Blog - Recent

 You'll have noticed a big gap since I last wrote a blog. This is to do with the increasing business of my life and it is all very very positive. My homeopathic practice at Dacrelands Clinic is growing since I moved to Lancaster almost a year ago now. My teaching at both The Homeopathy College and The Nutritional Healing Foundation is increasing, which means trips to Birmingham, Brighton and Bristol and Manchester. And hopefully next year it will include Glasgow too.  My patients in Buxton continue their relationship with me and I am attracting the occasional new person through my presence at the Buxton Osteopathy Clinic once a month. I have run a successful Understanding and Using Homeopathy course at Dacrelands this spring and will be repeating this in the autumn. I haven't done much paid advertising and have been promoting myself by being an active member of ESTA (Ethical Small Traders Association) and engaging in social media. This summer I am crewing for The Homeopathic Travelling Collective at Beacons Festival and also Solfest.  

On a personal note 12 months after my son James graduated from UWE with a First in Business, his girlfriend Kristie graduated with a First - this one in Languages. I have also managed to fit in a weeks cruise in May around the Norwegian Fjords with my Mum who will be 80 years old this September. The Lancaster Cohousing Project is getting nearer to completion and the first people will be moving in to Terrace A around the middle of August. My proposed moving in date is September 27th. I have just experienced my first InterCommunities Volleyball Tournament in Scotland on my birthday weekend. I think I did myself justice as a 58 year old. 

So I make no apologies for the lack of blog. I have been busy living my life and thriving on it. I wish you all equal success in your lives and if I were to offer you any advice it would be to Create your Goals, visualise them, believe in the Law of Attraction and have it working for you once you are in your groove.

To find out more about the organisations mentioned, please visit my Links page.

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Jane Binnion of www.janessocialmedia.co.uk and facebook.com/janessocialmedia has given me the opportunity to write a contribution to her Superwoman Blog. I have put it as an entry into my own blog. It gives another insight into who I am and who you would be working with should you book an appointment to see me.

My working career as an adult so far has divided itself into two clear phases. Both of which have been chequered and eventful. The first consisted of teaching in the primary sector from 1975 and included living in the States doing volunteering work in private schools while earning my living as a waitress in a diner and ended as a job sharing Head of Nursery on the outskirts of Nottingham. The second phase began in 1995 when I completed my 4 year training as a homeopath, relocated to the Peak District in Derbyshire and set up my homeopathic practice which included owning and managing the Bakewell Natural Therapy Rooms for 10 years. I am now entering into a third phase which is the most exciting of all where I am combining all the best bits of my experience so far, into a well crafted and designed outcome that has come about because I believe wholeheartedly in cosmic ordering, manifesting abundance and the law of attraction. How else can it be that I am now totally in my flow with an excellent work-life balance and wake up every morning thrilled about what is on today’s agenda?

Last August I moved to Lancaster to be part of the Lancaster Cohousing community which I had joined as a member a couple of years previously and this autumn I am moving into one of 41 ecohomes that the company are having built on the banks of the River Lune 3 miles north of the city. This is fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams to live by running water. It also ticks many more of my boxes and after searching for such a project in Derbyshire I have no regrets that I needed to move to Lancaster in order to follow that dream. Moving into such a vibrant community has felt like being embraced into a warm pool.

I still have my homeopathic practice in Buxton and I am privileged to rent a wonderful consulting room within Dacreland’s Clinic, half a mile from the city centre. In addition to my one to one client base I spend a lot of time teaching homeopathy at a couple of colleges and lecturing in natural nutrition and naturopathy for the Nutritional Healing Foundation. 

I bring to my consultancy work an eclectic mix of tools and strategies to enable a person to get themselves into a more healthy state, whatever their starting point. My own personal progress along this route to complete health has necessitated recognising that it is a marathon and not a sprint and it’s called ‘life’. Homeopathy will always be at the foundation of any prescription or programme that I recommend. Other disciplines that I include where appropriate are nutritional advice, naturopathic techniques, flower essences, some herbal tinctures and NLP. Neurolinguistic Programming has enabled me to fast track my career over this latest momentous development and is what has got me to this point of embracing cohousing, consulting and education. As well as giving me qualifications at Master Practitioner and Trainer trainer level. 

My challenge? Keep up the momentum and avoid becoming complacent.

