HOMOEOPATHY FOR CHILDREN

[MadameSin]

Any of you used homoeopathy for their children rather than conventional meds?

[LaurieFairyCake]

I use Bach's Rescue Remedy on myself and dd. I do not believe it has a medical effect.

I do believe it causes us both to take a moment, calm our heart rates, practise mindfulness and return to the present moment (instead of projecting that you're going to fail the exam if you're dd).

As for homeopathy I agree that only if it prevents you from accessing conventional medicine it is a problem. I lived somewhere very industrial when I was at Uni and had constantly blocked sinuses, blocked for months on end that never went away - back then (20 years ago) they sold homeopathic cinus sugar pills, about 1200 tiny pills in a tube for £3.99 in the health food shop - if I took them I had NO sinus problems.

I didn't give a crap if it was placebo, or if the actual sugar in the pills helped my sinuses - I just cared that I could breathe properly.

I'm happy my brain can delude itself to feel better - not much different than the psychotherapy I actually practise (though studies support the practise of psychotherapy)

[Spero]

So you haven't used homeopathy but you want to have a discussion about it? But just not with any negative views?

Ok. That makes sense. In homeopathy world.

I am beyond scornful of this idea that homeopathy is great because it stops parents reaching for redundant or harmful paracetamol or antibiotics.

So you are saying parents are basically thick, so lets just wave something shiny at them and distract them.

I certainly do not use paracetamol or antibiotics without very good reason and on medical advice/prescription. I don't need to be lured away from the medicine cabinet by a little bottle of sugar pills with a ribbon on.

[noddyholder]

My son for fear of flying (extreme) it worked

[curlew]

"Curlew: you seem to overlook the human need to do something, rather than nothing. How nice if we could all be as marvellous as you and sit on our hands and do nothing (actually I have done nothing for a bad ear infection and I'm very glad about it, though it was extremely hard and very nerve-wracking at the time). How much better for the "something" not to be a potentially harmful medication."

You see- it's really difficult to have a sensible discussion when you insert the "as marvellous as you" sort of remark. Why do that? What I don't understand is why you think it "either" one thing or the other. Personally, I don't think medication of any sort is needed for most minor childhood illnesses- that watchful waiting is the way to go. But when I woke up to see red streaks creeping up my dd's leg from a massively swollen foot, I was at A and E within minutes and I am acutely aware that if she had been born in the days before antibiotics she would probably have died. Or lost her leg. Or both. Or are you saying that I should have "held my nerve" and let her body heal itself?

[Crumbledwalnuts]

Spero:
I am beyond scornful of this idea that homeopathy is great because it stops parents reaching for redundant or harmful paracetamol or antibiotics. So you are saying parents are basically thick, so lets just wave something shiny at them and distract them.

Sorry to disabuse you but I'm afraid an awful lot of this does go on in a conventional care setting at the moment.

Distraction from potentially harmful medication is one benefit - another would be placebo, or transferred placebo.

[noddyholder]

My sister is a homeopath and a chartered accountant! She has never said they are active ingredients but she does have some amazing results which even the cynic in me can't dispute.

[Spero]

I am not saying it doesn't happen. I am saying I am disgusted that it does happen.

The fact that people have continued to abuse anti biotics on a massive scale is going to cause us enormous problems very soon. But god forbid we try to educate people, just wave one other kind of stupidity in their faces.

[MadameSin]

Spero do you have personal experience of homeopathy not working? I'm not being provocative, seriously curious. I'm not thick, a criminal nor a bad parent as a few posts have hinted. In fact, I'm a bloody good parent and have probably had to 'parent' a lot harder than many others due my sons SN. My OP didn't ask for positive experiences only, that's why I posted the question. I just wanted to hear from people who had used it as the original questions implied. And why do people on here cut and paste your comments .. we know what we've already said This thread has turned into everything I had hoped it wouldn't and not because I can't take negative feedback, but because it's been hijacked by Wiki-bloody-pedia and other plagiarised statements. I really should know better by now that there are MNetters that lurk purely for the purpose to flame other parents at any given opportunity ... all that I hate about MN.

