The Extra Boost

When your child is in need of an extra boost it’s time to give them a dose of their constitutional remedy.  The constitutional remedy is one remedy that will address their mental, emotional and physical concerns. After a thorough case taking this is the remedy that is identified as the best fit for their specific body. It is a great tool for those seeking a way to maintain optimal health for their families. Knowledge of the constitutional remedy also assists in understanding which acute remedies will work best for that individual. 

How do you know when to give the constitutional remedy? Take a look at these areas…

Health

• Anytime you see that a child is coming down with an acute ailment it is time for a dose of their constitutional remedy. This may be after an exposure, a large milestone, a transition or a season in which they tend to dip in their immunity. 
• Recovering from an infection or an injury.

Vaccinations 

• If you vaccinate your child, giving them their remedy before and afterwards is one way to assist their body in adapting to the components of a vaccine. 

Sleep

• any problems getting to sleep or staying asleep including anxiety around going to bed.
• energy patterns – is your child more tired than usual, and are they having energy highs and lows?

Food and Drink

• appetite and thirst – is your child high or low in their appetite and what do they seem to be craving? Children are interesting in that they will often ask for and crave foods that are high in the nutrients they currently need for their stage of growth and development. Pay attention and support these cravings. 

Stress

• school pressure – during exams or presentations
• social challenges
• anxiety on any topic

Climate 

• what is the tone and level of health of the child’s environment
• Who is in the child’s immediate environment every day and what effect do they have on the person?

PRO Tip: Always Bring the constitutional remedies when you Travel. 

To learn more about constitutional remedies for your family please book a consult with me at http://www.pipermartin.com

Homeopathy to induce labour

Imagine if you were just free to have your baby whenever the baby decides the time is right?

This whole pressure around timing and hospital, doctor and midwifery protocols is painful.

Negotiating over your OWN body seems odd, doesn’t it?

Many people get worn down by these strange timelines imposed on them and decide to allow medical induction. If you would like a fresh option you can choose to try a homeopathic remedy for induction. One very unique aspect that homeopathy can offer is the ability to soothe the wild, occasionally fearful, intense emotions that can be present around the due date.

In the vast majority of inductions I facilitate, the remedy is chosen to address the emotional hesitation. Once that has been cleared the body knows exactly what to do.

To book your free induction visit my website – http://www.pipermartin.com

Allowing your child to be Sick

I know this is a radical notion right now but acute illness is a good thing.

We need to discharge and the most efficient way we have to do this is through common colds and flu.

As a homeopath, I perceive that physical discharges change our emotional state. An easy example would be the feeling of allowing yourself a good cry vs the feeling of holding that in. Children need access to physically discharging their stress, overstimulation and environmental toxicities that they may encounter in a day.

When we allow discharges to occur and use homeopathy to facilitate the process the child has relief on an emotional level and can expand into the next version of themselves. If we block that process and hinder the regulation of the body, deeper pathology can occur. For example, if a child develops eczema and the skin is treated with a steroid topical ointment then the rash will disappear. However, what happens next is that the deeper organ of respiration is affected and the child will commonly develop asthma. Allowing a short-term discharge is much healthier on every level for all humans.

Illness has a role to play in our human lives. If an acute sickness in your family is creating distress for you then consider inviting in more support. You need a group of care providers that understand this is a normal part of life and know how to facilitate it for your family. The main way in which I provide this in my practice is to establish each person’s constitutional remedy and then, if they become ill, I am available to support them acutely. Having a good sense of their body in a healthy state allows me to understand and even predict which remedies they may need acutely. This can all be done with virtual support and the homeopathic remedies that you will have available in your own medicine cabinet.

If you would like to investigate this possibility please feel free to get in touch! You can access my appointment fees, schedule and workshop schedule at http://www.pipermartin.com

warmly,

Piper

Old School Ways

Robust health begins in pregnancy. Protect your baby and do not vaccinate yourself with anything. You have the right to be vaccine free and I strongly urge you to maintain that state.

If you have ailments during pregnancy find a homeopath, a nutritionist, a chiropractor and an osteopath that you trust to work through things as they arise.

Challenge yourself to solve mental/emotional problems with a therapist before you have a baby. Establishing a relationship with these professionals before you have a baby gives you access that will provide multifaceted support during your parenting years.

Plan to have a natural birth. Drugs during labour – DO cross the placenta and go into the baby. Newborns do not need drugs and they do cause harm.

Breastfeed your baby for as long as you possibly can. This is protective for both you and your baby in many, many ways and gives you food surety for your child.

Consider ways to stay home with your child as long as possible. Provide a calm, rhythmic environment so that your child feels safe and is given optimal rest and nutrition while they are growing and developing.

These are the basics from pregnancy to age three. If you can extend that to school-age then even better. This investment in time, energy and research will create a solid foundation of health for your children.

