WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY?

I believe homeopathy to be the only medicine that takes into account everything that may be happening with you. It looks at all your physical symptoms including diet, sleep, weather intolerance, mental/emotional symptoms, and more. Homeopathy sees you as an individual, not as a disease. Ten different people with the same disease will all have individual expressions of that disease. Therefore, all of them may receive a different homeopathic remedy based on their individual symptom picture. In allopathic medicine, they would all receive the same or similar medicine. In order to come up with a remedy for you, a homeopath will need to know all of your symptoms with what makes them better or worse, time of day when better or worse, your mental emotional state and other symptoms that accompanies the chief concern. Homeopathy always works. The secret lies in taking the right remedy. Getting the right remedy requires seeing a qualified Homeopath who practices Classical Homeopathy, which is the kind of homeopathy I practice.

Homeopathy was the number 1 medicine in the United States in the 19th Century before the pharmaceutical companies came along. It is still the number 1 medicine used by the British Royal Family. It is also quite prevalent in France and India, just to name a few countries.
Homeopathic medicine is now having a resurgence in the U.S. It is a 200 year old scientific system of medicine. The founder, Samuel Hahneman, MD, believed in medicine that did not cause harm in a person in order to heal them, but instead gave healing and recovery. He was disillusioned with the medicine of his time. He thought there must be a better, more humane way to treat diseases than blood letting or giving mercury or antimony.

Homeopathy is based on the system of medicine known as the law of similars. In other words, what may cause a disease can cure a disease when given in a harmless high dilution. There are many studies on Homeopathic medicines and treatment of diseases which prove it’s efficacy.
The link following is an excellent article on homeopathy and it’s basic theories on MSN; http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/14/1668_50915?

You may also see my website for a comparison to allopathic medicine. In addition, read the 1st edition of the following book online, Homeopathy, Beyond Flat Earth Medicine, at beyondflatearth.com.

EVERYDAY PREVENTION

There are 4 things to take that I consider a part of everyday disease prevention: fish oils, probiotics, green drinks and antioxidants.

Fish oils
- are exceptional for the prevention of many chronic western health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, depression, and inflammatory conditions.
Probiotics
-are the beneficial flora that is vital to our immune system for intestinal, respiratory, and uro-genital health.
Green drinks
-provide essential food born nutrients, vitamins and minerals to our bodies especially when we don’t eat a healthy diet. If you are getting less than 3 servings of green vegetables, then you need to be taking a green powdered drink on a daily basis to get the nutrients you would be getting from those vegetables.
Antioxidant formula
-are especially needed with the amount of stress we put ourselves in and the toxic environment we all live in. various antioxidants help protect our bodies from oxidative damage and help our liver produce our own powerful antioxidants.

ARE YOU AFRAID TO BE SICK?
Do you run from illness?

Most, if not everyone, is afraid to be sick. How many of you have avoided a hug or a handshake with someone because either you didn’t want to spread your germs to them, or you didn’t want to catch something? If you are a parent, how many of you have either kept your children at home when they are not ill, but may be contagious, or you kept them away from other children for fear of your children catching something? Lastly, how many of you have cancelled your doctor’s appointment because you were afraid of giving your illness to everyone in the doctor’s office? When you think about it, does it really make sense to cancel a doctor’s appointment when you are ill?

This question was posed to me recently and here is my answer: I’m not afraid to be sick. I don’t like it when it happens, but I’m not afraid. I even hug my sick friends. As a doctor, I see people who are ill all the time. Do I always become ill with what they have? No, of course not. Also, I may have to touch people when they are ill in order to help them. Therefore, I don’t subscribe to the fear that I’m going to “catch” something from someone if I touch an ill person while they are in my office. If I am exposed to a germ, then my immune system will make antibodies for it, and as a result, I’ll be immune if I’m exposed to that germ again. My immune system will now be stronger.

I’m also not afraid because I have so many medicines at my disposal, like homeopathy, herbs, and hydrotherapy, to name a few, that help me to recover quickly.

Naturopathic parents are not afraid to have their children around other children who are sick. Naturopathic parents know that exposure to common childhood diseases as early as possible in the child’s life will strengthen their immune system. This may sound crazy to most of you. It is known that children not exposed to the common childhood diseases have a weaker immune system and are more likely to develop allergies as a result. Children that are kept in a sterile bubble will have a weaker immune system when they are older. Most importantly, if they do not contract the common childhood diseases as a child, the experience of the disease will be much worse as an adult. For example, chicken pox as an adult disease can be as a severe as shingles.
In my experience, Homeopathy will boost your immune system naturally in order for you to recover faster. I have parents of children in my practice who I know will attest to this.

