I had never had much experience with homeopathy until my first child was 8 months old. I had heard about it of course, had met plenty of homeopaths but never really tried it myself. Homeopathy had always made me curious and I found its approach to health intriguing. I had preferred naturopathy or acupuncture as my modalities of choice. The thing is – it can be a tough gig to get an 8 month old to take an herbal tincture or sit still long enough to have little needles put in them!

Last year my little one got bitten on his lower back by something that resulted in little welts from the bite and a localised rash (we think it may have been a spider while he was playing outside). The rash then started spreading but he didn’t seem too bothered. No fever, no bother, just a rash that continued to spread. I started to think that I should take him to the doctor. A mother friend (who was a homeopath) suggested I try a homeopathic remedy that night and book him into the doctor the next day to get it checked out. I went to her clinic and had a full consult where she asked lots of questions about my son’s health, personality and birth. She then gave me a remedy which was specific to his presenting symptoms. I was instructed to give him three doses over 24 hours then to call back to let her know how he was progressing. She emphasised that if at any point I was concerned to take him straight to the doctor or hospital. I had no idea whether it would work but figured that at worst I could see the GP the following day. By this stage, James was head to toe with an anaphylactic rash that didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest except that he was red!

I gave him the first dose of his remedy (which was super easy as it was a tiny little pill) as soon as we got home then another one just before his bed time. Already, the rash had started receding and when I woke up the next morning it had practically disappeared. My husband was astounded and apologetic for teasing me about trying this ‘hippie’ approach. The rash was completely gone within 24 hours and who knows, maybe it was always going to recede at that time. The thing is that little 8 month olds don’t know enough about what should and should not work to put his speedy recovery down to the placebo effect.

Homeopathy, like any modality, isn’t for everybody but can be a great choice for the common health discomforts that many children experience. It has its limitations and strengths and as a parent I have found it to be a useful part of my wellness toolkit. At home we often use homeopathy as the first port of call. Teething? Irritable? Snotty? We have our go-to remedies that get us through the mild cases and if we need anything more, we can always go to our GP or Pharmacist for the harder stuff.

Never tried homeopathy? Why not try this non-invasive form of natural medicine. Homeopathy is available at Endeavour Wellness Clinics in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

This article provides general information and is not intended to constitute advice. All care is taken to ensure information is accurate and relevant. Please see your Practitioner for health treatments and advice.