posted 07-25-2003 01:23 PM            

I read and reply to the topics contained in the Alternative Health Boards a lot. However, I keep reading posts from people on various subjects where they do seem to think that herbal medicines and homeopathic medicines are the same thing. They are not and should not be put together as one.

Basically, herbal medicines are taken in crude form, either as tinctures mixed up or as teas. They have a physiological effect on the body, which is why you need to be especially careful about drug interactions if you are taking conventional medicines too, as some just do not mix. Herbal medicines come from plants and other sources.

Homeopathic medicines on the other hand, are also made from plant, vegetable, animal and mineral sources, however, to make something homeopathic, it must be potentised. Potentisation of a remedy, means that it undergoes serial dilution and succussion. Without this potentisation process, any remedy is not homeopathic.

If something is taken in a crude form, then it is herbal.

If something is taken in a potentised form, then it is homeopathic.

Also, any flower essences such as the Australian Bush Flower Essences and Bach Flower Essences are not homeopathic either. Some people also refer to these as homepathic, but they are not, as they have not been potentised and the way in which they are made is totally different from homeopathic remedies.

posted 08-05-2003 11:38 AM            

Following this, I took some Apis as a homeopathic antihistamine so to speak, I took some Nux Vomica for my stomach and then some Sulphur LM1 for about three days to help everything settle. It did and I was ok for a time.

I then found yet another homeopath and he prescribed Lycopodium in various different potencies and this was the remedy that worked very well for me. A very good liver remedy and I have had not itching or stomach problems since.

I have been through a series of remedies, so it is quite a slow process, but it does work.

I have since go onto train myself.

posted 08-06-2003 06:00 AM            

Anyway, in terms of Chinese medicine, the Liver, although it is what is known as a Yin organ is very strong and very powerful. It is responsible for the smoothe flow of Qi throughout the body and if any other organ in the body is weak, then the Liver will invade it and this is when you can start to get problems, such as Liver Qi Stagnation. A lot of stomach problems are caused by the energy of the Liver taking over other organs that are weaker, such as the Spleen.

Also, in Western terms, the liver is the largest organ and detox organ within the body. If it gets backed up with toxins so to speak, then you can also get stomach problems. However, the liver can self-repair very well and if you have been 'clean' for almost three years now, then there is a very good chance that your liver function tests will be completely normal. You should consider taking some Milk Thistle to help your liver. It helps hepatocyte regeneration and helps the liver to detox generally. You can get it in capsule or liquid form.

I do not think that I would have recovered any quicker had I known what remedies I was taking more quickly. It was a process that I had to go through and each remedy uncovered another layer that needed to be stripped away and was good for where I was at the time. The Nat Mur uncovered one layer and could only do so much, before I eventually needed another remedy that had a greater affinity for the liver to be able to get rid of the next layer.

As well as being a detox organ, the Liver is also related to anger, so if you get very angry or cannot express anger or suppress your anger because you do not know what to do with it or express it inappropriately, then this is all related to the Liver too.

Hope this helps and I think that you too could find homeopathy very helpful to you.

posted 08-07-2003 05:37 AM            

I did see your thread on the allergies board and I did see the replies. It is just that sometimes you need to be a little more open minded to be able to see past the conventional and unfortunately, a lot of people are not. The thing is that you really need to treat the whole person behind an illness and not just the symptoms of the illness itself. Treating something that way, will never achieve a cure.

The fact that your liver function tests are normal just means that you have not damaged your liver. However, itching and anything that is produced on the skin and allergies are still very much linked to the Liver.

However, people also forget that the skin is a large organ of elimination too, with sweating and although unsightly looking, when something is on the skin it is not doing damage further in your body. This is why you should not suppress skin conditions with steroid creams, as this can clear the skin, but then pushes it further into the body. An example of this maybe eczema in childhood that is suppressed and then in later life the child will develop asthma, which is more serious.

Anyway, most allergies are to do with the Liver being too strong and as I suggested earlier, you could benefit very much from taking the herb Milk Thistle. Take the standardised version that you can buy in any healthfood store. This will give you a mini liver detox and it can most certainly help your liver to become more efficient. There is also a homeopathic detox kit that consists of three remedies that you can purchase that might be beneficial to you also.

If your insurance will not pay for homeopathic treatment, then it might cover acupuncture and this can be very helpful too. In your case, I think a mixture of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine maybe a good idea. Herbs work at a deeper level, but the acupuncture can help to move and balance any Stagnant Qi and it sounds as though you might have some Stagnant Liver Qi.

posted 08-08-2003 07:16 AM            

Did you have any renal function tests done and did they all come back normal, such as Urea, Creatinnine and electrolytes? Sometimes cloudly urine could indicate some type of renal impairment due to all the other infections, but if the tests have come back clear, then this should be ok.

Sounds like you need to drink more water to clear both your kidneys through and your urethra and bladder. If you drink enough it should wash everything out.

Anyway, homeopathy could help with this also and a good constitutional treatment could help you no end.

Good luck

posted 08-11-2003 04:35 AM            

You can purchase homeopathic remedies from a healthfood store, but you should not be taking Lycopodium just because it is good for the liver. In homeopathy, Lycopodium is a remedy that has an affinity for the liver, however, the Lycopodium as a remedy needs to fit you as a person, rather than just being good for the liver.

