The safety of homeopathy for children
Homeopathy, an alternative form of medicine, is gaining popularity in mainstream culture, but is it safe? How safe is it? Is it safe for children? As parents, our children's health and well-being are our top priority. We want to keep them healthy and safe so that they can focus on developing other aspects of their life, like friendship and education.
When it comes to the matter of health, the subject of alternative medicine often seems to pop up. Somebody you know probably has a homeopath, a naturopath, an osteopath or an acupuncturist. And you have likely heard stories of friends of friends who take their children to what are known as "holistic practitioners".
But when it comes to the field of alternative medicine, a realm that is fuzzy to many people at best, can it be implemented safely on children, on your children? Children and infants have typically been exposed to fewer pharmaceutical drugs than youth and adults; simply because of their age. As parents, the issue of treating our children with conventional drugs is something that we are conscious of and we try to avoiding pumping medications into our children at the first sign of a cold or flu.
In comparison, the substances used in homeopathic remedies are derived from elements that occur in nature, including, plants, animals or minerals. These elements – the active ingredients in the remedies – are heavily diluted, meaning that only a very small amount of the original plant, animal or mineral substance is contained in the final remedy. The process of diluting homeopathic remedies is done through vigorously shaking the substance.
The resulting homeopathic remedy is gentle and non-toxic. Homeopathic remedies are also non-addictive and have no side effects. Additionally, they are chemical free. The remedies used in homeopathic medicine aim to stimulate our immune systems, thereby restoring a person's natural defences and overall immunity to restore a state of balanced energy, known as our "vital force". Just as it works in adults, it also works in children and newborns, and even pets.
In fact, veterinary homeopathy is gaining popularity as pet owners are looking for cures to their pets' ailments, and not simply solutions that treat the disease by temporarily masking symptoms. As parents, we strive to make life easy for our children and want to help them avoid any type of physical or emotional suffering. Homeopathic medicine treats a wide range of conditions based on the principle of "like cures like". The name "homeopathy" stands for "homeo", meaning similar and "pathy", denotes suffering.
Typical conditions that homeopaths treat in children are:
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Bed wetting
• Coughs
• Ear infections
• Eczema
• Fevers
• Frequent colds
• Rashes
• Teething
When homeopaths treat children, they can address both temporary conditions, such as teething, as well as chronic issues, such as asthma or allergies in a holistic manner that takes the child's entire environment – both physical and emotional – into consideration. The result is the creation of a homeopathic remedy that is non-toxic, non-addictive, chemical-free and will not produce side effects.
Related topics about homeopathy
Homeopathic Remedies for Acne
Most of us dealt with the onslaught of pimples during adolescence. Where some of us have passed through that phase, some still deal with acne on a day-to-day basis. Acne can occur at any point in life; most often during hormonal shifts.
Holistic Isopathy
Isopathy is a derivative of homeopathy that was invented by Johann Lux in the 1830s. Lux was in a sense both a disciple and a colleague of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of modern homeopathy. Like Hahnemann, he was a member of the Economic Society of Leipzig.
History of homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, meaning that it is used by people as a substitute or as an addition to conventional Western medicine. Samuel Hahnemann is the founding father of this alternative practice that first began to emerge in the late 1700s. While Hahnemann, who was a German physician, did not use the term "homeopathy" until the early 1800s, he began speaking of a "law of similars" as early as 1796.
Homeopathy & Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, in its general sense, refers to the treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer. Chemotherapy acts by killing cells that divide rapidly (one of the chief properties of cancer cells, hence its use as part of cancer treatments). This means that it also harms cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances: cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles; these results in the most common side-effects of chemotherapy–myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract)and hair loss.
Online Homeopathy
If you're interested in learning more about homeopathic medicine, but don't have the time to visit health centers often, you can refer to a number of online sources that will give you the information that you need. Online homeopathy sites can be very helpful when you're looking for natural remedies for everything from the common cold to cancer treatments, and many of the herbs and supplies that you'll need can be found at your local grocery store these days.
Homeopathic Treatments for Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis (skin inflammation). The term eczema is actually used to describe a wide variety of skin conditions, which include recurring rashes characterized by any one or combination of the following symptoms: redness, swelling, itching, flaking, dryness, blisters and so on. Common types of eczema include Atopic eczema (which is probably the most common and linked to allergies as well as being hereditary), Contact dermatitis, Xerotic eczema (extremely dry skin often exacerbated by cold weather; very prevalent among the elderly) and Seborrhoeic dermatitis (eczema of the scalp and face similar to dandruff).
Homeopathy & Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (or RA) is a chronic (i.e. lifetime or long-lasting) inflammatory disease that primarily attacks the joints (though it can affect other tissues and organs as well).