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Children respond very well to homeopathy as their ‘vital force’ is strong and their ‘toxic load’ is less than adults. Detox symptoms in children are usually brief, mild or don’t appear, thanks to the gentle nature of homeopathy.

In my practice I often see children that have ‘not been well since’ several rounds of antibiotics, yearly flu jabs, inoculations or other medications. It may be that their parents have even done a hair mineral analysis test and found indications of high heavy metals such as lead or aluminium etc.

Homeopathy is really excellent at clearing the ‘influences’ that medications may leave behind. For instance with childhood inoculations, homeopathic treatment can range from dealing with acute reactions to detoxing the affects years later. Treatment for prolonged affects was first introduced by Dutch homeopath Tinus Smits under his CEASE program. Since his passing, this approach has evolved to include the clearing of many other types of medication too. The following is how homeopathy can help treat reactions to jabs.

Immediate reactions to a recent childhood jab
Treatment may include remedies for an immediate or acute reaction. Ledum helps for inflammation around the area of injection itself, Belladonna or Aconite if the child throws out a fever, or Apis or Histaminum for allergic reactions such as hives.

The jab was some time ago or a program is currently being administered
Homeopathy has a very good track record for detoxing and supporting the immune system.
For some children a single constitutional remedy will prompt the body to detox and it may be that this is all that is needed. There are also well-established remedies such as Carcinosen, Silica, Thuja or the homeopathic preparation of the inoculation itself. Remedies do not negate the function of the medication, they simply help the body to rebalance from any side effects.

Gradual health changes
Some health changes may have developed more gradually and may not seem to be obviously connected to the jabs, as symptoms didn’t appear immediately or within a week. These changes are usually signs of an immune system under stress as it tries to assimilate the medication – after all, all medication is foreign to the body. Symptoms may be inflammation, gut dysfunction and/or neurological effects. More complex prescribing may be necessary if the child is not in good health, or already had health conditions, and develops multiple issues such as the list below. This may include a homeopathic preparation of the medication, gut support (bowel nosodes) and remedies that address the other issues going on, for instance if there has been a lot of antibiotics or other medications, exposure to toxins, trauma or upsets and so on.

There is no standard protocol for this, as each child is unique. Remedies that work well with one child may be less effective for another child.

A few examples of health challenges are*:
Changes in gut and bowel health
Changes in appetite
Recurrent coughs and colds
Glue ear
Repeated tonsillitis
Behaviour – acting out or withdrawal, emotional intensity etc
Neurological changes such as restlessness, lack of focus or concentration, cognition, sensitivity in hearing, light, taste, i.e. SPD etc
Slowing of natural development eg speech

*There may be other reasons aside from medications for all of the above symptoms.

Clearing the affects of other medications, antibiotics and heavy metals are also possible. If you’d like to know more about this aspect of homeopathic treatment, do get in touch.

Your body has various sophisticated ways to automatically detox every day through its main systems and organs, but also through some other, perhaps more surprising ways…

(1) Bowel movements – when our intestines break down nutrients, the waste materials include toxins and unhelpful bacteria which are expelled by the colon. Excessive bowel movements, whether frequent or diarrhoea are our body’s way of ejecting toxins as quickly as possible.
(2) Urination – urine is a waste product from both the kidneys and liver functions.
(3) Snot & mucous – lovely! But a good way of pushing out this internal breeding ground for bacteria and disease.
(4) Bile and vomit – the liver cleans the blood, producing enzymes to destroy toxins that come from our food, water and the air. These toxins can then be expelled through both urine and bile. Vomiting is a more extreme ejection of toxins from the body such as food poisoning.
Those four are well known, but did you know the next four?

(5) Skin – one of the best ways to expel toxins is by sweating. Sweating not only regulates temperature it also pushes out toxins. Spots and acne are another representation of the body pushing out toxins to its outermost layer.
(6) Breathing – we breathe in toxins, but we also expel them through our breath, helping the lymphatic system cleanse. Through deep and regular breathing, we also expel negative feelings and anxiety.
(7) Menstruation – some women do not see the regular arrival of their period in a good light, but actually it is a great and additional way that women’s bodies detox every month. The menstrual period is a natural cleansing process, releasing bacteria from inside the reproductive system and helping the body to discharge excess iron, which in turn helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
(8) Tears – our bodies’ release valve for stress, sadness, grief, anxiety and frustration. There are 3 different types of tears – ‘reflex’ for clearing dust particles, ‘continuous’ for lubrication of the eyes, and ‘emotional’ tears. They all have healing roles but the emotional tears have high amounts of the protein-based hormones produced by the body when under stress. Weeping helps to wash these toxic chemicals out of the body, elevating mood and lowering stress, which is linked to many health problems including lowered immunity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and obesity. So don’t hold back the tears!

