I have often heard it said that homeopathy doesn’t work, couldn’t possibly work, or that it takes a long time to have an effect. I’d like to share some recent experiences to the contrary, which I hope will put these misconceptions to rest.

Immediate Responses to Arnica montana

I love to do canning in the Fall (actually two Falls: one in Washington and a second in Chile). I gave up long ago on canning with hot water baths and only once tried a pressure cooker. It seemed much too dangerous lifting scalding jars out of boiling water with tongs (that would lead us to think of Urtica urens or Cantharis) and a hot water bath overcooks, to my taste. Filling clean, very hot jars with hot fruit (nearly to boiling) and covering with boiling hot lids has proved safe for me over many years.

The other night, as I was canning spicy plum chutney from a friend’s harvest windfall, I unscrewed a jar and found that the entire bottom broke off in my hand! Talk about shock…. nothing like that had ever happened to me in my decades of canning. As the blood began to gush from the base of my right index finger, it occurred to me immediately to do three things. I applied pressure with a wet paper towel, took a dose of Arnica 1M (I rarely use 30C of this remedy unless I only have my first-aid kit at hand), then grabbed a small Band-aid. And then, what does a committed canner do? Of course, I kept canning. The bleeding stopped immediately after the Arnica, even before I applied the Nexcare. That was the end of the injury. And the chutney is delicious!

Yesterday I did a Podcast with a lovely homeopath who lives in Perth, Australia—Eugenie Kruger (Bob and I actually gave a homeopathic seminar on our book, Ritalin-Free Kids, in Perth in 2007). Eugenie shared the story about how her son had fallen and sliced his head on the edge of a table just above his eye. The blood was gushing, so she, like myself, immediately reached for Arnica. Her experience was similar to mine, however far more dramatic. Literally the moment she popped the Arnica into his mouth, the gushing stopped cold. From one second to the next. She was beyond impressed! In both of our cases and, surely, in countless others of those using Arnica for bleeding, the response was split-second. Just what one would want at your fingertips on a battlefield or at the site of an accident! They had a six-hour wait at the hospital to get stitches. Eugenie had to insist vociferously because her son looked just fine.

Instantaneous Relief in Our Puppy Following a Jellyfish Sting

Rearing a puppy, for some reason, is far more complicated that it used to be. I say that having recently welcomed into our family an 8½-week-old golden retriever furball. This being the seventh golden we have parented, you’d think it would be a piece of cake. Yet, for some reason, the recommendations of the breeder and the online advice/dire warnings, are far more alarmist than I ever remember. “Don’t let your puppy be around any others who are not fully vaccinated until 16 weeks, after his or her last puppy shot.” “Don’t even consider taking your puppy to the beach (we happen to live on the beach) until then because it might pick up Parvovirus, or who knows what else, from another dog, or that dog’s “residue.” Soak the puppy kibble because, our breeder warned, she knew of one puppy who choked on a morsel of dry kibble and died. And, despite all of these warnings, your puppy must begin socialization right away because 14 weeks is too late to start. Waiting might damage your little friend’s interactive personality permanently. And you must be very careful about nutrition: what you feed, when you feed, how much you feed, which supplements, etc, etc. (Keep in mind that golden retrievers, not too long ago, commonly lived to 16 or 17. Now many die of cancer before they reach the age of 10.) And be careful of those bully sticks (bull penises, to be blunt) because your precious ward can choke and die… but you can buy a bully stick holder for about just under $30. Along with a Lickimat which, when slathered with frozen peanut butter or yogurt, can soothe your neurotic puppy’s nerves! Believe me: raising a dog isn’t like it used to be. Makes you wonder how wolves have survived in the wild (no thanks to humans who continue to decimate them in some of their natural habitats).

In the past we hadn’t thought about any of these things. But we did almost lose our precious golden, Oso, to salmon poisoning. Little did we know that eating a dead salmon on the beach can easily be fatal for dogs. We just couldn’t bear to keep Rosie Posie away from the beach six feet away away. But we did keep her on a leash till that blessed 16-week point. (Fortunately, we have a very sane vet and a fabulous dog trainer nearby who runs weekly puppy socialization classes with other vaccinated pups… sounds like COVID, eh?)

Miss Rosie, like all of our previous Goldens, loves the beach. At least after the first two weeks of exposure when she would take a few steps then freeze as she took in all of the new smells and sounds and stimuli. By the time we went for a jaunt about ten days ago, Rosie was enthralled and delighted by the seaweed, the barnacles, sea birds… all of it. And now, at four and a half months, she is an agile, adventurous, curious explorer. She’s quite happy to go off on her own then race back to find us. We were about ten minutes from home when Rosie suddenly began yelping and crying and feverishly licking her paw. She was not able to put any weight on it. My first fear was that she had been stung by a Lion’s Mane reddish jellyfish; I’d remembered noticing one a half hour earlier.

