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In this podcast, we cover:

03:35  Casey’s journey with homeopathy   

16:10  Broken shoulder, colds, poison ivy, headaches, and food issues

27:06  Mark’s belief in homeopathy and self-healing

32:48  What is bursitis

43:06  Life without homeopathy for Levi and his family

52:36  Iris ver and Mag phos for acid reflux

57:20  Who is Levi

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In this podcast, we cover:

04:15    Differentiating between homeopathy and natural medicine

18:30    All About Dosing

26:20    Aggravation

30:45    Proving

36:50    The Banerji Protocols

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In this podcast, we cover:

03:20    Starting Homeopathy

09:06    Success stories with Arnica, Ruta, Symphytum, and Nux vomica

15:36    Implementing Joette’s teachings & protocols into the practice of proper nutrition

24:49    Using moderate diet with the remedies

You are listening to a podcast from joettecalabrese.com where nationally certified American homeopath, public speaker, and author, Joette Calabrese, shares her passion for helping families stay healthy through homeopathy and nutrient-dense nutrition.

Paola:  It’s podcast number 32 at JoetteCalabrese.com. Today, we’ve got a new episode for the Moms with Moxie miniseries.

Joette:  All the way from my desk in New York, I get to see how homeopathy is transforming lives all over the globe. Some of my students have really caught my eye. Some of you have done all you can to learn how to cure those around you using homeopathic medicines. Your successes inspire me. They’re glorious and powerful. I can’t keep your successes a secret any longer. So, with help from my roving reporter, Paola, we bring you this mini podcast series that I call Moms with Moxie. It’s actually grandmoms, too. But it’s Moms with Moxie. See how regular mothers and others, average people who want to cure those around them have gone from freaking to fabulous with homeopathy.

Paola:  I’m very much looking forward to who I’m interviewing today. I have Sheryl Shenefelt with me and she’s an interesting gal. She has been in the holistic alternative health world for quite a while now. I think you were saying, Sheryl, since before you had your own kids, which is every girl’s dream I feel like. Well, every seasoned mom’s dream. I mean, I wish I was down that road before I had kids, too. So, you’re awesome.

Sheryl:  Oh, thank you.

Paola:  You’re welcome. So, tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you’re a mom of two.

Sheryl:  Yes. I have two kids. My daughter is 15 and my son is 11. I’m also an author and a nutritionist. I’ve been working in the nutrition world really since when I was pregnant with my daughter. I’ve also written five nutrition books with a holistic medical doctor, Dr. David Brownstein, mostly on nutrition. We teamed up because I was really into eating real food, more of a holistic lifestyle. I had been studying a lot with the Weston A. Price Foundation. So, we just thought eye to eye as far as how real food could really help people heal along with his holistic treatment.

Paola:  Now, I know Joette is on the board. She’s an honorary board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation. But you were telling me that you were involved in one of the first chapters of the Weston A. Price Foundation?

Sheryl:  Yes. Actually, the first chapter was here in Detroit, Michigan. They had only been around for a couple of years and I found them. I actually ended up being on the board of the local chapter and getting really involved, and helping people to find local farmers, and get connected with food. It really just fit right into my practice as a nutritionist. Now, I also use homeopathy. That was the basis of what I do even now. I did a lot more then.

Paola:  That’s awesome. Yes. We’re going to get into that in how you combined nutrition with homeopathy. But let’s start at the beginning of your journey with homeopathy. I know that you’ve told me you would much rather have homeopathy in your life than not. Tell me about your early experiences with homeopathy and what situations you used at work.

Starting Homeopathy

Sheryl:  I connected with a homeopath while I was pregnant actually. She taught me a little bit about homeopathy. I was already on the page that I wanted to have a natural childbirth but she said that I could do it without any pain meds if I just used homeopathy. So, I ended up using Arnica throughout my whole birth process and it worked. It was amazing. I mean, I can’t say I was pain-free. But I guess I didn’t use any pain meds or do epidural or anything like that. So, I was very happy to have my daughter naturally, the way I had planned.

Paola:  Oh, that’s awesome. Good old Arnica to the rescue.

Sheryl:  I know and I still…Arnica is my favorite remedy ever. I use it a lot with my kids, for myself and just for pain or injuries. So, I love it. It’s my go-to.

Paola:  I know. I always tell people like, “What do you do if you know someone who’s skeptical with homeopathy? I just wait for them to have an accident and use Arnica. Then it’s going to be fine. Then no.”

Sheryl:  No, no, no.

Paola:  Yes, then no, no. Arnica – yes, exactly. I mean, if homeopathy were a high school and all the remedies were people, Arnica would be class president, very popular, very successful, easy to use. So that’s awesome. You started working with a homeopath. Did you just pretty much go to your homeopathy appointment every time you got sick or did you ever start trying to transition into using it yourself without the assistance?

Sheryl:  I did. I really was drawn to homeopathy. Its power gave me a lot of incentive to find out more about it. Then having my children, really, I wanted to raise them drug-free, so I wanted to know what options were out there. So, I really started studying homeopathy more. I did see a classical homeopath who directed us in that route. But like acute situations and things like that, I started to learn on my own. So that I could, if my daughter or son has a cough or sniffles or something, that I could just go to my resources and my homeopathy kit and pick something to use rather than medication.

Paola:  Right. I think that’s pretty standard. Joette has said that among classical homeopaths, they do encourage moms to learn homeopathy for acute prescription of their own families and themselves. That’s good. So, you started dabbling into that. Have you ever happened to give say, antibiotics to your kids?

Sheryl:  Actually, one time. I’m still kicking myself for doing that because I know now, obviously, I didn’t know then. So, I have to give myself a break that I didn’t know then about the choices at that time. So definitely I’ve been working on using probiotics and rebuilding, and now just learning more about homeopathy. I can use that as my medicines.

Paola:  What was it for, that antibiotic?

Sheryl:  For strep throat. We got too far along on the strep throat that I just didn’t know enough about the homeopathy that it was going to take care of it.

Paola:  Right. Yes. You are not allowed to mom-guilt yourself for doing that because I did not have any natural childbirth and too old as to have had antibiotics and what not. So, you’re doing pretty good giving your son the one.

Sheryl:  He ended up actually getting strep throat again. That time, I was able to use Hepar sulph and that took care of it. Now, he hasn’t had it since.

Paola:  Yehey! That’s the way we like it. It sounds like the first time he has strep was pre-Joette because, with classical homeopathy, you have to repertorize and find exactly, is it the right side, the left side? What kind of strep throat are we dealing with? Then when he got strep throat the second time, was that with Joette’s information available to you?

Sheryl:  Yes. I had just met her. So, I didn’t know everything about it yet and I hadn’t been through her classes and whatnot yet. So that’s why I didn’t feel comfortable, b ut yes. Then the second time, I had been through her class. I had talked to her more. I felt really comfortable sticking with it. And so, that’s what pushed me along.

Paola:  So really before, you were hesitant with homeopathy and Joette kind of gave you permission? Is that right?