My tip? Always put yourself first and then there will be abundant energy to attend to everything and everyone else in your life. (Just like the air steward on a plane tells you to put your own oxygen mask on before that of your child).

Next goal? Build my practice up at Dacrelands so that I can share this stuff with more people.

What would make my life easier? Just done it. Bought a Vitamix.

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USING HOMOEOPATHY

I usually encourage my patients, my family and my friends to keep a basic 10 remedy homoeopathic kit at home for treating common ailments on both physical and emotional levels. Although there are well over two and a half thousand remedies in existance, made from plant, animal and mineral substances (it's OK - no animal suffers in the process), if you have just 10 remedies a match can be made between the picture of the symptoms of dis-ease and one of the remedies in your kit. The match is usually close enough to at least remove the worst of the symptoms if not effect a complete respite. One of the remedies I recommend to go in the kit is a remedy called Gelsemium which is an excellent ‘flu’ remedy, or it can be used for hayfever symptoms or a remedy for general malaise. 

However at this time of year Gelsemium comes into it’s own for children and students.

Do you get paralysed with fear - physically, mentally and emotionally? Do you start to feel dull and stupid and just want to be left alone? Then you need:

GELSEMIUM

Gelsemium is often regarded as one of the fear remedies and particularly fear of forthcoming events. So any sort of anticipation, exams, public speaking, any new situations. A good remedy to for students to keep in their pocket at this testing time of year. The fear is of losing control and results in mental block, a belief they can’t cope and a desire to give up. As well as this mental and emotional weakness there is a physical weakness too;

speechless with fright - tongue feels too heavy

trembling with weak shaky knees

sensations of heaviness with aching of the knees

profuse urination - and feels better for it

bursting headache - can start at neck or back of head and extend over to eyes

dizziness

Gelsemium is made from the plant yellow jasmine and if a person mistakenly ate great quantities of this plant they would experience symptoms of poisoning similar to the sensations described above as the action is centred on the nervous system causing various degrees of motor paralysis. However what we know about homoeopathy is reassuring in that the original crude substance is diluted and succussed (shaken) so many times that the power to harm is transformed in the power to heal  those very symptoms. 

Gelsemium is an excellent ‘flu remedy as you can imagine with the weakness and trembling plus heaviness and aching. As a remedy it is best remembered by all the “D” s - Dopey, Droopy, Dizzy, Dull, Drowsy, Draggy and Dreary.

If you have exams coming up or some other panic inducing ordeal then you might exhibit you fear in some other way or even not show it externally at all. In which case there are other remedies to look at. 

ACONITE - Utter panic even to a fear of dying. Restless, agitated, appears frightened. May look flushed. Desire for lots of cold drinks. Better for being out of doors. Fear of flying. 

ANACARDIUM - Loss of memory “funk” before an exam. Depression and irritability. Temporarily better for eating. Sense of being of two minds. Desire to curse and swear.

ARG. NIT. - Easily panicked, impulsive and hurried. Irrational and fidgetty. Breaks into a sweat with anxiety.Craving for sugar, painful bloating and belching. Diarrhoea before the ordeal. Claustrophobia. 

LYCOPODIUM - Speaks wrong words or syllables. Confused. Dreads the event yet usually performs well. Alot of wind and alot of peeing with the anticipation. Can affect the throat.

If nothing else purchase some Rescue Remedy drops, not homoeopathic, but made by Bach Flower Remedies and available in any good health food shop. Excellent to drop directly onto the tongue or to carry about with you dropped into a bottle of mineral water.

Consult a qualified homeopath if these don't quite seem to fit or if you are experiencing longer term, more chronic problems.

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I make no apologies for lifting this wholesale from the March newsletter from my all-time favourite wise person. Ian Watson was influential and instrumental to my development as a homeopathic practitioner at The College of Practical Homeopathy many moons ago. Ian has long since moved on to pastures new and he remains an inspiration to me. You can read more about what he is up to these days here: www.ianwatsonseminars.com

"There are so many choices and possibilities these days, not to mention distractions both virtual and tangible. It is all too easy to get pulled 'off track' and then, with that vague awareness that things don't feel quite right, to get even busier trying to de-stress and find your way back to inner peace.

What I am seeing ever more clearly is that there is no technique, no 'doing' that can create a sense of well-being. It is more of an 'un-doing' that brings us back to ourselves, a simple recognition that when you stop stirring the pond, the mud settles all by itself.

