Childbirth

Homeopathic remedies can provide invaluable support during childbirth for all mothers-to-be, from those who are planning a home-birth to those choosing to deliver in a midwife led birth centre, as well as for those opting for or needing Caesarian Section within a hospital environment. The remedies are completely safe to take alongside any other medication or pain relief and can treat many issues that arise during childbirth for mother and baby, from feelings of anxiety and fatigue or exhaustion to stimulating the delivery of the placenta in the third stage without the need for the routinely given Oxytocin injection. There is a homeopathic remedy that may stimulate a baby with a breach presentation to turn, and can be taken to turn the baby as long as it is taken before the baby is firmly engaged. There are also homeopathic remedies that may assist in establishing contractions when they are not progressing. In a hasty labour homeopathic remedies can also be taken which may help with profuse haemorrhaging.  There is a remedy that can be taken for distressing pains which accomplish little, the same remedy is highly recommended by homeopaths after any mechanical intervention during childbirth and after C-Section. For a mother-to-be experiencing great fear and dread of something going wrong and for baby if it is born with signs of asphyxia and breathlessness, which also may address retained urine there may be a homeopathic remedy to alleviate and provide emotional as well as physical support.  Homeopathic remedies may also help to speed up healing after episiotomy, and if the coccyx or tailbone has been displaced and is causing discomfort and pain.

For a homeopathic remedy list and guidance for prescribing during childbirth email Candice at candice@greendaisies.co.uk and request Childbirth information for a few remedies that may help during childbirth.

Green Daisies Homeopathy recommend and can provide for mother’s-to-be the Ainsworths Mother and Baby Kit and the Helios Childbirth kit as an economical way of having to hand a comprehensive selection of homeopathic remedies for use during childbirth. Contact Candice by email directly to purchase a kit.

The kits are also extremely useful for Homeopaths, Midwives and Doula’s to use providing a helpful booklet and guide to how to prescribe the remedies. Green Daisies Homeopathy also recommends The Accoucheur’s Handbook by Yingling (ISBN 81-7021-329-0) for a more in depth guide and manual to the use of the homeopathic remedies provided in the kits.

Preparation for childbirth

Being prepared and informed empowers the mother-to-be to feel capable and ready. For anyone keen to use homeopathic remedies, it is recommended that the birth partner familiarise themselves with the booklets provided in the homeopathic childbirth kits a few weeks in advance so they feel confident of prescribing throughout the stages of labour, whether in hospital, a birthing centre or at home.

Face-to-face or over-the phone consultations are available with Candice exclusively to explain how to get the most from any homeopathic remedy kit for childbirth. It is recommended that the birth partner attends the consultation along with the mother-to-be. Bring your kit along or one can be purchased directly from Candice. This hour and a half long session is £75.00 for those who have a kit and wish to bring theirs along; £100.00 which includes a Helios 18 remedy Childbirth kit or £110.00 which includes an Ainsworths Mother and Baby 42 Homeopathic Remedy kit.

Yoga

The practice of Yoga in preparation for Childbirth is highly recommended. Pregnancy yoga classes can help to calm the mind, focus the energy and breath, and strengthen the body, preparing mind and body for childbirth. Battersea Yoga, London has on-going 12 week pregnancy yoga courses led by Nadia Raafat, and fantastic resources for the mother-to-be.

I attended an informative and excellent talk at Battersea Yoga in December 2010 by Independent Midwife Annie Francis BSc (hons), CQSW, RM and recommend all mothers-to-be to approach their midwife with any questions, visit the AIMS website for their articles and publications and if possible to attend any talks offered in your area.

For a homeopathic remedy list and guidance for prescribing during childbirth email Candice at candice@greendaisies.co.uk and request Childbirth information for a few remedies that may help. For further guidance the Homeopathic Helpline is available 9am-midnight every day. The qualified homeopaths on the help line will be able to provide homeopathic prescribing advice for stages of labour.

Click here for homeopathy to help mother and baby.

Dancers’ Health

Green Daisies Homeopathy offers support to professional, as well as student dancers. Alongside physiotherapy or other hands-on therapeutic approaches, Homeopathy can enable dancers to reach their optimum levels of health and fitness by treating the individual’s needs and weaknesses; boosting the speed of recovery and alleviating pain after injury. Recurrent injury can be treated homeopathically by fortifying the system so that susceptibility to further injury is reduced. Performance anxiety can lead to pressure on the body and stress that makes the dancer vulnerable, and when this is the underlying issue associated with recurrent injury a homeopathic consultation and prescription provides support for a dancer’s confidence in their ability to attain their optimum performance level.

