share the little tricks that  as a homeopath I’ve gleaned through the years from taking care of so many  families.  One, is to do whatever you can to choose the “right” remedy at the onset.   Then stick with it. Don’t  second guess yourself.  For example, if a child has the croup, stay with  Aconitum for  at least 4 doses to insure that you’ve allowed the remedy to act fully.  If  after 4 doses, there are no changes, then retake the case.  That is;  look at what has come to the fore.  It should be enough different that the new remedy will present itself  via the symptoms.  For example, if a child has a  croupy cough (sounding like a seal barking)and you’ve given Aconitum four times, without any measurable improvement, then you  know that in the triad for croup,  the next remedies to consider will likely be either Hepar sulph or Spongia. What I teach in my audio courses is to be able to differentiate  between these remedies and to know some of their  associated remedies so that you have a pathway to follow. Sometimes the differences can be very subtle. Other times it’s just a matter of knowing the top remedies  of a particular illness.   So, for croup, the top remedies are 1) Aconitum 2) Hepar sulph  3) Spongia.

 

 

And interestingly enough, they often show up in that order. The need for Aconitum for croup usually presents earlier in the evening or before midnight, while, Hepar sulph  often  appears after midnight and Spongia  emerges around 3 AM.  This  is just  another tool in determining the  correct choice.

 

There are other triads as well.  Miranda Castro coined the acronym “ ABC of Fevers” in this way:  1) Aconitum 2) Belladonna 3) Chamomilla . It’s a great way to remember that if it isn’t one, its likely to be only one of  two more.   And if you know some of the characteristics of each, it will fall into place rather easily. This is how I like to teach moms.  Make it easy, easy, easy.

 

What do you love about your work?

When taking a case,  it’s  the story that makes it  appealing because you  are let in on the intricacies of a person’s life.  Those lovely and sometimes not so lovely idiosyncrasies make it a fascinating  story. Folks share the most poignant aspects of their lives. I get to peer into their religious beliefs, loves and aversions and family dynamics.  It’s a rare opportunity to  get to know other humans on a  deep, private level.  They hand me their pearls  and it is my responsibility to embrace them  with dignity and honor. I  feel privileged being respected and trusted enough to be included.

 

 

Then the intellectual excitement is in the cracking of the case;  finding the little clues  represented in the symptoms and exciting causes,  that offer pieces to the puzzle. I usually put together a time line of the bench marks in the persons life so we can gain perspective on what happened  and in what order.  It gives the overall picture  continuity and then we can step back and say “Oh!   The colitis started right after taking those antibiotics!” This gives us a powerful springboard from which to find the perfect remedy.

 

 

When it comes to teaching moms how to  gain autonomy in their family’s health,  I become a mom on a mission. My passion is in knowing that others can  cure themselves and their families.   Knowing Homeopathy and high density nutrition has given me such might as a mother, that I can’t help but want to pass on the good word. That’s why I  produce audio downloads  and teach moms online.

 

 

As  one who has seen the glaring inadequacies and  condescending attitude of modern medicine, sad modern food choices and  an oft meddling government,  I’m fiercely pro-family.  Being an Italian American, only adds to this stance.   I grew up believing that  your family is the team upon whom you can fully depend.   It means that the curriculum of the family is the most important aspect of life. And within that setting only a mom with the commitment to make her own foods and treat her family as often as she can will become a potent mom.   Mighty mom means mighty family and that means magnificent kids.

 

What are some examples that are not on your site from your own life or your children's life that demonstrate the power of this way of eating and homeopathics for healing?

 

Well , I’ll tell you an incident that occurred only last weekend  to my husband who is a professional ski instructor.  He took a nasty spill, rolled and landed (hard) on the back of his neck. When he finally came to, there was a crowd of concerned skiers and the ski patrol gathered around him. I’m still not sure how he got home, nor is he, but he was clearly dazed, confused and shaken up quite a bit.

 

Now, since we live on a ski hill in New York, and my family  spends every snowy hour they can on the slopes, I’ve made certain they each have a bottle of Arnica Montana  in their ski parkas.   This time, however, Arnica was not the best choice because of the fact that he was dazed and wobbly, so the pain was not as important as his state of mind.