Warm wishes to you,

Ian

 
A Few Simple Errors of Perception

There are several persistent myths that have combined to make the field of psychological healing seem very complicated, whereas in fact it is quite straightforward.

The first is the mistaken idea that events from the past can, in and of themselves, continue to create suffering and distress in the present. What is often overlooked is the fact that all humans have a built-in capacity to let go of the past and to experience well-being no matter what has gone before.

We do, of course, have the option of dwelling on painful memories and re-activating them on a daily basis. But it is liberating to see that we are not obliged to do so by anyone but ourselves. And to realize that it is not the past itself, but only our thoughts about the past that can disturb us in the present - this simple realization can set anyone free from what has seemed like a psychological prison.

The second myth is the idea that long-standing problems are liable to take a long time to understand and resolve. This idea persists despite the common experience we have all had of struggling with a problem for a long time, only to find the solution comes to us in an instant when we quit trying so hard to figure it out.

What we fail to see here is that problems are only long-standing because we ourselves have continued to cultivate and maintain them. When we understand how we have been doing this, and stop adding fuel to the fire, of course it burns itself out very quickly without us needing to do anything to extinguish it.

A third myth is the idea that we don't (yet) have what we need in order to be happy and fulfilled. This idea can keep us locked in the self-improvement game for years if we are not careful!

There are an infinite variety of teachings and techniques that promise to supply what we are lacking. Yet the true mystics and sages from every tradition have all agreed upon one thing: what you seek is within you.

Therefore, the only help that is really helpful is the kind that points you back to yourself, shows you that you have everything you need inside you already, and reminds you of what you have always known to be true".

Thank Ian. Reading that did me a power of good. Very timely.

Dawn

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The Spring Equinox affects all of us and brings a surge of new energy. Plant the seeds now for the future you desire. At the time of the Spring Equinox (March 20th) the Sun rises exactly in the east and travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in the west. The earth, in this natural cycle, appears to "stand still." Day and night are in perfect balance and of equal length. All cultures celebrate the major cycles of the sun because of the special energy and the good fortune they experienced after. Take advantage of this special time. Find your inner balance and come to terms with realistic desires for yourself in the coming year. Set real, obtainable goals and make a plan. Change the things you can - like diet and exercise and ‘me’ time.

"The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition." Thomas Edison 

Eliminate anything that doesn't feel good after you eat it. At this time of year, weight loss, cleansing and detoxing programmes feature heavily in the media and dieting is on many people's minds. Ironically, what the body really does need - particularly in the colder months - is a supportive and nourishing diet which includes a little more of the right kind of fat. Fat Is Good For You! Weight loss still tends to be associated with going low fat and this can cause health problems such as low mood, poor memory, dry skin and hormonal problems to name but a few. Whilst it's helpful to limit saturated fat (found mainly in, for example, fatty meats, fried food, pies, cakes and biscuits, cheese and cream), the fats we need more of are the omega 3 and 6 fats. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required for producing prostaglandins, hormone-like substances which are present in all tissues and cells and influence a whole range of body functions.

"Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food." Hippocrates 

You may experience some form of ‘clear out’ as we build up to the Spring Equinox. This is to be celebrated rather than thinking there is something wrong with you. It is a natural process to clear out some old in readiness for the new. The detox may take the form of coughs, colds and ‘flu’s. Or it might be a digestive disturbance such as diarrhoea or a skin condition might present itself. This is your vital force, knowing the truth in ‘better out than in’, attempting to eliminate toxins in an attempt to keep them away from the vital organs.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to take homeopathic remedies to speed up the process. See my last blog for some suggestions or contact me for further information. 

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Winter 'flu' and spring hayfever

It's not too early to start preparing your body for the Spring and Summer months and in particular to guard against experiencing those limiting physical symptoms that are often put down to hay fever. Did you have a snuffly or streaming nose last year? Were your eyes sore, red and watery? Did the pollen affect your throat and your respiratory tract? There are a number of homeopathic remedies to address those symptoms, such as Pulsatilla, Arsenicum and Gelsemium. Even better would be to consult a qualified homeopath now, in February or March to work on cleansing your system to ensure that the pollen doesn't become the straw to break the camel's back. Paying attention to your immune defences now can mean a happy outdoor experience this Spring and Summer.