[curlew]

"I really should know better by now that there are MNetters that lurk purely for the purpose to flame other parents at any given opportunity ... all that I hate about MN. "

See, I don't understand this. Is disagreeing "flaming"? It's very difficult to have any sort of discussion if that's the premise.

[exexpat]

Sorry if the wikipedia post annoyed you, but there have been so many previous threads on here where it has become apparent that people considering homeopathy had no idea about how it was supposed to work - they just thought it was something natural and vaguely herbal (eg lots of people who have had arnica tablets recommended before labour). If you already knew all the stuff about dilution etc, my apologies. I wasn't trying to flame, just give information.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

Curlew: you're right, I shouldn't have said "as marvellous as you". It was unpleasant.

I meant - not every parent can do nothing. Maybe you find it easy, maybe you find it possible! but many don't. That's what I meant.

[Spero]

Yes. I had very bad morning sickness. My homeopath friend pushed various remedies on me. Nothing worked. I was so desparate I would have tried anything. Even wore one of those bloody bangles.

Nothing worked but I now have a life long aversion to ginger after all the awful tea she suggested I drink.

I have also experienced directly the quite powerful impact of mind over body - when I first had chemo, objectively I didn't feel much worse than if I was getting over a bad cold. But I kept imagining all those awful chemicals in my body, doing horrible things and I panicked and felt much much worse. So I tried to turn my thoughts around and concentrate on the chemotherapy as a healing force, killing the bad cancer cells. And I felt better about the whole thing.

I don't think conventional medicine always has the answer. Sometimes treatments are very brutal and you do need a sensible cost/benefit analysis. Chemo is a very good example of this.

But I am aghast at the number of people who die or who are seriously ill because they have taken some 'chinese medicine' or decided they can get nutrients from the air. Or the children who suffer because of their parents' beliefs.

I really worry that this 'anti rational' thinking stance is corrosive and dangerous. And to charge people money for products which have no proven efficacy - you will never convince me that this is anything other than corrupt practice.

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

I've been thinking about this thread today.

I agree with just about everyone else on this thread that homeopathy is a load of woo bollocks, however ...

In your position, I would be asking, if your DC doesn't have the ritalin, is the ADHD likely to get worse or just remain the same? (I don't know enough about the condition to answer that question)

If it is likely to just remain the same, if I were in your position, I'd be inclined to give a placebo a go first because as you say, the side effects of ritalin are pretty drastic.

I think maybe you'd have received kinder responses if you'd spelled out the position you're in straight away in your OP rather than asking a general question. I also think people could have been a bit kinder once you did explain why you are considering homeopathy. It's possibly been unfortunate timing as there has just been a long bunfighty thread about homeopathy in AIBU so you've probably caught the tail wind of that a bit.

Hope you're OK.

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

Also, if your DC is manageable at home but not in school, I'd be questioning whether there was more the school could do.

[MadameSin]

Plenty I defo get the feeling I'm on the tail end to it. There's a pack mentality culture on MN to kick you while you're down and then when you questions their motives, you get blamed for daring to post such a controversial question and should expect a bloody good kickin' I've looked around the MN site and there's been a few similar threads recently, so maybe I asked for it. My sons ADHD probably won't get any worse, but his relationship with education is bound to. Have been talking to 'brick walls' in that dept since he was 7, so don't expect any miracles soon. Our education system is highly structured and target driven, no good for my ds. I want to help him make his life less stressful and help him reach his potential, whatever that may be. I'd be wiling to eliminate less harmful interventions whatever. Thanks for your comments

[Spero]

I commented that it was odd for you to ask for views and then complain when you got them. If you wanted only positive input about homeopathy you should have framed your question more precisely.

I think it is absurdly over sensitive to then complain about 'getting a kicking'.