Remedies for acute complaints like strains or sprains or tired overworked muscles can be bought over the counter at many pharmacies. Every dancer will benefit from a homeopathic remedy once in a while when they have been over-stretched. Work that requires foreign travel, though exciting, can undermine the immune system. Remedies can be used for jet-lag to alleviate travel exhaustion, by taking it every few hours during a flight. There are homeopathic remedies for strains, for injury or pain in the joints, tendons and ligaments. Certain remedies can be taken singularly or in combination after a physiotherapy session helps to reduce inflammation and pain.

The rule of thumb with taking acute homeopathic remedies is to observe symptoms and take one tablet or pillule as needed up to 5 times a day. Stop with improvement.

For chronic complaints it is always best to seek treatment with a qualified Homeopathic practitioner. Chronic complaints are those that have been on-going or recurrent for 3 months or more. Green Daisies Homeopathy for Dancers addresses the individual’s needs, whether that is hormonal imbalance causing irregular periods, extreme cramping pain or skin complaints; performance anxiety; emotional or body image issues and much more. A fitting homeopathic remedy is selected to stimulate the body and mind into balance.

Green Daisies homeopath, Candice Joyce trained as a dancer at Arts Educational, Tring and Arts Ed., London. She went on to become a Physical Theatre director and performer after completeing a BA(Hons) in Drama and Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway University of London, before qualifying as a homeopathic practitioner.

Consultations are available at Green Daisies clinics in Richmond-Upon-Thames, Central London (Covent Garden) and Laban Health, Greenwich.

Candice is listed in the Dance UK, Healthier Dancer Programme practitioner list

Cash4Health

Homeopathic treatment is covered by this healthcare cashplan which complements the NHS by paying grants and refunding bills for everyday health treatments. 60% of the consultation fee for Homeopathic treatment with Candice Joyce RSHom can be reclaimed back by anyone who has joined this plan. Laban and Trinity students can pick up a leaflet about joining from Laban Health. Cash4Health is available to everyone and is fantastic value for anyone requiring complementary therapy support.

For brief over-the-phone advice on homeopathic acute remedies for injuries contact Candice on Tuesdays between 9am and midnight on The Homeopathic Helpline on

09065 343 404 (calls are charged at £1.53 per minute).

Health & Vitality in 2012

2012 heralds the arrival of the Olympics to the UK, focusing our attention on optimum fitness, athleticism, endurance and the potential stamina and strength capable within the body and spirit. To be an Olympic athlete requires incredible dedication to training and practice, healthy diet and lifestyle as well as talent, speed, strength and will power.

For those of us non-Olympians, who may struggle to keep up with regular gym training and who enjoy the odd indulgence, while leading a more sedentary life, there are some great natural support supplements and remedies to give us a bit of a boost.

Festive over-indulgence can be hard to avoid and rich food and more alcohol than usual can put a strain on the liver. There are several homeopathic remedies and ’tissue salts’  that act as organ support remedies to boost a sluggish system.

Carduus Marianus, also known as Milk Thistle in herbal tincture form, works by helping the liver with elimination of toxins especially after alcohol. The main action of this remedy is on the liver and portal system; it treats attacks of gall stone colic and griping, stitching pain with abdominal bloating. 5-10 drops of Milk Thistle tincture can be added to a small glass of water and taken before bed every night for a week. For anyone not wishing to combine herbal tinctures with allopathic medication, the homeopathic preparation of Carduus Mariasnus 12x  can be taken twice daily, morning and night, for a week instead. Chelidonium Majus is another liver support remedy indicated especially where there is a feeling of lethargy and aversion to mental exertion. Discomfort, throbbing or stitching pains in the right region around the liver which improve after eating may indicate the use of Chelidonium. This can be taken as a tincture (5-10 drops before bed every night for a week) or in a homeopathic 12x potency, twice daily morning and night for a week. Natrum Sulph 6x is a ’tissue salt’ indicated for supporting liver function, especially for people with a tendency to slow or sluggish digestion, distension and bloating, flatulence and gurgling in the bowels with diarrhoea. Tissue salts can be taken up to 3 times per day (2 tablets as a dose) and for as long as needed. For anyone with on-going digestive sluggishness try Natrum Sulph 6x for 2 months and monitor improvements.

Weight loss at the start of a New Year, especially after all the best intentions for healthy eating are abandoned completely with the festive season, is on the cards for many at this time of year. The best approach is to see a homeopath for a consultation. A remedy indicated and selected to address you as an individual will boost your system so that whatever is causing the excess weight, whether it stems from low resolve and no will power, to eating for emotional support or having a sluggish digestive system can be addressed. Homeopathy stimulates the system into balance and it is often the case that after homeopathic treatment weight loss occurs as the patient’s vitality increases and they feel a greater sense of well-being.