When the thrill of pregnancy is marred by homeopathy can help€¦ · needed. After a few weeks,...

24 Homeopathy TODAY • NationalCenterForHomeopathy.orgSummer 2012

“This baby is really doing a number on me!”

moaned my friend Jessica, who was newly pregnant.

Even though she was miles away and talking to me by

cell phone, I (Dr. Natalie Ham) could hear the pain and

strain in her voice. When a friend or loved one is

hurting, I naturally want to help, and Jessica gladly

accepted my offer.

When the thrill of pregnancy is marred by

morning sickness,homeopathy

can helpby JAMIE OSKIN, ND,

LAURINDA KWAN, ND,

and NATALIE HAM, ND

Oh,Oh,

25NationalCenterForHomeopathy.org • Homeopathy TODAYSummer 2012

At 10 weeks into her pregnancy, Jes-sica’s main problem was nausea. It wasworse in the morning and better if she atea small amount of food. If she ate toomuch, however, she would suddenly feelmuch worse, to the point of vomiting. Thesight and smell of the food she was eatingat that moment would become intolera-ble, and she would have to get it awayimmediately. Even thinking about thefood would make her nausea much worse.

A common complaintAlthough it was little consolation at thetime, Jessica is not alone. It’s estimatedthat 80 percent of pregnant women expe-rience morning sickness. In fact, “morning

sickness” is a misnomer because the nau-sea and vomiting of pregnancy can hap-pen any time of day. This condition affectswomen primarily during the first threemonths of pregnancy and tends toimprove after that. In severe cases, how-ever, unremitting vomiting and nauseamay last throughout the pregnancy—sometimes even after giving birth.

While no definitive answer exists as towhat causes nausea during pregnancy, it islikely a combination of a rapid rise inpregnancy hormones: human chorionicgonadotropin and estrogen. Women aremore likely to have nausea or vomiting ifthey are pregnant with twins or highermultiples, or if they have a history of nau-

sea and vomiting in a previous pregnancy. Of course, just because morning sick-

ness is common doesn’t mean it’s not achallenge for expectant moms. Even mildcases of nausea can wear a person downand interfere with everyday life—and vom-iting can be especially debilitating. In mostcases, as long as the pregnant woman isstaying hydrated and keeping some fooddown, nausea and vomiting do not put thepregnancy at risk, even if she gains noweight or loses a little bit in the early weeks.

Conventional treatment for pregnantwomen with mild nausea and vomitingtypically includes antihistamines that sup-press the central nervous system—such asUnisom® or Benadryl®. The FDA catego-rizes drugs as A, B, C, D, or X, with regardto safety during pregnancy, and these anti-histamines are considered Category B orrelatively safe. They do, however, have sideeffects such as drowsiness, dry mouth,blurred vision, constipation, insomnia,upset stomach, nervousness, andheadaches. Another Category B drug,Zofran®, is becoming a frequent, but veryexpensive, anti-nausea prescription forwomen with severe morning sickness. Yetanother frequently prescribed antihista-mine/anti-motion sickness drug, Phener-gan®, is in Category C because it carries anincreased risk for fetal malformations.

Given the risks and side effects of theseconventional treatments, it’s no wonderthat many pregnant women seek alterna-tive ways to relieve their morning sickness.Like Jessica, they welcome homeopathictreatment because of its strong record ofsafety and effectiveness.

Weighing possible remediesAs I listened to Jessica describe her nauseaof pregnancy, which was worse in themorning, worse after eating, worse whenlooking at food, worse while smellingfood, and worse at the thought of food, Iwas able to narrow my choices to threepotential homeopathic remedies thatshare this collection of indications:Colchicum, Cocculus indicus, and Sepia.

Jessica then offered some key informa-tion that would help me settle on one rem-edy. “I feel the sickest in the morning,” shesaid, “but later when I start doing things,

I FeelSick!I FeelSick!


like cleaning the house or walking the dogor whatever, I don’t feel quite as nauseous.”When I asked her to clarify that, she said itwas the actual movement and exertion ofdoing these things that helped her feel bet-ter; it wasn’t just the distraction of theactivity. In fact, she felt more nauseatedwhen she remained still. “I do get super-tired a lot, too,” she added. “Actually, I feelexhausted every day at 2 p.m. on the dot.Then it lifts around 4 p.m. and I feel a lit-tle better. At bedtime, though, I’m back tofeeling really sick again…but never as badas in the morning.”

When I asked if there was anything elsethat was different since she had startedfeeling bad—anything at all—she pausedfor a moment before whispering, “Well,this is really kind of weird but … I can’tstand how Jack smells! I mean, I don’tthink my husband is doing anything dif-ferent that would cause him to have an

odor. He says he isn’t … and no one elsesmells a thing when they’re near him …but to me, he smells terrible! I feel bad, butI have to keep my distance from him, justso I don’t smell that yucky smell!”