Sheryl:  Yes, yes. Definitely her classes, I love her classes. I’ve done all of them. One of them, just the Survivalist, I’m still working to get through.

Paola:  Oh, yes. That’s a good one.

Sheryl:  But the Good Gut, Bad Gut, the Skin, the Allergies, so it just really opened my eyes up to, even more, uses for homeopathy that just made it so exciting and also gave me more confidence to say, “Hey! This remedy is for this. Here’s what’s happening.” I feel good about giving it.”

Paola:  I find that that’s typical among people who did homeopathy before they met Joette. Then after Joette, it’s like their view of homeopathy broadens because you realize with her practical approach that there’s so much more you just could work for.

Sheryl:  Absolutely.

Paola:  Well, I can relate to that because my mom did raise me using a lot of homeopathic remedies. We were immigrants and didn’t have health insurance right away when we moved here on my dad’s student visa. She used homeopathy. But then it’s like as soon as we got health insurance, she stopped using it because she thought, “Oh well, now this is better.” But knowing what I know now, knowing what my mom knows now, she’s like, “Oh, boy! I wish I had realized how deep this stuff was and I would have just stuck with it.”

Sheryl:  Wow! Right.

Paola:  It’s kind of a shame. Okay. Why don’t you tell us some of your acute successes with homeopathy?

Success stories with Arnica, Ruta, Symphytum, and Nux vomica

Sheryl:  Some of the other ways that I’ve used homeopathy is when my daughter sprained her ankle. I gave her Arnica right away for the pain. Then I started her on the Ruta for the sprain. She really felt like, after no time at all, I was almost like, “Doesn’t your ankle hurt?” She was like, “No. I feel fine.” She was like in two days walking on it. She was like, “It doesn’t hurt.” But it was purple and black and blue, but it didn’t hurt.

Paola:  Oh, wow! It looked bad but it felt great.

Sheryl:  That was amazing. Yes, it looked terrible. But it helped so fast for her. It was amazing because you could see where she was hurt. I would press on it and she was like, “Oh, don’t touch it.” But she was able to walk and do everything she needs. She went to school after only a couple of days on the remedy.

Paola:  That’s incredible. Tell our listeners what Ruta is good for. I know it’s for deep tissue sprains.

Sheryl:  I mainly had always thought in my head like Ruta, I knew it was for sprains and strain.

Paola:  Yes.

Sheryl:  So I guess, as soon as she sprained it, it popped in my head. I’m like, “Oh, that’s right.” I learned that Ruta is for sprains and strain. That’s what made me reach for that. But then I also knew Arnica is the thing that you go first when you first have an injury. You want to give the Arnica for the shock, the trauma, and then also the pain. I actually alternated Arnica with Ruta because Arnica helped with the pain and then the Ruta was to heal.

Paola:  I think that’s fine. I think it’s really good to have these little keynotes memorized so they’re part of your muscle memory. When something happens, you’re like, “Oh, yes, Ruta, Arnica, done. You don’t really need to overthink it especially in acutes being like this.

Sheryl:  Right. That’s where I’ve gone. That’s why I love Joette’s stuff because if you have this issue, here’s what you use. If you have this issue, here’s what you use. It just sticks in my head. So, it has made it easier to select remedies when I need them. Actually, a couple of weeks ago, I had bronchitis. I did not want to go on any medication. I actually searched. I Googled it. I was reading some stuff about Kali carb and I started it and it helped immediately. I was having trouble breathing and I took it. I was like, “Oh, I can breathe again,” like it was night and day. That helped so fast. That was mind-blowing because I hadn’t really used it in a severe — to me, bronchitis was getting a little more severe because I didn’t want to get pneumonia or have it get worse.

Paola:  Good for you. I am always amazed by homeopathy. But then when you get sick again or something bad happens, you have an accident or something and you’re really depressed about it, right, because you don’t feel good. And then when the homeopathy works, it’s like, “Oh, why do I keep getting impressed and surprised with this when I know it works.” But when it works, you’re like, “Yes, it worked.”

Sheryl:  I know.

Paola:  This is so great. And you broke your foot as well, right?

Sheryl:  Yes, I did. I broke my foot and actually sprained my ankle a couple of years back. Again, I used Arnica like I did with my daughter. Then I did use some Ruta because I knew for the sprain and again I was just starting to learn about Joette. Then I was reading that for the broken bone part, I was supposed to use Symphytum. So, I waited a little bit because she mentioned that you’re not supposed to use it until you know the bone is in place because it works so quickly. So, I did wait about a week until the doctor said everything was healing properly. Then I went ahead and used the Symphytum as well.

Paola:  Yes, because I think she says, this is rough to even think about, but if your bone is not set properly in the right position and you started the Symphytum, it will fuse together in the wrong position. I mean, ultimately the doctor has to re-break the bone to fix it.

Sheryl:  Right. That would not be fun. Yes.

Paola:  That would be terrible.

Sheryl:  Insult to injury for sure.

Paola:  We do know homeopathy is wonderful and that we would never want to live without it. But I do want to gain a real picture. Has everything been easy and you just sailed through it with homeopathy or have there been some struggles?

Sheryl:  I can’t say that homeopathy isn’t like a magic bullet in our household and we’re not all 100% health and the perfect human beings. I mean, we’re still real-life humans. We live in society. We don’t eat everything perfectly. My daughter actually has some food allergies. She’s had peanut allergy since she was really little and a couple of other food allergies and just some environmental allergies. And so, that’s something that we’re still working on. It’s like a process as we go. But I love homeopathy for a lot of the acute things like we’re talking about like injuries and my bronchitis and things like that that are coming up. Then I’m finding that I can reach for homeopathy and definitely not have any drugs in the house is really amazing.

Paola:  Well, I feel like when it comes to chronic issues, we know that those things are going to be slower to uproot. Sometimes it’s slower even because you’re finding the right protocol and not just the situation. What’s really important about homeopathy, because the more distance you put from that last antibiotic, I guess this doesn’t account for you guys except for when your son had the antibiotic, but for me who’s had lots of antibiotics, the more distance I put between me and that last round which is years ago, the healthier I’m going to get.

Sheryl:  Absolutely.

Paola:  It buys you time as you figure things out.

Sheryl:  Yes. That’s why I love it so much. So now, we have things that we’re working on and we are going to still order out sometimes.

Paola:  Yes.

Sheryl:  Yes. Sometimes we’ll either go to a party or go out to eat. I’ve learned from Joette the Nux vomica is great in those situations for say, overindulgence or maybe eating poor food choices. So, I do keep that one in my back pocket as well.

Paola:  Oh, that’s good. So, you find success using Nux vomica when you party, so to speak.

Sheryl:  Yes, exactly.

Paola:  Let’s go back to what you do for work. You said you’re a nutritionist, which I think is so interesting and that you have started recently implementing homeopathic protocols that Joette teaches into your practice and you like that. Tell us about that.

