 The holidays have a way of simultaneously being exhilarating and fun and overwhelming and exhausting. If you’re like me, it can be a little tricky getting your feet back underneath you after chasing yourself around while putting the house back together, making the transition from last year to this year, settling back into daily life after a few weeks of upside down land… trying to re-establish some sense of normalcy.
What can help? Some Bach Flower Essences, that’s what. Feeling a little out of control? Cherry Plum to calm the mind. Overwhelmed? Elm — it’s so handy to have the name right there in the word! Having a hard time getting back into the swing of things? Hornbeam. and, for physical and mental exhaustion… Olive. The Bach Essences are readily available (locally for me at Sprouts* and Natural Grocers); local herb stores often have them, too. However, they can be a little spendy. ($18.69 per bottle is what I’m seeing online right now — if one wanted to make a mix of all four of these remedies, that’s nearly $75!) Don’t get me wrong — if these issues are frequent visitors in your world, it’s totally worth the investment. Full kits are available and, in my never-to-be-humble opinion, are totally worth it. So, what to do when you would like to use a few Bach flowers but don’t want to break the bank? Local herb stores will often make a custom blend for you for less than the price of one bottle of a single essence. If you don’t have that available where you are, custom blends can be purchased and shipped from places like Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary.** How do you take the Bachs? Lots of ways, actually. You can drop them directly under your tongue from the bottle; or, dab them on the thin skin/pulse points (think: inside of the wrist); or, blend them into creams or lotions … or, put 2 drops of each of your chosen essences in a bottle of water and sip throughout the day. Each sip is a friendly tap on the shoulder reminding you that all is well. Now, in addition to sipping my Bachs, I’m going to catch a little sleep and take another couple of days to settle back into myself and (hopefully) be back into full swing by next week. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits *Argh. Looking online right now, it looks like Sprouts may only be carrying Bach Rescue Remedy. I hope this isn’t the case! **I have no affiliation with this company — I just love their stuff!
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 Tax day is upon us in the US.
How can homeopathy have anything to do with taxes? Well, as an aside, if you look up “tax” in the homeopathic repertory software, you’ll see rubrics for being over-taxed. Two remedies caught my attention for this: Picric acid and Nux moschata. Picric acid for when mental exertion causes fatigue and headache (excellent for those final exams coming up soon, too!) When I learned this remedy, I associated the phrase "pick your brains" which means, of course, to ask someone for information, which could be a tiring process. I would definitely begin with Picric acid in this situation, but I just have to share this single remedy rubric for Nux moschata: Mind, muddled, intoxicated, as if. If there is anything that can muddle your mind, it’s taxes! Albert Einstein even apparently said, "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." In addition to one’s poor brain being taxed while computing the money one owes the government, there are a few money rubrics which may be of assistance, especially if you are looking for a backdoor to crack a case. You see, sometimes it can take just a unique little something about a person that you need to unearth in order to find a way in to getting a really well-suited remedy. If a person has an particular fixation on money, there are some rubrics which may be useful. One of my favorite remedies, Bambusa is indicated when one is full of cares and worries over money. To remember this remedy, just think of the substance from which it comes — Bamboo — and think of the support those bamboo stakes lend those vulnerable plants in a garden while they establish themselves and are able to stand strong through their roots alone. That’s the beauty of Bambusa. Depression about money problems — which has a nuanced difference to cares about money, as noted above. Cares about money would be active — fretting or worrying — constant thoughts about the problem. Depression about money problems would be more of a passive response — a shutting down. Two big remedies pop up for depression about money problems: Arsenicum album and Aurum metallicum. Now, it could be said that Arsenicum album is more of a restless anxiety or an anxious depression. Arsenicum album may talk about money and they are known to talk about their worries. Thinking further about this, I think it should actually probably be listed in the above rubric with Bambusa. Aurum metallicum, on the other hand, is a depressed remedy. A remedy for deep grief or humiliation. Put those two together and we have a perfect match for depression after financial loss. (Note that Aurum is the only bold/underlined remedy in that rubric.) What is Aurum metallicum? Aurum is made from gold. To remember this remedy, think of the Great Depression — when the financial markets all around the world crumbled and people lost their fortunes and their savings and threw themselves out of windows in their despair. That is a picture perfect description of depression after financial loss. Shock from a loss of wealth or property. If there is a passion for making money, Aurum and Nux vomica are both highly indicated. Once again for Aurum, think of the Gold Rush. Those were some people passionate about making money — Gold Fever! Nux vomica is more of the hardworking business person — workaholics. People who work themselves sick. Vomica sounds a little like vomit -- works themselves sick. What else can help if you are frantically rushing to get your taxes filed? Try some Bach Flowers. Maybe a little Cherry Plum to keep a cool and collected mind. Or, maybe some Clematis to help you stay focused on the task at hand. Elm if the task just feels too overwhelming. Holly if the whole process makes you angry. And, finally, for all those accountants out there who are working their tails off in these final days to help all of us late filers get the job done, try some Oak to help restore energy. A fun fact (well, I don’t know if this is factual or not, but it caught my attention): The Gettysburg address is 269 words. The Declaration of Independence is 1,337 words. the Bible is only 773,000 words. However, the tax law has grown from 11,400 words in 1913 to 7 millions words today. (Note: I don’t know when “today” was — it could have quadrupled again, for all I know!) Learning homeopathic remedies shouldn’t be taxing. Making a few connections and word associations can make all these many remedies a little easier to remember. