I am not a big believer in homeopathic remedies, mostly because the majority of them are ineffective. I have tried various homeopathic remedies for various ills, and gotten, well, zero effect. One of my friends growing up was very much into non-medical remedies, and insisted on a regular basis that I simply must try vitamin this for that, and remedy A for B, they worked, really they did.
Nope, they didn’t.
That being said: I have found a couple of homeopathic remedies that actually do work. The most important of them was an herbal tea, called Essiac tea, that I sent to my aunt when she had pancreatic cancer. Cancer of the pancreas is a nasty one. The life expectancy after diagnosis is about six months, and it’s a painful six months, because cancer in your abdomen generally hurts like hell. My aunt hadn’t been eating much because of the constant pain in her stomach. She tried my tea, she said, with great skepticism, thinking it wouldn’t work, but at least it couldn’t hurt.
Within minutes after drinking the tea, the pain disappeared.
The version I got for my aunt was made by a woman who worked with the nurse who developed the Essiac tea formula, and was sent fresh every few weeks from a guy I found in Canada. You can find versions of it in health food stores. I have no idea how effective they are. I found the tea because my cat was dying of cancer, and I searched the Internet for cures. It never did anything for Tig (the first), but it made my aunt’s last year on earth a much better one.
The other homeopathic remedy that works for me is zinc lozenges. When I feel myself coming down with a cold, I run for the Cold-Eeze (don’t blame me for the spelling, that’s the brand) and take two to four lozenges, which leave one of the worst aftertastes in the world, but which work. Every single time, either the cold has been completely avoided, or its symptons lessened.
Have you found any truly effective homeopathic remedies? Tell us in the comments.
Is the Essiac tea actually homeopathic, or just an herbal remedy?
Meryl,
I just bumped into this website from Digg.com. I haven’t tried any of these ‘remedies’ and know if any work, but I thought you may be interested anyway…
http://www.healingfoodreference.com/
Been through a bunch, here has what worked…
1) Vitamin A: for skin problems. BUT BE CAREFUL. Not only can you OD on it (shuts down your liver) but it can rip the h*ll out of your stomach lining. I found this out the hard way.
2) Dr. Edward Bach’s ASPEN formula for trouble sleeping. I didn’t think this stuff was going to do anything, but figured ‘what the heck, it’s a bloody tree.’ Pay no attention to the directions- take 5 or so drops in water before bedtime. Makes me sleep solid like a normal person. NOTE: Bach was a British doctor who developed his line for the military- as a result, the are better studied than most. ASPEN is found to work for about 75% of the population. So if it doesn’t work for you, feel special and move on. You can find it at Whole Foods.
3)Ginger tea. Proven to aid with appetite, tummy probs, and (interestingly) inner ear problems (balance, etc.)
Sorry for rambling Meryl- happy 2007 to you and yours!
~FR~
Actually, no, cond0010. I’m asking for personal recommendations, not things people haven’t physically tried.
I don’t believe in most of the things strangers say work, because the only two things that ever worked on me or mine are the two things I listed above.
A remedy I think works for minor burns: E (in oil) and A (in oil) both applied immediately. Not one or the other, but both.
However, about that cold remedy, don’t you have a logic hole? How do you know the cold wouldn’t have disappeared on its own? All colds aren’t the same. You seem to be making a statistical statement based on a sample of one.
Vitamin E oil does work for burns; I’d forgotten that.
The zinc lozenges were given to me by my friend, who is a nurse, and who has used them herself for years. Everyone I’ve ever spoken to about zinc lozenges also says they’ve worked for them.
It may be a logic hole, but I’ve had a whole lot of success with zinc lozenges.
I have a pretty good idea of how my body reacts, and when I start getting a scratchy throat, it used to be inevitable that a cold would follow, often with chest and nasal congestion, and a bad sore throat. Now, I take zinc lozenges, and the cold almost never develops.
I teach fourth graders. I get exposed to a lot of germs. Kids are walking, talking petry dishes filled with germs, and most of them haven’t quite got the “Cover your mouth when you sneeze/cough” thing down.
The only thing that works better than zinc lozenges is getting enough rest seven nights a week. Which, uh, never happens with me any more.
I don’t know if this quite fits in with homeopathy but it’s definitely not western medicine. I have suffered from allergies since I was wee, and subsequently suffered from continuous colds etc – making me lie in bed ill on average for at least 5 or 6 days a month. I started acupuncture (I’ve been 6 times), and starting taking some herbal medicine called Astra C (supposedly for your immune system), and touch wood but I feel great, haven’t been ill for ages and I have a lot of energy and sleep brilliantly – this is after nearly two months.
so when I start getting a cold I drink lots of grapefruit juice. I could probably get the same effect with pure vitamin C, but I think the juice part helps mentally. It’s worked for me.