Implementing Joette’s teachings & protocols into the practice of proper nutrition

Sheryl:  Yes, you know what? I really have enjoyed using some of the protocols. Before I met Joette, I was just really working more with the Weston A. Price principle and helping people to change their diet so they’re eating more real food. I connect people with local farmers. I teach them how to make broths and things to help them health-wise. But now that I have the protocols with the homeopathy, I feel like I’m starting to give those to clients and they’re noticing shifts. Sometimes the diet changes take a little longer to see the shift. But with the homeopathy, and there’s a few of them that I actually use quite a bit, one being Lycopodium, Arsenicum.                                                                                     

Paola:  Lycopodium 200 mixed with Arsenicum 200.

Sheryl:  Right. Yes.

Paola:  Okay.

Sheryl:  That’s one of the Banerji Protocols that Joette teaches in her Good Gut, Bad Gut class.

Paola:  Okay.

Sheryl:  I’ve used that one probably the most out of all of them because so many people come in with bloating, and gas, and indigestion, and stomach aches, and whatnot. So, that’s been my go-to because I see so many people with digestive complaints that I really have been using that a lot. People seem to get relief very quickly. Then they’re more up to make more of the diet changes.

Paola:  Right, because it’s like, “If I’m going to spend all this time boiling bones or making fermented stuff and still feel bloated, I might as well just eat my pizza that I like and feel bloated.”

Sheryl:  Right, exactly. Yes, so it just helps because they work hand in hand so that they feel some relief. But then they’re also making their lifestyle changes that are necessary for ongoing health.

Paola:  Right. I think Joette, her slogan used to be homeopathy where nutrition meets homeopathy. But now, she just feels like she wants to really laser-focus on the homeopathy. It is such a broad subject that she’s spending less time educating on the diet especially because I feel like there are so many people like you out there and different bloggers who are educating people on diet and so, she felt like that wasn’t as needed. But you’re right. I do think that it can help speed what the diet does for people.

Sheryl:  Right, right. Yes. I mean, I think that’s like a missing piece that really helps accelerate the healing.

Paola:  I was speaking with a Weston A. Price chapter leader. Joette is working on a project for Weston A. Price chapter leaders, a presentation. One of the things that we got out of the meeting is that when Joette taught her Good Gut, Bad Gut course several years ago (I mean what was it, like four years ago), she said that a healthy diet — like you were saying the Weston A. Price principles of bone broth, raw milk, and all that stuff — takes care of 70% of the symptoms. What you’re left with is a 30% illness. But what Joette has witnessed in her practice and what other chapter leaders are seeing is that people are becoming sicker and sicker. Joette is seeing the reversal where diet is getting them 30% better and they’re left with 70% which is really concerning. Have you seen some of that? Is that a growing trend that you’ve witnessed anecdotally with your clients?

Sheryl:  I do feel similar in that respect. I feel like there’s a lot more digestive issues coming out and autoimmune conditions and things that I just don’t always feel like diet is enough. Although I do think it’s huge and definitely has to be addressed but not always enough to give people relief really from what they’re feeling or to see healing. That’s where I think the homeopathy helps so much because I think people feel a shift.

Paola:  Yes. Yes, because it is like you said, deflating when you’ve done all the work for the diet and you’re not feeling better yet.

Sheryl:  Right.

Paola:  Would you be willing to share with us a few of your other favorite protocols that you’ve been using with your nutrition clients?

Sheryl:  Yes. One of the other ones is actually the Lycopodium 200 with the Plumbum 200, mixed. That one actually is amazing for constipation.

Paola:  Yes.

Sheryl:  I seriously doubted it. I was like, “Okay, is this even going to work?” I actually had to use it on myself because I was struggling with that, just being open and honest here.

Paola:  Sure.

Sheryl:  So, I took it. Literally, I swear, it worked overnight.

Paola:  Yes.

Sheryl:  I mean, I don’t want to be graphic or anything but it was just like, “Okay. I am sold. This is the remedy I’m going to start using.” So, I started using it with some clients too. I have to say that they agree with me. Maybe not everybody overnight but if they stick with it, they notice the change.

Paola:  Right. I can relate, too because the day after Thanksgiving, leading up to Thanksgiving, I was preparing food for the week of Thanksgiving. I’m snacking on stuff. I feel like we have pretty healthy Thanksgiving. But I’m probably overindulging and I, myself got constipated. The day after Thanksgiving, we were going to this fair where we were going to be walking around all day outside. I took the Lyco Plumbum before we left. I was like, “Oh, shoot! I shouldn’t have done that,” because I just had, and again I don’t want to be graphic, but just nice, healthy bowel movements all day. I was like, “I got to go to the bathroom again. You guys, I’m so sorry.” I was like, “Okay. Next time, I’m going to wait until after the fair to do the protocol.”

Sheryl:  Right, right.

Paola:  Good. Any other protocols that you think our listeners might enjoy knowing about? I mean, these are all protocols that Joette has talked about on the blog and in her courses but it’s nice to have them all in one place here on this podcast.

Sheryl:  Right, right. Yes. You know what? Actually, I had a client who probably she was on vacation. They have gone out to dinner. She felt horrible after dinner. We pretty much narrowed it down. It sounded like a food poisoning type thing. So, I actually gave her the Arsenicum.

Paola:  Okay. Do you remember what potency?

Sheryl:  You know what? She could only get the 30.

Paola:  Okay.

Sheryl:  She had to get it locally at the store. So, I told her to take the Arsenicum 30. I told her to take it actually every 15 minutes.

Paola:  Okay, yes. So, it was pretty severe.

Sheryl:  Yes. She couldn’t move. She was in horrible pain. She said she felt better within an hour.

Paola:  Wow! That’s an improvement. Wow!

Sheryl:  Yes. So that was one. Now, I actually sometimes use that even for people if they say they’ve gone out to dinner and then they have a stomachache. I’ve used it with a couple of other people and they’ve had relief, even if they don’t know for sure if it’s food poisoning.

Paola:  Right, it’s just that stomach pain.

Sheryl:  But if they’re having issues after eating out, then I found out that one just works really well. Again, I use the Nux vomica if people go a party or overindulge or maybe drink too much. Then I recommended to that to people with success.

Paola:  Interesting. Then the Arsenicum for that stomach pain when they’ve gone out, is that Arsenicum 6?

Sheryl:  You know what? I’ve used both.

Paola:  Okay.

Sheryl:  I’ve used actually Arsenicum 6 for some congestion and Arsenicum 30 more for the stomach pain. But I know she suggests some different ways at different times.

Paola: [0:23:18 crosstalk]

Sheryl:  Yes.

Paola:  I know for us, before Joette, we did the full GAPS. We started Intro to GAPS and did all the steps. My four kids, they still refer to like, “Mom, remember that one time we went to the park?” I’m like, “I don’t remember.” It was before we ate soup. I’m like, “Oh, boy.”

Sheryl:  Oh.

