 Quitting coffee can cause one heck of a nasty headache. I remember hearing years ago that the nasty headache that people encounter following surgery was due, in part, from caffeine withdrawal. One familiar with homeopathic remedies might be forgiven if one were to assume that the homeopathic remedy Coffea cruda would be the remedy to turn to for help with this pain. And, to be fair, it may help in this situation. Keep reading… However, using Coffea for caffeine withdrawal would be more akin to isopathy, or, “same cures same.” See: Buzz on Apis and Hom, not home. This is not to say that Coffea doesn’t have a place in helping headaches, it does. Particularly if:
Might there be a better homeopathic remedy to help if you are suffering headaches from caffeine withdrawal? Generally speaking, were I to be suffering from this hellish experience again today, I would start with Chamomilla. But, to be fair, Coffea cruda is also indicated in a number of these symptoms — It’s a matter of degree. From Roger Morrison’s Desktop Guide: “Chamomile is characterized by an unsurpassed hypersensitivity to pain and an angry, almost accusatory response to that pain. Often the patient seems to complain of more discomfort than could possibly be felt from the existing condition. Furthermore the complaining is usually hostile and vehement. There is always irritability…” Yep. That sounds like someone going through caffeine withdrawal. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms, as noted ffrom Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition:
Chamomilla also has a keynote of being aggravated from coffee, ailments from coffee and headaches from NOT drinking coffee. Once again, Coffea cruda is in some of these rubrics, but not to the degree that is indicated in Chamomilla. Heck, Chamomilla even has an aggravation at nine AM — just about the stereotypical time the caffeine would have been consumed and had “kicked in!” Other remedies to consider if you are dealing with this type of headache: Nux vomica and Ignatia. (See Overwhelmed for a bit more information comparing those two remedies.) It is not at all uncommon for people to use coffee first thing in the morning to get their bowels moving. So, if you are considering ditching the coffee habit, know this is a possible “side effect.” Chamomilla can help with this, but so, too, can Nux vomica. (See The Eagle has Landed). Is there a reason to quit coffee? Lots of homeopaths recommend to not drink coffee when taking homeopathic remedies. (I don’t agree with this. See HERE for more thoughts on this.) Sarah Ballantyne*, (I first learned about her when she was known as The Paleo Mom), has now written a book (being published in May) called Nutrivore. Her new system is based on nutrient density. “The Nutrivore Score is an objective measurement of the total amount of nutrients a food contains per calorie. There are 33 nutrients that go into the calculation.” Well, guess what the number one food item is according to this system? That's right… Coffee. Hmmmm. Having said all that, from someone who has been there, done that — drinking many, many cups of coffee all day, everyday -- I don’t think you’ll regret kicking the coffee habit if you choose that route. It may take a little time, but I bet you’ll be waking more refreshed and feeling much better at being able to function without relying on the coffee crutch. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * I have no affiliation with Sarah Ballantyne, I am just intrigued by her new dietary system. Works Cited
Ballantyne, Sarah. “Brewed Coffee Nutrients.” Nutrivore. Morrison, Roger. Desktop Guide to Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms. Nevada City, Calif., Hahnemann Clinic Pub, 1993. Watson, J. “CAFFEINE.” ScienceDirect, Academic Press, 1 Jan. 2003. Weber, Joseph G., et al. “Prophylactic Intravenous Administration of Caffeine and Recovery after Ambulatory Surgical Procedures.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings, vol. 72, no. 7, July 1997, pp. 621–626, .
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 Chocolate. 😍 Sigh. Such a marvelous thing, chocolate. I don’t think I will ever stop being surprised when someone tells me they don’t like chocolate. When my youngest was turning 3, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner. “Chocolate. Just chocolate,” he said in his little sing-songy voice. I happen to agree with him. Chocolate, (100% cacao is my preference), any time of day. (Click here for a link to my current favorite.) Just before flying to England last year I read about a study in a Mark Sisson email: “Chocolate for breakfast prevents circadian desynchrony in experimental models of jet-lag and shift-work.” I didn’t even check to see if there is good science behind this study because I am more than happy to do some self-experimentation when it comes to chocolate! Did it help? It seemed to. However, when we crossed the pond again a few months later, I forgot to bring the chocolate and I still did as well as last year on the jet lag front. NOTE: I did use homeopathic remedies on both flights, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that was the more important factor. But, next time I make that physically painful trip, I shall do both — just in case! 😉 As you may (or, may not) know, classical homeopathy loves basic information about a person — their preferred weather; if the person runs hot or cold; if they are aggravated by damp places; early bird or night owl; sensations they may experience and food likes and dislikes as well as how certain foods affect them. This homeopathic fact-gathering point brings us to chocolate and homeopathy. There are two main remedies associated with the desire for chocolate: Argentum nitricum and Phosphorus. Today, I shall focus on Argentum nitricum. Arg-nit, as it is known, is a homeopathic remedy made from silver nitrate. One of Arg-nit’s keynote symptoms is a desire for sugar, which at the same time makes the person feel worse. I have written a few times about Arg-nit: Hoarseness; What goes up; Feel the Fear; Back to School. Anxiety is a big part of Arg-nit as a homeopathic remedy picture: anxiety for health; anticipatory anxiety; anxiety when alone; anxiety in the morning on waking; anxiety about the future; anxiety when hungry; diarrhea from anxiety. So, I went looking for links to chocolate and anxiety. Turns out there are some interesting studies out there.