It is reassuring to know that the body is always working hard to remove toxins and is so good at self-maintenance. A few extra glasses of wine one evening it can usually handle; a prolonged poor diet may make the body work harder over time and need a boost such as a fast or juice detox, but on the whole it will continue to work well though we do accumulate toxins in the body as we age.

Where it does need extra help is when something really significant has interacted with the body and is so overwhelming that the body struggles and can’t detox without extra help. At this point more serious symptoms can occur. One or more of the following can affect the immune system and organs with longer lasting and detrimental consequences to health:

• Heavy metals (from vaccines, environmental pollutants)
• Anti-biotics
• Oral contraceptive pill, morning after pill, birth control injection
• Steroids
• Vaccines, eg HPV, DPT
• Other medication eg anti histamines

This is where homeopathy can step in and give the body some extra information that will help it combat what it views as too many toxic chemicals to handle, no matter how much they may have helped at the time.

My Homeopathic Detoxes address all the above examples and are tailored to the individual. Homeopathic remedies are gentle, non-toxic and non-addictive. Give it a try, your body will know what to do.

Jamie* is a six-year-old boy whose mum first got in contact with me about his Molluscum Contagiosum (known as water warts, it is a viral infection of the skin that results in small, raised, pink lesions). I recommended a homeopathic remedy (Thuja Occidentalis) and his skin cleared up.

Six months later, Jamie’s mum got in contact again as he had developed a rash near his groin. She had treated with Sudocrem, Bio Oil and Child’s Farm moisturiser but to no affect. She suspected it may be eczema but did not want to give her son steroid cream as she was aware that if used frequently it can thin the skin.

Jamie’s mum said he was also feeling sad as he had a new, much stricter teacher at school now and the classes had moved around so he was not with his main friends anymore. He had also been feeling sad since his grandfather had died a few months before.

She described her son as tending to put on a brave bold front while being quite sensitive underneath and not coping well with change. He was good at maths, and sporty – enjoying kick boxing, swimming and karate every week. On the whole he was a healthy boy though lately had been prone to constipation as well.

I prescribed Jamie the remedy Natrium Muriaticum (Nat Mur) for a few weeks.

This homeopathic remedy is helpful for for a child after he or she has undergone a grief (for Jamie this would be his grandfather and the ‘loss’ of his friends from his class) and becomes withdrawn and sad, rather than overtly upset and in need of consolation. Physical symptoms can include depression, respiratory symptoms, skin problems (eczema, psoriasis), digestive problems (constipation), bedwetting.

Jamie responded very well to the remedy, gradually cheering up and settling into his new class, making new friends as well as playing with his old friends at breaktimes. The remedy helped his body to integrate the sadness he felt and adapt to the changes in his life. The eczema was a physical expression of how he had been feeling, once the remedy had helped to rebalance him it faded away.

Homeopathy reaches the parts that steroid cream can’t!

* Name changed for privacy purposes

This lovely young woman first came to my clinic with eczema all over her hands, arms, neck and face. It was unbearably itchy and stopped her from sleeping well. She felt it was very unsightly and held her back from interacting with others. The eczema was particularly bad around her mouth, I wish I had a photo to document it! Her mother had applied Vaseline around her mouth and lips since she was a child to try to combat the eczema. It was red, scabbing with crust and pus around her mouth and lips and the Vaseline no longer worked. Steroids worked temporarily but the moment she stopped them the eczema came back stronger than ever.

We worked hard to bring the eczema under control and I commend her persistence as eczema can be very challenging. Remedies included Sulphur, Morgan Pure, Histaminum, Homeopathic steroids, Petroleum and dietary changes. Her skin cleared up completely and best of all the area around her mouth was entirely free of eczema. Very noticeably her confidence and happiness soared which was brilliant to see!

‘I reduced my dosage and my skin is all good now. No sign of eczema anywhere. Thank you so much for making me better.’

Three weeks into the new school year and as I drop my daughter off at primary school each day, I see children crying, begging not to be left at school and even clinging to their exhausted parent’s leg. It’s heart-breaking to see, especially knowing that things could be so different.

When a child has separation anxiety it isn’t just happening at the school gate, it affects the rest of their life too. Often there are problems with sleeping, tummy aches or headaches, feeling sick, changes in appetite, as well as outbursts, crying or withdrawal.

If your child needs help with anxiety, give homeopathy a try. Children tend to respond quickly to homeopathic remedies and they are safe, gentle and easy to take. Having helped both children and teens suffering with anxiety, I can tell you it’s a real pleasure to see them lighten up as the worries fall away, they start to sleep better and enjoy school more.

If you would like to find out more about how I can help, feel free to contact me for a free 10-minute chat.

June came to see me because she had been diagnosed with PCOS. She had been on the Pill for 12 years, at first to combat her heavy periods when she was a teen and later as a contraceptive. She had stopped over a year ago but following the PCOS diagnosis had been advised to go back on the Pill as it is the primary treatment for PCOS if the woman is not trying to become pregnant. She refused.

