Author: admin-tuscany

Colic

Posted on by admin-tuscany in From Tums to Bums

When a baby cries and cries in the first months of life, he’s often suffering from abdominal pain. Colic makes him oh so irritable. A homeopathic remedy offers a gentle solution without side effects. With someone so young, start natural.

Commonly used homeopathic remedies for Colic

Arsenicum is well-indicated if there is smelly diarrhea and the baby is cold and restless. He may want small sips rather than gulps to drink.

If she calms when you put her on your arm or apply pressure to her abdomen, Bryonia is a good bet. The grumpy ‘leave me alone’ attitude and thirst for lots of water is characteristic. She is often constipated (‘dryonia’) and worse for the slightest movement. Better for cold applications.

Chamomilla
The abdomen is greatly bloated. Flatulence does not relieve extreme pain. Inconsolably irritable and restless. Relief may come with warm applications, rocking or being carried. Chamomilla is very useful to relieve teething pains.

Colocynthis
Intense, cramping abdominal pain that improves with pressure, especially hard pressure on stomach. The baby draws up the legs and may find feel better for warmth. Diarrhea is spluttery.

Magnesia phosphorica
Spasmodic, cramping pains, better for warmth and gentle pressure. The baby may feel better with bending double. Restless with gas which does not relieve symptoms. Worse at night.

Nux vomica
A tense abdomen. Pain often comes 1-2 hours after a feed. Relief is noticeable after passing gas or a bowel movement. Irritability, restlessness and sensitivity to external stimuli. Worse on waking. Constipation. Consider Pulsatilla instead if the baby has eaten fruit or rich food. There may be nervous diarrhea.

Dioscorea
Severe, twisting abdominal pain that improves by bending backward indicates this remedy. The baby may arch her back to seek relief.

Carbo vegetabilis
Bloating, distension and flatulence. A weak digestion. Symptoms lessen after passing gas. Better for fanning and fresh air.

Natural ways to reduce colic symptoms:

Try gentle rocking, swaddling or carrying the baby in a sling to provide comfort and relief.

Create a calm and quiet environment, minimizing noise and bright lights.

Apply a warm compress or provide a warm bath to help relax the baby’s tense muscles and ease discomfort.

Burp the baby after feeding to release trapped air.

If breastfeeding, avoid certain foods in the maternal diet that may contribute to colic symptoms, such as caffeine, spicy foods or dairy products.

Book a complimentary chat to tell me what your baby does when he is colicky.

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Thank you for Not Smoking: Remedies to Quit the Habit

Posted on by admin-tuscany in Overall Support

Smoking is addictive and affects every part of your body, your appearance and your mood. We all know this. It weakens the immune system and can lead to lung and heart diseases. It harms the brain and endangers the fetus in pregnant women.

Yet nicotine has a calming pleasurable effect, which makes smoking hard to stop for those who have made it a habit.

E-cigarettes, used by many young people, are not the safe alternative to traditional cigarettes that they have been advertised to be. While the aerosol inhaled does not contain all the toxins in tobacco smoke, the e-cigarette still delivers nicotine which is highly addictive. The vapor also contains heavy metals which adversely affect users and those nearby.

Homeopathy offers a natural way to quit.

Tabacum and Avena satt reduce reaction to the addictive nature of smoking.

Other useful remedies include Camphor, Nux vomica and Caladium.

All the above can be given daily up to three times in a low potency.

Avena satt often comes in liquid form. Give 5 drops in filtered lukewarm filtered water, three times a day.

Get in touch to learn more: robbinshomeopathy@gmail.com

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CARE for the CARETAKER

Posted on by admin-tuscany in Elderly

My patient, let’s call her Maggie, is getting more sleep, feeling lighter, finding the energy to face each day. The remedy that helped is one for caretakers, sick with grief and exhausted from cumulative stress. While Maggie speaks with a counsellor and is hoping to fit exercise into her difficult day, none of this helps the way the remedy has done, she tells me.