I understand that these ideas are not for everyone or that you may feel they are unattainable. That is really up to you, in my experience as a Homeopath and a Mother these basics are important, especially in the early years. Having a baby does mean that your life changes and the way in which you spend your time, money and attention will also shift. Take the time to sort out how to support these little people when they need it the most, it will pay off in the long run for the whole family.

I am currently back in practice full time – to book appointments with me please visit my website at http://www.pipermartin.com.

much love

Piper

Homeopathic Travel Kit

A Homeopathic travel kit can be well stocked with all that you need to navigate sunburn, stomach upset or jet lag.  Here are some suggestions on what to pack:

• Belladonna 1M – ailments from the sun and heat – heat stroke, headaches, nausea and vomiting from sun exposure.
• Arsenicum 200C – nausea/vomiting and diarrhea, food poisoning or any symptoms that seem like food poisoning.
• Phosphoric acid 200C – dehydration, loss of fluids – much-needed after an Arsenicum state! or excessive sweating or nursing. Especially helpful for children who are incredibly sensitive to dehydration.
• Coffea 200C – jet lag and insomnia from over excitement. The feeling as if you’ve had too much coffee.
• Nux vomica 200C – stomach upset and constipation, headaches and dry heaves, feeling as if you are hung over.

These are my top five for a travel kit.  If you would like to expand on this list and have specific things you would like to cover feel free to consult with me.  To book a consult please visit my website: http://www.pipermartin.com.

Piper

Measles + Travel = Constitutional Remedy

As March break is approaching and measles, or rumors of measles are circulating, I thought it was good timing for some reassurance to those who choose not to vaccinate.

The Reassurance

• Your children are healthy, vital beings
• If you are still breastfeeding you have ultimate protection as your breast milk will instantly formulate the exact antibodies your child needs. The message will be sent the moment their saliva touches your nipple. In that feed they will receive what they need for as long as it is needed.
• If you are not breastfeeding then hopefully you have a constitutional remedy for your child.  That is the remedy that matches their bodies and mental/emotional state the best. This remedy will boost their immunity, create ease, better sleep and discharges to clear them of anything they may be carrying.
• If you do not know the constitutional remedy or have not yet discovered this then now is the time.  Taking your constitutional remedy before and during travel is a fantastic way to protect and assist the body. This is true for both adults and children.

With over 20 years of observing unvaccinated children travel the world and ZERO incidents of illness I can say with complete certainty that this is a true support.

If you would like to discover constitutional remedies for your family please email me at plentyofwonder@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.pipermartin.com for full details.

Sepia and Nux Vomica – Friends of the Pregnant Woman!

Remedies have relationships and belong to families.  This is one way of organizing and understanding how remedies may work together.  Sepia and Nux vomica are two such remedies.

Sepia

Sepia is a very hormonally based remedy and hence the reason it shows up a lot during pregnancy.  Sepia women feel hormonal changes strongly, each shift such as menarche, the birth control pill, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause create imbalance and difficulty for the Sepia woman.  During pregnancy Sepia women may experience some of the following symptoms:

• aversion to their husband – this is a strong aversion – including the smell of their husband
• aversion to their children – general impatience and feeling of being overwhelmed
• exhaustion
• lack of tone – sensation as if the baby is falling out
• prolapse – bladder, rectum or uterus
• craving for vinegar
• stasis – varicose veins, hemorrhoids, constipation and cold hands and feet
• desire for vigorous exercise but too tired to do so
• aversion to breastfeeding – would prefer to go to work and this is their main conflict – knowing breastfeeding is a good choice for the baby but lacking the desire to sit and do it.

Nux Vomica

Nux vomica is the acute remedy of Sepia.  This means if a person is constitutionally a Sepia type,  then Nux vomica will work well for acute complaints – symptoms that are temporary and passing through.

For example

• morning sickness in pregnancy – this feels like being hung over – dry heaves, retching, headache and BAD mood
• withdrawal from coffee, tea, drugs or alcohol – headache, constipation and BAD MOOD
• impatience in traffic, at work, with families – extreme lack of tolerance and patience – translates in labour as a premature urge to push
• short-tempered
• headaches
• constipation – with urging but little output
• very sensitive to noise, light, stimulation and big reactions when overstimulated.
• babies that cannot handle stimulation, especially premature babies

For information and guidance please visit my website- http://www.pipermartin.com

Pulsatilla 200C- when and why to use this remedy

Pulsatilla is a very common remedy to see in pregnancy, labour and postpartum.  If a remedy works well for you in pregnancy – i.e. it addresses your morning sickness, then it is highly likely that will also be useful for induction, to augment labour or to support any breastfeeding challenges.  Pulsatilla is a remedy that appears to follow a woman from pregnancy to postpartum and often it will be the first remedy to consider should the baby need a remedy.