Her periods were regular but she was very on edge, unable to relax, really angry when driving, ‘very up and down emotionally’ and her stomach was constantly in a knot. She was very thirsty, very sweaty and also sensitive to feeling cold, had Raynaud’s syndrome, a history of thrush, outbreaks on her skin and what she described as ‘an extreme sweet tooth!’. She also had a history of headaches and feeling sick until she stopped the Pill.

Where to start?

Well, a lot of June’s symptoms are side effects of taking the oral contraceptive pill for several years (emotions, Raynaud’s and other changes to circulation, thrush, headaches); and some are related to her toxicity level and the need to detox – the outbreaks on her skin, her sweatiness and thirstiness are her body trying to flush out toxins via the skin and bladder. The anger, which started recently, was likely the increased testosterone from the PCOS and the extreme sweet tooth also matched the diagnosis.

The first few weeks of treatment consisted of gently helping her body to detox more efficiently. This included liver support, some changes to her diet and the introduction of some supplements including chromium for the sweet tooth. The skin and sweatiness improved though she remained quite thirsty. We then started detoxing the contraceptive pill. The contraceptive detox program lasted 8 weeks and saw great improvements – headaches, chilliness, thrush and her emotions all improved considerably. The Raynaud’s now only affected her when cycling and was becoming less painful.

By the third consultation the sweet tooth and thirst were still there so we returned to organ support, focussing on the pancreas, and gradually these symptoms reduced too. Each homeopathic prescription also included remedies that matched June as an individual and boosted the detox prescription.

June has improved hugely and now has homeopathy on a maintenance level only. She is now thinking about having a child and is in a much better state of health for this to happen.

Observations
Young women with PCOS have become an increasing part of my homeopathy practice.
There is no official cause of PCOS, but looking at the medical histories of the women that come for treatment they usually have one or more of the following features:

• Hormonal medication – a history of taking the Oral Contraceptive Pill, Morning After Pill, Birth Control Shot (Depo-Provera or DMPA).
• Had the HPV vaccine – vaccinating young women just as their endocrine system is beginning to develop its own rhythm has meant that PCOS has become one of the major side effects of the HPV vaccine.
• Environmental – increased use of plastics leeching oestrogen into the body and upsetting the delicate hormonal balance.
• Diet and smoking – the result of prolonged excess sugar, high levels of insulin increase the production of androgens such as testosterone in the ovaries. Diabetes Type 2 can appear as one of the issues alongside PCOS.
• Hereditary – previous generations have had PCOS, diabetes, or the mother took the contraceptive pill before the PCOS sufferer was born, possibly creating a predisposition.

Homeopathic treatment of PCOS is a gentle process that prompts the delicate endocrine system to gradually rebalance and is always tailored to the individual.

Eczema results in just two weeks!

Yes, it’s unusual, but is possible and here are the photos to prove it.

On coming to see me, the patient’s hands were uncontrollably itchy, red and dry. The itching was made worse with water, warmth and scratching.

There were flaking and cracks in some areas, but no pus and very little bleeding unlike some eczema conditions. The patient was in a state of alarm as the eczema had started at the fingertips but spread very quickly down her fingers to the front and back of both hands and was now moving down to the wrist on her right hand. She was using hydrocortisone cream which was limited help and the skin on her fingertips was thinning and cracking, resulting in her putting plasters on.

In my experience, common physical causes of eczema include food intolerances, overload of the detoxing organs (livers, bowels, kidneys etc), childhood vaccinations and hereditary factors. Emotional causes are stress and anxiety – there can be an unexpressed emotion that has been building up for a while and is expressed on the skin and ‘boils over’ in the person.

In the case above this young woman had a residential job, so she could not get away from the issues that were annoying her and felt unable to express her feelings and frustration. The tension was also expressed by biting her teeth together at night, ie clenching her jaw. The fast spreading of the eczema was also a source of stress in itself – a vicious circle.

I prescribed her two remedies, one for supporting the liver to clear and work a bit harder (Chelidonium) and a second remedy that best matched her whole picture (Graphites) including the specifics about her eczema and state of mind.

There was a brief flaring for a few days before improvement started. This is not unusual and is the body’s way of pushing out toxins. By the second week the redness, swelling and flakiness were much better and the cracks on her fingertips were starting to improve. Treatment continues over the next few weeks and I look forward to a complete recovery, no more plasters! She was still unhappy in her job but had taken the first positive steps towards moving on.

If you would like a consultation for eczema or any other condition you or your child are suffering with, just get in touch.

Ben’s* parents brought him to see me aged 3 years and 4 months old.