She’s looking after her husband with a degenerative disease that he will die from. He loses coordination and falls, his hands shake when he writes, he mumbles and his thinking is slow. The drugs he takes to support him seem to dull him. Maggie is tired. It’s a one-way spiral. Down.

Caretakers have a difficult role, one that is often undervalued. There are physical tasks -support with the daily routine of bathing, dressing, preparing of meals, doing the housework. Then there is management of medicines, of finances and provision of transport to see doctors or therapists. Finally, there is the emotional support that the patient may need.

These responsibilities take their toll; if a patient becomes more debilitated, the burden increases. A caretaker can reach a state of exhaustion, feel overwhelmed on emotional and physical planes. Homeopathy offers a gentle long-lasting solution.

Cocculus addresses the worry about others’ health, treats the sadness and mental heaviness. It may be what you need if you are in a care-taker role.

Get in touch to tell me how you are getting on. I will tell you how homeopathy can help.

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Heartburn, nothing but a heartache…   

Posted on by admin-tuscany in From Tums to Bums

If you dread mealtime for what happens afterward, this article is for you. Abdominal cramps, burning pains that rise into your esophagus and throat, nausea and vomiting – these are main characteristics of heartburn. Reduce and banish it naturally – watch my recent 15-minute interview below to see how...

Heartburn, also known as Acid Reflux, affects over a third of the western world. Chest pain, abdominal bloating, difficult swallowing and a sour taste in the mouth often compound main symptoms.

You can reach for the antacid or swallow the PPI; they work. But eventually they will probably come back to bite you, causing the very symptoms you wanted them to eliminate. The result: chronic acid reflux or Gastro-esophageal Intestinal Reflux Disorder GERD.

Why not try homeopathy, the world’s second most commonly used form of medicine? It ministers to the whole person on physical, mental and emotional planes, offering an individualised solution that sparks the body to heal itself, gently and without side effects.

Here’s my recent 15-minute interview summarising heartburn risk factors, top homeopathic remedies and tips to minimise your experience: https://homeopathy247.com/homeopathic-podcast/episode-146

A professional homeopath, I run the Homeopathy for a Healthy Gut Group, a vibrant FB community offering digestive advice and resources worldwide. If you haven’t already done so, come aboard: https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeoforguthealth

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Ear Aches

Posted on by admin-tuscany in Body Parts and Systems

Hee haw! When your child has an earache, he often brays about it. An adult may moan instead. What remedy can you give?

Most common ear problems:

When pain is more in the right ear, Belladonna comes to mind. It often starts with a high fever and includes a sore, bright red throat, a headache and sometimes, trouble hearing. The patient isn’t too keen on food or drink and, although his face is red, he doesn’t sweat, nor is he chilly.

An irritable child, pleased with nothing, demanding to be held yet still unhappy may need Chamomilla. He may be teething too. He is restless and screaming, then quiet. Cheeks are red and right ear is more inflamed.

When the patient is chilly yet much prefers the open air to a stuffy room, she is thirstless and weepy, worse in the evening, worse for rest (yes, strange) she may well need Pulsatilla. There may be a bursting sensation, a pulsing or a pressure. Mucous is yellow-green.

Chamomilla, Pulsatilla and Belladonna are the top three remedies for the common Otitis Media (middle ear) infection that prompts myriad doctor’s visits. Symptoms are usually dull and throbbing or sharp and tearing. Sometimes the ear reflects a pain elsewhere in the body  (tonsillitis, sinusitis, jaw trouble, adenoids)

Other ear problems:

For hearing difficulty or loss (wax in the ear?) often with a feeling that the ear is blocked or for nerve pain that affects especially the LEFT SIDE of the face or chewing (electric shock pain) worse for movement, look at Verbascum Thapsus. Try mullein oil drops in the ear first if you think wax is the culprit.

