The Homeopathic Garden

Tears and Sweetness – In seeking to soothe to Hayfever

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:08:00 GMT

By Jean Powis, Registered Homeopath, from the Homeopathic Garden New life bursts from every field and hedgerow as days lengthen and warmth returns. Animals flowers and trees bloom in the glory of Spring. However, fluctuating temperatures and the increase in pollen increase susceptibility for hay-fever sufferers: ‘Weather changes, rain, heat, sun… wind… open air, … […]

Surviving the Sizzle

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:58:00 GMT

By Jean Powis, Registered Homeopath, from the Homeopathic Garden After a soggy Spring, Summer seems a reluctant arrival, but nonetheless it is still warm enough for outdoor pursuits. Whether you’re kite surfing, riding horses, walking through the woods or just pottering around the house, if you manage to run into a scrape, you might be […]

The Miracles of the Pot Marigold – Calendula Officinalis

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:47:00 GMT

Mind over Menopause

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:30:00 GMT

Medicalising or managing the menopause? By Jean Powis, Registered Homeopath, from the Homeopathic Garden Is it a serious issue, or nothing to mind about? Updating the 2010 Equality Act sounds serious – with expectations of ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace rendering ‘unfavourable’ treatment of menopausal women as ‘discrimination’. Research (2023) by the Chartered Institute of […]

The Homeopathic Garden: All Manner of Ailments Awaiting

Sat, 15 Aug 2020 06:24:00 GMT

Verging on the Veggie – Part 3

Sat, 15 Aug 2020 06:10:00 GMT

Middle Eastern food being my favourite, due to its flavoursome yet mild qualities, I decided to search for vegetarian Persian food. Iranian friends had produced many Persian delights at Baha’i Holy Days and I even knew of a vegetarian Baha’i who produced the most sumptuous Persian dishes in which the absence of meat was not an issue. So there had to be a vegetarian Persian cookbook somewhere!

Bingo! God bless Sally Butcher for her books ‘Persepolis’ and ‘Veggistan’. I do not even hope to come anywhere near my friends’ level of expertise, but at least I can create a variety of interesting flavours. So here I begin with a recipe inspired by Persepolis, by Sally Butcher. By making some rice, I managed to make the Khoresh last for 3 additional portions to follow the delicious chips:

Cup Split peas

2 red peppers

Onion

Coconut oil

Teasp. Ground turmeric

Black pepper

Salt

3 dried limes

Cherry tomatoes

Water

Tomato paste

Potato

Coconut oil for frying

Soak split peas for 30 minutes
Fry onions and peppers
Add spices, limes and tomato paste
Add water and split peas
Bring to the boil, add the tomatoes and then simmer for 30 minutes
Prepare and shallow fry chips in the coconut oil – the coconut oil makes the chips crispy and delicious.

Butcher, S., 2016, Persepolis, Vegetarian recipes from Peckham, Persia and beyond, Pavilion Publishing, Shoreham by Sea.

Butcher, S., 2011, Vegistan, a Vegetable Lover’s tour of the Middle East, Pavilion Publishing, Shoreham by Sea.

Treating Fevers

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 20:11:00 GMT

For adults, the NHS (2020) advises that fevers ‘in themselves’ are not ‘life-threatening’ though it recommends medical advice be sought for those with serious underlying conditions. For children, the NHS (2017) has lots of advice regarding fever management and when to seek medical advice.

‘Accumulated data now suggest that fever has a protective role’ in fighting infection, but you should obtain medical advice if you have an underlying medical condition or are worried about a fever El Radhi (2012).

The usual advice of ‘rest and plenty of fluids’ applies with homeopathy too, but observation of fever symptoms can provide essential clues to a first remedy which will give you a head start in tackling infection and Belladonna and aconite are useful first stage remedies (Cummings and Ullman, 2020).

Cummings and Ullman’s classic ‘Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines’ was a constant companion before taking my course. It makes Belladonna’s flushed face, radiant heat and ‘glassy eyes with dilated pupils’ easy to identify. Aconite symptoms are distinguished by their appearances after exposure to cold wind, giving ‘anxious, restless and fearful’ symptoms, but in contrast to Belladonna, their pupils may be ‘contracted’.

