HEADLINE homeopathy

  As a bit of a tribute to this spring's General Election I have decided to treat you too a brief manifesto on a few remedies which are noted for their use in conditions which turn us red, yellow or blue. (Of course, I'm talking complexion rather than political party!). The colour of the skin can indeed be very helpful when we come to choose a remedy.

Sulphur is a remedy which is known for its redness.  People who need this remedy often have that high colour which in medieval times would have been known as "sanguine". Children who need sulphur can look very red around the eyes, the mouth or the nose.  Babies who have bright red nappy rash can often be cured by this remedy.

  Veratrum Album is a remedy for collapse. People needing it are intensely cold - so much so that they can look blue. If you touch their hands you may feel a cold sweat and the fingers will have that bluish tinge that comes from poor circulation and lack of oxygen. Of course, "blue" remedy always suit the cold bods of the world whereas "red" remedies suit those who are generating ample body heat.

The Volcanic Remedy

I hope none of you spent uncomfortable nights in airports this spring, waiting for the ash from the Icelandic volcano to dissipate.  It might interest you to know that ash from another, more volatile, volcano in Iceland has been used to make a useful homeopathic remedy. Called Hekla Lava, the remedy was first used by a doctor who toured Iceland following an eruption of Hekla.  He noticed that the sheep and cattle in the vicinity had developed bony growths on their jaws. Subsequently, the remedy made from the volcanic ash has proved itself useful in the treatment of diseases of the jaw - including tumours, disintegration of the bone of the jaw, gum abscesses and facial neuralgia after toothache. The milk of the sheep and cows had also dried up following the eruption and so the remedy if often used to restore the flow of milk to mothers who have are not producing any.  Homeopaths who have used this remedy have found that it often suits people who are quiet and gentle but can explode suddenly following periods where they have suppressed their true emotions. A good remedy perhaps for those who found themselves at the mercy of the airlines in April!

   Movie Medicine

 In the film, Gone With the Wind, Vivienne Leigh plays the iconic Scarlett O' Hara, a strong, driven woman who is willing to sacrifice her own emotions to save "Tara", the sugar plantation she owns.

Dark, vivacious and determined, Scarlett epitomises many of the characteristics associated with the remedy Sepia. At first she seems like a southern belle who loves to flirt and dance. But this hides her true nature. She marries a man she does not love in order to save the home she loves and goes on to demonstrate the kind of toughness, ambition and drive which,  in the1930s  was frowned upon in women. An ambivalent and complex character,  if she had asked  for a remedy, Sepia would have been a good bet.

The Secret Signs of Nature

It was the Swiss physician Paracelsus who, in the 16th century, developed something called The Doctrine of Signatures - the idea that the natural world is full of signs and signatures which point us towards how living things can benefit mankind. "Nature marks each growth according to its curative benefit," he wrote. This was not an original idea.  It had been kicking around in natural science since about the second century.  It is also not specific to western thought, appearing in oriental and Islamic cultures as well. 

It basically suggests that the form, colour and location of a plant can give us hints on how that plant might be used in medicine. So because the black spot in the corolla of the Euphrasia plant looks like the pupil of an eye, it was deduced that it would help with eye troubles. The plant therefore obtained its folk name - Eyebright and it does indeed help with eyestrain.  It's a theory which has been much derided and it is easy to pick holes in it but it does have a great use as a memory aid. Take the homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla: we know that the plant grows on dry ground, hangs its head and moves characteristically in the wind (hence its alternative name, the windflower).  We can use this to remind ourselves that people who need Pulsatilla are often thirstless, (dry ground), shy, (they hang their heads) and can be changeable, (they move in the wind). Similarly, Calcium Carbonate, a remedy which is made from the oyster shell, is often needed by people who find it hard to come out of their shells, who hide away.  And is it a coincidence that many plants with yellow flowers benefit the liver - the organ which can cause our skin to go yellow in jaundice?  Try this quick quiz.  Put yourself in the shoes of a medieval herbalist and try to infer the uses of each of the following:  a) Beetroot b) Walnut c) Bamboo. Well, beetroot with its red juice, is known to reduce blood pressure.  The walnut with its uncanny resemblance to the brain does contain very high amounts of Omega 3 oil which is an important brain food and the homeopathic remedy of bamboo is certainly used to help with problems of the spine.  However, all these plants have been found to help other parts of the body as well so obviously nature's clues are telling us only part of the story!

  Healing Quotes  
  Homeopathy is a progressive and aggressive step in medicine        J. D. Rockefeller ( billionaire and philanthropist, often called the richest man in history.  He lived to the age of 98).
 

Chelidonium Majus is a major jaundice remedy and yellowness can be seen in many areas of the body when this remedy is required. Yellow skin, yellow, tongue, yellowed whites of the eyes, even yellow palms of the hand indicate this remedy and the presence of a liver complaint. The urine is also a very bright yellow or orange or even brown in extreme cases. Another "yellow" aspect of this remedy is the fact that people needing it sometimes develop a desire for, or an aversion to, cheese ( whether it's always yellow cheese our books don't say!).

Belladonna is another remedy which is indicated when the patient has a very ruddy face. It is one of our most well used fever remedies.  Think of this if there is a high fever with dry skin and very red cheeks.. It is used in the kind of childhood fevers which often result in delirium or even convulsions. Onset of these fevers is sudden and symptoms are very intense. Eyes can take on a wild, staring look with dilated pupils. A Belladonna fever tends to get worse at around 3pm It is certainly the remedy to think of if you suspect meningitis and you are waiting for the ambulance.  

Plumbum or lead is, of course, a metal which can cause toxicity in the body either in an acute or a chronic form. One of the well known symptoms of chronic lead poisoning is a blue line along the line of the gums. Other symptoms include confusion and memory loss, sleeplessness and muscle cramps. Made into a homeopathic remedy Plumbum can combat the symptoms of the poisoning and can also cure other ailments with similar symptoms..