SUMMER HOLIDAY AND TRAVEL TIPS

This is why I love my travel aid kit so much!

36 remedies all in one place

ideal for first aid and health problems on your travels

neatly packaged in a small sturdy box - no breakages or spills

handy prescribing guide lets you prescribe with confidence

not just for holidays - invaluable for home and family use

twice as many remedies as a Basic 18 kit = fantastic valueComplete list of 36 remedies and all their travel applications

Complementary Medicine DOES help Patients

Professor Karol Sikora, Professor of Cancer Medicine at the Imperial College School of Medicine based at Hammersmith Hospital, spoke out in the Sunday Times (UK) in no uncertain terms in response to a letter from Professor Colquhoun et al. As usual, Colquhoun and his chums were crowing about the removal of complementary medicine courses at the University of Salford.

In his scathing letter, Professor Sikora said: "Complementary medicine does help patients. Those of us who are faced daily by real human suffering use the best evidence available to help our patients. At the same time, patients do their best to help themselves. The ill-thought-through arguments of those who are not doctors - and so have no experience of the practice of medicine - are ridiculous. According to the Department of Health, about one in five adults uses complementary therapies. That means we need more education for practitioners, not less. And we certainly need better research, not the Stalinist repression that Professor Colquhoun and his colleagues demand. Armchair physicians are welcome to their views, but clearly patients know better."

Read the rest ...

Does Codex Alimentarius Threaten Your Freedom to buy Vitamins?

I have received several emails asking me to sign a petition (below).

I've done a swift bit of Googling into the issues.

The controversy seems to have been raging for some years. The search results tend to be either very official looking and a bit impenetrable, or people saying it's all about Big Pharma trying to remove our freedom of choice and pocket the profits on vitamins.

Whoever wrote the Wikipedia article on it sounded a bit defensive and was definitely trying to discredit the opposition, making it sound like a raggle-taggle band of fringe lunatics and people who want to profiteer from vitamins loosely tied together in the 'health freedom movement'. It even states: "Some health freedom campaigners would like adults to be free to choose marijuana for personal or medical use without criminal penalty." Blimey, what's that got to do with it? The neutrality of that article is under dispute anyway.

So do I sign the petition or not?

Thinks out loud ...

Well, the Code is important in that it seems to be about regulating food safety and quality, for example what goes into babies' formula milks and salt levels. Herbs, vitamins, minerals and food supplements are only one of its concerns. But presumably those are already regulated or you'd have an uproar over people getting ill and dying from taking Sanatogen (for example).

Besides which, there are Recommended Daily Amounts (RDAs) and therapeutic doses and dangerous doses of just about anything - you can die from drinking too much water. The active ingredients in these products are clearly labelled and controlled so probably the worst that could happen is paying a lot of money for something that doesn't help your health.

The distinction seems to arise over whether herbs, vitamins, minerals and food supplements are really foods if you use them therapeutically - eg, taking extra Vitamin C when you have a cold or Valerian to help you sleep.

But if they're not foods, do they then become drugs and therefore should they only be available on prescription from someone medically qualified? And how much would he or she actually know about nutrition as medicine or the therapeutic qualities and dosages of herbs? Would you have to be tested to see if you were actually deficient in something before you could get it on prescription?

On the other hand (assuming they're safe to consume and can't do any harm), why shouldn't we just be allowed to buy them if we think we need them or taking them helps our health by supplementing nutrients we don't get in our daily diets or need more of under certain circumstances like illness, convalescence, pregnancy, menopause?

People self-medicate with lots of things and some of those are a bit dodgy healthwise if you over-consume: alcohol and cigarettes spring to mind. We're free to buy those and read the health warnings and take responsibility for that choice.

I think I've talked myself into signing it. Thought I'd post it here for your consideration.

Dear Friend

Here is a petition to the Prime Minister to oppose the adoption of the Codex Alimentarius (WHO/UN) proposals for restriction of the presently freely available herb/vitamin/mineral food supplements.