CASE OF MONO AND HOMEOPATHY

E., I will call her, was an 18- year-old woman who was referred to me by her mother. E. had seen her MD the day before seeing me in February 2004, and was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Her doctor told her she was going to have to live with the symptoms, and that she was going to be ill for quite some time.

When she came to my office, she complained of swollen and painful tonsils, pain when swallowing even her own saliva, a stiff neck with pain so severe she could not turn her head, and other symptoms. She had taken an over the counter pain reliever for her fever. E. reported to me that all of her symptoms had begun 2 days prior. She wanted to know if I could suggest a homeopathic remedy that would help with her symptoms, and speed her recovery.

I spent an hour listening to her describe her symptoms. I asked specific homeopathic questions, and then was able to suggest a remedy, based on those symptoms, for her to take every 2 hours. She and her mother left to pick up the homeopathic remedy that I had suggested. What’s important her is that the remedy chosen was based on her individual expression of her symptoms, not the diagnosis. This is the main difference from allopathic medicine.

I called E. 2 days later to check on her progress. Her mother answered the telephone and said that E. was not home, because she was out with friends. This news greatly surprised me, and I wondered how a person who was so ill 2 days ago be out with friends! Her mother further told me that the sore throat E. was experiencing had completely resolved the day after beginning the remedy. Prior to E. leaving the office, I had her schedule for a follow up the following Tuesday.
E. came in for her appointment as scheduled. I saw a young woman in the waiting room, but did not recognize her as E. I then called her name, and the young woman answered. I was amazed by how healthy she looked. She appeared to be completely well.

E. told me she had no throat pain at all, no fever, aches, or trouble swallowing, and she said her tonsils felt normal.
The Homeopathic remedy is the only thing I suggested for her to take. I saw Homeopathy treat diseases such as this when I was in medical school, and have since seen it help many others in my practice.
I’ll now let her speak to you in her own words. “I think that my recovery was amazing, and the fact that I would have been living with all those symptoms really scared me. Thank you so much again for everything.” -E.
I invite anyone who would like to try Homeopathy to call me to see if it can help. Individual results vary.

WILL IT BE CONVENTIONAL OR NATURAL MEDICINE?

COMMENTARY by David Hogg, ND
When is it best to seek conventional treatment or alternative, Naturopathic methods? I believe natural medicine should be the first choice for all diseases. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a health care system. We live in a disease management system. Most doctors wait until you are ill before they treat you.

Naturopathic doctors assess the state of your current health, then help you achieve an even greater state of health. Everything a natural doctor does is moving you towards health. A conventional doctor may give you pharmaceutical drugs that have side effects
Whether you have common complaints such as colds or flu, bronchitis, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, I invite you to seek alternative medicine first. I’m asked very often, “What does a Naturopath do?” I always answer that we are trained the same as MD’s the first 2 years of medical school, except, Naturopaths differ by using a combination of homeopathy, herbs, vitamins and supplements, hydrotherapy, and mind-body medicine to help with the same diseases.

However, there are many situations where it is absolutely necessary to seek conventional medicine. Any natural or conventional doctor can help you make that decision. I believe in educating patients to help them to make the best decision for their needs.

Naturopathic doctors do have the knowledge to perform many exams and order lab tests. Here in California this fall, Naturopathic doctors will be licensed as primary care providers and will be able to perform or order these tests.

In the current health care system, the only way to avoid the out of pocket expense is to go with doctor that is covered by your insurance. In California, until the licensure of ND’s, coverage of Naturopathic doctors by insurance companies, for the most part, is not available.
For my own health, there is no other first option but natural medicine.

WHEN TO TAKE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS?

With all the supplements you may be taking, when do you take which ones? Well, there is a general rule of thumb for taking them. Vitamins and minerals should be taken with meals so that your digestion will help absorb them. Herbs and enzymes are better absorbed when taken on an empty stomach. This is because they need to pass the stomach while its’ acid level is low to reach the small intestine for absorption. If the different supplements you are taking fit into the same general category, you can take them together. If you are still in doubt as to when to take your supplements, ask at your next visit.

ANTIBIOTICS NOT EFFECTIVE FOR SINUSITIS

A recent Swiss study used a common antibiotic to treat sinusitis. “There was no difference in the time to cure, the primary outcome, between active treatment and placebo, the team reports in the August 11/25 issue of the Journal Archives of Internal Medicine.”