Is that too far in the future for you to even think about? Are you in the winter doldrums still, with cold and 'flu' symptoms wearing you down? Strangely enough it might be those very same remedies; Pulsatilla, Arsenicum or Gelsemium that can assist you to get back to full health quickly. Again in my opinion it is preferable for you to consult a qualified homeopath, however these remedies are available over the counter.

 PULSATILLA

Bursting sensation on sneezing from head colds; pain extending to eyes; worse at night, in warm room, and better from cold compresses and in open air. Colds, coughs and flu’s when person is better in the open air. Discharge is yellow-green and thick; and fullness on blowing nose. Catarrh on the chest. Too warm, yet thirstless. Patient feels tearful and sorry for self.

 ARSENICUM ALBUM 

Colds with thin, fluent, watery discharge, burning discharge (possibly blood streaked) causing sore and red nostrils and upper lip; violent and frequent sneezing spasms; chilly and thirsty for hot drinks; nose is blocked at night. Eyes are dry and burning; with headaches and sinusitis; Weakness: with sudden and rapid onset with great exhaustion and collapse. Worse from cold and better lying still.

Flu's that start to come on after a chill, change of temperature and exhaustion.Great concern and anxiety about their health and their symptoms, which causes even more stress. 

 GELSEMIUM 

Colds that are influenza-like, with aching; watery discharge makes nostrils sore; eyelids heavy; coated tongue; dull, heavy, achy, drowsy, sluggish, weak; limbs chilly, shivering, chills up and down spine; with sore throat and difficulty swallowing; sensation of lump in throat; no thirst; bursting headache; tickling tearing cough; frequent urinatio. Worse from change in weather, in the morning and better from open air, near a fire. Wants to be wrapped up. Shivering and chills especially up and down the back, overall weakness, paralyzing exhaustion.

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Homeopathy and Animals

Whilst it is illegal for me to treat animals as I am not a qualified vet, I can still point you in the right direction if you are interested in holistic health for animals. Legislation is about to change and you might like to have a look at this site. They are currently still offering a homeopathic kit for horses.

http://www.naturalhealth4animals.com/Equine/Horses/Horse-Homeopathic-Kit.aspx

In the meantime, enjoy the start to 2012 and have a think about what steps you are going to take on your personal health journey this year. 

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 Holistic help for the festive season

Over indulging in food and drink during the festive season is part of the fun – but it can take its toll on our bodies and leave us feeling bloated and unwell. Alongside the mince pies and yule logs I make sure my cupboard is well stocked with homeopathic medicines to help with the ailments of the season. 

A particular favourite with my patients is the homeopathic remedy Nux vomica, which many people use to help with the symptoms of a hangover. Different remedies help with different sets of symptoms. In homeopathy, we treat according to the individual symptoms of the patient and how if effects them, rather than based on the named condition. Patients usually come to a homeopath with a chronic illness, such as eczema, and because the treatment is individual, people with eczema are often prescribed entirely different remedies to each other. 

Minor complaints and acute illnesses are more superficial and more common remedies can be used at home with good results. Nux Vomica does help many people with hangover symptoms. While it’s important to lead a healthy lifestyle, it’s also good to let your hair down once in a while.

Here are just a few remedies which might help you through the ailments of the festive period:

Nux vomica:

This is known as “the hangover” remedy but can also be used for the general symptoms of over-indulgence. Symptoms include heartburn, indigestion, and nausea, a headache, sensitivity to noise and light, and irritability. Particularly suits “workaholics” who tend to burn the candle at both ends, keep going with coffee and feel the cold.

Arsenicum:

This remedy comes into play when the symptoms are like that of food poisoning, with vomiting and diarrhoea, a pale palour and anxiety. Symptoms are worse at night, with burning in the digestive tract and a desire to sip water. It suits restless people who worry, need to plan ahead and feel the cold.

Sulphur:

Symptoms include offensive diarrhoea which drives the patient from bed in the morning, excessive sweating, and burning feet. Suits stubborn proud people who are always hot, and crave sugar and spicy food. 

Lycopodium:

Symptoms include bloating with wind, a huge appetite, and waking as if from a fright. There is heartburn with sour burping. Suits fearful people lacking in confidence, especially in new things, but can be bragging and assertive at home. 

