A Joyful Heart Health

reviving health naturally.

Using Homeopathy at Home…Can I do it?

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There’s no question that alternative medicines are growing in popularity. People tired of being sick and finding little relief from conventional Western medicine are turning to more natural therapies like essential oils, Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs, and homeopathy. Health is a complex journey requiring a number of applications from the ‘toolbox’ such as a nutrient-dense diet, exercise, smart sunshine, stress reduction, and appropriate medicines when illness arises. With so many alternatives, how does one know which tool to add to their box?

Newcomers to homeopathy find it daunting. Not only are the remedies prescribed in a manner contrary to Western thinking, but they are also difficult for the home lay-prescriber to apply correctly. Consequently, many folks turn away from homeopathy frustrated and doubting its efficacy. I admit I was one of those folks ten years ago when our family was first introduced to homeopathy. Because my mother was a licensed nurse, I found it extremely challenging to select the correct remedy when someone in my household fell ill. Time after time I saw no effect, but through determination and coaching from an experienced, trained homeopath I began to ‘get’ it and see remedies working. As a result, I came to value our family homeopath who–time after time–patiently invested her time into teaching us the basics. Like anything, there was a learning curve, but the efforts were worthwhile. Dramatically worthwhile.

When I became a classical homeopath, I strove to remain passionate about teaching the home prescriber the basics of this wonderful alternative. I vowed to patiently teach those brave enough to give homeopathy a go the foundations of this healing modality in a manner that was easy to grasp and efficient for busy people. Mothers, especially, have little time to devote to studying extensive materials, so I specifically tailor my classes around their busy lifestyles. Parts of my course offerings are intense, but I make it clear that I am always available to clarify any confusion my students may have.

This fall I offered a basic course of Schussler’s cell salts, or biochemic remedies. The response was astounding with a nearly full classroom. Next week I will begin a four-part series on using homeopathy at home for folks in the local Moscow area. Registration is currently open for the course, and participants may register here. Upon completion of payment, students will receive an extensive 70+ page course guide as a reference throughout the class series. If you have tried homeopathy in the past and found it wanting, I invite you to join us next week for personal, thorough instruction in homeopathy for the home prescriber. You will learn the foundation principles of homeopathy, a brief history, its applications for home care, and receive a certificate of completion at the closing of the course. You will also receive sample homeopathic remedies for home use, thanks to the generous support of the Moscow Food Coop wellness department and txoptions.com.

For more information, or to register, click here. I look forward to seeing you in January. May you be blessed with health and joy in the coming New Year!

Homeopathy Returns to Northern Idaho

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History is an interesting subject, one that is full of twists and turns, breathless moments of excitement, heroes and heroines. It has been said that “history repeats itself,” but in reality it instead bares, in some future time, shadowy remembrances of itself. Sometimes the memories of a local hero get lost over time, only to resurface by surprise. The story of Dr. Susan E. Bruce of Lewiston, Idaho is just such a story.

I happened upon buried treasure several weeks ago when I was searching online for a local society of homeopaths. While my search didn’t locate any current association in the Gem State, it didn’t come up empty handed either. Instead it led me to a small book entitled Historic Firsts of Lewiston, Idaho: Unintended Greatness by Steven D. Branting and to page 119, to be exact. On this page Branting briefly touches on the professional life of one Dr. Susan E. Bruce, a local physician who began practicing in the Lewiston area in 1906. Bruce graduated in 1880 from  Hahnemann Medical College, a “regular” medical college that in addition trained would-be doctors in classical homeopathy. The college became coeducational in 1871, welcoming women students into the ranks of the medical profession (here is a slightly more in-depth account of the history of this Chicago college). On a trip West in 1905, Dr. Bruce discovered she liked the Lewiston area so much that she moved her homeopathic practice there in 1906.

At this point is where history takes a winding road, weaving between the ordinary and the extraordinary in its tale of a woman doctor. In 1907, Dr. Bruce was appointed one of the first three physicians to serve on the Idaho Board of Health (now called the Idaho Board of Health and Welfare). She also claimed first place in the state board examinations. Consider for a moment what achievements these were–first for her to practice in a then traditionally male-dominated profession, to achieve the highest mark on her examinations, and to be appointed to a state medical board by the governor! These would be considered remarkable achievements even in the modern age. Dr. Bruce then became, in 1909, the first vice president of the newly formed Idaho Homeopathic Society (it was by searching for this phrase that I discovered her). Two years later in 1911, she was elected Lewiston’s health officer, a role of service she filled for seventeen years. Branting notes it was as health officer that Dr. Bruce became “by many estimates the most important physician to serve the city.” (p 120)

Dr. Bruce was a trained homeopath, practicing and serving a northern Idaho community nearly 100 years ago. She was instrumental in containing local smallpox outbreaks in 1913 and 1927. By her presence of mind many were spared from the devastating impact of the Spanish Influenza outbreak in 1918-20. In fact, the citizens credited Dr. Bruce for the comparably low death toll in the area–only 53 residents died in the pandemic. Dr. Bruce’s skills in homeopathy were so noteworthy, that the nursing staff of St. Joseph’s Hospital requested she teach homeopathic materia medica.