Paola:  I know. It traumatized them. I know. That’s how they remember. It’s like this key time in our life when we ate a lot of soup. Anyway, as we transitioned out of the GAPS diet, my middle little boy, he was having lots of stomach pain. He was like, “Mom, my tummy hurts. Mom, my tummy hurts.” We’re drinking raw milk. We have a Jersey in the backyard. So, we’re eating well. We’re having lots of the good foods like you’re talking about. But he would still have this nagging tummy pain. So, we did do the Bovista protocol that you learn in the Good Gut, Bad Gut course with food intolerances. But also in addition to that, not mixed, but we did Colocynthis 30 twice a day. That helped tremendously. That was tremendously helpful for stomach pains for him. I think if you take the course, you can learn about the Arsenicum for stomach pain and the Colocynthis and differentiate between the two and what situations they’d be best served.

Sheryl:  Yes, for sure. Yes, they’re both great remedies.

Paola:  In closing, since we’ve been talking about diet and homeopathy, you used to be extreme with your Weston A. Price principles of diet. You’ve shifted from that. I think homeopathy has helped you do that. So, why don’t you tell us a little bit about that angle?

Using moderate diet with the remedies

Sheryl:  Yes. I would say definitely with help from Joette in teaching me about how much the homeopathy can help as well as still eating some of the foods that we want to eat or that are available to us, it helped me lighten up a little bit as far as how strict I am on diet. Maybe everything doesn’t have to be home-made or sprouted or cooked in broth or raw every second. So, I guess I’ve just lightened up a little bit and yet, I’m using the remedies regularly. Like I said, my daughter has some food allergies so I am using the Bovista and some of the other food intolerance remedies that she suggests in the course. And so, hopefully, my goal is to be able to feel that without having to be so extreme on the diet.

Paola:  Right, exactly. I think that’s the way to do it. I mean Joette says, and this is like blasphemy for a nutritionist, but she says, “You should be able to have McDonald’s.” Not that you ought to, but you should be able to do that.

Sheryl:  Yes, not that I would ever want that.

Paola:  I know. That’s gross. But yes. Remember what she said in the Good Gut, Bad Gut course? Do you remember this where she said, “I had an Egg McMuffin this week.”? And I was just like, “Oh, my goodness! This is like blasphemy.”

Sheryl:  Right.

Paola:  But I remember she was leaving town for an emergency with a family member. It’s nice to not have to pack the whole cooler full of specialized food and just be where your family needs you.

Sheryl:  Yes, and even my client who travels a lot, now she just carries the Arsenicum with her. She now uses that when she has the stomach pain after eating out. She just can’t even believe it.

Paola:  That’s awesome.

Sheryl:  So, she’s still able to eat out and yet has some relief either with that or Nux vomica. She found what works for her now. It’s pretty amazing.

Paola:  You remind me of the moms with moxie who have a lot of children, like Gaylyn, I think she has seven or eight children because you have all these clients. So, you get to see the homeopathy working for so many people on a regular basis.

Sheryl:  Right, right. That’s interesting. I always have such gratitude to those mothers out there who have so many. I’m always in awe of them.

Paola:  Yes, for sure. I know it. Well, Sheryl, thank you so much for letting me pick your brain on all things homeopathy and for being willing to chat with us. I think that your message is valuable. I love the combination that you brought in, that angle of diet with homeopathy. I think that’s wonderful. Thank you so much.

Sheryl:  Well, thank you. I really appreciate you having me.

Joette:  Are you or someone you know a mom with moxie? Well, we’re on the hunt for you. Of course, we don’t want to hear just from moms but from anyone who uses and loves homeopathy. Reach out to my podcast team and let us know why you’re a mom with moxie. For more information, contact podcast@joettecalabrese.com.

Thank you for listening to this podcast with Joette Calabrese. If you liked it, please share it with your friends. To learn more and find out if homeopathy is a good fit in your health strategy, visit joettecalabrese.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:47 — 62.2MB)

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I’m especially excited about this month’s Sunday Podcast. First of all, I’m excited because we’re introducing a new series: Dads with Audacity. We hope that this series can encourage more husbands into the fold, by giving voices to the many men out there who are already supportive of their wives’ use of homeopathy in the family. And, I’m especially excited about this particular Dad with Audacity — because he is my husband, Perry! Maybe your husband will also enjoy meeting him, and getting a glimpse into how important homeopathy has been in our life together. Click here to listen to the podcast or read the transcript of Dads with Audacity: Empowering Wives — and Husbands — with Homeopathy!In this podcast, we cover: (more…)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:13 — 60.1MB)

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In this podcast, we cover:

04:39    Finding Joette’s homeopathy

10:00    Organizing Joette’s blogs

12:25    Success stories and others

18:33    Failures encountered

25:29    Avoiding the ER

You are listening to a podcast from joettecalabrese.com where nationally certified American homeopath, public speaker, and author, Joette Calabrese, shares her passion for helping families stay healthy through homeopathy and nutrient-dense nutrition.

Paola:  It’s podcast number 30 at joettecalabrese.com. We’ve got another Moms with Moxie miniseries for you.  

Joette:  All the way from my desk in New York, I get to see how homeopathy is transforming lives all over the globe. Some of my students have really caught my eye. Some of you have done all you can to learn how to cure those around you using homeopathic medicines. Your successes inspire me and they’re glorious and powerful. I can’t keep your successes a secret any longer. So, with help from my roving reporter, Paola, we bring you this mini podcast series that I call “Moms with Moxie.” It’s actually grandmoms, too but it’s Moms with Moxie. See how regular mothers and others, average people who want to cure those around them have gone from freaking to fabulous with homeopathy. 

Paola:   I am so excited to do another Moms with Moxie podcast. Today, we have Heather Stein. Heather is a rock star. She is a homeschooling mom of six. Her oldest is 10 and her youngest is a newborn. I actually tried scheduling this with you, Heather a while ago but you emailed back and said, “Well, I just gave birth like last week or something. So, can we push it out?” So, that was so funny. And you hail from St. Louis, Missouri.

Heather:  That’s right.

Paola:  Okay. I have just really enjoyed hearing your story. You seem like a very organized mom that’s on top of it. I think our listeners are going to enjoy hearing about that. So, let’s start. How did you come to find homeopathy?

Heather:  I came to find homeopathy when I was kind of embarking on natural health in general. My first child was one year old. We found out she had asthma. She had food allergies. She had an ear infection. A mom that I knew recommended just looking into this whole world of natural health which was totally new to me. As I was finding ways to heal my new family more naturally, I kept running into homeopathy. I didn’t understand what it was. It took kind of a learning curve. It wasn’t until a couple of years later, my midwife when I was having my second child was recommending some homeopathic. I said, “I really have to look into this.” So, I started learning more about it mainly just through books that I bought, also through online research. I started using mainly just low potency combination remedies to kind of try to get at some of the acute things that my family was dealing with.

Paola:  Awesome. That’s a great way to start. So, you knew right from the get-go that homeopathy was different from home remedies, natural remedies, how people lump those together.