Earache with sore throat. Here, the throat pain extends to the ears. Usually it shoots or tears, is worse at night. There may be thick, yellow effluvia from the ears; it may smell. Merc sol is where to look for relief.

Earache on the right side which moves to the left is a signal to consider Lycopodium. Pains are pressing and bursting. There is usually some deafness and an offensive, thick yellow discharge may be present. The child is chilly and worse between 4 and 8pm. Earache is usually with a cold or after scarlet fever.

If you’re not certain which remedy is best, get in touch.

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Remedies that address Leaky Gut Syndrome

Posted on by admin-tuscany in From Tums to Bums

When food and toxins slip into the bloodstream by penetrating the intestinal walls, it’s called Leaky Gut Syndrome. It’s uncomfortable and always present. What you need is a natural, holistic plumber to tighten the tap. Read on for top remedies.

Abdominal cramps, worsened by even slight consumption of food or drink, are often greatly reduced with Colocynthis. Cutting, gripping pains in the abdomen respond well to this remedy too.  You feel better by bending double or pressing the abdomen hard.

Bloating of the entire abdomen, especially when there’s rumbling, points to China off. There is a sense of heaviness after meals and bitter burping. Symptoms are worse for drinking tea or eating fruit. Movement makes you feel better.

When flatulence is the top offender, look at Lycopodium. Flatulence which arises after eating small portions, feels trapped and can cause a bursting pain. Certain foods trigger the flatulence: cabbage, beans and bread and potatoes (farinaceous foods)

If you are constipated and unable to produce stool, or bowel movements are scanty, Nux vomica is a good remedy. Even though the urge is there, there is a never done feeling that causes discomfort. Rumbling and gurgling noises often emerge from the abdomen.

Diarrhea after eating suggests Aloe soc. This remedy addresses abdominal cramps before and during smelly, flatulent loose stool. Often there is a sudden urge. Aloe soc is a top remedy for IBS.

Rhus tox addresses joint pains in leaky gut syndrome and Arsenicum album lessens breathing difficulties. Blood in watery stool points to Merc sol. 

What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
The small intestines permit only certain nutrients and electrolytes into the bloodstream, normally. Toxins and microbes and food particles do not get through. When the gut barrier weakens, the bloodstream is contaminated; inflammation and eventual autoimmune dysfunction occur.

Symptoms include bloating, abdominal cramps. Diarrhea, constipation, excess flatulence, skin allergies, joint pains, migraines, joint pains and food sensitivities.

What causes it?
Too many courses of antibiotics, too much alcohol, infections, celiac disease, food sensitivities, Type 1 Diabetes and radiotherapy can contribute. A weakened immune system, chemotherapy drugs and yeast overgrowth in the bowel are other known causes.

What does it lead to?
It can result in Crohn’s Disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, eczema and psoriasis, fibromyalgia, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Does this sound like you or a loved one?

Leaky gut and SIBO and IBS are just three of many gut dysfunction issues that homeopathy addresses.Get in touch for an effective solution.

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SILENT ACID REFLUX, a painful twist on heartburn

Posted on by admin-tuscany in From Tums to Bums

If your throat is on fire and you find swallowing difficult, you may be suffering from Silent Acid Reflux. Intense throat problems and a constant feeling of a lump may be caused by stomach acid that backs up into the throat. Normal heartburn symptoms such as chest pains and upper abdominal pains don’t necessarily feature here.

To learn how homeopathy addresses this painful condition, read on:

(LPR), Laryngopharyngeal reflux can cause hoarseness, a burning sore throat, hawking, severe inflammation, even vocal cord damage. While there’s a feeling of phlegm dripping down the back of the throat – throat-clearing is a common reaction – there are few heartburn symptoms: no squeezing in the chest, no pains high up in the stomach area.

Hawking, lump, and swallowing trouble

If you need to clear the throat and there’s an omnipresent sensation of a lump there. The throat feels inflamed. Nat phos is a top remedy. Swallowing is difficult. Post nasal drip, especially at night, wakes you from sleep. Phlegm is clear white.