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits  “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  I recently heard someone say (or I read somewhere?) how we typically associate fall with death. But, in fact for trees anyway, autumn is the time when they don’t have to worry about putting out fruit or new leaves and can just concentrate on becoming strong. I like that. A time to hunker down and fix what needs fixing. Not by doing, but by resting. By just being. Historically, if someone were to say something needs fixing I would immediately think, “do something! Now!” I am starting to learn that isn’t always the case. Fixing can come in the form of understanding… or, accepting,… or, waiting patiently. Waiting isn’t really my strong suit. I like to have quick results… generally as a result of quick action. (I did say I am starting to learn, I haven’t yet mastered this idea.) Often, clients with chronic conditions want quick results from their homeopathic remedies. They have been suffering for years and want to see changes. I am happy to say that it’s not uncommon to be able to help guide people to some remedies that can at the very least help alleviate some of their symptoms quite quickly. However, more than once I have advised my clients to take their homeopathic remedy and then get back to living life and let the remedies work quietly in the background. Like the trees in the autumn; we can no longer see the fruits of the trees labors. We have to just trust that the tree is working hard within and, in time, we will then see the benefits of the tree’s “downtime”… the fresh spring buds or the delicious fruit it provides. In homeopathy, we need to give it a figurative minute (or a week or a month or a few months) to do its thing and then re-assess. Are the headaches happening less frequently? Is the acid reflux less debilitating? Can you eat a little of that troublesome food now and again without spending the next day in the bathroom? Can you walk a little longer without the knee hurting? For those of us who are still learning this thing called patience, the aptly named Bach Flower Essence Impatiens can come in handy. Who may benefit from Bach Impatiens? If you find yourself being quite brusque with people: the cashier doesn’t get through your grocery pile fast enough; your little one thinks he knows how to put his shoes on better than you and it makes you crazy as many minutes keep ticking by. Students who get frustrated with themselves for not grasping a subject quickly enough; those learning an instrument and find they are not ready for the stage as quickly as they thought they should be; people who toss and turn at night when they are trying to fall to sleep. Kids who continuously find it hard to wait for things: “When is dinner?” “When are we gonna…” Kids who rush through their homework and make mistakes. For people who find nothing is going right: “Nobody is meeting their deadlines and it’s making me angry. I’ll do it myself.” Drivers with “get-there-itis.” Workaholics. People who can never take a vacation because they feel like they can’t allow themselves to do such a crazy thing as relax. “I’ll relax when I retire.” For people who stutter or stammer, Impatiens can help you from getting impatient with yourself trying to speak as fast as you think you “should.” “Should” is a good word here. I have a mug that says, “Don’t should on me.” The main person who shoulds on me is me… Putting pressure on myself to get things done faster. Bach Impatiens has helped me a lot in this area. People who think their homeopathic remedy is not kicking in fast enough… How to take the Bach Flowers? You can take a drop on the tongue directly from the bottle, or, even better, put 2-3 drops in a water bottle and sip on it throughout the day to help remind you to take a breath. “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” — Unknown Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash  “Do you have anything to help with my love life?” “What do you have in the way of ‘happy pills?’” “Do you have something for…” Fill in the blank. Not uncommon questions to a homeopath as people are looking for a quick fix for what ails them. The short answer is “sort of.” If someone is looking for a quick fix there are some possible quick answers that don’t involve working with a homeopath (though I highly recommend doing just that). I’ll get to those in a minute. The longer, more complete answer is homeopathy addresses the whole person and therefore it can help with these bigger issues which are asked about in a throw away question… like happiness. Happiness. Joy. Joie de vivre. Such a hugely important thing. Interestingly, some people looking for a quick fix for happiness may not have even considered that they are actually sad. To them, they are just "not happy." But, that's how homeopathy would look at it. A lack of happiness/sadness can stem from a vast variety of reasons… Illness. Anxiety. Chronic pain. Fear. Problems at home. Problems at work. Stress. Poor sleep. Broken heart. The list is practically endless. One of my favorite aspects of homeopathic remedies is when a remedy hits home, the emotions, the mood, is one of the first things to be affected. This is particularly apparent in an acute situation. What do I mean by that? So many times have I heard from clients that when they have given the appropriate acute homeopathic remedy to their unwell loved one that shortly thereafter the loved one still has the symptoms of illness, but they are now cheerier. When you see this change occurring, know that the physical symptoms will most likely follow behind pretty quickly. What does this look like? Children are still coughing and sneezing, but they are off the couch and now playing. The adult is still complaining of a stomach ache but they are now able to read a book or watch TV and engage with the world again. Where would I begin to help someone on a generic level who has lost their joy? With this question, I am attempting to answer generically, meaning, without hearing the details of their symptoms. A practical homeopathic solution to sadness, if you will. I would begin with some well chosen Bach Flowers. A few Bachs to consider: Mustard can help with gloom. (I have previously written about Mustard’s marvelous effects HERE. Honeysuckle can help the person see the happiness in today, rather than thinking the good old days held the secret to their happiness. Conversely, if the person is dreaming of the happiness that might one day be, Clematis may be a better fit. Wild Rose can help to reignite a passion for life for those who have become apathetic and resigned. There are other Bach Flowers which may be more suited to your situation. If you are interested in a Bach-only consultation, click HERE. Are there homeopathic remedies that are able to address a lack of joy? There are indeed! Robin Murphy lists 457 remedies in his rubric for sadness*! In his rubric for acute sadness, he lists only 3 remedies… One of which makes complete sense to me. Natrum muriaticum. (For previous articles on Nat Mur: The Big Goodbye; Springing Forward; Dehydration; Balance; Salty Lips.) Homeopathic Nat mur is made from salt. What else is made of salt? Tears are made of salt, making this an easy remedy to remember to address sadness. There are many different kinds of sadness — something I never really thought about until I started studying homeopathy. To me, back then, someone was either happy or sad. (That’s such an unbelievably strange way of thinking to me now!) What kinds of sadness are addressed by Nat mur?