Pulsatilla emotionally looks like:

• weeps easily
• looks for comfort and reassurance and allows this
• indecisive
• emotional about other children, fear of them feeling abandoned
• looks to those around her for guidance instead of tapping into her own

Physically this translates as:

• discharges that are yellow, thick and emerging from eyes, nose, ears – newborn goopy eyes
• craves touch no matter what – even while in transition prefer to be cuddled and touched
• morning sickness that changes day by day – different triggers, different times, different reactions to food.
• indecisiveness is reflected in the baby assuming many positions during pregnancy and often goes breech, labour that starts and stops and is experienced all through the body – contractions in legs, bum, back, abdomen, unable to commit to the labour taking Pulsatilla will create a regular rhythm to the labour and is the gesture of commitment that is needed to progress.
• goes into labour only when children are in bed or being cared for – reluctant to really be in labour without the midwives, husband, mother, support team that she has assembled all around her – within sight
• very changeable milk supply and supply that is easily effected by food, company, upset, discharges etc.

Pulsatilla is a plant remedy, made of the wind flower – it blooms in the spring and softly blows in the wind – a way to remember its soft, changeable nature and being a plant its reaction to and awareness of its environment.

Babies

• use Pulsatilla for babies if you have a baby with separation anxiety – by that I mean if you cannot walk out of a room without the baby weeping.
• This is such a useful remedy for siblings that may be feeling jealous and becoming very weepy and whiny as a means of expressing their feelings.  Pulsatilla will reassure them of their stability in the family.

Breech Babes

Pulsatilla is a remedy that makes a suggestion to a baby to turn head down.   That is actually how the remedy works.  It gently suggests that anatomically it is easier to make an entrance in a head down, anterior position, this is just how most babies fit best through the pelvis.  Variations of this position usually create a period of waiting in labour as the baby makes its way to an optimal fit.

The reason homeopathy is so incredibly safe to take in pregnancy and labour , is that the only way it works is WITH the body. Working with the knowledge each person possesses, it reminds mothers and babes of the simple design of the body.

This footling breech babe – born au natural!

IF  there is a reason for a breech position – like the placenta has grown in a way that is blocking a position change or the cord has become looped in a way that will be restricted with a turn, then the baby just will not move.  NO remedy will override the wisdom of the body and this includes the mother’s body and the baby’s body.  I also would assume that there are some babies that just know that they are meant to be born breech.  Every body is unique.

The remedy will make the suggestion and if it is accepted, the baby will turn within 24 hours.  Interestingly mothers rarely seem to feel the turn, even if this is happening late in the pregnancy.
This provides me with additional evidence that the simplicity of the body just feels normal – nothing invasive is happening, no real effort is made – it is simply a suggestion that is being carried out by the baby.

The remedy for a breech position is Pulsatilla 200C.  Take two pellets, that is all you need.

Pulsatilla mothers often are in an emotional state in which they are having difficulty landing on a solid plan for their birth, they may be debating home or hospital, frequently have people attending the birth they do not particularly want present and are focused on how to make everyone around them happy.  They may even feel unsure about their ability to give birth and feel unprepared to make that commitment. The indecisiveness is reflected in the baby – the baby moves into many positions or lands in a breech position,  which in turn takes the decision making process away from the mother and into the hands of a surgeon.

Taking Pulsatilla will strengthen the mother’s ability to be steady in her choices and ultimately reassure the baby that she is by his side as they have a birth experience together.

Lastly, you do not have to worry that taking Pulsatilla and turning the baby will induce labour.  Again this is a situation in which homeopathy CANNOT override your body and you will only go into labour if the time is right for everyone.

If you have specific questions about Pulsatilla or using homeopathy in your pregnancy please visit my website – http://www.pipermartin.com.

Remedies for Tongue Tie Release

Babies and the treatment of newborns has always been my speciality.  Homeopathy is completely safe for babies, there are no side effects and you cannot do harm.  If you choose the wrong remedy the only thing that will happen is nothing.  If you choose the right remedy you will likely know immediately as babies are very vital, clear and responsive to the gentle stimulation of homeopathy.

 

Here is how to give a tiny baby a remedy:

Newborns

In a glass jar, put two pellets in 1/2 cup of water. Let the pellets dissolve. Give the baby a teaspoon of the mixture.  Store the water potency in the refrigerator.  Use as needed and then discard when you are finished.  A teaspoon = a dose.

Older babies

You can put pellets directly into their mouths, it is o.k. to touch them.  Do one pellet at a time.  They will roll them around and possibly spit them out but as long as they have held it in their mouths for even a small period of time the remedy will act.  Two pellets = a dose.

Arnica 200C and Hypericum 200C  are the remedies and the potencies you want to give for pain after a tongue tie release.  Give each remedy twice a day for three days following the procedure.  The combination of your magical breast milk and these two homeopathics will speed healing and provide comfort.

I highly recommend using Hahnemann Labs in Berkeley, California – http://www.hahnemannlabs.com for your homeopathic supplies, their remedies are in poppyseed format and are perfect for babies and children, as well as being of extremely high quality. They are the best!

If you have more questions on using homeopathy for yourself or your babies please email me, I provide email consultants for big and small.

Piper

http://www.pipermartin.com