Heather:  Yes, the Latin names really helped to set it apart for me that these things are all grouped together and there’s something different.

Paola:  Good for you. Yes. I have always had a sense that it was different. Thanks to my mom. But it’s important for anyone who’s listening to know that when you talk about homeopathy, we all get so familiar with it that we forget that other people might think it’s home remedies or whatever. So, you told me that you have a background in psychology and that homeopathy really made sense to you and influenced you to kind of continue pursuing it. So, tell us about that.

Heather:  Yes. So, I naturally kind of went to psychology as a major in college. I got a Bachelor’s in that. I just kind of had a little bit of a natural gift there and enjoyed figuring out how people check, and looking at the emotions, and how those fit together for people. So, when I was looking at homeopathy, I got really excited to find out that there was something more that I could do besides acute. So, I kind of started delving into classical a little bit because I saw how homeopathy looked at not just what was happening with the body but what was happening with the mind as well. So, that kind of got me involved a little bit further into homeopathy. I started looking at classical remedies. I had some success with it. I think because of my psychology background, it kind of made sense to me. But it was still a little bit hit or miss. I never really had too much confidence that the remedy was going to work. But I had enough confidence and enough successes that I felt like I was going to stick with it and keep trying and keep learning.

Paola:  Good for you. That’s exactly right. I think that’s wonderful that you kept pursuing it. Joette does talk about how often when you have someone that’s sick, their mental state, their emotional state will shift before the general state shifts. My daughter once was angry. I remember she made eye contact with me and like screamed into my face. I was like, “Okay, you’re mad about this here.” And then I gave her Belladonna which is red, hot, and angry. The first thing to improve was her attitude about it. She fell asleep and calmed down. So, there is that mind-body connection. But then you found Joette. So, tell us about that.

Finding Joette’s homeopathy

Heather:  Yes. This was actually before Joette was talking about Banerji Protocols because I’ve been following her for probably four or five years and on her to the Wise Traditions journal. I read her articles. I liked what she had to say and her method of presenting it and how she wanted to empower people to use homeopathy. Because I kept encountering with classical saying, “This is in the information but don’t use it. You’re probably not qualified to do this.” I kind of thought, “Well, I do have a psychology background. So, it’s probably not too bad for me to [0:05:07] into this. But Joette seems to be kind of putting it out there and saying, “You can do this.” So, I really liked that.

So, I started just following her blog and really keeping up with her. When she started presenting the Banerji Protocols, I was really excited because even though I was having some success with the classical method, I knew other people that weren’t and had abandoned homeopathy because they said this isn’t working for me. But I knew that there was something there. So, I was really excited about it. It seemed streamlined, easier to understand, not so much pouring over books. And for busy moms, that’s great. So, I started kind of going along that path with what she was presenting to all of us. It really started checking out for me. That’s where homeopathy started being sort of the go-to method in our home and crowding out some of the other things that were not working as well because homeopathy was working better.

Paola:  Like natural stuff that wasn’t working as well.

Heather:  Right.

Paola:  You bring up a really interesting point. I feel like you and Joette started classical. Obviously, Joette was a professional classical homeopath but the real alumni of Joette who’ve been around before she met the Banerjis. You all liked homeopathy but when Joette found the Banerjis, she was like, “Oh my gosh. This is a game changer.” I find that people who come into this not having experienced classical homeopathy all by itself first, I don’t think they sometimes appreciate how wonderful these protocols are because it’s what they’ve always had, kind of like true with modern technology and Google. Like well, life is often easy, right, because we can just Google it and there’s the answer. Where I remember when I was a kid, you can’t Google stuff.

Heather:  That’s right, yes. Very good. This is kind of like that.

Paola:  It is. They’re so wonderful. Joette, I just thank God for her because she empowers us. You’re right, other classical homeopath don’t want us doing this. Joette is trying to equip us with what we need to know to do this. So, that’s great.

Heather:  That’s right. That’s right. I thank God for her, too. She’s great.

Paola:  So, how long have you been doing homeopathy?

Heather:  In general since the very beginning, about nine years. Then like I said, I kind of was following along with Joette. I found her somewhere in there. That’s really the way that I learned about homeopathy now because the Banerji Protocols make it so simplified. Even when it’s not a Banerji Protocol, I feel like she presents it in a manner that really puts the tools in your hand and allows you to go ahead and use it.

Paola:  Yes, very true. So I guess now, this is the main way you care for your family’s health needs.

Heather:  Yes, it is. We travel often. I would have this bin, this plastic bin that’s the same as in our house. We call it the medicine bin. That’s what I keep with us on trips. It was always loaded with herbs and just various nutraceuticals and vitamins and minerals and all different kind of things that I gathered along the way in my research and experience that might heal a problem if we were gone, if somebody had a flu, or somebody had an accident. It was always brimming over with stuff. I had to kind of lug it around. But as I’ve used homeopathy and especially as I bought the kit, that medicine bin has been completely streamlined because mostly what I use now is homeopathy. So, it makes it very easy to put the right thing and go rather than having to kind of split all this stuff around just to be prepared. I feel like it’s so easy to be prepared with homeopathy.

Paola:  So, it’s like you went from having a natural medicine suitcase to a little basket or something. So that’s good, very good. I’m always curious and I like to ask the moms with moxie like you, how does your husband fit in? Is he supportive? Did it take a lot of convincing for him or what?

Heather:  The natural health and natural food stuff in general was a big leap for him. But once we kind of got on to that road, homeopathy for him has really lumped into all that.

Paola:  I see.

Heather:  I point that one, it saves us money because I feel like that really fixed him in, my husband.

Paola:  Yes, yes.

Heather:  So, when we avoid an ER visit because I was able to use homeopathy, I’d be sure to point that out to him because that way he knows that the money that we’re spending on remedies is working. It’s saving us money. So, that kind of really speaks to him. Whenever I had a success, I’d be sure to mention it to him so he knows that this thing that I’m trying out that he doesn’t really understand, it is working.

Paola:  Right. I like the way you’re describing it. You kind of just, as a matter of fact is that you just tell him. Joette says that for men, especially the skeptical ones, don’t get too excited. Don’t do backflips even though you want to. Just kind of let them witness and see that overall improvement progression benefit like you were saying. So, that’s great. Good for him. So now, he kind of lets you do your thing. That’s great.

Heather:  Yes.

Paola:  Great. Okay Heather, at the beginning of the podcast, I mentioned that you are super organized and you’ve got your act together. So, one of the things about Joette’s blog is that there is so much amazing information on it that it gets overwhelming. I hear that you have a pretty good system to keep track of it all.

Organizing Joette’s blogs

Heather:  Yes. I am kind of an organized person. But I will say that I don’t stress about it. I don’t get really uptight about it. What I do is when I see a blog post by Joette that I think will be helpful to me, I either just write down the protocol on a little file very simply. I will note about what the remedy is and what it’s for, or if the whole blog post is really things like wow, I’m really going to need to look at this whole thing later on and reference it. Then I might print out the whole thing. Then I just stick it in a binder in a file that I have that have just a bunch of different protocols. I just print that out every once in a while. Every couple of months, I print out fresh copies so that I have everything that I need. Then that way if I don’t have access to the internet for whatever reason, I still got it all right there.