 

 

I gave him  Nat sulph1M  and within half an hour , he grew a smile on his face that indicated the  transformation.  “Thank you” , he said.  “My mind was fuzzy and I felt fragile and confused.”  There are so many incidents in my life in which Homeopathy has given my family and me the kind of power all families ought to have available.

 

 

Our son had fear of a big exam that was forthcoming  a few weeks ago but was calmed by Gelsemium  taken every 4 hours. He aced the exam, but more importantly, he was not uneasy the morning of the exam.   A few months ago, my father had a suspicious lump appear only to have Lycopodium resolve it within 2 days.

 

 

But the most profound story is the one about my Aunt Mary.  Unfortunately, this one is not  bestowed with a happy ending. Aunt Mary  was my Godmother with whom I was very close. We spoke on the phone  weekly.  Years ago I had given her a Homeopathy kit so she could  call me should she needed my help. Well, one night she slipped  and sprained her ankle.  Normally, she would have called me to get a remedy, but this time, she just went to the doctor without phoning because she knew I had a busy week that week.   I  would’ve indeed recommended she have her ankle looked at to  be certain it wasn’t a break and then a Homeopathic remedy for the pain, swelling and quick healing.

 

 

Instead, on the way home, my uncle stopped at a drug store to get Darvon, following the doctor’s instructions. That night, she took the Darvon and within 6 hours, she died in her bed. The “cause of death” was  cardiac arrest, however, no one in my aunt’s very large family had ever had  heart issues and only weeks prior,  she had been given a “clean bill of health” from the very doctor who prescribed Darvon.  Down to my toes,  I knew it was the Darvon, so did my mother and my uncle.  When I reviewed the dangers of the drug online, it was logical that the drug had caused her death.   Now 2 years later, class action suits are sprouting everywhere against the manufacturer.   The FDA has finally banned Darvon and Darvocet. Just for the record, it’s been prescribed since 1957. The reason it was taken off the market?  It causes cardiac abnormalities and arrest in people who don’t have a history of heart disease, even in recommended doses.  How many unsuspecting folks have been poisoned by this drug  in  the last 40 years with the cause of death appearing to be something else?

 

 

This kind of loss is always difficult.  But the salt that stung the wound deeper is that  1st, my aunt trusted the doctor to give her  something that was safe and 2nd that the very remedy that would’ve offered her quick and more importantly,  a harmless method of healing was only 20 feet away in her medicine closet…… in her Homeopathy kit!

 

 

This is the kind of story that I hear on a regular basis from clients and students  from all over the U.S. As mothers and others, we need to protect our families and the only way to do so is to arm ourselves with knowledge:  Homeopathic and nutritional.  Well, there’s also the protection we gain from holding to our faiths and scrutinizing what is taught in the schools.   But it means diligence.

 

I entreat all mothers to not be a “good little patient”.  Be the one who questions every decision a doctor suggests and knowing your alternative options.    This is not a time for compliancy.  Be a fierce lioness when it comes to your family.  Be a mighty mom….read, study, educate yourself.  And then get to the job at hand…of being the most protective person in your children’s lives. And when they’re set well, take care of your parents, your aunts and uncles, your friends, pets,  and so on. I can’t think of a responsibility more important than this one.

 

http://naturalparentingcenter.typepad.com/natural_parenting_center/2011/02/interview-with-joette-calabrese-empowering-mothers-with-homeopathy-and-nutrition.html

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It’s Sunday Morning Pancakes!! Gluten-free Style

In a food processor, blend the following ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

8 free range eggs

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ teaspoon Celtic salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

Butter a hot griddle or cast iron frying pan and when good and hot, ladle a small amount of batter on to the sizzling surface.   Keep the amount small as these pancakes don’t have gluten, so they don’t have the “glue” to keep them from breaking. Fragile, but delicious!

Load with rich, raw butter and local  maple syrup, then serve with organic bacon and a glass of cold raw milk.  Yum.

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Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz

After the extravagances of past decades, we’re finally seeing a shift in thinking with regard to the use of medications. Yes, I know, every other commercial is a company pushing their newest drug. Yet, in spite of this, there is a ground swelling of those who remember life without drugs and recall a healthier world.

Take antacids for example. If we followed the TV ads we see, the magazine and newspaper ads we read, we'd be ingesting these nostrums daily. If indeed they must be ingested day after day, isn’t that cause for questioning the value of these products in the first place?