Maybe we chocoholics are just self medicating? 🧐 Back to Arg-nit and chocolate… Homeopathic Argentum nitricum may be helpful for people who suffer abdominal pain or diarrhea after eating chocolate. Additionally, if a pet gets into chocolate, I have been told that giving them some Arg-nit ASAP can be very important! Those who experience acne as a result of eating chocolate may also benefit from Arg-nit. Note: the chocolate/acne connection is disputed in conventional science. See (Daszkiewicz 2021), (Goh et al. 2011), (Vongraviopap and Asawanonda 2015). Regardless of the scientific controversy, Argentum nitricum may benefit those who suffer ill-effects after eating chocolate, regardless of what those effects are. For those who have chocolate cravings, that tendency could be addressed through a number of remedies, but Arg-nit and Phosphorus are particularly well indicated*. If there is a tendency to become addicted to chocolate, homeopathic Chocolate may be the remedy to turn to. Chocolate as a homeopathic remedy was proven** by Jeremy Sherr after seeing frequent complaints from patients resulting in adverse effects after eating chocolate as well as “the impressive” number of his patients who were seriously addicted to chocolate. There’s not a lot in this remedy that stands out in terms of symptoms, actually. In my never-to-be-humble opinion, it’s because they didn’t actually do the proving on the important part of the chocolate. For the proving, Sherr used the “purest form of processed chocolate” (Sherr 2015). That, to me, is like doing a proving on a Starbucks Caffeè Mocha instead of doing a proving on the important ingredient which, in this case would be the coffee bean. (Note: we have good information on Coffea cruda, the raw coffee bean, which was originally proved by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann and again in modern times.) Similar to Arg-nit, anxiety is also part of the Chocolate remedy picture: anticipatory anxiety as well as anxiety about health and money and anxiety in the morning. Frans Vermeulen in his Synoptic Reference (2011) notes that homeopathic chocolate has an affinity for the reproductive system, the central nervous system and hormones. I’ve never used homeopathic Chocolate with a client. Maybe I will have to try it out on myself one day to get a better feel for it. But, I eagerly anticipate reading a full proving on Cacao one day. I have no doubt it would be a much more impressive remedy than Chocolate. (Cacao does appear in "Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica" by T. Allen but all that is stated is about the separating out of theobromine from the butter of cocoa and no actual symptoms are listed.) So, the good news on chocolate is, according to the above listed studies, it appears we chocoholics have nothing to fear with a daily indulgence of our favored treat. Phew! “It was like having a box of chocolates shut in the bedroom drawer. Until the box was empty it occupied the mind too much.” --Graham Greene Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits ** for more information on provings, see: The Original Drug Testing. Provings are a little like a box of chocolates, I suppose … You never know what you’re going to get! 💝 Reference list:
Chocolate Class, 2016. Understanding The Chemical Compound that Confirmed Chocolate was Consumed by the Maya [online]. Chocolate Class. Dallard, I., Cathebras, P., Sauron, C. and Massoubre, C., 2001. [Is cocoa a psychotropic drug? Psychopathologic study of a population of subjects self-identified as chocolate addicts]. L’Encephale [online], 27 (2), 181–186. Daszkiewicz, M., 2021. Associations between diet and acne lesions. Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny [online], 137–143. Fusar-Poli, L., Gabbiadini, A., Ciancio, A., Vozza, L., Signorelli, M. S. and Aguglia, E., 2021. The effect of cocoa-rich products on depression, anxiety, and mood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62 (28), 1–13. Goh, W., Kallianpur, K. J., Chow, D., Almeida, P. G., Brown, A. C., Pager, S. and Sil, P., 2011. Chocolate and acne: How valid was the original study? Clinics in Dermatology [online], 29 (4), 459–460. Jackson, S. E., Smith, L., Firth, J., Grabovac, I., Soysal, P., Koyanagi, A., Hu, L., Stubbs, B., Demurtas, J., Veronese, N., Zhu, X. and Yang, L., 2019. Is there a relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression? A cross‐sectional survey of 13,626 US adults. Depression and Anxiety [online], 36 (10), 987–995. Martin, F.-P. J., Antille, N., Rezzi, S. and Kochhar, S., 2012. Everyday Eating Experiences of Chocolate and Non-Chocolate Snacks Impact Postprandial Anxiety, Energy and Emotional States. Nutrients [online], 4 (6), 554–567. Martin, F.