Margaret Rothwell, the petition creator, adds:

"The principle of self medication with herbal/vitamin/mineral food supplements would be restricted to 'prescription only' status, if the Codex Alimentarius is applied in this country.
Since the NHS priorities are ill health diagnosis and treatment, the good health preservation that supplements provide will be inaccessible to the majority of our population and the cost to the NHS will increase, and the health of the population will decline."

If you feel inclined to sign the petition, please go to:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Vitamins/


Sign up for my free newsletter!

Why Be a Homeopath?

"It's said that if you do what you love, the money will follow. Well, it may or may not, but at least you'll be doing what you love and, quite likely, loving what you do. In my experience, that beats getting well paid for doing something that robs you of the joy of life."(Ian Watson, author and co-founder of the Lakeland College of Homeopathy)

Do you remember the old joke on the T-shirt - it said something like "Do you want to travel to exotic countries, meet interesting new people, and kill them?" It was a spoof on the recruitment advertisements for the British army at the time which cut through the gloss of the marketing campaign and brought home the reality of being a soldier.

Since entry into homeopathy as a second career is very common, it seems it's especially suitable for those who have become disillusioned with their original chosen field. Many homeopaths have past lives in medicine as nurses or midwives, for example, but there are former secretaries and accountants, social workers and biochemists too.

It's also a popular choice for people coming back into work after a career break, making the most of their opportunity to re-train and do something they really want to do.

For many people, though, it's an encounter with a homeopath that opens them up to the possibilities for healing and helping others with this marvellous system of medicine. Successful homeopathic treatment for themselves, a family member or even a pet will have opened their eyes to its limitless possibilities, and awakened a burning desire to know more about this genuine alternative to the conventional health system.

I'm not sure exactly what made me study homeopathy in the first place, but I discovered later it's in my blood! It turns out that my great-grandmother Louisa studied and practised homeopathy in India in the late 19th century, when she and her husband lived there as part of the British Raj.

Later, my mother (a former model turned nurse turned teacher) also turned homeopath. So 16 years ago it seemed not only natural but desirable for me to treat my first-born with homeopathy when she developed asthma at 12 months old. The GP had prescribed Ventolin in a syrup, which I gave her once. It didn't help her and in fact she got the "shakes".

My Mum was visiting and noticed that my daughter's desire for ice was so strong that she would demand ice-lollies on the coldest of winter walks and lick the shelves of the freezer whenever we'd open the door to fetch something from the icebox! Taking into account her fear of sleeping in the dark and absolute terror on the occasion of a thunderstorm, it was an easy case for a newly-qualified homeopath. Phos 30c was given and the cure was complete. The Ventolin syrup went in the dustbin and my daughter has never suffered a chest complaint since.

Homeopathy is in fact the treatment of choice for millions of the world's citizens.
In the UK alone, an estimated 20 percent of the population turns to complementary and alternative medicine (which has become known as CAM), spending £500 million a year. There are now more CAM practitioners than GPs in the UK, with some treatments delivered on the NHS.

Its popularity is no doubt due in part to the fact that homeopaths listen to their patients, and treat them as whole human beings. Homeopaths also empower people, taking time to educate and explain to them how they can literally change their lives.

Homeopaths make an enormous difference to their own lives and those of others - not just with those little white pills, healing with infinitesimally small doses of substances both common and uncommon, but also by applying every skill they've acquired in life so far along with the new knowledge that training has given them. Becoming a homeopath is without doubt a transformative experience, and the pride and joy at graduation is just the beginning of a completely new direction in life.

Sign up for my free newsletter!

Blocked Ears

One of my kids was off school most of last week with a barking cough, mild temperature and complete loss of appetite. I don't usually bother treating mild viruses with homeopathic remedies because warmth, rest and plenty of fluid are all the body needs.

