Homeopathy for Everything

The T.E.E.T.H. acronym was often written on the chart of a patient with an unresponsive, tough case.

T.E.E.T.H. – Tried Everything Else, Try Homeopathy

Homeopathy, a 200-year-old system of medicine that is practised throughout the world and in hospitals in India, France, and Europe, is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’. This principle states that homeopathic medicine is made from substances that, in a crude dose, can actually cause the same symptoms that one wants to cure. Remedies are made from a variety of substances such as plants and minerals. They are prepared in a way that makes them very safe, diluted, and gentle. Homeopathic medicine has no side effects in a potency higher than a 6CH. The beauty of homeopathy is that, if someone takes a remedy that is not suited to them, it simply doesn’t work and there is no harm done.

Single homeopathic remedies are matched to one’s unique symptoms of disease. When a remedy is matched properly, it stimulates the body to heal itself. This happens because one’s unique healing mechanism is awakened by the body recognizing the diluted remedy’s energy pattern as a form of maladaptation, or disease. It notes the symptoms as ‘not normal’, indicating a need for healing.

A prime example of a homeopathic medicine is Allium Cepa, which is prepared from red onion. In its crude form, when an onion is cut it can cause sneezing, and the eyes and nose may burn and water. At a higher homeopathic potency, the onion remedy can alleviate symptoms of cold or allergies, so taking Allium Cepa in a homeopathic dose can stimulate the symptoms to disappear.

Typically, remedies are prescribed in a 30CH potency, with four pellets taken under the tongue in between meals every two hours for an acute condition, or twice daily for an ongoing chronic condition.

Homeopathy Works With Conventional and Nutritional Medicine

Interestingly, during my 17 years as a practising homeopath and nutritionist, I have drawn conclusions about which conditions are best served by homeopathic medicine. My clinical practice has shown that some people with certain nutritional deficiencies improve faster when a prudent diet is adhered to, and when supplements or medical intervention are used. For example, if a person is a vegan or vegetarian and starts to develop tingling in the extremities, along with depression and low energy, supplementing with an activated B Complex and extra methylated B12, gets better results than trying to find a homeopathic remedy for their condition.

Homeopathy and Conventional Medicine – In this example, someone with a broken arm would be wise to have the bone put in place and casted in the emergency room. After that, homeopathic remedies can be used to expedite healing – remedies such as Arnica for symptoms of injury, or Symphytum or Calcarea phos to help with repair of the bone matrix are especially helpful. This is where traditional medicine and homeopathy can blend nicely.

Nutrition and Homeopathy – These can blend well too. For example, one case involved a girl who was only eating bread for breakfast and lunch, and pasta for dinner. She suffered from malnutrition, headaches, stomach pains, and poor dental health. Ideally, one would request that the child improve her diet, but for whatever reason her family chose to allow her to eat poorly. When she came to my office, the case-taking process revealed that her symptoms matched the remedy Calcarea phos. This remedy is appropriate for ailments arising from malnutrition, weak bones and teeth, stomach problems, and headaches in school children.

In other situations, homeopathy can work better than supplements. For example, women who have heavy menstrual cycles due to hormone imbalance, fibroids, or simple bad luck may supplement with iron until the proverbial “cows come home.” But if they don’t address the underlying causes of heavy flow, they will always need supplements to alleviate the iron deficiency caused by blood loss. This is where homeopathy is beautiful; it addresses the symptoms of menorrhagia (excessive flow), which is the reason for the low iron stores.

Time and again during patient follow ups, we see how well homeopathy can work.

Case Studies

At the turn of the century in the United States, there were several homeopathic hospitals, and even homeopaths within allopathic medical hospitals. Up until 1960, there was a homeopathic doctor who sat on a board similar to today’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Homeopathy doesn’t curry favour because there is very little money to be made in the drug industry on these inexpensive little pellets, and such natural substances cannot be patented.

However, back in the good old days, if a doctor had an unresponsive, tough, or unusual case, they would write on the patient’s chart an acronym – TEETH, which stands for “Tried Everything Else, Try Homeopathy.” Quite often, homeopaths were, and still are, referred unusual cases of people who have not had success with medical treatments or supplements. Some interesting cases are cited below that show how homeopathy can address unique, strange, rare, or peculiar symptoms. Please note that homeopaths are not allowed to use the word ‘cure’ regarding a disease, but we can tell you of cases where symptoms have improved in an effort to highlight the beauty of matching homeopathic remedies to a patient’s symptoms.

Case 1 – A lady, aged 78, suffered with the symptoms of excessive congestion with thick and sticky mucous. She followed her dentist’s and family doctor’s advice for a year, to no avail. The mucous was difficult to swallow, and annoying. She was constantly spitting in an effort to clear the mucous from mouth, nose, and throat. After carefully reviewing her symptoms, I prescribed the remedy Kalium Bich 30CH which matched her symptoms beautifully. On follow-up, she reported that her excessive mucous had cleared up within a few days of taking the remedy.

Case 2 –A child, aged 13, with a fussy and poor appetite was abnormally small in height and weight for his age. He tended towards stomach aches and constipation. He had symptoms of feeling frail, and was fearful of being hurt due to being smaller in size than the other children. This led to prescription of the homeopathic remedy called Silica 30CH, along with Alfalfa Q to aid in the absorption of nutrients. Within a period of six months, the boy’s height had increased, and his weight increased by 25 pounds.

Case 3 – A lady, aged 74, had developed what looked like a scaly growth of abnormal, flesh-coloured tissue on her bottom lip. (Her lips had frequently been sunburned over the years.) She had scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist, but before going there she came to see me and explore how her symptoms could be addressed homeopathically. After taking her case history, it became apparent to me that her lip symptoms matched the remedy Condurango. After taking the remedy and returning for follow-up, the patient reported that the abnormal tissue growth had cleared up.

Case 4 – A woman, aged 56, came in for an appointment with symptoms of feeling like her “skin was too tight.” She felt that her lungs could not expand, and she was short of breath. She had the unusual symptom of feeling ‘hidebound’ and tight in her own skin and muscles. Her lungs were not able to expand and she reported shortness of breath. These symptoms led to the prescribing of a remedy called Croton Tig 6CH. Within eight weeks, she reported an improvement in her energy and breathing, and a reduced feeling of painful tightness.

Homeopathy is excellent for those with clearly defined symptoms. A medical diagnosis is not required because homeopathy treats the patient’s unique condition, not the disease name. Homeopathy is an ancient healing art, one that lives on. Registered homeopaths hope to work hand in hand again one day with medical doctors in hospitals. This way, patients will get the best of both worlds.