Research: Homeopathy II

Okay, back to some actual research!! I have tons of this stuff, and it really needs to get onto this blog.

For my second entry on homeopathy, I want to post notes on the "Nausea and Vomiting" section of "Homeopathic Medicines for Pregnancy and Childbirth" by Richard Moskowitz (1993). Despite its nauseatingly pro-abortion bias, this is a great book and is highly recommended by reviewers. I am just going to post my notes on his section, in hopes that they can be of use to someone. The best way to use it is just to take your symptom-picture and match it as best you can (it probably won't be exact).

Dosages: First, try an over-the-counter strength (6x, 12x, etc.) - these can be bought at Sprouts and other natural-foods stores. Give each remedy several tries; if improvement is seen, continue to use; if not, move on to the next remedy that you think might work. If higher dosages are needed, you may have to get a prescription from a homeopath (which, considering that American mainstream medicine doesn't acknowledge homeopathy as valid, is rather odd!).

(1) Sepia

- Most often helpful for ordinary nausea and vomiting of pregnancy
- Nausea intensified by smell or thought of foods
- Woman may be irritable with friends and loved ones
- Need to be alone, quiet, free of responsibilities, cared for
- Physical exercise is often impossible; nausea is aggravated by physical effort
- Aggravated from not eating - relief will be seen from eating a small bit of food
- Commonly exhibit intolerance of fatty foods
- Bearing-down pain or discomfort
- Dosage: Sepia 12 or 30 may be given 3x/day or more often for several days consecutively until better; then weekly as needed. With Sepia 200, try 3 dosages/24 hours, repeating weekly if necessary (using Sepia 12 or 30 as needed in between)

(2) Pulsatilla

- Another good one for pregnancy-induced nausea
- Typical symptoms like intolerance of warm rooms with improvement in open air
- Sensitivity to overeating, fat or rich foods, bread, milk, fruit

(3) Nux Vomica

- Nervous hyperstimulation (?)
- Typical keynotes such as drug abuse or intolerance, constipation or other autonomic dysfunction, and insomnia

(4) Ignatia

- Context of grief, sorrow or disappointment (relationship ills, etc.)
- Associated with contradictory symptoms (symptoms that don't make sense) and evidence of nervous excitement (insomnia, trembling, etc.)

(5) Phosphorous

- Useful for complaints heightened by an overactive imagination with exaggerated fears and tendency to somatization (mind-body connection)

(6) Natrum Mur

- Background of grief, sorrow, or disappointment and resulting sense of grimness and rigidity

(7) Cocculus

- Symptoms aggravated from riding in boats, trains, etc.
- Woman is sensitive to smell or the thought of food
- Tendency to insomnia from emotional excitement

(8) Colchicum

- Symptoms are intolerant of movement (makes nausea much work)
- Marked intolerance of smells
- Woman will lie or sit motionless and as far away as possible from strong odors
- Tendency to bowel irritation with diarrhea
- Chilliness with sensitivity to cold or damp weather

(9) Ipecac

- Severe and constant nausea unrelieved by vomiting
- Useful for the most severe and advanced cases in which patient is unable to eat and may need hospitalization and IV fluids
- Good for when other remedies have been ineffective
- Ptyalism (profuse salivation) is a guiding symptom

(10) Symphoricarpus

- For the most advanced or desperate patients with deathly nausea and paroxysmal or intractable vomiting (sometimes enough to produce blood)

***

I recommend getting the book from the library, as my notes may be insufficient. Also, Dr. Moskowitz gives a sample case history for each remedy, and reading these may even be more useful than reading the symptom pictures!

There are other homeopathic materia medica that I have found on-line and in books, so I will post notes from each source as I have time. I'm hoping to be able to get my mind around some of it so that I can start to have a feel for homeopathic remedies for nausea and vomiting.

My strongest feeling, though, would be that it would be best just to go and see an experienced homeopath, especially in cases of hyperemesis gravidarum. When one is trying to deal with hyperemesis, one is too ill to do the necessary research, shopping and testing, and a homeopath would have a much better feel for remedies than an amateur. However, it's always worth a shot! Should I ever be blessed with another little one I am going to be seeing a homeopath, so I will post notes from the experience at the time.

Cheers!