They were concerned with the number of times Ben had been ill since birth. He was very prone to coughs that lasted up to a month, colds, high temperatures, ear infections and chest infections. He had been given antibiotics numerous times since birth, and 4 times in the last 10 months. There was a possible diagnosis of asthma and both parents did not want to go down the steroid path for him.

Ben’s mother described him as very shy, not confident, but better at home. The pregnancy was fine but the labour was ‘back to back’. He had a little jaundice at birth, was bottle fed and had received all his vaccinations on time to the UK NHS schedule. He had met his milestones on time.

I prescribed him Silica as he showed the characteristics of that remedy: chesty coughs, timid and bashful, possible effects from vaccination, exhaustion, ear infections, parotid glands swollen, swollen tonsils, shortness of breaths, asthma.

Ben responded well to the remedy for the first 2 weeks after the consultation. He was described as jolly, confident and happier; he’d become lively and engaging with his parents and started to speak in short 3-word sentences rather than single words. He also had no colds or coughs between consultations. All in all, a noticeable improvement up to that point.

Three weeks after the first consultation, he was given his vaccinations – 4 in 1 booster for Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio and the second MMR vaccine for Measles, Mumps and Rubella. He also received the flu vaccine as a nasal spray.

After that, things deteriorated. At nursery he was shutting down and barely interacting. Eye contact reduced and he needed to be prompted to answer questions. His mum described him as clinging to her and physically hiding from people. Ben was consequently diagnosed with mild to moderate Selective Mutism and assigned a speech therapist. I prescribed Silica at a stronger potency: ‘Ben is a different person. We gave Silica yesterday by Saturday he was chirpy, lively and chatty.’

The following month he was given the Meningitis C vaccine, and the selective mutism symptoms arose again.

Selective mutism is defined as:

– Marked deficits in communication and social interaction
– Language impairment
– Poor verbal expression, uses gesture to point out for his needs
– Prefers solitude
– No eye contact while communication
– Not responsive to verbal instructions with normal hearing
– Selective as in contact with close members of the family may be ‘normal’

I prescribed the homeopathic Meningitis C and Silica:

‘Hi Rachel. Happy New Year! Just updating you about Ben, I gave him his last dose on Sunday and since the last time we saw you, he has been in good health (fingers crossed) and the first time in 3 years we had a healthy Ben for xmas! He has also been very talkative by himself when he is playing (pretend play) and with other people (relatives who visited over xmas and new year)’

Ben’s health continues to improve.

Conclusion
Not every child is susceptible to vaccinations, but for some it is just too much for their immune system to take at an early age and can affect development, especially if there has been a lot of medication, such as anti-biotics.
If you see any adverse reactions at all, even if it is weeks later, do not delay, see a homeopath. Whatever the reason for developmental delays, be it vaccination or something else, the earlier it is addressed the better.

* Name changed for privacy purposes

Another option for bedtime before seeing a homeopath. For adults and children – Rescue Remedy Night.

I have found this a great help for over active minds and over excited children! It contains no alcohol and works like magic.

For long term, lasting help with sleep issues there are several great homeopathic remedies that help with insomnia, constant recycling of thoughts, fear of the dark and night time etc.

A child can start to feel anxious for all sorts of reasons. It could have been triggered by a major life event such as a change of school, loss of a loved one or pet etc. It could also be from ongoing strain, such as parental arguments, bullying, exams, expectation etc.

Whatever the reason may have been, anxiety can start to grow and gradually seep out into other behaviours, beliefs or fears. You may find your child starts to get an issue around food (control of their environment), or has problems sleeping (anxiety increases adrenal responses making it harder to relax), stops wanting to go to school (avoidance) or has a meltdown or crying fit (unable to control their emotions, the environment, the situation anymore). As the focus is then on these issues, it can be easy to forget what was happening before or why they might have started.

As a homeopath that specialises in anxiety, I work with you and your child as detectives to identify what started the anxiety (if it isn’t clear) and understand what ‘stuck’ feelings (grief, sadness, anger, fear) or beliefs your child may now have that trigger their anxiety. This then leads to the homeopathic remedy that can resolve things.

For example, if your child’s anxiety started or increased after the passing of a relative or pet, it may be that while the grief has faded, things are unresolved because s/he has an underlying fear that this could happen to them or another loved one at any moment.

Another common set of fears or beliefs is thinking that people despise them, that s/he is isolated and that everything s/he tries is a failure. This anxiety and lack of self-confidence can be caused by bullying, being excluded from friendships, other people’s or their own expectations of themselves etc. Whatever the cause, the impact can feel quite devastating.

The good news is there are remedies for both those examples and many other underlying worries. Homeopathy prompts the body to get back into balance so that both mind and body start to assimilate recent experiences, stressors and anxiety, bringing things into perspective.

Having helped children who struggled with anxiety, it really is a pleasure to see someone who had the weight of the world on their shoulders, start to lighten and smile.