Because acne is such an important subject in the life of a teen, the pressure to use antibiotic treatment looms. Topical creams suppress the body’s ability to complete its function. What is applied to the skin is readily absorbed into the body. A good rule of thumb is, if you can’t eat it, don’t wear it. Daily antibiotics at such a tender and developmental time would set the stage for future problems, so it’s prudent to find a natural solution. By far the most reliable treatment for recalcitrant acne is homeopathic constitutional care provided by a homeopath. This will unearth the propensity for the problem often in spite of diet or lifestyle.
Tip: It is vital for the health of those who live in cold regions to eat a diet high in good quality fats such as butter, whole raw milk, whole cheese and cod liver oil.
Tip: Ferrum Phos 6X is a wonderful cell salt for colds and flu when there is inflammation. I've always taught that it could be used at the onset of any inflammation, but it can also be used prophelactically. That is, before the need arises. Used in this way, it has proven effective again and again. 4 pills = 1 dose, taken 2 -3 times daily until the flu season is over. Homeopathic remedies are quite safe in 6X potency as long as they are used judiciously.
Tip: The best way to keep from getting any acute illness such as the flu or colds is to keep your constitutional care current. A visit to your homeopath every 6 weeks (if problems remain) is a good rule of thumb.
Herbal tip: Echinacea angustifolia has a worldwide reputation for enhancing the immune system. If you are blessed enough to have it growing in your garden, harvest its roots and make your own tincture, following the instructions in a good herbal book. If your closest source is the health food store, then buy the highest quality liquid. Liquid preparations are usually fresher than capsules so they don’t lose their strength. I like the brands Gaia and Herbpharm. It has been shown that drawing up 20-25 drops in the pipette, putting in water and sip 1-2 glasses per day. The recommended use is ¼ of the amount for children. Echinacea is recommended as a preventative for only a few weeks and during a cold or flu. Prolonged use causes its ability to diminish. Some people are allergic to Echinacea, so watch for allergic signs after trying a small amount. It has been shown that most people have only positive results.
Nutri-tip: Minimize or eliminate your sugar intake. It creates an acid/alkaline imbalance that is fodder for viruses.
Homeo-tip: For the cold and flu season, the best way to boost your immune system homeopathically is to get the correct constitutional remedy. That is a remedy that takes the entire person into account, including, perhaps, susceptibility to colds and flu. This is found by working with your homeopath. Short of constitutional care by a homeopath, the next prophylactic technique is to purchase the remedy Oscillococcinum, sometimes wisely named “Flu Solution”. Most health food stores and some large grocery stores carry it. One dose taken before you get the flu and taken 1 time each month until the flu season has passed is the most efficacious method. The dose is the same for an infant as for an adult. I suggest, however, if you are presently under constitutional care and already taking a remedy, that you not do this unless the flu presents a serious threat to you or you’ve checked with your homeopath.
Often when we administer a remedy that is correct, we witness an aggravation. This is a phenomenon that occurs more often when treating chronic conditions, but is useful to understand when working with acutes. An aggravation is an exacerbation of the present symptoms or a return of old symptoms. This situation is generally short lived and is often a confirmation that the correct remedy has been used. After the completion of the aggravation, not only will the patient suffers complaint, but he will be left in a better state than before the pathology began. This is frequently accompanied by an old friend – “well being”.
To take a homeopathic remedy, pour the pills into the cap and count out the number without touching them, if possible. The concern here is that perfumed hand soap or another strong odor may be present on your hands and could antidote the remedy. Holding remedies in one’s hand can release their ability, so if the remedy is intended for you, then holding it could be of value.
If a pill falls on the floor, do not return it to the bottle. Instead, discard it or use it immediately if the floor is clean enough. After the number of pills has been counted, simply drop them directly from the cap into your mouth and let them dissolve.
I urge my students not to give an entire bottle of a remedy away when someone else is in need. Our remedies are precious and are often needed just after lending the bottle to someone. Instead, put the needed dose in a clean envelope and label it. It will last for some time in paper, but not indefinitely. Glass is the only sure way to store for long periods of time.
Don’t transfer remedies into bottles that have held other remedies unless you boil the bottle for at least ten minutes.
When opening a homeopathic remedy bottle, be aware of strong odors that may affect the value of the contents. A room that has been freshly painted with strong smelling paint or one that’s just been scrubbed with Spic and Span can cause antidoting. Antidoting a remedy means that it is rendered useless. The worst offenders of antidoting are the following essential oils: mint, camphor, eucalyptus, tiger balm, and tea tree oil. These substances will antidote not only a bottle of a remedy, but also the action of the remedy after taken. Take care not to use them after ingestion of a remedy.
Recent years have seen a profound shift in thinking about health and medicine. The public is clamoring for medicine that makes sense. Intelligent people are asking, “If orthodox medicine is really effective, why are antibiotics, the mainstay of conventional medicine, now considered so dangerous?” And, “Why are classrooms filled with asthmatics and ADD children, when, only a generation ago they were rare?” Arising from such concerns is a trend toward a more holistic viewpoint.
The underlying concept in holism is that we are each an integrated whole; we are not fragmented into separate parts falling into different specific illnesses or diagnostic categories.
Homeopathy views the person as a whole. This combines their mental state including prevailing thoughts, their emotions such as moods, their physicals such as headaches, and their generals such as their temperature. Success in terms of health must include all these areas or else freedom from ill health will not be achieved.
Whether we realize it or not, our ill health is closely related to the ideas we have and the emotions we experience. These are all symptoms that need to be observed and used to determine the correct remedy. In most cases, the cure will not follow unless we adhere to this fundamental rule of classical homeopathy.