Cough and dryness. Tough mucus.

Carbo veg treats an acrid, dry throat that makes you cough. It’s hard to swallow food. Mucus is thick and tough and there’s a lump sensation.

Sore throat and cough

The throat is dry, red and inflamed. The cough is tickly and dry and often gets worse at night. The sensation of a lump and difficult swallowing are present. Try Belladonna.

Hoarseness, worse in the morning and evening

A hoarse voice and hawking that are worse, morning and evening, point to Causticum. Sometimes there’s a dry tickly cough. The lump sensation is accompanied by an inflamed throat.

Ropy thick phlegm

Thick yellow mucus that often emerges in a ‘rope’ suggests Kali bic. Lots of post nasal drip. A dry burning throat is worse in the morning.

Think about main characteristics of the remedy. Yes, they overlap in the symptoms they cover. Uncertain of what to take or give? Get in touch.

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Below is a link to my podcast on normal Acid Reflux, Heartburn and GERD symptoms

Acid Reflux Podcast

The Sacred Space Between the Logs

Posted on by admin-tuscany in Overall Support

When I slow down and be here now, there is space and time. I breathe in and out a bright serenity. Meditation does this, creating a distance from the monkey mind of superficials that crowd the day, offering a breathing place.

As poet Judy Brown writes:

What makes a fire burn is the space between the logs. A fire breathes – and blazes.

Building a fire, Alex showed me how to tee-pee the logs. Donna laid them perpendicular. When I light it, my fire snaps and hisses. After a time, it stretches, sighs happily and spouts warmth and light.

When a homeopathic remedy works on an emotional level, it creates a gap between me and my usual reaction to a problem. Whatever it is – anger at a biting remark, disappointment because I expected something that didn’t fly, sadness at the loss of a loved one – in the sacred lull, I find a higher me. I look at the trouble from the outside. I observe; I don’t judge. I sense how I feel. By simply looking at it, the problem doesn’t matter as much as it used to. I am detached, as if I pressed a pause button.

I am learning that this space is always there inside, a bird in my heart that welcomes me in her soft nest, covers me with feathered wings, murmurs: ‘There, there, it’s OK’.

If you seek a natural solution to an emotional problem – or a physical one – get in touch for a free chat. Tell me what’s bothering you most. I will tell you how a remedy can reduce and eliminate pain, can remind you how to pause and be open to what comes.

Book a free chat with me

Nose: A Natural Solution for chronic Post Nasal Drip

Posted on by admin-tuscany in Body Parts and Systems

A ball of mucous that keeps returning, no matter how often you swallow, takes away energy. You hawk and cough, hoping to clear it. You may have a sore throat a hoarse voice, bad breath and pain that extends to the ear.

With something as insignificant as postnasal drip you’re not likely to go to the doctor. Or take a course of antibiotics, which could constipate you, cause dryness or give you a headache.

Homeopathy offers safe solutions with no side effects:

A dry cough with constant mucous in the throat is nicely addressed with Corallium Rubrum. The cough is spasmodic. Lots of mucous comes up when you blow your nose or hawk. When you inhale, the air may feel cold.

Allergies or a cold can cause irritating postnasal drip in a patient who needs Nat mur. Sneezing, watery eyes and a runny nose are main symptoms, though sometimes the nose is blocked.

Allergies that cause lumpy mucous to move from the nose to the throat are effectively addressed with Allium cepa. Here the nose burns, there is sneezing. Eyes tear but are not red or irritated.

Colds or Sinusitis caused by cold air are often lessened with Hepar Sulph. Sometimes the phlegm is blood-stained. The patient feels chilly. Nasal discharge is either watery or thick and there may be sneezing.

Heartburn and postnasal drip together call for Nat phos, a top remedy for acidic indigestion. Phlegm is usually thick and yellow and worse at night making it difficult to sleep. Sitting up in bed helps.