I say, it is time we consider another method. One of intelligence, efficacy, of time-tested value and purity … that is, of course, homeopathy. Why? Because it doesn’t cover up the problem, it squarely addresses it.

Homeopathy is founded on a firm rock. Its laws and principles are irrefutable, being proven in tests and clinically in hospitals, clinics, nurseries and veterinary offices throughout the world for over 200 years.

So, does homeopathy offer an antacid for the relief of overeating and drinking? You bet! Let’s examine some of homeopathy’s two best-known remedies and how to use them for a little too much at Thanksgiving or an excess of holiday cheer.

Natrum phos 6X is homeopathy’s king of antacids. Tuck a small bottle of it in your purse, diaper bag or glove compartment. Then, any time indigestion hits, toss 3-4 pills directly in the mouth. If no relief is afforded within 15 minutes or so, continue taking in the same manner. In most cases, the indigestion will be resolved within short order. Curiously and as a welcome old friend, the next episode of indigestion will often not be as severe, not last as long and will be fended off for a longer period of time. Further, the cost of these little pills is under $20 and they pack neither side effects nor additives.

Nux vomica 30X is also a remedy one can count on to be efficient and powerful, yet gentle for the relief of reflux. It is used when we have overdone a good thing…too much dip, too many drinks on New Year's Day, too much candy on Halloween. It will antidote the symptoms of heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even irritability, as long as this cluster of symptoms matches.

Even a hangover is a thing of the past with the correct use of Nux vomica. Taken every few hours, it will offer not only relief but do so without side effects. Often the person suffering from indigestion who will benefit from Nux vomica 30X also complains of wakefulness, usually around 3:00 a.m., with the thoughts of the day dancing around in his or her head.

The materia medica of homeopathy has thousands of remedies that have been used since the late 1700s. They are as consistent today as they were when the homeopathic doctors used them then. Homeopathy is not capricious; it doesn’t declare that the latest drug is “the” solution only to have it pushed to the back of the pharmacy shelf within months or years in lieu of the newest hottest catholicon. Better yet; no homeopathic remedy has ever been withdrawn from the market due to subsequent illness that it has caused.

So when you’ve eaten too much turkey or had more than your share of wine consider homeopathy. It may not only relieve your heartburn, but also the irritability that comes from having to withstand the parade of irksome drug commercials during the football game!

I have written more in my latest Ezine. Take a look here is the link to my website where you will find my latest Ezine as well an archive of past ones. Enjoy! http://homeopathyworks.net/newsletters.cfm

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Psychiatric Skin

Marley MacAfee has doe eyes and a temperament to be reckoned with. Some might politely say she’s spirited. But may I be frank? Marley has been known to have violent tantrums and can be a destructive drama queen. We’re not talking about little anger fits, we’re referring to slash-and-burn behavior—the kind of rage that would be grounds for neighbors to call the police. And Marley’s only twelve!

But as her parents hasten to say, she wasn’t always this way. Her mom can’t help but turn this over and over in her mind as to what happened to her little girl. Indeed, she always had a temper, but the rage had lately become pathological. And, as if that weren’t enough, Marley began experiencing despair during which she would hole up in her room for days.

Let’s examine the timeline in Marley’s life that led to her emotional illness. One clue is that around the time Marley became ardently aware of her appearance, things shifted in her conduct. She was embarrassed by her skin because she had always been plagued with eczema. Her mom thought that perhaps Marley was the target of ridicule at school because of her often disfigured skin. Yet, even that hypothesis didn’t fit snugly because Marley seemed to have a lot of friends… up until she started her enraged hysterics. No one seemed safe from Marley’s venomous temper.

And so because of all this, in spite of Mrs. MacAfee’s natural health standards, she took Marley to a dermatologist. Predictably, he prescribed steroid cream. The MacAfees had avoided such resorts because they knew of the reputed long term effects. But within short order after consenting to the cream, Marley’s skin was clear for the first time in her short life. A temporary sense of relief visited the MacAfee household.

However, instead of being satisfied with this improvement, shortly after the skin fix Marley began to exhibit fierce fits of anger. Her parents chalked it up to her burgeoning hormones yet it didn’t matter what time of the month it was. . . Marley was increasingly more demanding, fractious and recalcitrant.

