One of my favorite books that I use at least weekly in my own home is “Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines” by Stephen Cummings, MD and Dana Ullman, MPH.  It is chock-full of information regarding the use of homeopathic remedies for everyday ailments.  Homeopathic remedies were systematized by a German physician in the 1800’s.  Dr. Samuel Hahnemann left orthodox medicine because he felt that it was doing more harm than good.  In those days, allopathic medicine consisted of bloodletting, poisonous doses of mercury and arsenic, and other harmful practices.

 Hahnemann’s research investigated the premise that curative powers of certain plants were due to their ability to create symptoms similar to those of the diseases. Hahnemann learned that symptoms of diseases were due to the body’s adaptive response in the effort to bring the body back to homeostasis when subjected to various stresses.  He then hypothesized that therapies should stimulate the body’s defenses to aid the body in restoring itself.

 Homeopathic remedies, then, use the essence of plants that are known to cause certain symptoms in order to aid the body in healing itself from diseases or dysfunctions that have similar symptoms.  Not only physical symptoms are considered, but mental symptoms as well.  The doses used in homeopathic remedies are so small as to be imperceptible in laboratory tests, but research has shown that they work.  Homeopathic remedies have not been demonstrated to be harmful or interact with other medications.

 Remedies I keep in my “first aid kit” include Arnica Montana for bruises, strains and sprains (I have an athlete for a son), Nux Vomica for indigestion, and Rhus Tox for aches and pains.