by Ann Grain SDSH, R.Hom.Int.
Registered Homeopath
Being a parent can be the most rewarding and also the most worrying experience, especially when it comes to your children’s health and wellbeing. No parent wants to see their child in pain or suffering. But instead of automatically contacting your GP surgery, how about also considering an alternative?
Homeopathy is an alternative – it is a holistic system of medicine that uses highly diluted substances found in nature to trigger the body’s own healing abilities. As a medical system, it can provide useful support throughout the many stages of childhood.
Why choose homeopathy
There are many reasons why parents across the world choose this medicine for their family, including:
1. It’s safe
Remedies are highly diluted and therefore considered safe, making them suitable for youngsters who may be more sensitive to the potential side effects of conventional medicine.
2. It’s gentle
Homeopathy takes a gentle approach to healing. Babies often respond quickly to homeopathic treatment and these are easy to administer as drops.
3. It’s holistic
It treats the whole person rather than an organ or label.
4. It can be taken alongside conventional medication or as an alternative.
How does homeopathy work?
Homeopathy is highly individualised and as a functional medicine it comprehensively considers all aspects of your child’s health. It also seeks to focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease.
The homeopath’s task is to select a remedy/medicine which matches not only their physical symptoms, but also their emotional and mental characteristics. Each symptom may be one of many contributing to their complaint.
The remedy chosen by the practitioner is determined individually for each child in their specific situation; it is therefore not possible to say that a particular condition will always respond to a specific remedy.
Homeopathy is effective in dealing with a number of complaints – from symptoms of colic, teething, allergies, childhood infections, skin conditions to behavioural issues, tantrums – the list is endless.
A case study
A mother contacted me about her three year old son; he had now had a paroxysmal cough for more than four weeks – he couldn’t stop coughing at particular times of day and night. He was wheezing and he sounded breathless. The cough was keeping him awake and was causing him to vomit repeatedly. He was congested, couldn’t breathe through his nose. The medical advice was to take Paracetamol.
His specific symptoms and also his response to his specific symptoms (what made his symptoms better or worse) led me to one remedy. I gave him two doses and the message from his mother came back loud and clear – her son was no longer coughing at night, he sounded much better, no wheezing – “He was fine”.
What to expect
When you go to a homeopath, he or she will take your child’s case and will, from that, establish what the susceptibilities are, what stresses are most likely to bring about illnesses and what parts of your child’s body are weakest.
This better understanding of your children through homeopathy should further enhance your relationship with them and help you understand their vulnerabilities and how best to support them through difficult times.
The homeopath may also advise you to seek help from your GP if symptoms require further investigation, whilst continuing to provide complementary support with homeopathy.
As a parent, you want to provide your family with the foundation for a healthy and happy life. Homeopathy can play an instrumental part in supporting their growth and development – why not give it a go?
A brief history of homeopathy
The first known use of homeopathy-like treatment was by the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, in the 5th century. The approach was then discovered by a German doctor, Dr Samuel Hahnemann, in the 1790s who was looking for a way to reduce the damaging side effects associated with the medical treatment of his day. In its present form homeopathy has been used worldwide for over 200 years.
Ann Grain SDSH, R.Hom.Int. is a registered Homeopath based in Horsham, West Sussex. www.thinkhomeopathy.co.uk
Email: ann@thinkhomeopathy.co.uk or call 07861 376 844.
