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 …
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, …
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 …
School starts next week for many primary or intermediate school children around the country school. This may be something your children are looking forward to, or they may be anxious or apprehensive. Homeopathy can help ease the way and make starting school less stressful on everyone. Here are a few acute remedies for nerves, and a discussion of constitutional remedies below. Gelsemium has a lot of anxiety, which leaves them feeling paralysed, like they can’t move. They can have nervous …
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 …
Currently there is a streptococcus outbreak in the UK, and tragically there have been over 15 deaths in children from the invasive Group A Streptococcus. This is understandably causing a lot of fear and distress in the UK, and even in NZ people are asking what they can do. It is summer here and there is no need to be concerned about a widespread outbreak here, but this information may be of use to you in the future. Antibiotics may …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
My daughter is competing this week in the National Secondary Schools Team Sailing Championships. So before I go any further – go Kerikeri!! When my kids go away I always send them with a small kit of remedies that they can take themselves and brief instructions on what and how to take. In her kit this week she has Arnica – for injuries, bruising. She often comes back from sailing with bruises in different places. Rhus Tox – for muscle …
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, …
Tonight is a full moon, a time that has long believed to have an effect on us. Many people, including health professionals, believe that there are flares of mental illness during the full moon, although studies have been inconclusive. Some people struggle to sleep during a full moon, and a study published in Sleep Medicine in 2014 showed that even in a controlled environment, with no exposure to the moon, people took longer to fall asleep and slept less. Traditional …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Things have started to calm down on the media MonkeyPox front, but here are my homeopathic musings. Monkeypox is an orthopoxvirus which is the same family as smallpox – however this does not mean that it is as virulent or dangerous as smallpox; cowpox is another orthopoxvirus which can be passed onto humans and was used as the first type of vaccination. (Incidentally this is why we call it vaccination, as “vacc” refers to cows). Traditionally, monkeypox has been passed …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Homeopathically there are over 200 remedies that crave chocolate. I’m only going to talk about a few that strongly crave chocolate. Phosphorus has a very strong craving for chocolate and is one remedy to think of for excessive chocolate consumption- one case I have seen the patient was eating a king sized block of chocolate a day – this reduced along with an improvement in many other things after a dose of Phosphorus. Phosphorus is a social remedy, they love …
I’m a big fan of fantasy and science fiction. Or to be honest most genres of fiction, my little bit of escapism. One common idea across many authors of fantasy is that names have power. Knowing the true name of a faerie or demon or other creature can give you control over them, or the ability to summon them, or similar. Sometimes in fiction there is some form of truth, whether it is historical detail that is exquisite, or it …
This is an update of my previous post about treatment of Covid-19, more specific for Omicron. The vaccine does not prevent you from being infected with or transmitting Omicron, so being prepared whether you are vaccinated or not is important. Especially because if you come into contact with someone who tests positive you will be isolated and may not be able to go out to get supplies. One major point of difference for Omicron compared to Delta and previous variants, …
Croup Croup is inflammation of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe), making it harder to breathe and producing a dry, barking cough. It usually affects children under the age of 4, who have had a mild upper respiratory infection and then wake at night with difficulty breathing and a loud, dry, barking cough. There may be stridor – high pitched noises while breathing in – or in severe cases (which medical assessment) there can be skin drawing in between …