Who in their right mind would be thankful for a yeast infection? The person who discovered the life changing possibilities of homeopathy, that’s who!

(Too much information, I know, but this is how the story goes.)

I used to suffer these ridiculous symptoms not infrequently and after many years of not suffering from anything of the sort, I had a yeast infection that would not go away. I had the cleanest diet of my life at that time (I was eating the Paleo Autoimmune diet). I had completely removed any source of sugar (including all fruit and even balsamic vinegar!) and was basically eating meat and low carb vegetables. Still, this yeast infection would not budge. I had a prescription of Diflucan from my gynecologist, but was hesitant to take it after reading the side effects despite having used it “successfully” many times before. I knew there had to be another way through this problem.

I began searching the internet for a natural answer. That’s when I found Joette Calabrese’s article and I learned at that moment that perimenopause was a likely culprit.

I looked around for a little more information. This sounded too good to be true. None of the other "natural" yeast infection cures helped at all.

I purchased a tube of Boiron’s Mercurius solubilis 200c. Actually, I purchased a couple of tubes of Merc sol, because her article did say it may take 3-5 months to fix this problem.

I was hesitant. I don’t know why I was hesitant. I had successfully used homeopathy to fix my migraines a few years prior. Maybe the hesitancy was because this was something I was doing on my own — and not under the guidance of my MD/homeopath. 

I eventually, hesitantly, took the Merc sol.

I think it was the next day that all the symptoms were gone. I kept waiting for the symptoms to return. They never did. I never needed that second tube of Merc sol. Heck, I never even needed a second dose of the Merc sol. It has now been years, and I still haven't required a second dose.

That was in the month of September of 2015. I followed Joette’s blogs for a few more months to see what she was all about. By January, I had learned all I could learn from her blogs and I then booked an appointment with her to address my other long-standing, frustrating conditions.

Within 2 weeks of following the Banerji protocols she suggested, I felt so much better that I enrolled in my first of Joette’s webinars. By April, just 4 months later, I was completely hooked on the idea of homeopathy and began investigating a formal education in this new discovery of mine. My life was now set to take a completely different track than I had ever possibly imagined. By the 1 year anniversary of this glorious yeast infection, I had devoured everything Joette had to offer and was officially enrolled in Homeopathy School International, which was at that time, the only fully accredited US on-line program available. 

I didn’t set out to become a homeopath. I only wanted to learn homeopathy — to know homeopathy as a “grand hobby” as Joette once termed it. But, because to get to the next level of classes I had to take the tests, I eventually earned my certification. Once that ended, I still wanted to learn more and that’s when I happened upon CHE/Middlesex University program and I have now earned my BSc in Homeopathy. (By this time, I knew I was absolutely on the right path. I now wanted to be the homeopath I had become.) Because I still want to learn more, I am once again enrolled in HSI, this time for the Advanced Clinical Studies.

I am so immensely grateful to Joette Calabrese (and that darned yeast infection!) and all she has taught me. My life now is nothing that I had ever dreamed it would be. Helping people to feel better is an honor and a privilege and one of the most rewarding things imaginable and I am thankful daily for the wonders of this amazing medicine known as homeopathy.

Rufus’ dollops had literally dropped to nothing for a while. Then there would be another and we repeated the Aloe and they would disappear again. Then, they just kept coming, regardless of what we tried. A package was waiting every morning and sometimes 1 or 2 more times during the day and evening. 

A change had occurred, though, that could be helpful to finding another remedy. His stools became lienteric. From Merriam Webster: "containing or characterized by the passage of undigested or partially digested food — used of feces or diarrhea."

We were literally getting ready to walk out the door for a few days away, so I took a quick look at Murphy’s repertory which shows a couple of possible remedies that fit the idea of both his loose/easy stool as well as  lienteric stool.

I left 4 bowls of food in the fridge for the dog sitter to give him, each with China officinalis wedged into some pieces of meat.

There has not been a dollop since. Not the usual morning offering nor the evening drop off. And, I think he looks a little happier about life. He seems to be sleeping less. He comes to sit by us in the day rather than staying by himself. But, we've been here before… so, stay tuned! I am hopeful but not certain.