Paola:  That’s very smart. Do you have like little tabs in the binder? Do you organize it by subject or how do you do that?

Heather:  Yes. So, I have a tab for classes. Then I have a tab for just little jotted notes of remedies. And I have a tab for blog posts. It’s not organized in such a way that I can just flip to the perfect page right where it is. I do kind of have to flip through it a little bit. But I’m a busy mom. I don’t have time to really organize it to that extent. So, I just say to myself, “I’m just going to print this out.” And then it’s there.

Paola:  Yes, absolutely. One thing I’ve started doing is I’ve started squeezing little teeny, tiny notes in the margins of my materia medica, my favorite materia medica. I like that too because then it’s kind of there. Like if I learned something about this specific remedy, not really a condition, I just throw it in there. Then I have, I mentioned it before in another podcast, my little black book. I just alphabetized it. I just throw conditions and things about remedies in there too. I have to confess though. I don’t have my blogs organized. So, I will do that.

But actually that reminds me, at the time of this recording right now, we are very close to launching something. Maybe by the time it’s released, this will have already been launched. But we are going to start providing something at the end of the blog that is going to make keeping track of these protocols a little bit more easy. So, look forward to that. I think you’re going to love it.

Heather:  Oh great. That sounds great.

Paola:  Okay. So, let’s get to my favorite part of this podcast where I ask you, moms with moxie, for some stories. I’m sure you have plenty of them. Tell me what stories you have for us about successes and even, let’s be real, frustrations with homeopathy. So, let’s talk about all of them.

Success stories and others

Heather:  Some of the things that I love most about learning about homeopathy is being able to share it with other people. A lot of times, I have friends just texting and saying, “Hey, what do you think about this or what do you think about that?” One time, I had a friend who texted me and said, “I’m vomiting constantly. I can’t stop throwing up. Can you help me?” I thought, “Oh boy!” My first thought was Arsenicum. But I thought, you know, better look this up just to make sure that I’m thinking the right thing. So, I did. I thought yes, Arsenicum sounds like a really good place to start. So I said, “Well, I have this but I can’t get it to you.” She said, “Well, I can’t get it either because I’m throwing up.” So, she sent her mom over to my house.

Paola:  Oh bless those mothers.

Heather:  Mom is going to pick it up. Yes, I know. God bless her, right? And so, her mom took it over to her. She texted me a little while later and said, “This totally works. Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough.” Because when you’re that sick, you just need somebody to help you.

Paola:  I know.

Heather:  So, it was great because it was one of those things where it just worked and it worked in a dramatic way. So, that was really fun. In fact, after that experience, she wanted to learn more about homeopathy. So, she ended up taking the Good Gut, Bad Gut course because she felt how that one remedy works for her.

Paola:  Very good. So, have you taken the Good Gut, Bad Gut course?

Heather:  I have, yes. It’s been very helpful. One of the things that I use from that course was Aethusa for milk intolerance. I’ve had milk intolerance my whole life. I just never thought it could get better. I thought I just have to avoid milk forever even when I love it. So when I saw that, I thought, “I’m going to try this.”

Paola:  How did your intolerance present?

Heather:  I would have a huge eczema flare. I kind of have this low level eczema. I would drink milk and then boom! My hands would just be red and on fire and super itchy.

Paola:  Oh my gosh, okay.

Heather:  So I thought, I’m going to give this a try and I’m going to be patient with it. So, I took it for about three months. I thought, “Okay. I’m going to try it and see if anything happens so far.” And it was the same. I really couldn’t see a difference but I didn’t want to let that stop me. I thought, “Okay, she said many months.” So, I’m going to stick with it. It hasn’t been many months. It’s only been like three. So, I went for it another maybe three to six months. I thought, “Okay, I’m going to try it again.” I did. I didn’t have a big eczema flare up but I did have just a lot of sneezing, runny, mucousy nose. I thought, “Oh no, I have messed this up.” I just created a problem. But I decided to have faith and just stick with it a little bit more because I thought maybe it’s just working its way through my body. Maybe it’s getting better. Maybe it’s just a different way that it’s manifesting it.

Paola:  That is a tricky thing to kind of figure out, okay, am I getting worse? Am I getting better? I don’t know. She does coach us in her courses how to do that. But I think the interesting thing is for sure, your eczema was better. I agree. Like if I were you, I probably would have continued as well.

Heather:  Yes. It was very different from many things I have experienced in the past. Before I thought, this has to be due to the remedy. The remedy has to be doing something. I didn’t think that the remedy would make it worse. So I stuck with it. About another six months later, I kind of thought [0:15:25]. I thought, “Oh, I’m still taking this remedy. I need to see if it’s working.” So, I tried drinking a glass of milk and nothing happened. I kept searching for some symptom that was going to come up and just nothing did. It was just really impressive to me that after about a year or so of just sticking with it really worked for me.

Paola:  That’s amazing. I know you mentioned that you were reading the Wise Tradition magazine. That’s the Weston A. Price magazine. A lot of us try and eat, drink food with the Weston A. Price principles. So, that’s great that you can have raw milk now.

Heather:  Yes. It’s so frustrating to see that healthy food and say, “I just can’t eat that.” So, I’m excited.

Paola:  Exactly, very good. We have a little Jersey cow in the backyard. I used to be very intolerant to milk as well. So, I’m so thankful I can have six inches of cream any time I want to.

Heather:  That’s right. We had goats and we milk them.

Paola:  Oh awesome.

Heather:  I couldn’t drink the milk and it was so sad.

Paola:  That is so sad. How frustrating. Oh, my gosh! I would not have a cow if I’m not going to be able to drink the milk.

Heather:  Yes.

Paola:  Okay. So, tell me another story about your friend’s son who had a cough.

Heather:  Yes. A lot of my friends are very into natural health, even homeopathy. It feels like homeopathy is really taking off. Her son had a homeopathic doctor. He was a classical homeopath. She had taken her son to him and nothing had changed with the cold. And so, she was sharing with me that she was frustrated about it. She was at my house. Her son was just a little toddler. He was one year old and he was just hacking constantly. It was so sad. As she was talking to me, something was nagging in the back of my mind. I just kept thinking. I know Joette had a blog post about it but I don’t remember what the remedy was. So, I just got on the computer and I looked it up. I couldn’t exactly place what the remedy was. I plainly knew that Joette had blogged about it. I looked it up and sure enough, there it was. It was Ipecac. And so, since I had my handy kit, I went upstairs and I grabbed it. I said, “Why don’t you just try this?” She was kind of dubious because the classical homeopath hadn’t helped.

Paola:  Right.

