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.

 

 

 

 

Why Homeopathy DOESN’T Work

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There’s a quick fix for most everything nowadays, right? When our computers crash, we buy another one, plug in our backup drive and life is back to normal. If your oven breaks in the middle of roasting a chicken, no problem! Throw it in the crockpot. Johnny gets a sore throat–get him to quick care and on antibiotics and that’s that. The world keeps turning, you still have to get dinner on the table and fold the laundry, and get the rest of the kids off to soccer practice. Who has time to think?

I meet a lot of intelligent, well-meaning people who are skeptics when it comes to the efficacy of homeopathy and I am cornered by their frustration. I nod in understanding as they spill out their stories. Some have read the latest studies, they understand the theory behind the practice, or they’ve just perused the blue vials of homeopathic remedies available for purchase at their local health food store. They’ve tried homeopathy…and it just didn’t work. The bottle said “for colds and flu” but it didn’t provide any relief. After a dose or two, they’ve simply decided they’d had enough, that homeopathy is bogus, and then opted for something easier like herbal echinacea, acetaminophen, or antibiotics. Why?

Our modern system of medicine (allopathy) and our culture have encouraged a certain way of thinking about health. We are not supposed to get sick. When we do, it should be relatively painless, easy, and certainly not a bother or inconvenience. Symptoms such as runny noses, headaches, cough and fevers are to be halted, not respected as the body’s natural way of cleansing or healing itself. The second expectation is that there is a panacea–the magic pill that will make it all go away and leave you “better,” because, after all, the body certainly doesn’t know how to fix itself. Most all of us, whether we like it or not, have been influenced by this way of thinking in one way or another.

People seek out homeopathy for a variety of reasons–they’re fed up with the current medical system, they want something safer and more natural than synthetic pharmaceuticals, their sister-in-law’s friend had a miraculous cure from her terrible allergies, or they’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, so why not?! Some find a good home care homeopathy book or a well-trained classical homeopath from the beginning, and some spend five minutes reading the label on the little blue remedy bottle at the store before going home and giving it a shot. The latter are rarely successful in their attempts, but occasionally will hit the mark with relief of their symptoms. Many folks fall into this category and become skeptics or in the very least, discouraged with homeopathic medicine.

This is why homeopathy doesn’t work. Homeopathy doesn’t work when the founding principles aren’t followed. The principles of “like cures like,” the minimum dose, and prescribing on the individual rather than the disease are crucial to success. There are literally thousands of remedies made from things in our world–minerals, plants, animals, synthetics, man-made synthetics and drugs–and it is not humanly possible to have mastered them all, even for professional homeopaths. But what about the description on the bottle that said “for colds and flus?” The FDA regulates the manufacture of homeopathic remedies and requires that an “indication” be placed on the label. Homeopathic remedies can treat a vast spectrum of symptoms and ailments, therefore most remedies cannot be limited to one or two conditions. Here is where the problem often begins for those with little or no knowledge of homeopathy. We are so used to selecting medications based off of our disease condition that we are not used to selecting a remedy that requires seeking out the symptoms of a disease condition as they pertain to that individual. When a homeopathic remedy fails to act, it is not a failure of the medicine, but a failure of the prescriber to select the indicated remedy.

Homeopathy is not an easy approach to health for many people for that reason. Think of it this way… Imagine a pond, a small pond as the core of a person’s illness or disease. You carry in your hand a fistful of small pebbles. One of those pebbles will hit the center of that pond if you throw it accurately, but if you throw the entire handful you won’t know which pebble hit the center. So you try it…and you see several rings of ripples, some near the center and some near the edge, resonating through the water. This is why classical homeopaths only use one remedy at a time. Now, upon closer examination of the pebbles, you decide that the grey one with golden flecks is the right shape and size for your best shot at hitting the center of the pond. You give it a good toss and hit what you deem is the center of the pond, and with satisfaction watch the concentric circles glide from the center, out. That is the aim of homeopathy…to hit the center of the organism so that healing can proceed from the inside out.

Homeopathic remedies are not like allopathic medicine in that they do not suppress or mask the symptoms. Rather, they stimulate the body’s own innate healing ability to begin the process of healing. Sometimes, even after a well selected remedy is given, the remedy will not produce the desired effect. When this happens, it is often the result of what homeopaths call an “obstacle to cure.” This means that there is something in the patient’s lifestyle that is preventing the body from doing the work it needs to. Diet, stress, lifestyle, medications, and advanced mechanical diseases are just some of the culprits. However, even if homeopathy does not “cure” the disease, it often provides people with better sleep, energy, and a sense of well-being. This is often the case in patients with terminal or incurable diseases such as cancer or congestive heart failure.

I know what it is like to fail in selecting the right remedy. As both a mother prescribing ailments and a classical homeopathy, I have had my share of mystery cases. I am a human being and my knowledge is limited and finite. I will never master homeopathy. But by God’s grace I will be able to hit the center for some people over the years, and be able to witness improvement in the lives of those I treat.

Be encouraged if you are new to homeopathy. Don’t give up. Homeopathy is one of the most challenging fields to encounter in life, but your hard work, study, and determination will reap rewards, especially in the middle of the night when the right remedy helps your feverish child get some much needed sleep.