Cinchona officinalis (or, China officinalis, AKA China, or Peruvian Bark) — from which we get quinine is also the first homeopathic remedy to be “proved” by Samuel Hahnemann. He devised his theory of “like cures like,” then he tried it on himself. Thus he “proved” his theory. (Look for an upcoming article on this topic.)

At it’s worst, the Cinchona patient is “despondent, gloomy, has no desire to live, but lacks courage to commit suicide” (Allen 2017, p. 100). Could Rufus have been in that state? Dunno. “Gloomy” could certainly be a word attributed to his disposition recently.

Cinchona also has “drawing or tearing; in every joint” (Allen 2005, p. 100). We know he has this going on. You can see it and hear it when he stands up or drops down.

Cinchona is an excellent remedy for the elderly, the weak or the recuperating. We believe Rufus to be on the older side. (He has been with us for 5-1/2 years and the vet estimated he was 4 or 5 at that time.) Cinchona is part of the 3rd line Banerji Protocol for Malnutrition with loss of weight (Banerji and Banerji 2013, p. 131). That could fit old Rufus. His harness seems pretty loose these days despite our not altering his diet. When he first joined our family, he was only 85 pounds (and was missing a great deal of his fur, plus mange, plus fleas and yeast infections — I had forgotten how unwell he used to be!) Though the vet recommended a chicken and rice diet for him, we quickly learned that rice was not his friend and he has been grain free ever since and last we checked, he was about 130 pounds. But, there is absolutely no question that he was malnourished upon arrival here. Bone broth has been an amazing thing for this lovely beast and I credit that, along with cell salts and well chosen homeopathic remedies, for getting him back to health. 

Homeopathy is definitely not an exact science and it is not at all unusual to need to zigzag your way through a case. I hope we are at the end of Rufus’ dollops, but in the event that we are not, I am prepared to follow his symptoms to make sure that his remaining years are as pleasant as possible — for him, and for us!


Julia Coyte, CHom
classicallypractical.com

#wellnessawaits. #homeopathycanhelp

Allen, H. C., 2017. Keynotes : rearranged and classified with leading remedies of the materia medica and bowel nosodes including repertorial index. Noida, U.P., India: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.

Banerji, P. and Banerji, P., 2013. The Banerji protocols : a new method of treatment with homeopathic medicines. India: Pratip Banerji.
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Last year, I dropped Rufus off for boarding when we went out of town. I was informed he needed a bunch of immunizations to be there, even if only to get groomed. 

Ruf does not love riding in the car and at his size, he’s not easy to get into the car when he’s not a willing participant. The groomer/boarder is close enough that I walk him there. I opted to use their mobile vet to do what they needed to do.

He was perfectly healthy when I dropped him off. He was sick as a dog when I picked him up. Kennel cough (also known as Bordatella, the vaccine he was required to get so he didn’t catch Kennel cough) was the diagnosis.

What to do? Homeopathy of course!

I turned to my handy dandy Homeopathy to the Rescue for Dogs from Pet Remedy Charts.*

“Kennel Cough: Drosera 30c if the cough is dry, spasmodic and there is retching. Dose: 3-4 times daily for 5-7 days or until improved.”

Drosera and lots of bone broth was the ticket and after a few days I was happy to hear him out in the yard with enough energy to bark at the world. 

Back when we used to have chickens, I used their Homeopathy to the Rescue for Chickens. Fortunately, the chicken only had diarrhea and it was easily addressed by giving her some Arsenicum album (dissolved in some bone broth soaked rice). A few doses and everything firmed right up again. My chicken chart addresses 31 different ailments including Abscesses, Aggression, Bumblefoot, Animal Bites, Respiratory Infections/Allergies and also includes Dosing Guidelines.

These charts are concise and easy to use and nicely laminated, too so I expect them to be around for quite a while.

Since I first found this company, they have added a bunch of new charts, including anatomy and for some of the creatures they have included herbs, flower remedies and acupressure. Charts available for dogs, cats, birds, horses, chickens, pet rats and humans.

Always helpful to have a handy-dandy chart ready to go for whatever comes up.


Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical Homeopathy 


#wellnessawaits. #homeopathycanhelp

* I have no affiliation with this company. I just like their products.

Ladders are deceptively dangerous. A few years ago a friend fell from a 2-story ladder and suffered horrific injuries resulting in numerous surgeries and the lingering potential loss of a limb. Today I learned of another friend who fell off what was described only as a tall ladder. I’m told he broke 3 ribs, his nose and his arm and required some stitches in his face and was knocked unconscious. I can’t even imagine the pain he is enduring.