Sinusitis often occurs when the production of mucus is more than natural evaporation. This creates an environment for viruses and bacteria to multiply that end up causing a person to contract sinusitis. There already are naturally healthy bacteria living in the sinus and nasal cavities, yet they will over multiply and become an infection when the environment has too much mucus

The journal also cited, “patients treated with the antibiotic were significantly more likely to have diarrhea, and there was also a trend toward more abdominal pain.” The reason for these side effects occurring are due to the antibiotic killing the healthy intestinal bacteria. The study concluded that only “symptomatic treatment is justified” for sinusitis.

Prevention is the best cure, which is a great Naturopathic principle, for all diseases, including sinusitis. By avoiding foods, like dairy and wheat, that may cause an overproduction of mucus in you, especially during allergy and flu seasons will go a long way in prevention.
Source; Arch Intern Med 2003;163:1793-1798

WAYS TO TAKE TINCTURES

The taste of most herbal tinctures’ leaves something to be desired, to say the least. In other words, they just taste awful. There are many easier ways to take them without tasting them or taste them very little, though you must decide which way is best for you.

Tinctures are made with alcohol to extract the active ingredients. For those of you sensitive to alcohol, you can put the bottle overnight in a safe place where it will not be disturbed, leaving the lid off. By the next morning the alcohol content will be greatly reduced and easier to take.

As far as the taste, I know some who squirt the tincture straight into their mouth, then chase it with water. (cont’d) I think this is either a really brave or crazy way to take tinctures. I, personally, have either put water in my mouth or a glass, added the tincture, then swallowed as quickly as I can. Other ways include, making a glass of EmergenC vitamin C in water, then adding the tincture. You can also add stevia to this drink to help achieve a sweet taste. Or, you can use vegetable glycerin or a glycerin based flavoring to help mask the flavor of the tincture. Another way to flavor the tincture is with the amino acid glycine because it does taste sweet as well.

If none of these help with the flavor then you can buy empty veggie caps to fill with the tincture as one of my patients have done. I think this is an ingenius way to avoid tasting the flavor of the tincture.

Which ever way you decide, you may notice that the unpleasantness of the taste will diminish over time.

NATURAL FLU PREVENTION

It’s that time of season again. The CDC is predicting one of the worst flu seasons in quite some time. Although, the manufacturers of the flu vaccine are saying they are completely out of stock, they say everyone who wants a vaccine will get one.

The good news is so far this year, most of the patients with flu like symptoms visiting doctors mostly have sinus infections according a recent news report.

Yet, I want you to know that Homeopathy has great success with helping recover from the flu. There are several different over-the-counter homeopathic preparations to take in case you do come down with the flu.

Because of the effects of sugars, flour, and chocolate on the immune system, it’s a great idea to be easy on the sweets or try to avoid them altogether as much as possible this season. If you can’t avoid or limit due to family and friend pressures and not to spoil your fun of the holidays completely, then the following supplements are entirely necessary to keep your immune system up to par.

Vitamin C feeds the adrenal glands, which helps increase energy. Also, it greatly helps the body detoxify, as well as an anti-oxidant for cellular protection.
Zinc plays a very important role in the immune system. You can take it as lozenges or as a supplement.

The following 4 herbal medicines have been known traditionally and in studies to help prevent and recover from viral infections.

Ligusticum, Lomatium (Osha) , and Sambucus (Elderberry) are specific for helping with viral infections. Glycyrrhiza (Licorice) and Astragalus also help with viral infections. Glycyrrhiza is an adrenal tonic, and Astragalus is an adrenal adaptogen.

I have the above herbs in a combination formula in my office as part of the help I have to offer you in case you do become ill. Meanwhile, take the one herb you believe will help you the most along with vitamin C and zinc, and you’ll go a long way in either preventing the flu, or reducing it’s severity.

ANTIBIOTIC USE LINKED TO BREAST CANCER

The possibility of antibiotics associated with breast cancer began in 1981, which caused a new study to be conducted. This study was performed in Seattle on 10,000 women. Women who had been on antibiotics over 25 times had twice the risk of developing breast cancer, and women who had been on antibiotics between 1 and 25 times had a 50% increase in risk. The study suggests the association is real.

Naturopathic medicine understands how antibiotics affect the body. Antibiotics destroy the healthy bacteria occupying the intestinal tract and other areas of the body, which play an important role in our immune system. The healthy bacteria communicate with our immune system and let our bodies know what should be attacked, and what is helpful and friendly to our bodies. Because antibiotics kill the healthy bacteria, they remove a vital link of our immune protection.
Taking probiotics (healthy flora/bacteria) is a vital part of everyday prevention, and also when taking antibiotics. Taking probiotics helps to re-establish the healthy beneficial connection with our immune system. If you are having any sort of immune challenge, taking probiotics are a valuable part of your preventative health. Antibiotics also leave us open for local and systemic yeast infections which can cause a myriad of symptoms. I’ve seen studies where 1/3 of cancer patients had some kind of harmful levels of yeast in their body. Not all cancer patients have too much yeast, however.