Miranda Castro’s (1992) ‘Homeopathy for Mother and Baby’ also ascribes ‘sudden onset’ to Belladonna, and adds alternating chills and heat, accompanied by ‘alternately dry and moist’ skin, ‘grinding of teeth, delirium… worse for light, being uncovered’ and from the afternoon onwards.

Castro describes Aconite as ‘heat alternating with chills’, ‘cheeks alternately hot and red and pale … or one red and the other pale. Internally, they might feel hot and be kicking off covers, whilst externally they are cold. They may have paleness on getting up and be ‘worse at night and for touch’.

Lecturer, Hilery Dorian observes that a child’s Stramonium fever might resemble Belladonna with a red face and pupil dilation, but its fearful, clinging state marks a distinction. A Stramonium child may fear the dark, and imaginary characters such as witches, ghosts or wild animals (Dorian 2020).

Farokh Masters clinical observation of children notes Stramonium’s ‘descending chills’ with ‘delirium’, ‘convulsions’, ‘loquacity’, ‘restlessness’ and even ‘shrieking’, an aversion to being uncovered, ‘icy coldness of hands and feet’, yet a ‘hot head and face’, ‘heat and pain in the eyes’, with an ‘insatiable thirst for large quantities of water’ and consequent frequent urination.

Dorrian states Ferrum Phos can be used for the first stage of any fever, especially if it may have erupted from the suppression of sweat. She describes it as falling somewhere between Aconite and Belladonna and the sluggishness of Gelsemium (below). There is alternating redness and paleness. There may be a red and throbbing ear, or an accompanying nose-bleed, and a worsening between 4-6 a.m.

Adults needing Nux Vomica may have over-indulged: in eating, drinking, drugs or staying up late. There is ‘extreme chilliness… greatly worsened by uncovering’ often accompanied by ‘digestive symptoms…worse in the morning or the open air’ (Cummings and Ullman, 1990).

In children, Castro (1992) associates Nux Vomica with ‘getting chilled’. Therefore, they are better for ‘heat… and hot drinks’ and worse for ‘cold wind, fresh air, loss of sleep, mornings, winter, uncovering, and walking’. They have ‘shivering and sweating’, chilling can occur from an uncovered limb or they may feel cold on just one side, or – the opposite of aconite – ‘hot externally and chilly internally’.

‘Rich or fatty foods’ might contribute to Pulsatilla fevers , accompanied by characteristic desire for affection, changeable moods, whining and absence of thirst (Cummings and Ullman, 1990).

Castro (1992) also implicates fatty foods and describes the contrariness of Pulsatilla fevers; not only worse from cold, wet or windy weather but for sun exposure, stuffy rooms, and twilight. They have ‘dry mouths’ without thirst, may have ‘cold hands and feet’, yet become ‘flushed in warm rooms’ and are ‘better for fresh air’ (Castro, 1992).

Dorrian (2020) states that Chamomilla fevers may have one red cheek which may be associated with teething. Their head may be sweaty, they may want to be held and are likely to be irritable. Master (2003) cites ‘anger or vexation’ especially during teething and describes cold limbs contrasting with a burning, perspiring face, and they are worse for a draft.

In describing a Gelsemium fever, the National Centre for Homeopathy uses the expression – the four d’s – ‘dull, droopy, dumb, dopey’ – to the point of not wanting to move, with a ‘dull headache, droopy eyes, heavy limbs’ and characteristic ‘chills up and down the back’. Dorrian (2020) adds weakness and shivering, heavy eyelids, sluggishness and lack of thirst.

If you need more advice, call me. By all means, check out your illness with a doctor, but if there are no reasons to give you immediate concern, you may want to try home treatment with fluids, rest and a remedy whilst you wait for a doctor’s appointment.

Castro, M., 1992, Homeopathy for Mother and Baby, Macmillan, London.

Cummings, S., and Ullman, D., 1990, Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines, Gollancz, London.

Dorrian, H., 2020, Centre for Homeopathic Education, CHE Online Course, Mother and Baby, Newborn and Your Children,

National Center for Homeopathy, 2017,

https://www.homeopathycenter.org/fever

NHS/Inform, 2020, Fever in Adults,

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/fever-in-adults

NHS, 2017, High Temperature (fever) in children,

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children/

Master, F. J. 2003, Clinical Observations of Children’s Remedies, Lutra, Eindhoven, Netherlands. Radhi, A. S. M., 2012, Fever Management: Evidence versus Current Practice, World Journal of Clinical Paediatrics, 2012 Dec 8; 1(4): 29–33.