I yelled back to Bob to pick her up (by now she weighed close to thirty pounds) and carry her back home (about ten minutes away). When we got home, she appeared inconsolable, and in quite a bit of pain. I quickly Googled Puget Sound jellyfish poisoning in dogs. Symptoms of jellyfish stings in dogs included blistering, burning pain, changes in heart rhythm, confusion, difficulty breathing, excessive drooling, fever, high blood pressure, hives, and. itching. The instructions were to head immediately to an emergency vet clinic. Also of interest: “If your dog is stung by a jellyfish, the primary concern. is to remove any stingers and stop the chemical reactions. Soaking the area in sea water, vinegar, meat tenderizer, or a 70% alcohol solution will prevent the tentacles from releasing any more toxins.” Also: “Remember that unfixed males should also have their testicles protected from the stinging cells.” Useful tips, but I wanted something more immediate—like homeopathy! Living on Whidbey Island where the vets do not attend on the weekends, I called the Mt. Vernon emergency veterinary number only to be told #1: “We cannot diagnose over the phone; #2: We now have a 12-14 hour wait for pets in our waiting room; and 3: Do not let your dog lick its paws (she already had).” In case you are not aware, veterinary clinics in the US are in crisis. They cannot find enough vets to replace the ones who are leaving or retiring. Our local clinic here, whose founding vet of 35+ years just retired, has searched unsuccessful for a replacement for three years!

I could see we were on our own. I grabbed our homeopathic first aid and acute self-care kit (the companion to our Homeopathic Self-Care book which we wrote eons ago). One remedy at a time, we recommend, but that’s not what I did to save our Rosie! I popped Arnica 30C and Apis 30C in her mouth. No improvement after 2-3 minutes. Then I remembered a fortuitous synchronicity. A month earlier I had attended a Parks Department clinic at Seawall Park in Langley, with the intention of embarking upon open water swimming (a big trend around here). As part of our orientation, we were warned that jellyfish stings could be a problem. In fact, one of the women in attendance had been swimming (obviously without goggles) and found herself stung in the eye by one of the local red jellyfish. It was apparently very painful and traumatic for her. It was then that I asked my office manager, Sandy, to send me a 1M dose of Medusa. (jellyfish), to have in my kit for the future just in case. I remembered that, grabbed the remedy, put a few pellets in Rosie’s mouth, and she was immediately back to herself. No more whimpering or nursing her paw in distress. She was instantaneously fine—back to her playful, sweet, carefree puppy self. Moral of story: If there are local dangers in your stomping grounds—be it rattlesnakes or trap door spiders or jellyfish—it’s not a bad idea to have some on hand homeopathically if it exists. Second lesson: the right homeopathic remedy at the right time is miraculous!

A Dramatically Quick Response in a Painful Case of Shingles (Herpes zoster)

Marie called me in desperation from California, on the recommendation of her acupuncturist. She had begun to experience left breast aching three and a half weeks earlier. She had attended an outdoor gathering and came home with what she thought were bites, which migrated from her left breast to her back. Ten days later she developed what appeared to be chickenpox. The eruptions were quite tender. It was diagnosed as shingles, and she was given acyclovir and used calamine lotion to reduce the itching; but the pain persisted. Then the eruptions blistered and healed. The tenderness worsened to the point where it was constant and very aggravated from tight clothing or any touch at all. Marie felt weak overall and beside herself—especially an overpowering sensation of frustration regarding the pandemic. This was especially true because she had chosen not to get vaccinated due to a longstanding autoimmune condition, which led to ostracism by her friends and community. A strong, capable, connected woman by nature, these were all uncharacteristic symptoms for her.

The two most common remedies for zoster are Rhus Toxicodendron (poison ivy) and Ranunculus bulbosa (buttercup). I didn’t hear the characteristic Rhus-t symptoms of stiffness and amelioration from motion, and relentless itching. Marie is a committed activist who spends a lot of her time tirelessly caring for, donating to, and supporting social justice organizations. She recently adopted a rescue puppy to whom she has devoted most of her waking hours. Ranunculus is a prominent remedy for symptoms from caring for others to the point of exhausting oneself. The buttercup family sensation is “morbid sensitivity,” grief, shock, distress, harassment, and the pain exquisitely sensitive, sharp, stitching, stabbing, stinging, and sticking pain. The corresponding miasm of this remedy is malarial, which corresponds to a state/perception of harassment and annoyance,

Marie took Ranunculus 200C in a single, liquid dose in the evening and the following AM. The zoster pain was excruciating that evening, and she did not sleep well. The pain went away completely at that point and has not returned. She waited a couple of days to let me know because she was in disbelief that her symptoms were gone.

How Long Does It Take for a Remedy to Work?

Remember, we are talking about acute and first-aid conditions here. The results can be instantaneous, as with Rosie, or within hours. If you have not seen a significant improvement within several hours, the remedy should be repeated, if well-indicated. Or a higher dose given. Or a different remedy can be given. There are many combination remedies available. As a classical homeopath, I stick with one remedy at a time. Many of the combination remedies. (including No Jet Lag, which I have used myself occasionally with success) work even though the remedies included make no logical sense to me. What is important is to realize that first-aid and acute remedies, if not instantaneous, should work very quickly!

Dr. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman is the author of Whole Woman Homeopathy, and co-author, with Dr. Robert Ullman, of books on homeopathy: Ritalin-Free Kids, Homeopathic Self Care, The Savvy Traveler’s Guide to Homeopathy and Natural Medicine, Whole Woman Homeopathy, A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism, The Homeopathic Treatment of Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder, and Rage-Free Kids as well as Mystics, Masters, Saints and Sages—Stories of Enlightenment. She has been a columnist for the Townsend Letter since the early 1990, and has taught internationally. Judyth and Bob live on Whidbey Island, Washington, and in Pucón, Chile..

Please visit www.healthyhomeopathy.com (where you will find a wealth of articles, blogs, and more) and Facebook at Healthy Homeopathy. Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman can be reached at drreichenberg@gmail.com.