If you need to take antibiotics, then taking beneficial yeast, Sacchromyces boulardii, acts to protect our normal healthy flora from being destroyed.
Naturopathic medicine teaches to first do no harm. My own choice with antibiotics is I will only take them if my life is being threatened and they are the only, best option. If you are not already taking some form of probiotics, I suggest you begin now. Naturopathic doctors have known for decades the healthy benefit of using “pro”-biotics instead of “anti”-biotics.

HEARTBURN And GERD

Conventional medicine knows that stress is the number one cause of heartburn and GERD (Gastroesophogeal reflux disease). This has been known in Oriental medicine for centuries. In Oriental medicine, the stomach meridian is affected by worry and anxiety. Chronic worry increases the level of acid in the stomach, thereby creating the excess acid irritation. So the first cause to look at and change is to reduce your stress, or better yet, improve the way you handle the stress you are experiencing. If you are unable to change your lifestyle, then seek out exercise and other stress reducing activities. When your body is able to relax, the parasympathetic nervous system can take over and restore your stomach acid to healthy levels.

Conventional Treatment
Antacids are the common treatment for GERD and heartburn. They raise the acid pH of the stomach to or towards alkaline thereby relieving any acid caused symptoms.

Naturopathic approach
The stomach should be very acidic at rest or a pH of 1-2. With a meal the pH should only rise to a pH of approximately 3. When heartburn is occurring, Naturopaths believe the pH is about 4-6, which means there is not enough acid in the stomach to perform digestion properly. By giving antacids, the pH most likely rises above 7 becoming alkaline. When the stomach is alkaline, it is unable to digest protein or absorb vitamins and minerals from food. Instead of antacids, Naturopaths will give herbal bitters or homeopathic remedies to correct the imbalance.

Supplements
Betaine HCl is the best remedy for low stomach acid. We tend to lose the ability to produce stomach acid as we age. Taking Betaine HCl is the quickest way to increase the amount of acid in your stomach and increase your ability to digest protein and absorb vitamins and minerals. If you have a burning sensation when taking it, it’s possible you may not need it. Come in for a visit to know for sure or to see if you may have other stomach difficulties.

Herbal remedies
The first and best remedy for low stomach acid and heartburn is drinking tea or taking an herbal extract of ginger with meals. This herb balances the production of acid in the stomach and allows the stomach to heal itself, which improves peristalsis-the action of the stomach and intestines to move food along. Another herb that not only is a bitter herb, but is also a nerve tonic is hops. Hops not only helps you digest your food, but help you digest life since it helps to calm your nerves.
Other bitter herbs that are well known are gentian, dill, chamomile, and cayenne. If pain for burning results from taking bitter herbs, consult your doctor and/or a Naturopath.

Homeopathy
The most common homeopathic remedy for ailments from overeating or eating food that disagreed with you is Nux vomica. If it’s the right remedy for you, it will work. You can find these supplements in the office, or your local health food store.

MIND BODY MEDICINE

Mind-Body medicine is probably the most overlooked form of medicine, because most people don’t believe their feelings could have anything to do with their healing. For example, mental and emotional stress is not necessarily the cause of disease and pain, but it is a factor, and, using those same emotions can help to heal you. It is important to realize that you did not cause your illness. It’s also important to realize that dealing with how you handle stress in your life greatly affects 1) whether or not you contract a disease, 2) your experience of pain, and 3) your recovery.

Mind-Body medicine serves the purpose of searching for and finding an emotional component to disease and pain, and then healing or changing those emotions to more positive feelings.

In an office visit, I will take a person through a process of discovering the emotional connection of their pain or disease.

Oriental Medicine
According to Oriental Medicine, worry affects the stomach and spleen meridians. Fear affects the bladder and kidney meridians. Anger affects the liver and gall bladder meridians. Grief affects the lung and large intestine meridians, and pretense affects the heart and small intestine meridians. With this knowledge, you can use these associations to increase self-awareness and stop the cycle of damage these emotions can have on the body. It may be necessary for you to seek help in resolving those issues related to your health challenge.

Naturopathic Mind-Body Medicine
There are some exercises you can do to begin the process of healing and clearing emotions so they don’t build up in your body. A few of these methods are journaling your thoughts and emotions, meditation, walking, exercising, and talking to close friends. Your health professional also has many techniques to guide you through the process of emotional healing. I’ve personally guided many people in clearing the emotional component of their illness. I believe you’ll find that you will feel better both emotionally and physically.