Therapeutics

It’s World Breastfeeding Week! I am passionate about breastfeeding and supporting mothers to breastfeed. I breastfed all three of my children, for over ten years in total, and over that time I dealt with under supply, expressing when returning to (nearly) full time work, and mastitis.  Today I want to talk about mastitis as this can be a terrible infection, and the knowledge to treat this with homeopathy and supplements can avoid the need for antibiotics and hospitalisation.  Mastitis is …

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Paracetamol is one of the most common medicines in use in New Zealand today, if not the most common. I used to dish out loads of it as a Pharmacist. But I also find it a medicine that people take for granted, and these days recommendations for use have changed, but common use has not. My focus is Homeopathy, so towards the end of this post I will talk about alternatives to Paracetamol for fever, but let’s look at the …

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I see you, all those busy people who have taken on more and more, until one day you crash, hit the wall, flame out. Or it could be more of a slow decline in energy, still doing everything but it feels harder and harder, like walking through water, then walking through mud. Sometimes it’s an illness that takes you down, the cold that one of your kids had for 2-3 days that you’re still trying to kick 2 weeks later. …

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After the tragic death of a third infant from whooping cough there has been renewed publicity of the disease, so it is time for a post with some information about what you can do if you, or your child or someone close to you gets Whooping cough. Whooping cough is an infection with the bacteria Bordetella Pertussis. Initially the infection causes cold like symptoms, including a mild fever, sneezing and runny nose, and there can be a mild but irritating …

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After the cyclone and floods many people were in acute shock, and needed to deal with the trauma and loss that had brought. I posted about some remedies to help in the acute stage over a month ago (you can find the post here: http://homeopathbarbara.com/2023/02/16/trauma/). Now however, it is the long term stress, the emotional toll of dealing with the after effects, the clean up and everything that comes with that. The feelings of loss may not be as acute, …

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It has been a terrible week, and my heart goes out to those in the Hawkes Bay, Tairawhiti and elsewhere still dealing with the devastation from this storm. Homeopathic remedies can help with the shock and trauma following an event like this – and whether you have been evacuated, lost property, been injured or not, if you are feeling the effects of these events then one of these remedies may help. Arnica – we first of all think of Arnica …

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It is the time of year when we are out and about, children are running around, and injuries, including puncture wounds are more likely. The biggest concern with a puncture wound, particularly one that does not bleed, is a risk of tetanus. Tetanus is an infection from an anaerobic bacteria, Clostridium tetanii that releases a tetanus toxin which blocks nerve conduction in the central nervous system. The bacteria itself is found in the intestines of animals, and the bacterium itself …

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Everything is winding up for the year, there are Christmas parties, and end of year celebrations all over the place. Sometimes though this can bring discomfort the next day, whether it is from eating things you don’t normally indulge in, too much sugar, too much alcohol, or not enough sleep. Here are a few remedies you can slip into your handbag (and keep handy the next day) to help with any consequences from the partying. Nux Vomica – well known …

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What would the world be like without Antibiotics? Unfortunately with increasing antibiotic resistance this may be a world that our great grandchildren have to live in. Prior to antibiotics things like infected wounds and pneumonia killed people- in fact Pneumonia was sometimes called old man’s friend, because it assured a quick death, not a drawn out painful and slow death. We have come a long way in standards of living, and nutrition and supplements have a big part to play, …

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I’m a Guy Fawkes baby, and I used to love the fireworks, seeing the sky light up, the colours and all the different types of fireworks that were available. These days I have come to the conclusion that while the failed act of terrorism was a crime and the perpetrators were punished in the accepted manner of the time, the commemoration of this very act hundreds of years later, and in a different country is somewhat obscene. There are other …

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This is the catch all term for the small parasites that live in our gastrointestinal tract. There are different types of worms, but in New Zealand we are fortunate that usually it is only Threadworm (aka pinworm) we have to deal with. The main symptom in children is itching around the anus that is worse at night. For some it can cause irritability, difficulty sleeping or changes in appetite – an increase or a decrease in appetite. For girls there …

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Socrates, the Greek Philosopher is quoted as saying “If you would seek health, look first to the spine” and it is true that the health of our spine is important for overall health. Back pain is something we need to deal with for ongoing good health. Metaphysically back problems are rooted in a lack of support. Louise Hay breaks this down even further, to the upper back which is a lack of emotional support, holding back love, and feeling unloved, …

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A recent newspaper article highlighted another pharmaceutical shortage, Lorazepam. My Pharmacist colleagues have had a tough few years with shortages and rationing of various medication, and this one makes things no easier. With only two weeks supply of this anxiolytic in the country, anxious people may be even more anxious. Lorazepam is a Benzodiazepine, and works by enhancing the effect of GABA, a calming neurotransmitter. It is commonly used for acute anxiety or panic attacks to help calm down. It …

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It’s the school holidays! I’m looking forward to spending some time with my kids, and no doubt at times there will be frustration on my part. So here are my top remedies for getting through the school holidays. Saccharum – for those days when there has been indulgence in sugar, and they are irritable and “quarrelsome”. They can be hyperactive or have tantrums, will be hungry straight after eating and want to eat frequently between meals, and want chocolate and …

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Currently we appear to be having another burst of Omicron, with people who escaped it the first instance coming down with Covid, and there have been a small number of re-infections. For this reason I am reposting this treatment of Omicron, which I have updated with a few other remedies that I have been finding useful. Omicron has a long list of symptoms. These include sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, headache and fatigue. However it can also cause nausea …

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This post is a personal one, and written in loving memory of my Nana who passed away on April 30th. Loss of a loved one (or job, opportunity or other loss) can cause a wide range of feelings, that all fall under the umbrella term grief. For some it is feelings of numbness, there can be deep sorrow and sadness, uncontrollable weeping, anger – whether at the person, others, or at yourself if you are not dealing with it the …

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This is a term used to describe symptoms that people have long after recovering from Covid-19 infection. What are the symptoms? Well there is no official diagnostic criteria, but it usually includes symptoms that have continued for at least 4 weeks after the initial infection. Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, headaches, low mood, brain fog, chest pain, muscle aches and pains or weakness, heart pounding, beating too fast or chest pain, sleep disturbances and changes to smell and …

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It’s been a long two years. So many people are exhausted by the ongoing emotional ups and downs. If has been like living on a roller coaster at times, and this can be exacerbated by family circumstances, health conditions, job stresses, and lack of connection with friends and whanau around New Zealand and overseas. There have been many incidences of trauma, and what traumatises one person may not be a problem for others. One common thing with trauma is people …

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