[MadameSin]

Original question "Any of you used homepathy for your children rather than conventional meds?" .... next time I'll add "Oh, and if you think I'm a twat for even asking the question, feel free to tell me!". It's ok, I know it's a MN thing.

[differentnameforthis]

I used Homoeopathy once, for sinus issues. I was only young, so didn't know exactly what they were, just that I needed something different as nothing else worked (hayfever/rhinitis)

It did NOTHING! I was pretty pissed that I had spent money on something that claimed to have all the answers! When a friend told me what they were (sugar pills), it all made sense.

And no, I would not use Homoeopathy on my children. My friend uses it for everything & her kids are sicker than any children I have known! If they get sick, she throws this stuff down their throats & they get better, but no quicker than if she didn't give them anything.

It is water, with nothing in it. Sod dilutes, & succussion (the art of shaking it 30 times, in 3 different directions). That adds nothing. It is water. There is more of chance of my toilet water doing something to you (albeit probably making you sick, but at least that is something)

[saintlyjimjams]

Madamesin - I have used homeopathy with my severely autistic (now teenage) son. Somewhat unusually amongst his peers he is not on any medication although last summer I was beginning to think we were heading to the place of no choice (I was black & blue). He's had a storming year since last September - made massive gains, I'm not going to say it was all down to homeopathy, as it wasn't, improvements in communication & some cognitive gains also made a difference. However, we have found homeopathy to be useful at various times over the years with him. Both for this sort of thing & in the early days when he had a lot of health problems. Feel free to PM me.

[saintlyjimjams]

Oh and in the early years we used diet to great effect. I do have a friend with a child who is the same age as ds1 who had dreadful side effects with anti psychotics. He came off, her paed suggested trying the diet (the standard gfcf) and she seems to be having the same sort of experience we had when ds 1 was little, ie lots of positive changes - esp to behaviours. It is worth collecting some data if you try diet (actually just occurred to me I have another friend who has also tried the diet recently to great effect -although she didn't medicate prior to the trial, also going well & with the data to prove it :) )

You might want to look at something like Treating Autism as well. They have ADHD in their remit as well and lots of links to medics, scientists & alternative practioners.

Good luck - I do know people who have had positive experiences with medication but I quite understand the wish to avoid it.

[MadameSin]

Saintly thanks for sharing

[crashdoll]

I don't talk about this much but here goes; I don't yet have children but I was treated as a child with homeopathy instead of conventional medicine. Please don't do this to your child. By all means, use complimentary treatments alongside evidence based medicine but denying children the right to conventional medicine when it is available and free at the point of use is dangerous.

I'm sure the thread police will come and tell me off, stating that that my opinion wasn't necessary but I've decided to share it anyway because I believe that harm does happen and can be prevented.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

It's a place for people to share their experiences crash doll

[saintlyjimjams]

Surely it depends on the medicine crashdoll? My eldest son was damaged by conventional medicines used, imo with hindsight, inappropriately. The standard advice on their use has now changed - and I found when ds3 was hospitalised the advice (we will not give medicine for this) was something I agreed with (and was relieved by - they didn't seem to notice I was agreeing with them & had a long explanatory spiel).

In terms of the OP - she is asking about heavy duty drugs with well recognised side effects. Even the most common one of weight gain can have life changing consequences when you have challenging behaviours. It might not be relevant for OP but I have seen children become dangerous with weight gain & CB's. Anti-psychotics are a treatment always kept in reserve for ds1 as well. I recognise there may come a time when they are necessary but I will certainly be seeking alternatives first - they will always be the last resort.

[crashdoll]

saintly I appreciate it must be difficult as a parent to make difficult decisions regarding any treatment for your child/ren. I know there are side-effects and that you have to weigh up pros and cons. There is a difference between researching a conventional drug e.g. anti-psychotics and on balancing, feeling the side-effects will outweigh the benefits. I just thing it's wrong to completely ignore and not look into the possibility of conventional medicine and write it all off as bad/useless/whatever.