In 1930, after a long season practicing homeopathy, Dr. Susan E. Bruce passed away at the age of 82, shortly after her retirement. Homeopathy was relegated to near obscurity with the advent of penicillin in 1928, and the citizens of Lewiston all but forgot the story of this heroic female physician. Now, after nearly 100 years, the story of Dr. Bruce is coming to light and classical homeopathy is being revived in northern Idaho. Though not a trained medical doctor, I hope to once again provide this wonderful alternative to conventional allopathic medicine for those seeking a gentler healing approach. If you are fascinated with homeopathic history in the United States, I suggest you begin here. If you are new to homeopathy,  read this free book online–it will give you a concise history, the principles, and applications of this time-tested alternative medicine.

I am always delighted and amazed at what ripples a passion for history can ignite–I never imagined a woman like Dr. Bruce could practice homeopathy a century ago just 30 odd miles from my home. In the spirit of Dr. Susan E. Bruce, I will strive through A Joyful Heart Health to educate people about homeopathy and to serve those both locally and abroad. I look forward to reviving health naturally on the Palouse. Please contact me if you are interested in a homeopathic consultation or to request more information.

 

 

 

 

Expectations

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Have you ever had an issue on your heart you desired to share…to the point of bursting? For the past 24 hours my strength has been renewed by a verse in the Bible I had glanced over until I was expecting my 5th child. The circumstances surrounding his “knitting together” time and coming birth had me feeling vulnerable, unprepared, and fearful. Of course I couldn’t admit these things to anyone, except to the Lord. I vividly remember a close sister in Christ calling one evening, just weeks before I was due, and telling me she could hear fear in my voice. Fear? No, I’m not afraid.

We had moved to a new house–a very cozy but adorable old house in a quiet neighborhood–a few months prior with our growing family. The Pattison house was the right price, and although snug, we didn’t mind as the six of us snuggled up together during that cold, icy winter. We were preparing for our first homebirth, the fulfillment of a dream to birth at home. Our midwife was two hours away but we didn’t mind the drive for our lengthy prenatals. Katie was a calming influence who made us all feel so loved and the approaching event of the birth of our baby at home a sacred experience. But in the last month of my pregnancy, as the anxiety mounted and my pelvis ached so badly I could hardly move (we had no bathroom on the main floor of the house–I was climbing a LOT of stairs), I began to have doubts.

My previous births were all natural, though in the hospital because of our living arrangements, and I had been proud to have “done it naturally” when most women I knew were eagerly requesting pain meds during labor. I believed I had done it, I had persevered through the trying process of labor and birth, and that I was somehow better than those who hadn’t. Suddenly, that pride came crashing down as I realized that I couldn’t have done that. I wasn’t in control of my labor or my birth, nor was I master of the pain and intensity I had felt in all my births. I was terrified…and God was “knitting” me.

Thankfully, I am married to a godly, supportive husband who recognized what I could not see. He directed me to go to the Lord, and I began devouring every verse I could that spoke about God as our Helper and Strength. There I was, quickly approaching the day of my delivery, and acknowledging that the birth team–our caring midwife, her cool-headed assistant, our family homeopath, and my steadfast husband–could only help me so far. At the height of my fear the Lord brought a verse before my eyes that not only changed my perspective about labor and birth, but also my perspective about life:

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and your joy no one will take from you. ~John 16:21-22

I felt as though He had written that verse to my heart directly. My fear vanished as I rested in the comfort of His promise–that I would know a joy that could not be taken away! He had explained through a picture, a life-changing event that I could understand–labor and birth! The trial of laboring is much like our walk here on earth, full of pain, uncertainty, toil, and weakness. Yet like the birthing woman who has been delivered of her child and rejoices, no longer recalling her sorrows, we will rejoice with a joy that cannot be removed. No wonder He is called our Deliverer!

My labor began at around 11 PM on my sister’s birthday, and we notified Katie right away so she could get on the road. In the dark stillness of a winter’s night, I labored faithfully in the water, crying out to God my Helper when I had not the strength. Just before the sun rose I felt the overwhelming pressure of my baby’s head, and shortly after we received our new son into the world with tearful thanksgiving. My pain was gone, my sorrows forgotten, and my joy in my miracle and the Lord who had delivered me and will again one final day, was magnified.

Why this post? A Joyful Heart Health is about so much more for me than health and the physical ways we can hope to heal…it is matter of the heart. Truly, as the Proverb states, “a joyful heart causeth good health.” This is where genuine health begins. We may be blessed with physical wellness in our bodies, but if we do not have joy in the Lord and acknowledge that He is our only Physician and Healer, we do not have real health. My intention is to share with you a biblical perspective on what health truly is, how we may apply this understanding to our lives, and how we may use the many gifts God has given us to heal our bodies and alleviate the pain and discomfort of physical ailments as He allows. Join me along the journey, and may you be blessed with the health that comes from a joyful heart!