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 Homeopathic remedies offer “alternative” for flu sufferers  

This winter has seen an increase in cases of flu and respiratory infections, and homeopaths have been among those on the frontline, helping people who prefer an “alternative” approach. This system of medicine is suitable for all ages, including babies and the elderly, as it is non-toxic.” Flu is a viral infection that's most common during the winter months. It has a sudden onset of symptoms, which include fever, sore throat and muscle aches. 

Homeopathic medicines, known as remedies, can be used at home in acute conditions, but recurrent viral infections should been seen by a professional homeopath as there may be an underlying imbalance causing the problem. 

Remedies which might be helpful include:

Gelsemium:

The number one flu remedy, with symptoms slow to come on, where there is much heaviness and drooping, fatigue, clammy skin, flushes of hot and cold, dizziness and congestion. 

Bryonia:  

The symptoms are slow to come on, there is much dryness and pains are worse from even the slightest movement. Firm pressure on the affected area is helpful. They are irritable and want to be left alone. Children may reject what they just asked for.

Belladonna:

Indicated where the symptoms have come on suddenly and there is heat, throbbing and pain, with great irritability, and symptoms worse from jarring.

Rhus tox:

Slow onset with high temperature and great restlessness, constantly changing position, muscles stiff and painful. Any draft or cold air will aggravate. There is a feeling of heat inside, but skin is cold to the touch. There is a desire to sip water.

Any ongoing health concerns should be discussed with a GP

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Homeopathy offers “alternative” in children’s winter ailments.

Help is at hand for parents in Lancaster looking for an alternative to paracetamol for their children’s winter bugs, following research suggesting a link between the drug and asthma.

Homeopathic remedies are non-toxic and safe for use in babies and children (1) and research has shown that homeopathic remedies can be effective in children with respiratory tract infections (2), Otitis media (build up of fluid in the ear which can lead to infection) (3) and sinusitis (4).

Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on treating the individual with highly diluted substances given in mainly tablet form, which triggers the body’s natural system of healing. In children, the most appropriate medicine is matched to the illness according to the symptoms and how the child is feeling in themselves.

Some parents are worried about giving their children paracetamol, which is the active ingredient of Calpol, following the publication of research in the Lancet in September, which found that babies given paracetamol were more likely to develop asthma, as were those in later childhood who were given it frequently. Use of the drug was also associated with a risk of eczema and rhino conjunctivitis (allergy-linked runny nose and watering eyes). (5)

Homeopathic remedies can be used at home in acute conditions, but recurrent coughs and infections should been seen by a qualified homeopath registered with the Society of Homeopaths.

And last year the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) removed six cough medicines from sale following fears about possible overdose. (6)

There are many remedies available over the counter that could be useful in childhood winter ailments, each having its own specific characteristics.

1. Dantas F Rampes H, 2000. Do homeopathic medicines provoke adverse effects? A systematic review. BR Homeopathic Journal 89 (Supl): 535-8 2. de Lange de Klerk, ESM, Blommers, J, Kuik, DJ, et al., “Effect of Homoeopathic Medicines on Daily Burden of Symptoms in Children with Recurrent Upper Respiratory Tract Infections,” BMJ, November 19, 1994;309:1329-1332.; Steinsbekk, A, Fønnebø, V, Lewith, G, and Bentzen, N. Homeopathic care for the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections in children: A pragmatic, randomised, controlled trial comparing individualised homeopathic care and waiting-list controls. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 13, Issue 4 , December 2005, Pages 231-238. 3.Jacobs J, Springer DA, Crothers D. Homeopathic treatment of acute otitis media in children: a preliminary randomized placebo-controlled trial. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2001; 20: 177–183/ Frei H, Thurneysen A. Homeopathy in acute otitis media in children: treatment effect or spontaneous resolution? Br Homeopath J 2001; 90: 180–182/ Friese K-H, Kruse S, Ludtke R, Moeller H "Homeopathic treatment of otitis media in children: comparisons with conventional therapy". Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1997; 35: 296-301. 4. Adler M. Efficacy, safety of a fixed-combination homeopathic therapy for sinusitis. Adv Ther 1999; 16: 103–111. 5. Beasley R, Clayton T, Crane J, von Mutius, E, Lai, CKW, Montefort, S, Stewart, A. Association between paracetamol use in infancy and childhood, and risk of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in children aged 6–7 years: analysis from Phase Three of the ISAAC programme. The Lancet2008;372:1039-1048 6. http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON014446

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