When mucous is blocked and the nose feels full look at Sticta.  The urge to blow is there but no discharge results. The stuffy nose worsens at night and mucous in the throat can form scabs.

Chronic hawking and a hoarse voice point to Merc sol, especially if there is excess salivation and a sore throat, worse on the right side. Sneezing may occur. Phlegm is yellow-green. Breath smells foul.

Kali bic is best when mucous is thick, ropy and usually greenish. The patient constantly clears his throat. Often frontal sinuses are inflamed and painful.

Hydrastis is a second top remedy for thick, ropy sticky mucous. It’s in the throat, no matter how often you swallow. It is yellow in colour when you blow your nose and there’s a continual urge to do this.  Nostrils and throat can become raw and burning from blowing and hawking.

Get in touch to tell me what your symptoms are and to find out what potency and how often to take the remedy. I will address your specific symptoms in an acute consultation.

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Shingles: A no-side-effects solution to symptoms and infection

Posted on by admin-tuscany in Body Parts and Systems

Shingles is a painful, contagious skin rash. Blisters that usually present in a single wide stripe on one side of the face or body. Fever, headache, pin-pricking nerve pain and tiredness accompany this. If someone in your family contracts it, you’ll find out, sharp-like.
Homeopathy offers a long-lasting solution with no side effects.

Learn more about what causes it and side-effects of the conventional approach below.

In the meantime, here are top homeopathic remedies to address, reduce and eliminate shingles.

Right-sided pain. Intense itching and smarting/burning as if pricked by hot needles. A blistering skin rash that is calmed by hot (yes, hot) water. Asthma is sometimes present. Chest pains. Nerve pains. The remedy is Rhus tox (see Arsenicum)

Kalmia is another right-sided pain remedy for Shingles. Tearing pains shoot downward and the area around eruptions.

Blisters with scabs that are often crusty and white. Pus is acrid and gluey. Intense itching worse for warmth with a feeling that bugs re crawling on the skin. Sometime the itchy areas feel cold. The remedy is Mezereum. This is perhaps the top remedy for shingle pains around the face. When there is nerve pain over the left eye think of this remedy. The choice of Mezereum is confirmed when pain shoots downward. Discomfort is intense, often around the teeth and painful especially in the ear at night. It is intermittent and the area often becomes numb.

Shooting pains and burning intensity that effect nerves are hallmarks of Hypericum.

Blue blisters filled with pus. Severe itching and burning, much worse if touched, worse on the left side.  Often focused above the eye or in the intercostal nerves between the ribs. The remedy is Ranunculus Bulbosus.

Another remedy that alleviates face pain is Arsenicum. Needle-like pains that burn and oddly, feel better for hot applications. (see Rhus tox)

Shingles on the face that sting and turn into clusters of pustules that weep are addressed by Croton tig. They itch and burn.

Armpit shingles which sometimes spread to back? Eruptions are crusty and moist worse and night, better from warm applications. These are worse before menses. Look at Dolichos.

Shingles that erupt after exposure to cold wet weather are reduced and often eliminated with Dulcamara.

Watery bumps that leave crusty dry flakes in the crooks of elbows and knees are effectively treated with Nat mur.

What causes it?

Also called Herpes Zoster, Shingles is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus through direct contact with an infected person. It can be exacerbated by stress, increased age, a weakened immune system.

Side-effects of conventional meds:

Conventional medicines can’t cure this painful condition. They shorten episodes and reduce intensity of symptoms. They also come with unwanted effects:

Anti-viral side effects include dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, joint pain and a sore throat. They don’t help with nerve pain.

Painkillers can spur anxiety.

Corticosteroids lessen neuralgia but can lead to immune-suppression.

Sometimes nerve pain continues after the blisters have gone, especially in the mouth. Complications include facial paralysis, hearing problems, balance issues, loss of vision.

Shingles or other Skin problems? Let us know. We can recommend remedies that provide natural holistic help. And no after effects.

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