The First Visit To A Homeopath

So, you have finally made the decision to consult a Homeopath.  Or, maybe you are thinking about it.  Today, I wanted to share what an initial consultation is usually like.  


Homeopathy is perhaps the most holistic form of medicine.  I say this because a Homeopath like myself is looking for a medicine that not only is a good match for your main complaints but most importantly, fits you as a person.   In order to find the best Homeopathic Medicine for you, a Homeopath wants and needs to find out all about you.  


So, here is a breakdown of what an initial consultation can look like in my practice;


1) We start with an examination of your main complaints or as I like to say, "What health complaints bring you in to see me and are bothering you the most?"  At this point, you will talk about what you have noticed about these complaints.  


2) I will want to know what the complaint feels like.  If there is pain, what does the pain feel like? If there is a pain is it sore, sharp, throbbing, stabbing etc? 


3) What factors can change the complaint and make it better or worse.  Homeopaths call these modalities.  Some examples can be motion, sitting, touch, weather, time of day, being alone, foods and much more.


4) What else happens in your body with this complaint?  I am especially looking for a symptom that wouldn't be logically related to your complaint.  For example, experiencing diarrhea during a headache or heat in the face when your arthritic pain in you knee is bad.


5) Have you noticed that your complaint(s) have been worse since a certain event in your life?  Another way to think about this is have you felt that you have never been well since an event or series of events.  Some examples could be a physical trauma such as a car accident, a grief, loss of your business or even hearing bad news.


Homeopaths also want to know what is unique about you and if you have susceptibilities in the following areas;


1) Body Temperature:  Do you tend to be more warm or more cold?  How are you in the cold of the winter?  What about the heat of the summer?  How are you in the wind or with drafts?  How about certain types of weather?  Do you experience any symptoms when the weather changes or before a storm?


2) Digestion:  What foods do you naturally crave?  Which foods do you have a strong aversion to?  Which foods do you feel unwell after eating?  How is your appetite?  What is your thirst like?  Do you tend to get diarrhea, constipation, gas, abdominal pain/discomfort, bloating etc?


3) For Women:  What is your menstrual cycle like?  Is it regular or irregular?  Is it heavy or light?  What is the flow like?  What symptoms do you experience that tells you your period is coming?  Do you have/have you had cysts, fibroids etc?


4) Sleep:  What is your sleep like?  Do you have issues falling asleep or staying asleep?  Do you wake refreshed from sleep?  Have you been told you do anything while you sleep such as grinding your teeth, snoring, jerking etc?  Do you need to fall asleep in a particular position?


5) Do you perspire?  Is there anything unusual about your perspiration in terms of odour, smell etc?


6)  Tell me about your cycle of energy in a day.  When do you notice your energy is higher and when is it lower?


7) Finally, tell me what you are like as a person.  Some remedies are more suited to certain personality types.  What is your personality like?  How are you with specific emotions such as anger, depression, anxiety, jealousy etc?  Are you overly sympathetic?  Do you tend to hold a grudge?


As you can see- a visit to a Homeopath is very thorough.  Many of my patients report that they feel that I have listened to them and found it refreshing that a health professional was truly interested in learning all about them.  


Homeopaths are thorough because we want to find out all about you in terms of your physical, mental and emotional health.  We also need to get enough information to find a remedy that is the best match for you.  One of the most exciting parts of being a Homeopath is that even with 10 patients coming in with the same complaints for arthritis or anxiety, each person will get a different remedy.  Homeopathy is all about individualization.  So, it is not about giving remedies based on a condition or pathology, it is giving you the best remedy for you as a person.


I hope this helps to explain the process of seeing a Homeopath.  If you would like more information, feel free to visit my website at www.redpearlhomeopathy.com

Reflections on Exercise and Diet

If you remember in my first post of 2011, I talked about the role of diet and exercise as tools to deal with fatigue this time of year.

As a health professional, I think it is important to acknowledge that I am, like all of you, a work in progress.  Just like everyone else, I don't always follow the advice I give to my patients.  But, I do value my health so I keep working at it.  So, maybe you relate to what I am going to talk about today.

At the beginning of January, I felt totally exhausted.  I wanted to sleep all of the time and to eat the biggest carbohydrates I could find-- potatoes and noodles especially.