-P. J., Rezzi, S., Peré-Trepat, E., Kamlage, B., Collino, S., Leibold, E., Kastler, J., Rein, D., Fay, L. B. and Kochhar, S., 2009. Metabolic Effects of Dark Chocolate Consumption on Energy, Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living Subjects. Journal of Proteome Research [online], 8 (12), 5568–5579. Martinez-Pinilla, E., Oñatibia-Astibia, A. and Franco, R., 2015. The relevance of theobromine for the beneficial effects of cocoa consumption. Frontiers in Pharmacology [online], 6. Moreno-Dominguez, S., Rodríguez-Ruiz, S., Martín, M. and Warren, C. S., 2012. Experimental effects of chocolate deprivation on cravings, mood, and consumption in high and low chocolate-cravers. Appetite [online], 58 (1), 111–116. Sathyapalan, T., Beckett, S., Rigby, A. S., Mellor, D. D. and Atkin, S. L., 2010. High cocoa polyphenol rich chocolate may reduce the burden of the symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome. Nutrition Journal [online], 9 (1). Sherr, J., 2015. Homoeopathic Proving of Chocolate. B Jain Pub Pvt Limited. Vermeulen, F., 2011. Synoptic reference. B Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd. Vongraviopap, S. and Asawanonda, P., 2015. Dark chocolate exacerbates acne. International Journal of Dermatology [online], 55 (5), 587–591. Yamada, T., Yamada, Y., Okano, Y., Terashima, T. and Hidehiko Yokogoshi, 2009. Anxiolytic effects of short- and long-term administration of cacao mass on rat elevated T-maze test. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry [online], 20 (12), 948–955.  “The greatest triumph of a science is when it becomes the common property of the people and thus contributes to the common wealth.” — motto inscribed in The Homeopathic Domestic Physician Let’s face it… learning to use homeopathy can be a little overwhelming and daunting. Even once you are an official homeopath, it can still feel overwhelming… especially when you are under the weather like I am today.
It’s hard to think through your symptoms when you’re not feeling your best. It’s times like this it’s very helpful to have a couple homeopath friends, both human and technological!! Back to learning to use homeopathy… I have mentioned some books in the past to get you started, and, now, let’s take a look at some software that might be helpful. (I have used Homeopathic Housecall many times but most of the rest of these apps are new to me, unless otherwise noted.) Homeopathic Housecall has been around for a number of years. Based on Constantine Hering’s The Homeopathic Domestic Physician from 1835, Homeopathic Housecall brings this classic book into the modern world through an internet-based app. The interface is pretty easy to navigate. You begin each case by searching by Complaints, Locations or Stressors. From there, the program leads you through a series of questions to help you find an appropriate homeopathic remedy. At the end of that, they give you a few remedies (and some basic information for each) for you to parse through to see what looks like the best fit. Homeopathic Housecall is a subscription based service beginning at $65 per year for a 2-year annual subscription or $11.99 per month. They also offer a 7-day free trial. I was pleasantly surprised at the surprisingly large number of mobile apps on the iPhone if you search “Homeopathy” in the app store. (If they mention the app being available for Android, I have included that information.) I played around with a few of them so you don’t have to. Homeopathic Helper is an app for Apple and Android phones ($14.99 at the time of this writing). The app includes a free book which is a nice little introduction to homeopathy with some sample cases and dosage instructions. Once you have registered an account, you can choose “conditions” or “remedies.” A few of the choices: allergic reactions, bladder infections, earache, impetigo, sciatica, shingles. Each condition has a brief overview followed by a handful of remedies which may be useful.
Healio Homeopathy is available through Apple and I must confess, I’m a little confused by their pricing, but they appear to offer monthly and annual subscription plans. For this trial run, I searched for “post-nasal catarrh” and what comes up is a long list of remedies with color coded buttons on the side of “low,” “medium,” and “high” to help you wade through them. Once you click on one of the listed remedies you then get more information on that remedy. The information provided comes from Kent and there is a lot of it. (Note: I did not purchase a subscription and it appears you just have to sit through a momentary ad to get to your information. It looks like you can have the “analysis” feature if you subscribe.)