The hardest part is phoning the school matron to justify an absence - schools these days seem to think children should participate in rugby in the freezing cold and mud, attend detentions in their lunchtimes instead of eating, and sit mock examinations when they're exhausted and ill.

In the "old days", people were careful of illness. They knew that doing strenuous activity, getting cold or wet, and dehydration could lead to complications and secondary infections - and they didn't have antibiotics as a safety net. The attitude these days is (a) kids should be vaccinated against anything that might make them ill and (b) if they do get an infection, antibiotics will cure it.

I prefer to use my common sense and weigh up the risk factors. Keep the immune system fighting fit and you'll fight off a mild virus without the need to resort to any medicine.

Anyway, my son was happy to eat bio-live yoghurt with manuka honey mixed into it and he gradually recovered.

By the end of the week, he reckoned he was fine apart from he had "water in his ears" - did I have a remedy? I prescribe for the family if they're lucky: that's if I can think of a remedy off the top of my head, which gets barked at them over my shoulder while I'm doing a hundred and one other things.

"Try Kali-Mur" I muttered as I rushed round emptying wastepaper baskets, narrowly dodging the cat on the stairs and wondering why nobody else could hear the phone ringing.

The kids are well trained: they know how to use the remedy-making machine and they've got the idea that they need a 30c or a 200c potency in an acute.

He made up Kali-Mur 30c and took it twice that day with a 75 percent improvement, and once the following morning which cleared the whole business up.

Though after having no less than seven teenage boys rampaging round the house, kitchen and garden for a good deal of yesterday, I think I preferred him quiet on the sofa ...

Sign up for my free newsletter!

The IN-vitation

DO YOU WANT MORE? More success, money, clients, ideas for ways to help yourself and others?

Have you been procrastinating? Are you frustrated?!

Give yourself and your practice a boost.

REACH YOUR NEXT LEVEL OF SUCCESS, using Emotional Freedom Technique, Switchwords, energetic Cord Cutting, guided imagery and more.

I love teaching these techniques, because I know they can enhance every area of your life, with the emphasis on

CREATING SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY IN YOUR COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICE.

This day can change your life - and there is always joy, fun and laughter on our courses!

Taking a day for yourself, to recharge, reconnect and revive yourself is never wasted - it's an investment in you and your practice that can only pay off.

You only need to attract one new client to pay for the day, and we'll teach you how to make that easy!

Previous participants said:

"Just what I needed at just the right time. I'm going away with what I need. THANK YOU so much! I'm more peaceful and more energised all at the same time."

"Just what I needed. I feel much more confident. Thank you both so much for your kindness, friendship and support today."

"Very informed and lots of fascinating information. Perfect timing."

"I love the cards and meditations, the angels and energy work - it's new and exciting! It was all good."

"I can't begin to tell you how much I got out of it, so thanks again, I really am grateful."

Incorporating principles and techniques from EFT, The Secret, the Law of Attraction and using the energy and intention of the group, we will work together on your personal aims and clear the obstacles in the way of reaching your highest potential.

Contact Linda on 01494 416376 or email linda@homeopathyresource.com.

Sign up for my free newsletter!

New at The Natural History Museum Website

The Natural History Museum now has a database of plants and fungi used in homeopathy. It is very detailed and fascinating, with beautiful watercolours, botanical drawings and photographs of the plants.

I can see this being a brilliant resource for homeopaths and student homeopaths.

Look at Aconite for example:

It's worth being able to recognise it as it is still one of the most deadly poisonous plants known to man! It is of course entirely safe in the highly refined homeopathic dose.

The main two reasons I prescribe Aconite are for colds and coughs brought on by a cold, dry wind; and for states of anxiety and fright. It's very useful to help people who are anxious about an exam or driving test.

Sign up for my free newsletter!

A GP who uses Flower Essences

How wonderful - a GP in the UK who believes in complementary healing, including homeopathy, and uses Flower Essences! Very interesting site and he explains things beautifully: http://www.drandrew.co.uk.

Sign up for my free newsletter!