Heather:  But I said, “I can’t make any promises but this sounds right to me.” So, she gave it to him. Within five minutes, he just bonked out and went right to sleep. I said, “Oh, that’s really good.” So, he took a nice, long nap. She loaded him in the car to come home. Later that night, she talked to me and said, “The cough is definitely getting better.” I said, “Okay. Well, keep it up until it’s very much better.” So, she kept up with it for a few days. She just thinks our story is hilarious because the classical homeopath couldn’t kick the cough and yet, we look it up on the computer, go on Joette’s blog and there it is.

Paola:  That’s wonderful. I like that secretly you outwitted the professional homeopath.

Heather:  I don’t think I could do it every time.

Paola:  Well, that’s the point here though is that Joette’s blog is so informative. I’m sure that homeopath is really great. He’s allowed to not get it right the first time all the time. But Joette has this really great ability to distill the information in the blog and make it usable and ready for us.

Heather:  Yes.

Paola:  I think it’s important to be real though. Have you had any trouble with homeopathy or frustrations?

Failures encountered

Heather:  Oh, I have. I want to talk about failures because I think it’s important that we as moms still listen to these podcasts and think, “This mom is getting it right every time. She’s always nailing it. And I keep failing. What’s wrong?” As I learn, I get it right more often. But I’ve definitely had failures. One of the failures that we had was I had a daughter with a UTI. I tried Cantharis and it wasn’t working. I had on my shopping list to buy Medorrhinum but I didn’t have it. I couldn’t give it because I didn’t have it. She ended up being brought to urgent care. We have a great natural practitioner but I couldn’t get her in and she had to have something. That was the first time that we had used drugs in a long time. It really hurt but I went, “You know what? It being on my shopping list isn’t going to cure my family.”

Paola:  That’s right.

Heather:  I needed to have it in my kit. And so, that was a really good lesson for me to make sure I have what I need.

Paola:  I agree with you. That is why we try our best to be prepared. But I think it’s good too that you haven’t beaten yourself up over it too much.

Heather:  That’s right. We just do what we can with what we’ve got at the moment.

Paola:  Right. Also, you mentioned that your daughter has some asthma as well.

Heather:  Yes, she does. She struggled with that her whole life. She’s 10. I’ve tried a lot of different natural things but it’s one of those chronic things that’s just really hard to uproot. I found a remedy through Joette’s blog that she gave for asthma. We were seeing some success and then it just kind of plateaued. I went, “I just don’t think this is working for her anymore. We’re not getting any further with it.” So, I had to put that on pause. I’m looking forward to taking Joette’s Allergic course because my understanding is she goes into that chronic asthma more there. I think that that could help get us to the next level with it. Right now, we’re just on pause there until I can take that course and learn more.

Paola:  Good for you. Yes, I think that’s a really good plan. Another frustration I think you had one time was with an ear infection with one of your kids. I think generally, ear infections can be pretty easy for kids but this is one of those times that you couldn’t figure it out with homeopathy.

Heather:  Yes. I was just trying and trying. It was clear that the remedies that I was using were not helping. Like I said, we took her to that really good natural practitioner we have and she got over it. But I wanted to learn how to overcome that with homeopathy. So, I had that on my radar as something to learn more about. Lo and behold, on one of these podcasts you mentioned the Banerji Protocol of Pulsatilla and Chamomilla.

Paola:  I’m going to repeat it. There is more than one. But the one I knew at the time is Pulsatilla 30, twice a day and then Chamomilla 30, as needed for pain, and maybe once every hour, once every 15 minutes if it’s extreme and the person is freaking out, or once every three hours if it’s under control.

Heather:  Yes. That’s what I wrote down. Sure enough, this is just last weekend. I have toddler twins. They’re two years old. My little boy came in in the morning and he had a very high fever. He was pulling on his ear and just cupping his ear. He was very fussy. We don’t have a lot of ear infections here at home but they do come up. This is his first. Right away I knew. He was saying, “My ear hurt.” I thought, “Okay. Here we go, ear infection.” This is my big chance to use this protocol and see if we can have some success. I started the protocol just as you mentioned. I was giving him the Chamomilla every 30 minutes because he was very fussy. I would give him the remedy and then he would take his nap for about 30 minutes. He’d wake up and he’d still be very cranky about it. Then I’d give it to him again. After I did three or four times, he took a big two-hour nap. Then I thought, “Oh, great. I think we’re getting something here.” He woke up again and he was a little less fussy. The fever was still very high. His ear still hurt. But I could tell that it was working. So, I gave him the remedy again.

Paola:  It goes back to that psychology at the beginning. Your mentals tend to shift before the generals…

Heather:  Yes.

Paola:  before that fever is gone or the infection is totally gone. Then what?

Heather:  Well, then he took another big two-hour nap. Then after that, I could tell that it was really, really changing. I was super confident that we had the right thing. I slowed down even more on the Chamomilla because he was just really wasn’t that irritable. By the end of the day, he was about 90%. He was back to himself. And I thought, “All right, we had a success.”

Paola:  Yes.

Heather:  I was really excited about it. I thought I have what I need now, kind of a go-to thing to try for the next ear infection. Well, little did I know, I woke up the very next morning and his twin sister comes in and she says, “My ear hurts.” “Oh, no! What is this?”

Paola:  I know.

Heather:  Why this would happen. But it did. But I was glad though because I felt like, “Okay. We had a really great success just yesterday. I’m going to try this again.” But the interesting thing was she didn’t have a fever. Whereas my son just laid there and napped all day, that’s just how he is when he is sick, my daughter is restless. She’s roaming around. She annoys everybody with her irritability. It’s just so frustrating. I thought, “Well, this is a Banerji protocol. I don’t have to look at all of that. I can just say she has an ear infection.” So I thought, “I’m going to try the same thing.”

Paola:  Yes, because in classical homeopathy, this is for the listeners who are really new to this, in classical homeopathy, you would really have to pay attention to that different presentation, right? But as Joette teaches the protocols, she’s saying as long as you have the appropriate diagnosis and you apply the protocol, then you’re good to go. So go on.

Heather:  So, I went ahead and I did the same thing that I did with her brother the day before. For her, she was irritable for longer. I didn’t see results for a longer period of time. But I wanted to stick with it. I could see about halfway into the day that yes, she was improving even though it was slowly. By the end of the day, she was very much better as well. And so, I love that story because it was just two totally different ways for the ear infection to present. The only thing that was the same was that it was an ear infection. But at the same time, that Banerji Protocol, those remedies worked for both children.

Paola:  That is a very good point. There are a few things I like about this. This is a great lesson in your experience. First is understanding the protocols and trusting them as long as you have the appropriate diagnosis. But the other thing too in that very first ear infection that you had that you couldn’t figure out, you didn’t have the protocol yet, it’s nice to have the natural practitioner. You have a back-up plan. I think that’s really quite wise because you were not going to get it right every single time. It’s okay to have back-up plan; very good story.