Without further information of what sorts of interventions he has been given, here is what I would suggest, homeopathically speaking, to help find some relief after such a major accident.

When something like this happens, you have to address the most serious aspects first and in this case that would be the injury to the head.

He has apparently not suffered any brain damage, thank goodness. With a knock to the head like that though, I would start things off with a dose of homeopathic Arnica montana in as high a potency as you have available. Arnica is the first homeopathic remedy to think of after an accident in general and more specifically following an injury to the head. Arnica is one of 2 highly indicated remedies for head injuries. (Nat sulph is the other remedy to consider in this scenario.) Arnica is reputed to help with shock: Traumatic shock, shock from blood loss, shock from fractures, surgical shock and even mental shock. Arnica is also known to help with all these types of pains in general, including the pain from all the broken bones as well as the inevitable bruising* that will follow.

Broken ribs. 3 of them! Homeopathic Bryonia alba is known as the “grumpy bear” remedy. A Bryonia pain is virtually always aggravated by motion (Morrison 1993). When it hurts to move. When it hurts to breathe. When it hurts to even move your eyes. When you hurt that much, you’re gonna’ be grumpy. Bryonia is also an excellent remedy for the pain from broken bones, which, of course, hurt when you move them.

For the stitches, homeopathic Calendula would be where I would start. Calendula is amazingly soothing in addition to its ability to help heal wounds*. Calendula can be taken both internally as well as used topically (by dissolving some pellets in water and then soaking cloths or bandages in the solution and applying them to the area).

*For research showing the benefits of Calendula and wound healing and Arnica for bruising,  check out my research page.

His loved ones are suffering right along with him. Ignatia amara may help to address the worry and the fear they are enduring. Aconite might be in order if they witnessed the fall, to help with that shock, especially if the image keeps re-playing in their mind.

How often to take the remedies following an injury varies and is dependent on the severity of the injury and the resulting pain. Let this pain be your guide. The worse the pain, the more frequent the administration of the remedies. With the remedies suggested above, I would do the following:

Arnica: Immediately following the injury and repeat as necessary until the person is calm. Following that, begin alternating Arnica and Bryonia every hour until the pain is significantly lessened. (Note: this may need to be more frequent at the start.) 

Calendula 30, twice daily. Re-apply the topical Calendula dressings as they begin to dry out until no longer needed for pain and the risk of infection has passed.

After the initial few doses, wait for the pain to return before taking another dose. Do not take the remedies if there is no pain. If the pain returns, that is the time to take the remedy.

Support remedies to be considered:
​Calcium phosphorica 6x (Calc-phos) and Calcium Fluoride 12x (Calc-fluor) are tissue salts (cell salts) which can be taken daily, or even twice daily, for bone support.

For the loved ones:
Aconite immediately and repeat until they are calm and that initial shock has subsided.
Ignatia, twice daily until the stressful situation has stabilized.

Be mindful of deceptively dangerous contraptions!


Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical Homeopathy


#wellnessawaits  #homeopathycanhelp

Sources:
Morrison, R., 1993. Desktop guide to keynotes and confirmatory symptoms. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Pub.
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Resources used in this article:
Morrison, M.D., R., 1998. Desktop companion to physical pathology. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Publ.
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Pareek, R. S. and Pareek, A., 2012. Homeopathy for Acutes and Emergencies. Kandern, Germany: Narayana Publishers.

I’ve heard jokes made about homeopathic first aid kits. You know the sort of thing. “How is this sugar pill going to help you when you’re bleeding out?” Point taken. Your gushing finger will eventually need to be bandaged up, once you have the bleeding and shock under control. That’s where the homeopathy comes in and that’s why I keep both a homeopathic first aid kit & a good conventional first aid kit handy.* 

Homeopathic Phosphorus is indicated when there is “bright red and abundant blood” (Ratera, 2016). I have witnessed the blood stop flowing, whether it be from my son’s profuse bloody nose or my gushing finger. “Maybe the blood was stopping on its own, anyway!” Maybe. But, when you see the blood stop flowing on multiple occasions and situations… I’m going with the Phosphorus is working… and very quickly!