Of course with all things homeopathy, the best way to choose a remedy is based on the compilation of a person’s symptoms. Though Nat mur may be a good place to start, a better fitting remedy may be found in one of those other 457 remedies. This life we have been given is short. If you are having a hard time finding joy, give homeopathy a try. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * Murphy, R., n.d. Repertory, version 3. Accessed through Radar Opus software.
Reference list
Delagran, L., 2012. Impact of Fear and Anxiety | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing [online]. Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. Jeffers, S., 2023. Feel the Fear... and Do It Anyway. Harvest. LeDoux, J., 1998. Fear and the brain: where have we been, and wwww.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(98)00282-0/fulltexthere are we going? Biological Psychiatry [online], 44 (12), 1229–1238. Mcintyre, A., 1996. Flower power : flower remedies for healing body and soul through herbalism, homeopathy, aromatherapy, and flower essences. Holt. Schroyens, F., n.d. Synthesis Adonis. (accessed through Radar Opus software). Steimer, T., 2002. The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience [online], 4 (3), 231–49.   Woulda. Shoulda. Coulda.
Regret. Guilt. Excessive apologizing. In keeping with the Yuletide theme, let’s turn our attention to the Christmas tree which may be standing in the corner of your room. If you have one, there’s a good chance it’s pine. The Bach Flower Essence Pine can help address all these icky guilt-like feelings. Whether lingering from something long past or whether they are brand new; whether it’s over something big or just a small thing — anything for which one cannot forgive themselves. In the words of Dr. Edward Bach: “Even when successful they think they could have done better and are never content with their efforts or the results.” Holding on to these thoughts do you no favors. Let them go. With the new year arriving tomorrow (finally!), keep your Bach Pine handy, leave the old yuckiness behind and I’ll see you in 2023! Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits
 There’s a reason that “haunting” is a word that often accompanies the word “dream.”
It’s always those disturbing dreams — the dark and icky dreams — that get stuck in the internal playback loop and haunt you [insert shudder here] the next day or, if you’re unlucky, many days. Why can’t the enjoyable, funny dreams ever get stuck on replay? You could try a dream catcher* (as pictured above). Dream catchers are meant to let the nice dreams go into the universe and catch the bad dreams so they can be destroyed in the light of day. Or, you could try the Bach Flower Remedy, White Chestnut. White Chestnut is not just for dreams… White Chestnut is for whenever the mind is tormented by worrying or repetitive and unwanted thoughts. White Chestnut is for the circling thoughts — the thoughts that go nowhere. The unproductive thoughts. White Chestnut is for thoughts that keep you from being present in the moment. You can’t be present in the moment because you’re stuck in your head. As Dr. Bach said, “those who cannot prevent thoughts, ideas, arguments which they do not desire from entering their minds.” “Thoughts which worry and will remain, or if for a time thrown out, will return. They seem to circle round and round and cause mental torture.” If you find yourself fixated on certain thoughts. Or, you find you’re having persistent, disagreeable or even tormenting thoughts. Or, you find yourself dwelling on past, generally disagreeable events — pick up a little bottle of White Chestnut** and see if that can help you find a little peace of mind. Unlike homeopathic remedies, Bach Flowers are intended to be used repeatedly and frequently. The best description I have heard is that it's like a little tap on the shoulder to remind you that everything is OK. A few weeks ago, I had yet another song stuck in my head. I decided to try White Chestnut. It worked. It worked so well, I decided that the words to a famous song need to be changed. Sung to the tune of “White Christmas”: I’m dreaming of some White Chestnut. Just so this song can leave my head. When your thoughts go wonky and won't stop spinning White Chestnut can send them on their way. Close enough. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * For more information: dreamcatchers ** Bach Flower Remedies are available in most health food stores. If you are interested in a Bach consultation, click here and scroll down the page. Photo by Andreas Wagner on Unsplash |
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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