One afternoon Marley’s aunt witnessed a disturbing incident at school. There to take her niece shopping for new shoes, she found Marley screaming at the top of her lungs while biting, kicking and spitting at a small group of younger children. She hated to report what she saw but knew it was important for Marley’s mom to know. And then she hung her head and sadly added, “She’s not right; she ought to see a psychiatrist.” Humiliated and troubled, Marley’s mom had to agree with the assessment but hesitated, since, “All they do is hand out more drugs.”

So, it was only out of desperation and her persevering temperament that Mrs. MacAfee began to read the medical books that her grandfather, a homeopathic physician from England, had left in his library. The revered old books presented a kind of reasoning that no one else offered. One elegant, leather-bound tome contained a chapter on behavior in which two sentences rang like heralding bells of truth. The first read: “Removal of local symptoms results in a heightening of the whole disease.” The second: “Almost all mental and emotional diseases are one-sided diseases in which the somatic symptoms have diminished and the mental and emotional symptoms have heightened.”

What?! She scrutinized the passages again and again, pulling each word apart. The dermatologist had said Marley’s skin was cured; in other words, the skin appeared improved, but according to this medical text, the illness was driven to a deeper state. Were Marley’s skin eruptions removed only to be replaced by a deepening of this vile conduct? Could that be the reason for the behavioral problems? Mrs. MacAfee’s next thought was, “My God! What have we done?”

She had known that all drugs carry side effects, but to think that this could happen to her daughter and, as Dr. Hahnemann stated in his books, that it was predictable, was an astounding epiphany. If indeed the drug had driven the illness to a deeper state, then it would make sense to halt its use immediately. As she read on, Hahnemann elaborated, “Homeopathic treatments can produce rapid and striking results in cases of mental and emotional disease.” “That’s it!” she declared, “I’m going to contact that homeopath mom uses on the East Coast.”

The phone appointment went just as Marley’s mom had hoped. Since Marley was already off the steroids by this time, they had a clean slate to work with. The homeopath reiterated what Dr. Hahnemann had written in his ground-breaking treatise on homeopathic medicine and quoted another statement that also rang true. “Violent allopathic means produce other maladies.” Violent? The homeopath explained that anything that forces pathology to change direction by tinkering with the symptoms is considered violent because, “All medicines alter the mental and emotional state, each in a different way.”

The homeopath assured Mrs. MacAfee that if the remedy she chose specifically for Marley was indeed well selected, she could expect changes within a few weeks, but the eczema would likely return. That would be cause for celebration, for as the eruptions returned, the behavior would subside and the old Marley would resurface. Then, and only then, could homeopathy offer the correct stimulus that would allow the skin eruptions to disband.

The first remedy the homeopath chose was Nux vomica. She explained that another remedy would need to follow it within a few weeks to continue the work after Nux vomica’s action was complete.

Just as expected, Marley’s skin did indeed worsen. In fact, it become more prominent than ever, with pustules that enveloped her jaw line. It wasn’t easy to witness this development, but Mrs. MacAfee held steadfast, even with Marley’s protests. Yet the child seemed to comprehend the importance of this crucial step. In the scheme of things it was certainly better than emotional illness. And as much as they wanted to put soothing emollients on Marley’s skin, the old book and homeopath concurred: “Put nothing on it and allow it to liberate the pathology.”

In the meantime Marley’s complaints became mere whispers in comparison to her earlier outrages. It took about five weeks before her former behavior moderated.

On one occasion only, after the family had returned home from church, Marley threw a spitting fit on the front lawn that was quite embarrassing. Her father took her firmly to her room while her mother made feeble apologies to the neighbors. But this outburst was the last time Marley MacAfee acted like an out-of-control, frenzied, inept child.

After the second consultation with their homeopath, Causticum was chosen. A month later, the last vestiges of Marley’s eczema disappeared. Like a choreographed pas de deux of the intellect and the corporeal, the human body displayed its harmonious response to intelligent prescribing.

Now Marley is free of skin ailments, liberated from the burdens of emotional illness, and her family is able to proudly attend any event.

And too, Mrs. MacAfee is a more learned mom. She recognizes firsthand that it’s not the side effects of drugs that are the scoundrels, but the fact that the drugs drive illness to a deepened state, and this is the seed of chronic physical and even mental illness. Marley and her family are more convinced than ever that they will remain drug free.

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