Homeopathy: An Introduction

HOMEOPATHY: AN INTRODUCTION

I had just turned 30, met a wonderful man, and was working of my first television series. Life was blooming and I was going to get married. Then out of nowhere I started experiencing these horrible anxiety attacks. I’d think to myself…Am I having an allergic reaction? Maybe it was those apples I ate. Am I having a heart attack? Something is seriously wrong here! So I took myself to the doctor. I had lots of testing…an EKG and EEG, my thyroid and other blood work, x-rays, and various other pokings and proddings. The results? “You are a perfectly healthy woman…it must be in your mind!” How could this be, how could I be having such chest pain and be healthy? I was told I should see a psychiatrist and a psychologist and sent home. The journey was beginning and I didn’t even know it. My life would be forever different. I began a regimen of anti depressant and anti anxiety medication. I felt so angry and pissed off, a mental illness are you kidding me, god I’d rather have something that I can get rid of not something I’m going to have to manage my whole life. I never in a million years thought I’d be wishing for a “Different” disease. I remember hearing people break down the word Dis-ease. I wasn’t unhappy, was I? The universe was showing me my Dharma; it was showing me the way. The medication helped, sort of, but somehow I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of the road and certainly not a solution. I am not against taking medicine if you’re postpartum and going to hurt your baby or if you’re suicidal but this was not me. So I took my medicine like a good girl, went to yoga, and changed my diet, tried super hard not to take the Xanax that felt oh so good towards the end of a long hard day, and wondered will I have to deal with this forever?
As time moved on and the medicine was managing my symptoms. I slowly was forgetting that I even had this issue. It’s like the medicine worked but didn’t cure me, I didn’t have to work on it myself, I didn’t have to think about anymore. I didn’t have to change or confront the reason that this illness was presenting itself in the first place. So time had passed and my husband and I had decided to have a baby and I didn’t want to take any medication during the pregnancy because depending on which doctor I talked with each had a different opinion as to whether the medication would hurt the baby. I felt like I could handle myself and a little discomfort so I stopped the medication until the pregnancy was over. Well about 2 months into my pregnancy my symptoms resurfaced with a vengeance. What was I going to do now? I was being pushed to look within, to go deeper, and to become a seeker of my own personal truth. I couldn’t avoid ME any longer. I was back to where I started! I sought out acupuncture, a naturopathic doctor, and even tried neurofeedback. Imagine me with a skull cap on with hundreds of electrodes attached. I looked like something out of the horror film hellraiser or some science fiction film. I then came across the word “homeopathy” in my search for answers. I sought out a practitioner and, knowing nothing, went to an appointment feeling like I’d become a full time doctor junkie. This pivotal moment changed the course of things to come. My visit with the homeopath took 2 hours. I talked and talked; I cried, became hysterical, despairing that I’d never get better! That I just new there was something wrong with me. Through my tears I explained that normally, “I’m a very happy person.” It makes me laugh now because this seems so long ago and I have learned so much. So what is homeopathy anyway? How does it work? What happens when you take it? Here is the official definition…

WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY?

Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that works by using a small dose of a substance to help stimulate the body's healing forces. Homeopathy is an effective safe treatment that is gentle yet extremely effective when used properly. The principle of homeopathy is based on the "law of similars." In other words, a substance that could cause symptoms in large amounts can heal you in minute homeopathic doses.

Let's look at an example: The homeopathic remedy Allium Cepa (Red Onion) is used to treat the runny nose and watery eyes from a cold or hay fever, the very symptoms it would cause if one were cutting a red onion in the kitchen. There are thousands of remedies made out of plants, animals, minerals and many other interesting and imponderable things like color and sound, the planet venus, and even xray.

Homeopathy was founded by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, over 200 years ago. Homeopathy is a natural therapy that is safe and effective treatment for accidents and illnesses. It is an energetic medicine that helps the body by elevating the vital force (or the immune system) to defend itself against illness and infection. Homeopaths treat the whole person rather than a single symptom. The homeopath does not diagnose an illness but treats the whole person. It is not necessary to know the name of the disease. Each person may receive a different remedy at a different potency designed to match each one’s need. Homeopathic remedies are small pellets and are generally taken under the tongue or are dissolved in water. They are non-toxic and are safe for pregnant women, infants, adults, and pets and are FDA approved. I find this interesting since the medical world won’t even recognize homeopathy yet they want to regulate the medications. Homeopathy is not herbal or vitamin supplements. It can take time; a typical homeopathic appointment can last from 1 to 2 hours they will ask you everything about yourself, your dreams, what is perhaps peculiar about yourself and unique. It can be an awesome experience, and for some make you think about yourself in a whole new way. Homeopathy works with your body to enable it to fight disease more effectively. Disease is part of life. It cannot be removed, but it can be dealt with effectively. In allopathic medicine (the more traditional medicine practiced in the United States) treatment is by opposition. “Allos” from the Greek means “opposite” and “pathos” meaning “suffering”. When you think of allopathic medicine you hear words like antibiotic, antidepressant, antiviral, antacid, anti-inflammatory. The one thing they all have in common is the prefix “anti”, meaning “against”. Homeopathy works with the body…not against it. Now this is where I get turned on, where I get so passionate, this is where I could babble on and on about this beautiful system of medicine. Homeopathy works on the bigger picture not just a local site. In an acute situation like an accident, a homeopathic remedy like aconite works quickly to help with shock. In the long term, if you have a chronic condition that allopathic medicine can only placate on manage, homeopathy looks to the horizon and perhaps may offer hope and a cure. Interestingly children treated with homeopathy from the beginning of their lives most of the time; do not end up with chronic illnesses. This I believe is because they have fortified their vital force and worked with their bodies and have not suppressed their symptoms. Suppression means that when you treat a disease allopathically you push it deeper into the body. A good example: When young children have psoriasis or eczema and use cortisone creams it’s not uncommon that you will see asthma in their futures In life today it seems almost inevitable that we get these chronic conditions, it’s normal to see the elderly on numerous pill just to stay alive. I find it so awesome to think that it is not inevitable that we end up on tons of pills, that we get chronically sick, that there is a different way to grow and age. That for me is the wave I choose to ride in my life, It gives me hope.