I have made a few changes that have worked remarkably well for me. The first thing I did was to make a few key dietary changes.  Let me start by saying, my diet was actually pretty good.  I have been thinking more and more about how I don't do well on simple carbohydrates especially.  I noticed I actually feel worse when I eat them.  I started looking again at the Eat Right For Your Blood Type eating plan again.  It really hit home for me.  Peter D'Adamo said that Type Os (that's me) don't do well on carbs or dairy, need good quality, lean animal protein and need vigorous exercise.  It was totally bang on.  Since then I have been eating a lot of lean protein and vegetables, fruit, and limiting carbs.  I feel really good.  My carb cravings have really stopped.

I would really recommend taking a look at it.  You can buy the book and Peter D'Adamo also has a website.  Go and visit it at http://www.dadamo.com/  He has extensive dietary recommendations for each blood type.  You don't have to follow each little recommendation, but even if you start with his main recommendations, you will probably start feeling better.

The second change is exercise.  I do walk a lot--this is one of the realities of having a dog.  My golden retriever loves to go to the off-leash area at the park near me.  I started doing a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training.  I actually use a program called EA Active for my Wii.  I love it.  I have found even greater changes from this exercise..my energy is amazing, my mood is great even though I have to get up even earlier to exercise and I feel stronger already even though it has only been approximately two weeks.

I have also become a huge fan of wheatgrass.  Don't get me wrong, it tastes like crap.  I have also found it to help with my energy.  It is also generally good for you as it is loaded with nutrients.   I buy frozen wheatgrass from my local health food store and use two cubes per morning in some juice high in Vitamin C that can mask some of the taste.  I like the Vitamin C Boost by Bolthouse Farms.

The other point behind this blog today is to show that the recovery of health for most of us does involve looking at lifestyle factors (such as diet, exercise, stress, relationships etc) as well as finding the best Homeopathic remedy to stimulate your body to heal itself.  I have found that when someone makes even small lifestyle changes, the Homeopathic remedy works even more effectively.  And for those of you who have already made some changes in nutrition and you still find your symptoms haven't resolved themselves.  Think about trying Homeopathy.

For more information about Homeopathy and my practice, visit my website at http://www.redpearlhomeopathy.com/

Great Loss to Homeopaths Everywhere!

Yesterday, I heard some very sad news...one of our most gifted Homeopaths died in the middle of December 2010.  Dr. D.P. Rastogi was well-known around the world as a Master Homeopath, teacher, clinician, researcher and exemplary human being.

Dr. Rastogi led the first clinical trial looking at using Homeopathic medicine to treat people living with HIV or AIDS.  This was the first time I ever heard of his name.  At the time, I was still a student at the Toronto School of Homeopathic Medicine.  I was doing research on using Homeopathic Medicine to Treat People Living with HIV/AIDS.  I came across some of his research.  Specifically, I noticed he was one of the investigators of an important study of the role of Homeopathy in HIV/AIDS.  (D.P. Rastogi, V.P Singh, V. Singh, et al., "Evaluation of Homoeopathic Treatment in 129 Asymptomatic HIV Carriers," British Homoeopathic Journal, January 1993, 82:4-8.)

I had the priviledge to meet Dr. Rastogi in October 2008 while I was still working at the Toronto People with AIDS foundation as a Treatment Counsellor.  Dr. Rastogi was gracious enough to include People Living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto in a study he was conducting comparing people with HIV who are just taking Anti-Retroviral medications with those on these medications as well as Homeopathy.  So, for 5 days in October in both 2008 and 2009 I had the opportunity to sit with Dr. Rastogi taking the cases of HIV-positive people.  We both donated our services.  I would take the cases while Dr. Rastogi would be using his homeopathic software to come up with the best medicine for each patient.

After Dr. Rastogi left, I would conduct the follow-up appointments.  I was hugely impressed by his prescribing skills.  We saw good results in the areas of improving wellness (unique symptoms experienced by each patient), gradually increasing CD4 counts and reducing side effects of AIDS meds.

I have always realized how important this experience has been for me both personally and professionally.  Dr. Rastogi and I both shared a desire to work with HIV-positive people and a firm belief that Homeopathic medicine can help with wellness.  This opportunity really fell into my lap and I realize how rare this opportunity and how rare of an individual Dr. Rastogi was.  He was generous, patient, kind and non-judgemental.  I learnt so much from him.