Cantharis is one of the best remedies for burns (Ratera, 2016, p. 386). Not only can this remedy be taken by mouth to relieve the pain and to start the healing, homeopathic Cantharis can be diluted in water and applied topically after soaking some gauze in the solution.

Calendula is another remedy which works well when diluted and applied topically, especially if there are lacerations (deep cuts). Homeopathic Calendula is highly indicated “to promote healthy granulation (Taber’s Medical Dictionary: “granulations bring a rich blood supply to the healing surface”) and prevent excessive suppuration (Taber: “the formation of pus”) and disfiguring scars” (Allen, 2017, p. 76). Plus, it helps the pain… a lot! 
​
** I have included a few links to research papers on Calendula in this article.
For more links to further research on the benefits of homeopathic remedies, visit my research page. 

And, let’s not forget the first rule of dealing with an emergency … staying calm. Arnica should be one of the first remedies administered in an emergency. Homeopathic Arnica is highly indicated in the patient who says there is nothing wrong with them (especially when they are clearly in need of medical attention (Pareek and Pareek, 2012, pp. 62 & 79). Arnica, too, can be applied topically for bruises, strains and muscular injuries, but NEVER on an open wound (Morrison, M.D., 1998, p. 368). English physician Dorothy Shepard (1885-1952) writes about her patients who believed they were being given morphine when in fact they had been given homeopathic Arnica (Shephard, 1989, p. 145). 

I am not suggesting that homeopathy can fix everything all by itself, (though, it can go an awfully long way!) Homeopathy is also excellent to use ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL! 

If you are dealing with someone who is suffering hives or an allergic reaction and it looks like it is turning into an anaphylactic situation, administer homeopathic Apis mellifica  immediately (Ratera 2016, p. 322) and frequently while on the way to the hospital or when you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive. 

If you are faced with someone having a stroke or heart attack, administer Arnica or Aconite immediately (Banerji and Banerji 2013, p. 56; Pareek and Pareek 2012, pp. 17,  47, 53, 79 & 120) and frequently while you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

In addition to all the horrible scenarios that are possible, a homeopathic kit can also help address everyday issues that arise: ear aches, fever, too many sweets, diarrhea & vomiting, bumps and bruises and coughs, colds & allergies.

I have written a few times about when my homeopathic remedy kit has come in handy… here and here. 

Below, please find some links to a wide range of homeopathic remedy kits. Once you have a kit in your possession, you are on your way to protecting yourself and your family both in everyday and emergency situations. The more you use it, the more you will want to use it because you will be amazed at how quickly bad situations can be averted and made right.

* I have no affiliation with any of the companies listed in this article.

Julia Coyte, CHom
classicallypractical.com

#wellnessawaits #homeopathycanhelp

Resources for this article:
​Allen, H.C., 2017. Keynotes : rearranged and classified with leading remedies of the materia medica and bowel nosodes including repertorial index. Noida, U.P., India: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.
‌
Banerji, P. and Banerji, P., 2013. The Banerji Protocols: a new method of treatment with homeopathic medicines. India: Pratip Banerji.

**Givol, O., Kornhaber, R., Visentin, D., Cleary, M., Haik, J. and Harats, M., 2019. A systematic review of Calendula officinalis extract for wound healing. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 27(5), pp.548–561.

**Hostanska, K., Rostock, M., Melzer, J., Baumgartner, S. and Saller, R., 2012. A homeopathic remedy from arnica, marigold, St. John’s wort and comfrey accelerates in vitro wound scratch closure of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12(1).
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Morrison, M.D., R., 1998. Desktop companion to physical pathology. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Publ.

**Nicolaus, C., Junghanns, S., Hartmann, A., Murillo, R., Ganzera, M. and Merfort, I., 2017. In vitro studies to evaluate the wound healing properties of Calendula officinalis extracts. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 196, pp.94–103.

Pareek, R.S. and Pareek, A., 2012. ​Homeopathy for Acutes and Emergencies. Kandern, Germany: Narayana Publishers
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Ratera, Dr.M.M., 2016. First Aid with Homeopathy.
Dr. Ratera specialized in Internal Medicine and also studied Traumatology and Emergency Medicine in Spain.