Who can homeopathy help?

Children
Your child’s health is very important to you and as a parent you will face many decisions about your child’s care...from vaccinations to childhood illnesses and behavior problems. Homeopathic treatment works very well for children and used long term prevents chronic illness as they grow to adulthood. Many parents use teething tablets when their infant starts teething. Teething tablets are one of the most common forms of homeopathic treatment and many parents use them without realizing it is a homeopathic remedy. Many childhood ailments can be treated effectively with homeopathy – ear infections, coughs, skin rashes, allergies, and behavior problems are just some of the things I see in my homeopathic practice. In more serious cases homeopathy works very well as a complementary treatment with allopathic medicine to help your child retain his vital force and maintain it after treatment.

Women & men
Women and men seek homeopathic care for a variety of physical and mental conditions. The most common theme however would be that they want more out their health care experience. They are experiencing side effects from their allopathic medicines, or their doctors simply cannot help them. Pregnant women seek treatment for safe treatment during pregnancy since they are unable to take most allopathic medicines.

ANIMALS
Animals respond very well to homeopathic treatment. Family pets can suffer from many ailments - arthritis, allergies, dry skin or eczema, ear infections, coughs, auto immune problems, and cataracts. Dogs and cats can take a remedy the same way an infant would.
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When my first child Bodhi was small, I noticed that he wouldn’t sleep with my husband and me. He would head butt out of some impulse and bite at the breast. It was as if he was adverse to hugs and cuddles. I didn’t know if this was just his personality or something that was like a heavy cloud that he was burdened. Homeopathy says that we inherit the suppressions of our ancestors (genetic predisposition) to some extent and that this inheritance can affect what we become sick with. In homeopathy this is called a “Miasm” a very long and interesting subject in and of itself. Given the little knowledge I had, I was convinced that homeopathy could help. He was given an individual prescription and his remedy worked right away. He has since become and open hearted, polite, inquisitive, loving little boy and that dark cloud is a thing of the past. It is like homeopathy came in and blew a gentle wind on the cloud and it just dispersed. I have used homeopathy for nightmares, temper tantrums, growing pains, pregnancy, teething, fevers, and everything else that we have needed in our health care lives. It seems that homeopathy uses in our lives are never ending and I am forever grateful for it, in face can’t imagine my life without it. I am a different person because of it.

Philosophy
Jennie Vaughn-Campbell received her professional education in classical homeopathy at the Los Angeles School of Homeopathy in Los Angeles, California. She performed her clinical internship at the Los Angeles homeopathic clinic. I am a member of the North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH) and a practitioner member of the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH). I am also involved with the Washington State Homeopathy Association, National Health Freedom Coalition and the World Homeopathy Awareness Organization. I am seeking to promote and expand Homeopathic education and knowledge. I have studied with some of the most renowned prominent homeopaths in the world, and my education is always on going. Jennie was introduced to homeopathy when she was diagnosed with an illness and went on a personal mission to heal herself. Her love of homeopathy was born from this journey due to the success of her treatment. Her practice provides comfort and healing because it is based on understanding, nurturing and in-depth communication. Homeopathy is not just about the ailment or illness; it seeks complete understanding of health issues via personality type, habits and lifestyle. Jennie is devoted to helping each of her patients reach their health goals Jennie is from Vancouver, Washington and currently resides in Pasadena, Ca where she can practice being an open minded person about alternative medicine and have a holistic approach to healing the human body. Her practice is based on the belief in the body’s inherent ability to cure itself. From time to time the body requires a slight boost to the vital force. It is known in Chinese medicine as CHI, and in the yoga world PRANA. It is the energy that animates all living beings. As a mother, Jennie understands the importance of homeopathy and personally experiences how it keeps her children healthy. She enjoys the honor of watching her clients heal. Her ability to understand, nurture, and communicate provide a great source of comfort regardless of a persons age or ailments. It isn't just about the ailment or illness. It is a complete understanding of each unique individual’s personality, habits and lifestyle which enable Jennie to treat with compassion and commitment. She works with each patient to help them reach their health goals.