Boiron’s Medicine Finder appears to be free and when I searched “postnasal drip” only 1 remedy popped up. Of the few conditions I scrolled through, only 1 or 2 remedies ever popped up. There is a “shop” button that takes you to the Boiron website to purchase remedies. They have an electronic version of their “Easy Guide” and a button for their new products. It does, however have a handy dandy video for how to open a Boiron tube, something I found incredibly frustrating when I first used one (click here to read about my first time trying to get into the blasted tube!) Additionally, there is a link to the internet to watch Boiron videos on various remedies.
Biochemic Tissue Salts appears to be free and has a pretty in-depth overview of each of the 12 cell salts: what the substance is, preparation, physicochemical data, what a deficiency of the substance can cause, normal function in the body, general indications and then a nice, long list of symptoms and “particular indications.”
Homeopathy for Everyone also appears to be free and is a little different than the previous listings in that they provide some combination remedy suggestions as well as potency and dosing guidance. Note: A number of the suggested remedies are unusual remedies. When you click on “whiplash” for example, it lists a remedy combo, suggests taking it 3 times a day for a maximum of a week and that’s that. It appears to be just that for every condition clicked.
Homeopathy Clinical Tips asks you to register, but it appears you can use it without doing so. This app isn’t as user friendly as some of the others but they do offer some potency and dosing suggestions. This app offers many little pictures of information under “Useful Tips.” For instance, "Examination Fear" says “Argentum nitricum 200c offers instant relief” and names the author of the suggestion, in this case, Dr. Foubister. Under “Clinical Tips” it shows three remedies for “Abscess” and provides some more specifics when you click on it. It also offers potency and dosing and again lists the contributing authors.
Homeopathy Materia Medica is an app that lives on my phone and I do refer to it fairly often and I believe it is free. This is a straightforward materia medica. Choose a letter, find your remedy and read up on it. It has a button where you can add your own notes. I have never used this feature but it also has videos of well known homeopaths discussing remedies. It is not a complete materia medica, but that would be asking a lot.
MyHomeopath allows you to use a reduced version of the app for free, or, you can choose to subscribe for a low annual fee. The free version only offers “general,” “fever” and “head.” To use this app, choose your condition and then on the right hand side of the screen it has a check list where you can click the symptoms you are experiencing. Once you make your selections and click “remedies,” it provides a ranked choice of possible remedies. It also provides instructions for making a water dose.
Bach Flower Remedies is another app that lives on my phone… providing a nice overview of each of the Bach Flower Essences. It also offers the “Quick Prescriber” where you can search by symptom. Click your symptom and the app provides the one or two essences appropriate for each symptom.
Lotus Smart Charts is a neat little app from Robin Murphy and Judith Toscano. Choose from Kids and Babies, First Aid, Furry Friends and Digestion. Once you choose your main category, you then choose the issue. For example, under First Aid, you can choose: Bleeding, Black Eye, Puncture wounds, etc. and when you click on your issue a couple of remedies pop up with a few differentiating features.
Homeopathic Prescriber teaches how to take a case as well as an A-Z of symptoms. I was randomly clicking around and stumbled on the entry for “screaming children” with further differentiation of symptoms, like: night screaming; piteous crying; before urine passes — followed by the suggested remedy. They have a button for Video News which says the videos will change periodically. Today it showed only one video for Homeopathy for Depression and Anxiety.
There you have my 2 cents on a handful of available homeopathy technology offerings. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of apps out there and I just took a quick look at a few that were not prohibitively expensive. (I understand there are actually a few phone apps that are essentially complete repertories but I have not tried any of those.) As for my current cold? My friend used Homeopathic Housecall, walked me through the questions and came up with a remedy that definitely brought me to a better place. I am now able to function. My appetite has returned. My headache has significantly lessened and my burning throat has dissipated. I was able to enjoy being with my family tonight as well as to get a little work done, and, most importantly, I am now ready for bed and I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep with her suggested remedy in a glass of water sitting next to my bedside in case I wake in the night. Remember, this is the year to dig into homeopathy! Let technology be your friend on your learning journey. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits |
Julia Coyte, CHomI am passionate about homeopathy and I love sharing this passion. Having a working knowledge of homeopathy shouldn't be kept a secret. If people have the ability to help themselves, their children and their friends when they have minor ailments, life just gets better for everyone. That is the purpose behind Ruminating on Remedies. Archives
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