Homeopathic Remedies, Herbs, Vitamins, Supplements

What are Homeopathic Remedies?

Homeopathic remedies are medicines that are made based on the principles of homeopathy and the Doctrine of Similarity. It is a form of alternative medicine. The term homeopathy translates from Greek to mean “like the disease,” meaning that specific remedies are chosen based on the principle that “like cures like”. Homeopathy utilizes substances that in their full, undiluted form, would tend to cause the very symptoms that need to be treated.

Homeopathic remedies are not the same as herbal medicines. While they are made from various herbs, they are also made from roots, minerals, the bark of trees, and fungi. Some remedies are made from substances that would be very toxic if consumed in their natural state. They also go through a series of “succussions” in which they are diluted 200 times or more until only the essence of the original substance remains. This makes them one of the safest forms of natural healing to use, with little or no side effects, nor any contraindications with other medicines, supplements or health conditions.

What is Homeopathy?

The basic idea of homeopathy is that the body’s natural state of being is one of health, with the body possessing the innate ability to heal itself. It is a theory that symptoms are not meant to be suppressed with medication. Instead, they are to be an indication of what the body needs in order to heal itself. The idea is that when following the directions provided by the symptoms, a person will know to stimulate the healing processes in order to make the body well.

Homeopathic doctors dilute known medicines to make them more powerful, according to their training and experience. At the same time, these homeopathic preparations minimize toxic reactions and negative side effects. Homeopathy practitioners consider the wellbeing of the whole person—emotional, mental, and physical—when deciding on a treatment.

According to most homeopathic principles, this natural health practice utilizes safe preparations of natural substances. About 80% of them come from plants like wild hops, marigold, and poison ivy. Other remedies come from animals or animal products like inky fluid from cuttlefish and venom from snakes or honeybees. There are also homeopathic remedies that are derived from minerals and mineral ores like flint, sodium chloride and sulfur.

Homeopathic remedies are made by grinding the active ingredient and mixing it with water and alcohol. They are then allowed to steep and soften. Next, the mixture is filtered to make what is called a tincture. It is made more potent by dilution, which increases the healing power while decreasing its concentration and potential toxicity. Homeopathic remedies come in tablet, pellet and liquid forms.

What is Herbal Medicine?

Herbal medicine is the oldest type of healthcare, as people have looked to herbs as cures for thousands of years. With a large number of prescription medications containing herbs or originally being derived from plants, alternative medicine is moving into the mainstream of medical communities. Herbal medicine is the ancient practice of using plants and plant extracts to treat or prevent medical conditions, dating back to 5,000 B.C. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that possibly 80% of the world’s population is currently using some kind of herbal treatment.

Herbal medicines can be prepared in different ways. Ointments, or topical treatments, are rubbed into the skin. Herbs that are soaked in hot water, called tisanes, are usually consumed as teas, such as chamomile. Extracts of herbs may be used in a number of ways: as aromatherapy (lavender), as flavorings for food (peppermint), or dried into caplets.

Many common herbal remedies are found at home. Cranberry (without sugar) can help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. Peppermint and ginger both help to relieve upset stomachs. Echinacea may shorten how long the common cold lasts. Willow bark, which contains natural aspirin, can be used to treat pain. Foxglove has been used for centuries to improve heart function, and is now used in the cardiac drug digitalis. For its ability to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, the herb Ephedra sinica has been used in Asian communities for generations. The chemical taken from this herb, called ephedrine, is used to treat asthma. Many herbal remedies are considered safe, but any treatment should be always be overseen by a healthcare professional.

What Kinds of Vitamins Should I Take?

It should be obvious that the most ideal way to get enough vitamins is by maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. But, not all vitamins are equally absorbed by all people, nor do all people engage in healthy lifestyles. Some conditions recommend that certain vitamin supplements should be added to diets. For example, those with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) have a hard time absorbing vitamins from food. They may benefit from a good and easily digestible multi-vitamin supplement.

The vitamins taken need to be tailored to the individual. For example, a pregnant woman should actually begin taking a pregnancy multi-vitamin that contains folic acid before conception. When a daily amount is taken before the woman conceives, folic acid significantly reduces the risk of certain birth defects. Someone who is on a calorie-restricted diet may need a good multi-vitamin because they may not be getting enough vitamins from their foods. Vitamin B12 is often lacking from the vegetarian diet, therefore, vegetarians need to take a vitamin B12 supplement. Those who cannot consume milk products, or who are not absorbing nutrition from these products may lose out on calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and potassium.

Many doctors recommend all women to take a daily calcium supplement, especially those entering their 30s and older. Calcium can help slow down the formation or progression of osteoporosis. Many benefit from the vitamin A in flaxseed oil and fish oil. This has mood regulating benefits and may help in preventing heart disease. Vitamin A levels should be carefully watched, since too much has been linked to birth defects; beta and mixed carotenes are a healthier form of vitamin A, and will not store dangerously in the system. Those with heart rhythm irregularities should not take fish oil. It may actually increase the chance of having a dangerous arrhythmia.

Young children or the elderly who have very picky food habits may benefit from taking vitamin products that include a basic selection of various vitamins. For malabsorption issues, liquid forms of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids are more easily assimilated into the system.
Those with immune deficiencies should also take a multi-vitamin supplement. Since iron interferes with calcium absorption, calcium and iron should never be taken together. It is best to get recommendations from a physician so that any suggested vitamins or nutritional supplements work well with any medications being taken, a person’s dietary needs, and any medical conditions.

Rehabmart is proud to carry a diverse and growing variety of homeopathic remedies and other natural remedies from our esteemed vendor, Directly From Nature.

Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO

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