If I can squeeze in one more story out of you, I hear your baby in the background. It sounds like he’s still pretty happy but I don’t want to keep you forever. You said that you have avoided the ER in a couple of emergency situations. This is a big perk for your husband. Husbands of moms out there, you can save money with homeopathy. So, tell us some of your ER stories.

Avoiding the ER

Heather:  Yes. I have a couple of stories about avoiding the ER. My two-year-old son, the one that had the ear infection, we were actually traveling. This is a great lesson for having a kit with you. We had just gotten to our destination. We were just beginning to relax. He fell down this flight of stairs that had the metal thing on the edge of each one. He popped his forehead open and when he fell on that metal thing, it just burst open. By the time I got downstairs, my husband was already down there, he was holding him, there was blood everywhere. I could see as his heart was pumping, the blood was just pulsing out. It was really bad. Right away, we started pressure on it. Once we got the pressure on, I got my kit. I pulled out the Arnica and I gave him a dose. I was just giving him doses about every five minutes. While we were trying to comfort him and keep that compress on there, after a couple of minutes, we looked and the bleeding had stopped. We were implementing our plan to go to the ER so we’re rushing around. We’re getting him ready. We’re getting him back in the car. My husband and I, “Get in the car.” We looked back at him. He was kind of looking at us like, “What’s going on, guys?” He was totally normal. He was totally fine. He was like, “Why are we back in the car?” He had no clue why we were all running around. He felt fine. So, we looked at each other and we went, “Wait a second. Well, I guess we don’t have to go to the ER.” Well, he still had this gush and so we wanted to take care of that. So, instead of going to the ER, we just went to Walgreens and got a butterfly bandage.

Paola:  I love it.

Heather:  And he was great. He was fine.

Paola:  That’s awesome. I love that. Everybody’s running around. It sounds like you forget like, “No, wait. I have this thing on my team, Arnica.” I have yet interviewed a mom with moxie, maybe I have, that hasn’t mentioned Arnica. It’s great, great remedy for us moms who have kiddos that fall down flights of stairs with sharp corners.

Heather:  It’s great.

Paola:  Then tell us about your four-year-old’s bike accident.

Heather:  She was riding her bike. Actually, this is interesting because my mother-in-law live with us. We were walking and talking and my daughter just totally went careening down the hill and fell off her bike. When I got through and saw her, I thought, “Oh, my goodness!” The whole side of her face was just completely scraped up and swollen. I mean, she was almost unrecognizable. It was really bad. Thanks be to God, she had her helmet on, of course. But I could see right away that it was her skin and we weren’t dealing with a concussion here.

Paola:  Right.

Heather:  So, we got her cleaned up and everything. I, of course, was giving her Arnica right away. The neat thing about that was that I knew that Arnica was going to get this under control much faster than if we didn’t have it. So, I took a before and after picture.

Paola:  Oh, wow!

Heather:  I took a picture when she was really bad, when she was really, really swollen. The first three days I took pictures of her. Then it just really dropped off. The swelling completely went down and she healed up superfast. A week later, I took another picture and I said, “Look, she’s doing so much better,” to my family. They just couldn’t believe how quickly her face was healing up. She just had this beautiful, little face. It was just so sad to see it just so fully ripped up. She looks great. She has no scars. You can’t tell that she had that bike accident. It’s a year and a half later and it didn’t even scar up at all. Months later, you couldn’t tell that it happened.

Paola:  That’s amazing. I think taking these pictures are really important because if you take the picture, it helps with two things, I had found. A, it helps you keep track of what it was and what it is now.

Heather:  Yes.

Paola:  The second thing is because as it improves, the improvement, even though it’s better from yesterday, it still sometimes looks terrible. It becomes the new-terrible and you forget about the old-terrible. That’s very wise to take photos because it helps you measure that improvement. But then when it’s all over, your brain can still minimize it. “Oh, it wasn’t that bad.” So, you have these photos to help you remember no, it was horrible. Don’t forget that.

Heather:  Yes.

Paola:  Kind of that human condition Joette talks about that we forget, so good for you. I’m so glad. Was your mother-in-law freaking out how you handled it?

Heather:  Well, everybody is like, “Why don’t you just go to the doctor?” There’s a lot of good there because they want the child to be okay. But once we had her take a warm bath and got her calmed down, and we got her face cleaned up, and it was obvious that she didn’t have a concussion, she just needed to heal. She lives out of town. So a week later, she could see wow! She’s doing so much better. That, I’m sure, was comforting for her.

Paola:  Of course, very good. Well, great. To finish up our podcast today especially while your sweet little baby is still happy, I wanted you to share with us. This is a really cute idea, your gift of homeopathy that you did for some family members.

Heather:  Yes. So, I wanted to give a Christmas gift that they could really use. I thought, “Well, what do I know about?” Well, I know about homeopathy. So, I asked each of my family members, my mom, my dad, my two sisters. I said, “What’s the health problem that’s bothering you the most?” They told me. So, I looked up the remedy for each one of their issues. Thankfully, they didn’t give me anything that was too difficult. So, I looked up the remedy for each one. I bought them a bottle of the remedy. I put it in a cute little bag. I wrote up some instructions for them, and how to tell whether or not the remedy is working, and how often to take in and everything like that. I just tuck that little sheet of paper in there with the bottle. I gave it to them for Christmas.

Paola:  That is just too cute. It’s the gift of health. You’re so awesome. I love that story. You even have done something similar for baby showers and things like that. I just think that is so awesome. You’re a good sister-in-law and sister.

Heather:  It’s fun to help others.

Paola:  It is. We encourage you to email us at podcast@joettecalabrese.com. That’s what Heather did. Thank you so much, Heather for reaching out because it’s been really inspiring and fun talking to you and hearing your successes and your journey with homeopathy. Thanks so much for taking the time from your busy schedule.

Heather:  Thanks for having me. It’s been fun for me, too.

Joette:  Are you or someone you know a mom with moxie? Well, we’re on the hunt for you. And of course, we don’t want to hear just from moms but from anyone who uses and loves homeopathy. Reach out to my podcast team and let us know why you’re a mom with moxie. For more information, contact podcast@joettecalabrese.com.

Thank you for listening to this podcast with Joette Calabrese. If you liked it, please share it with your friends. To learn more and find out if homeopathy is a good fit in your health strategy, visit joettecalabrese.com.

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In this podcast, we cover:

03:30     Lyme disease, its origin and remedies

08:31     Joette shares her take on Lyme disease  

17:37     Treating the symptoms like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, leaky gut

22:20     Symphytum and Rhus tox for joint pain

24:13     Coinfections, Lyme testing

29:19     Some more Q&A 

You are listening to a podcast from joettecalabrese.com where nationally certified American homeopath, public speaker, and author, Joette Calabrese, shares her passion for helping families stay healthy through homeopathy and nutrient-dense nutrition. (more…)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:02 — 66.7MB)

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Along the way, I learned to not just throw a homeopathic medicine at the condition.

Be smart. Keep tight notes. Assess properly.

Today’s podcast will give you some of my best tips on how to stay on point when treating allergies. (more…)