Verging on the Veggie – Part 2

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 19:16:00 GMT

The postman laid it on the ground, rang the bell, stepped back and nodded; a typical greeting during the corona virus lockdown! Unzipping the black edged carton, I found a hand stitched book, with a ribbon fastening, packed with statements of affection, pockets, gift labels, and even smaller note books. I never had a gift quite so personal in all my life! Renewed acquaintance with a teenage artist friend with whom I had shared hilarious teenage scrapes had brought this treasure; a permanent memory of long lasting and deep friendship.

My kitchen table was shrinking under piles of cookery books. Moving in the direction of a vegetarian/vegan diet is a lengthy quest. I needed a to be able to easily recreate successful recipes, so a place to write them up would be really useful, and one book instead of a small library, a bonus!

I wrote up my first favourite:

Almond Pesto – remembered from watching Jamie Oliver – with love to my friend Chris

Ingredients:

Handful of blanched almonds

1-2 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Bunch of basil

Fry the almonds in coconut oil for a few minutes until slightly golden
Chop the basil and garlic
Place everything in the blender and add some olive oil to moisten.
Serve on pasta and with salad. (You can add sheep’s cheese and vine tomatoes if you want to make it like Jamie)

Verging on the Veggie – Part 1

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 19:45:00 GMT

I was not going to give the matter a second chance! My homeopath suggested that after months of being glued to my computer whilst I wrote final course assignments that my reactions to sugar might be pre-diabetic!

Back on the daily agenda went twenty minutes pedalling! Out went juice at lunch and dinner! In went fruit salad instead of ice-cream! Down I delved into research on reversing diabetes (Barnard,2007). Up I emerged on a vegetarian quest, and the blog ‘Verging on the Veggie’ came forth!

In 2009 Barnard et al ‘compared the effects of a low-fat vegan diet and conventional diabetes diet recommendations on glycemia, weight, and plasma lipids’ and concluded ‘Both diets were associated with sustained reductions in weight and plasma lipid concentrations’ but ‘the vegan diet appeared to be more effective for control of glycemia and plasma lipid concentrations’.

Mc Macken and Shah found (2017) found ‘diets based in whole and minimally processed plant foods reduce insulin resistance and improve glycaemic control by a variety of proposed mechanisms. Plant-based diets are high in fibre, antioxidants, and magnesium, all of which have been shown to promote insulin sensitivity. ^[7] ^, ^[17] ’

I planned to make the transition slowly. I saw it as a bit like giving up smoking. Previous attempts had resulted in ten days’ worth of similar tasting quiches, casseroles and curries. If I was going to succeed, I needed to be strategic: find, practice and for ease of recreation, write up into one collection any favourites. With a hectic lifestyle, recipes needed to be quick, simple and flavoursome – hence the quest to revolutionise a lifetime of meat and veg into a manageable and enticing new cuisine was underway.

I have given up eggs altogether, am eating remaining stores of meat sparingly, and have opted for plant milks but until I can find decent vegan cheese and yogurt, I will stick to goat versions.

Previously only low carbohydrate diets worked, but there was a plateauing. So far, despite eating potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, I have slowly lost half a stone; a small miracle, but will it be continued? Watch this space!

Of course, if you are interested in losing weight or consider that you may have diabetes, you should consult your doctor about dietary changes.

Barnard, N. D., 2007, Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes, Brilliance Audio, Michigan.

Barnard, N. D., Cohen, J., Jenkins, D. J. A., Turner-Mc Grievy, G., Gloede, L., Green, A., Ferdowsian, H., 2009, A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009 May; 89(5): 1588S–1596S.

McMacken, M and Shah, S., 2017, A Plant Based Diet for the Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes Type 2, Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, 2017 May; 14(5): 342–354.

Rock Rose: (Cistus Canadensis/ Helianthemum canadense)

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 19:25:00 GMT

Many people know of rescue remedy, which is a popular combination for shock, but perhaps are not aware of Rock Rose, which is one of the ingredients which make up the combination. I did not know that I had ordered this plant in an alpine dozen. I have a side of the front garden where […]