Food choices can help homeopaths choose a remedy.

The foods you choose to eat matter ... they are pieces of the whole-person puzzle, and can help a homeopath choose the best remedy.

Just as a regular physician encourages good eating habits, so does a homeopath. However, a homeopath notices what a person likes to swallow (or not swallow) for reasons other than nutrition.

Keeping track of food, drink (and inedible) preferences can lead a homeopath to the correct remedy choice or, at the very least, can confirm one. The remedy must fit the person otherwise—a homeopath would rarely recommend a remedy based on one such meager symptom.

For the purposes of this blog, I went in search of single-remedy symptoms related to eating and drinking. They were easily found in my homeopathic repertories—those gigantic tomes that systematically house every symptom imaginable. To give perspective, single-remedy symptoms do not occur in the repertories that frequently, but they are powerhouse clues—since no other remedy is connected to that symptom. For instance, in the Reliable Repertory there are 36 remedies under the symptom "desires apples." However, there is only one remedy under "desires apples in the middle of the night," and that remedy is Tellurium metallicum. So ... if eating apples in the middle of the night is a symptom a client reports, Tellurium should be examined closely to see if it fits the entire picture of the case.

I've listed several more examples below, giving you the remedy name, what it's made from, the symptom that it (and it alone) is tied to, and some of the characteristics of each remedy. I hope you enjoy them!

Allium cepa (red onion) desires onions, but also feels better after eating them. Other indications for the remedy are acrid discharges, many sneezes, feel worse in a warm room, and feel better in the open air.

Lac caninum (dog's milk) desires fish and everything except fish makes her worse. Other indications for the remedy are cold, including cold drinks, make her feel better, and there might be dreams about snakes.

Sulpher (Sulpher) desires pickles when she has a headache. Other indications for the remedy are feels worse at 11 AM, symptoms worsen after bathing or getting warm in bed, and she feels better in dry, warm weather.

Ignatia amara (St Ignatius Bean) feels better from eating raw food. Other indications for the remedy are feels worse after coffee and in the morning, has spasmodic tendencies, and feels better while eating but not after.

Crotalus cascavella (Brazilian rattlesnake) wants to eat snow. Other indications for the remedy are clairvoyance, clothing feels irritating, and symptoms occur on the right side of the body.

Argentum nitricum (silver nitrate) craves salty foods during a fever. Other indications for the remedy are fear of heights, strong cravings for sugar but it makes her feel worse, and worse from warmth of any kind.

Magnesium carbonicum (carbonate of magnesium) is indicated for a child who can only tolerate eating meat. Other indications for the remedy are worse warmth of bed but better walking in warm, open air. Worse from changes in weather.

Nux vomica (Poison nut tree) thinks that water does not taste right. Other indications for the remedy are worse from stimulants and dry, cold weather, and better from resting and strong pressure.

Platina metallicum (Platinum) has aversion to meat during the menses. Other indications for the remedy are worse sitting and in the evening, and better from walking.

Interested in homeopathic treatment? Please see a professional homeopath and do not interpret anything read here as a formal recommendation to take a remedy.

Homeopathy Q & A

Homeopathic remedies are made from countless sources

What is Homeopathy? Homeopathy is a method of holistic healing. It is based on the fundamental law of nature, like cures like, which has been written about at various times throughout history. Hippocrates (460 – 377BC) wrote, “By similar things a disease is produced and through the application of the like is cured.”

How is homeopathy different from standard healthcare? One major difference is that homeopaths look at the whole person, not just one part. A dermatologist looks at skin, an ophthalmologist looks at eyes, an ENT looks at ears, noses, and throats, and a psychiatrist looks at the mind. A homeopath looks at the whole person.

Why is looking at the whole person desirable? Standard doctors have protocols that treat the illness, regardless of the individual. Homeopaths treat the individual, regardless of the diagnosis. In this way, people receive a highly specific treatment that addresses their whole being, not just the ailment. In the process of being treated homeopathically, one will often hear that the remedy taken for ailment “A” also cleared up ailment “B” – something chronic the person had learned to live with over the years.

In homeopathy, there are many remedies that help a specific ailment (eczema, whooping cough, asthma, depression, otitis media, or whatever diagnosis is given). But the main goal in homeopathy is to find the remedy that best fits the whole person, which goes beyond fitting the ailment alone.

How do homeopaths understand a whole person? By asking many questions and listening carefully to the answers, a homeopath comes to understand a client’s general constitution.

An initial homeopathic consultation often takes well over an hour. Questions related to the ailment hone-in on the details of that ailment. For example, asthma has an array of triggers, depending on the person. Homeopaths are interested in the exact triggers of the asthma, and what the person does to feel better (in lieu of medication). Some might breathe better by lying down; another person might breathe more easily by getting into the fresh air. The scenarios of amelioration are numerous, and a homeopath will discover what they are. More general questions during the initial consultation include temperature preferences, food and drink preferences and aversions, sleep patterns, dreams and more!

When do I take a remedy, and how often? The dosing of homeopathic remedies is also individualized. The homeopath takes into consideration the age and vitality of a person, as well as whether or not the illness is acute or chronic.

Why do some say that homeopathy is only placebo? Homeopathic remedies are highly diluted substances and some people find it impossible to connect a result with something they cannot see with their eyes. Yet sound waves and radio frequencies are invisible, and we know they exist and have an impact. Homeopathic remedies also have an impact, particularly when their energetic patterns closely match the energetic patterns of the disease. The best argument against the placebo claim is to remember that animals and babies are also helped by homeopathy.

Where can I find a homeopath? There are many good homeopaths. It’s good to get a referral, just as you would for any medical doctor, but many homeopaths also offer a free 15-minute chat that can help to determine if the two of you are a good fit for one another.

Rudy's homeopathic miracle

by Lucille Locklin

RUDY

This is a story about my dog, Rudy, whose buoyant presence enriched our family from 2001 to 2013.

I found one-year-old Rudy on the way home from work one rainy day. He was sitting in the median of a highway, his tongue lolling out happily as he watched the cars go by. I stopped and got him out of the median and took him home.

We looked for his owners and it wasn’t hard to find them. This beautiful chow-golden mix loved to go exploring whenever he had the chance, so the local pound knew how to track down the nice people who had raised him from puppyhood. They took the dog they called Dale back home, but it turned out that we had wormed our way into his heart (and vice versa) in the two weeks that we had doted on him. He pined for us so much that they returned Dale—now Rudy again—back to us.

But Rudy still enjoyed his breakout explorations, so his veterinarian recommended that he get neutered, which he was. After the surgery Rudy wasn’t a happy dog. His sad demeanor was noticed by us all, and he began having accidents in the house, something he had never done before. Luckily, I knew about Staphysagria, the homeopathic plant remedy made from Knight’s spur. It is well-known for its success after surgical procedures and has a keynote of relieving trauma in the urogenital area. Anyone who has been catheterized could try a dose, even if the tissue damage is mild. Staphysagria is also an excellent remedy to remove feelings of victimization or indignation.

Rudy only needed one dose of Staphysagria, placed in his water. Ten minutes after lapping up the remedy, he transformed back into his happy self…no more moping, no more accidents, no more sad and accusing eyes. In fact, his reaction was one of the miracle cures of homeopathy! Some homeopathic cases take more than one remedy to resolve, but every homeopath loves the miracle cure when it comes along.

A quick question for any homeopathic naysayers out there: How is homeopathy only a placebo effect when it helps animals? Rudy had no idea that he had taken a remedy, and yet he was cured.