This is a huge loss to the Homeopathic community and his work in treating people with HIV/AIDS.  I am honoured to have met him and learnt from him.  In his name, I will continue to blaze the trail of homeopathic treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.  I will think of him and thank him as I teach my first class on Homeopathy and HIV/AIDS in early February.

I am including an obituary from the World Homeopathic Community below;

http://www.homeopathyworldcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/an-obituary-dr-d-p-rastogi-a

Happy New Year!

Happy 2011! 

I hope it is starting to sink in that we are in 2011.  How on earth did that happen?

I have been thinking a lot about how difficult January is especially for those of us who live in colder climates.  The cold weather, lack of sunlight and the post-holiday let down all contribute to intense feelings of lethargy and fatigue.  I know that I feel especially tired this time of year.  I think my body wants to hibernate right now and sleep a lot.  I have also noticed that I am really strongly craving carbohydrates especially noodles and potatoes. 

And, you may be feeling sad this time of year.  There is actually a term for this- it is called Seasonal Affected Disorder or SAD.  This condition is thought to occur because of the lack of sunlight during the winter months.  Here is some basic information about SAD according to the Canadian Mental Health Association at http://www.cmha.ca/;

What is SAD? How is it different from the winter blues?


Many people feel mildly “depressed” during the winter, but some people have more severe bouts of feeling down all the time, low energy, problems with sleep and appetite, loss of interest, and reduced concentration to the point where they have difficulty functioning at work or in the home. We say that these people have a clinical depression, to distinguish it from everyday ups and downs. Seasonal affective disorder (“affective” is a psychiatric term for mood), or SAD, describes people who have these clinical depressions only during the autumn and winter seasons. During the spring and summer, they feel well and “normal”.

Other common symptoms of SAD include oversleeping, extreme fatigue, increased appetite with carbohydrate craving, overeating, and weight gain. With more severe episodes, people may have suicidal thoughts.

How common is SAD?

Researchers believe that SAD results from the shorter daylength in winter. Recent studies estimate that SAD is more common in northern countries because the winter day gets shorter as you go farther north. Studies in Ontario suggest that 2% to 3% of the general population have SAD. This means that up to 100,000 people in B.C. may have difficulties in the winter due to significant clinical depression. Another 15% of people have the “winter blahs” – winter symptoms similar to SAD, but not to the point of having a clinical depression

What Can I Do About SAD?
 
1.  In the last several decades, there has been a lot of research done in the importance of Vitamin D.  Interestingly, the shorter daylength may be connected to the lack of sunlight.  I highly recommend taking a Vitamin D supplement during the winter.  A recommended dose would be 4000iu per day for adults and 300iu for children under the age of 10.
 
2. If you suspect you may have SAD- a more severe form of the winter blahs, please visit with your Medical Doctor.  In Ontario, you can get a referral for light therapy which may be useful during the winter months.
 
3.  Exercise!  Whether or not you have a New Year's resolution or not.  Exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise, produces adrenaline.  There are also side benefits of increased energy, better sleep and better mood.
 
4. Diet!  No, I am not telling you to necessarily go on a fad diet here.  No matter how much your body tries to tell you to eat lots of sugar and carbs, try to resist these cravings as much as possible.  Try to minimize sugar and dairy.  Eat fruit, vegetables and lean sources of protein as much as possible.
 
5.  Keep your immune system healthy!  You can do this by eating a healthy diet, getting exercise, getting enough sleep.  I like to have a shot of wheatgrass in a little bit of juice every morning as I find it gives me a boost and also is chock full of lots of vitamins and minerals.  You can also take Homeopathic Flu Prevention to further protect yourself against Influenza.  (See my previous post on this subject)
 
6. Finally, if you find you are suffering from fatigue that just doesn't go away.  Visit your medical doctor to ascertain you are not deficient in Vitamin B12 or Iron.  Also, you might want to consider visiting a Homeopath to help with chronic health issues such as low energy and fatigue.
 
For more information, visit my website at http://www.redpearlhomeopathy.com/.  I do offer free mini-consultations over the telephone.  This is an opportunity for you to find our more how Homeopathic Medicine can improve your health.