If you want something that will help give your liver a bit of a detox, then try taking some Milk Thistle. This helps the liver to detox more efficiently and helps hepatocyte regeneration.

posted 08-12-2003 03:07 AM            

Chronic yeast infection. I don't know what remedy is the best, I have been using a combination, not very helpful. I know it should be a remedy based on totality, but I really need some relief.

Also, I have been advised to use sepia 200 & nat mur 200 for hypothyroidism from a partial thyroidectomy. They worked great, I came alive, but I did get a bowel aggravation, too high?, which I treated with chinese meds. I am reluctant to continue with this route as I don't want another bowel aggravation, but I feel soon I will have to continue.

Daughter occasionally gets cold clammy hands and feet, I can't figure it out. Can you advise?

Also,

Someone has hypothyroid, is using Synthroid for about 6 mon., and has now been found to have a lump on back of thyroid. Before Synthroid this person was very tired, pale, black rings under eyes, irritable, restless, easily aggravated.

Just wondering if you can advise,
My studies are going great, and getting good grades.

posted 08-12-2003 06:10 PM            

Do you have a homeopath? If not, then I would suggest that you go and see one, who will prescribe a remedy to cover the totality of your symptoms. This way, you can avoid remedy aggravations and having to take two remedies at one time.

Also, this is just a suggestion, but if you find the remedies Sepia and Nat Mur have been working well for you, then it might be worth considering the remedy Aqua Marina. This is a remedy that is in between both Sepia and Nat Mur and this may cut out the need for having to take both remedies. Think about it. It is seawater, but is not that well known as a remedy though.

You did say that your daughter responded well to Pulsatilla at one time? Clamy hands and feet are in fact a Calc Carb symptom and it is possible that she may need some of this. Pulsatilla and Calc Carb are related remedies, with Calc being a deeper acting mineral kingdom remedy and Pulsatilla being the more acute plant remedy.

I would suggest that you both go and see a homeopath though to work out these remedies for you, but these are just my thoughts on the matter.

Good luck

posted 08-13-2003 04:35 AM            

The daughter is doing very well just for the occasional sweats, especially when doing difficult mental work while holding a pencil.

Thanks for your advice, i'll check into the sea water remedy.

posted 08-21-2003 01:46 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Elizabeth2nd:
Thanks Sarah.
We are unable to get to a Homeopath for the time being as we are rather isolated in the pacific. I would definitely go if we were near one. For the time being we only have an MD, and I don't need his help.
I was advised by a Homeopath to take the two remedies together for a week. They did work very well, but did cause the bowel problem. Yes, I did think I was proving them as I noticed they both have bowel indications.

The daughter is doing very well just for the occasional sweats, especially when doing difficult mental work while holding a pencil.

Thanks for your advice, i'll check into the sea water remedy.

Lizzie.

---

Hi Sarah,
Well I finally got to the repertorization segment in my studies which opens up so much more to the mind. I was close on a few counts by reading the MM, but was very surprised to find out about myself.
The daughter is Calc just as you suggested.
The hubby is a mix of Nat Mur & Lycopodium, with Sep close behind.
I was astounded to be found Sulphur, a clear winner in the outcome. I had studied Sulphur several months ago, and did'nt make the connection. I don't see myself as having any of the mentals (luckily), but I do have some of the physicals, sweat, eruptions, cracked heels etc (The fire). It had been there all along but I didn't see it. I am also benefiting from a little Pulsatilla with venous return, the layers are coming to light. Strangely Nat Mur & Sep were not in my picture, maybe that layer is gone. Being in the first year there is so much to learn, and I just got a big boost. Kents REp is so addictive. I have to pull myself away from it lately to concentrate on studies, all the (many) books are so fascinating it's tough to keep to the assignments. It just gets more enjoyable as you go. Hahnemann surely was a genius way ahead of his time.
Lizzie.

posted 08-22-2003 06:42 AM            

That is interesting about your daughter being Calc Carb, as Calc and Pulsatilla are very close remedies.

I have to say though, that perhaps you fit more of a Pulsatilla picture yourself than Sulphur?

The thing is though, is that I do not think that you can truely be a Sulphur if you do not fit the Mental and Emotional picture. You cannot take a remedy and expect it to work that well and to 'hold' for long periods if it just fits your physical symptoms and I have to say that this is not the ideal that you are looking for in prescribing remedies.

Ideally, you are looking for a remedy that fits a mental/emotional, general and physical picture and the closer it fits the mental and emotional and generals, the better the effect of the remedy. Have your read Kent's Lectures yet or any of the Indian homeopaths such as Sankaran? They state that the best cures are achieved on the mental/emotional or spiritual plane. Sankaran describes a patient where he gave a remedy that fittied the mental/emotional picture and nothing else, no generals or physicals and achieved a cure. This is because mental/emotional symptoms are classified as the highest.

I think you possibly need to look at this again and try to find one remedy that covers the lot rather than several remedies at a time. This is why self-prescribing remedies is never a good idea as you cannot be impartial in your own case.

I think that everyone can identify with the Sulphur picture in some respects as it is the greatest anti-psoric remedy around and it can be helpful at sometime to most of us, for short periods, but it is only a few people that really fit the full Sulphur picture with the mental/emotional features too. It has been suggested that Hahnemann himself was a Sulphur.

Good luck