Shephard, Dr. D., 1989. The magic of the minimum dose : experiences and cases. Saffron Walden: Health Science Press.
A highly readable book, loaded with good information as she recounts her days in war torn England.
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Venes, D. and Clarence Wilbur Taber, 2013. Taber’s cyclopedic medical dictionary. [22nd ed., ISBN: 9780803629776]. Philadelphia, Pa.: F.A. Davis.

An X potency is created in the same manner but instead of 100 (c), it is diluted and succussed 10 (x) times. A dilution of 1:10 is designated as 1x. (A 6c potency is 10 times as dilute as a 6x potency. As a point of interest, 6x & 3c have a similar potentization. I know it's baffling, but don't you find it kind of fascinating?!)

​There are other designations used throughout the world and there are other potency scales used. For the purpose of this article, I will only be addressing X and C potencies. I include the table below for a glimpse into what else is out there in the world of homeopathic designations and for non-US readers to be able to equate their homeopathic designations to ours.

If you’re with me so far, here’s where homeopathy can get confusing. The lower the number, the more of the original substance remains. The larger the number, the less of the original substance remains and therefore is considered more potent or more powerful. It is this counterintuitive point that is the basis for a lot of the controversy that surrounds homeopathy. 

​After 23 dilutions in the decimal scale, "X," (Robinson, 2014) or 11th or 12th centesimal potency, "C," (Lockie, 1993), there are no molecules of the original substance left. 

"What? There is nothing of the original substance left?

Nope, not to a normal microscope anyway. I told you it was going to get confusing. Chikramane et al., (2017) found nanoparticles of the starting metals in 30c and 200c remedies. Put in simpler terms… if I were to take some feces and put it through the potentization process mentioned above, would you want to drink that glass of water? That's what I thought, too. Something has to still be hanging around in there, even if a standard microscope can't see it.

“Why dilute the existing substance in the first place? Why don’t you just use the original substance in its original form?”

That’s a good question. Samuel Hahnemann, who founded homeopathy as we know it back in the late 1700s, learned through his experimentation that some of his patients got worse before they got better and, as a result, he began to dilute his remedies to provide a gentler cure. He found his patients not only avoided the “aggravations” with these diluted remedies, but the remedies also worked “faster and more effectively. They were, paradoxically, weaker but more potent” (Lockie 1993, p. 2).

Some of the substances used to make homeopathic remedies are highly toxic and would not be safe to ingest in their original form. But, the homeopathic potentization process (when followed according to the strict methods as described in The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) results in a new substance so dilute and gentle that adverse affects are similar to those caused by placebo (Stub et al., 2016). (No, homeopathy is not simply a placebo based on sugar pills to make you think you feel better. I will post an article on this topic in the future.)

Science has not yet caught up with homeopathy. Despite hundreds of years of use and clinical success, science still has no explanation for this phenomenon. They are seemingly making inroads, however, and the latest explanation lies in the water and the idea that water has a memory (Homeopathy Research Institute | HRI, 2018; Pollack Lab). It is this memory of the substance in the water that acts curatively in the body to help the body strengthen itself.

Julia Coyte, CHom
classicallypractical.com

#homeopathycanhelp #wellnessawaits

Sources referenced in the writing of this article:
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Chikramane, P.S., Suresh, A.K., Kane, S.G. and Bellare, J.R. (2017). Metal nanoparticle induced hormetic activation: a novel mechanism of homeopathic medicines. Homeopathy: The Journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy, [online] 106(3), pp.135–144. 
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Creedy |, M. (2016). Potency - the power of Homeopathy. 

Helios Homeopathy (n.d.). helios-frontend. 

Homeopathy Research Institute | HRI. (2018). “New Horizons in Water Science”: Evidence for Homeopathy?
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Lockie, A. (1993). The family guide to homeopathy : symptoms and natural solutions. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Nelsons. (2021). Homeopathic Dilution. 

Pollack Lab (n.d.). research. [online] pollacklab. 
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Reichenberg-Ullman, J. and Ullman, D. (2010). Homeopathic Potency Selection Simplified (Feb/March 2010) Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients. [online] www.townsendletter.com.

Robinson, K. (2014). Small doses big results : how homeopathic medicine offers hope in chronic disease.

Stub, T., Musial, F., Kristoffersen, A.A., Alræk, T. and Liu, J. (2016). Adverse effects of homeopathy, what do we know? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, [online] 26, pp.146–163.