Basking in the sunI was pretty certain of the remedy for Jes-sica at this point, but just to confirm mychoice I asked how she felt about goingout in the sun: “You know how I’ve alwaysbeen a sun worshipper. But this pastmonth, I’m going outside even more thannormal. It feels so good just to bask in it,any chance I get.”

All these symptoms pointed to Sepiaover the other two remedies. People whoneed Sepia tend to feel much better withoccupation and exertion, which was cer-tainly true for Jessica’s nausea. They tendto be fatigued in the afternoon (from 2 to4 p.m. or 3 to 5 p.m.), and they love being

in the sun. Additionally, they are oftenvery sensitive to odors, especially duringpregnancy, and may have an aversion totheir loved ones, especially to their spouse.When these two symptoms coexist, thepregnant woman can have an aversion tothe smell of her husband; this may soundlike an unusual occurrence, but I haveseen a number of pregnant women whowere averse to the smell of their husbands,and they were all helped by Sepia. I sug-gested that Jessica take Sepia 200c, threepellets, three times per day.

Two days later, Jessica called me.“Natalie, this is amazing. I haven’t thrownup at all for the last two days! Before I tookthat remedy, I was retching every day, allmorning long!” She had felt only twowaves of nausea since starting the remedy,and they were much less intense. This wasgreat news, as her fatigue was about 50percent better as well. But most thrilling

In addition to homeopathy, there are other helpful natural treat-ments for simple morning sickness and the more severe nausea of pregnancy that some women experience. Consider these

measures, in consultation with your health provider, of course.1. Try Acupuncture or AcupressureSee a licensed acupuncturist or try the travel sickness acupressurebands found at drugstores.2. Up Your B6

Studies show that vitamin B6 may help to relieve the nausea of pregnancy. Increase B6 in your diet by eating morewhole grains, bananas, nuts, avocados, lean meats,and fish. (Check www.ewg.org/safefishlist for

environmentally safe guidelines for eating fishduring pregnancy).3. Drink Ginger or Peppermint Tea

These herbs help to settle the stomach anddecrease queasiness. You can drink them as

tea, take them as capsules, or add them to your food.4. Eat SnacksSmall, frequent meals throughout the day are better than large meals.Try nuts—a good, high-protein snack—since studies suggest that high-protein foods are more likely to settle your stomach and ease nausea. 5. Keep Crackers by Your BedIf you feel sick at night or in the early morning, reach for the crackerson your nightstand and chew a few. Avoid fatty and spicy crackers orfoods, as they can be irritating to your digestive system.

6. Stay HydratedDrink water through-out the day. If youhave been vomiting, tryan electrolyte drink without artificial dyes and additives. Some womenfind that carbonated drinks settle the stomach. Go for the healthierversion—carbonated water with a splash of 100 percent fruit juice.7. Avoid Nausea TriggersStay away from food smells that make you queasy, heavy scents andperfumes, and the motion from car rides. 8. Rest & De-StressNausea can worsen with stress and anxiety, so take time to rest andminimize your stress.9. Be Smart with VitaminsAlways take your prenatal vitamins with meals because vitamins on anempty stomach can worsen nausea. 10. Ask for Support It’s good to ask for help—even to pay for it if you need it and canafford it. This is especially true if you already have young toddlersrunning around, as caring for themcan be difficult when you are notfeeling well.

Natural Nausea ReliefTop 10 self-care steps for morning sicknessNatural Nausea Relief

for Jessica was that she could toleratebeing around her husband again. “I can’tbelieve it. I don’t even notice a smell any-more!” she exclaimed happily.

I asked Jessica to continue the dosingschedule until her symptoms were gone,and then to take the remedy only asneeded. After a few weeks, Jessica stoppedtaking Sepia, as her morning sickness andnausea were gone. She is about 28 weekspregnant now, and we are all looking for-ward to welcoming the newest addition!

Melissa: Seeking new answersfor nauseaMelissa, a 32-year-old nurse at a local hos-pital, was eight weeks pregnant when shesought help from me (Dr. Jamie Oskin)for extreme nausea. This was her fifthpregnancy, although the first three hadended in miscarriage. With her last preg-nancy, Melissa had been so nauseous theentire nine months that she had had trou-ble gaining weight appropriately. Her con-ventional doctors had prescribed Zofran®and Phenergan®, but she hadn’t experi-enced much relief.

Melissa was hoping to avoid takingsuch drugs this time around but was wor-ried because she was just as intensely nau-seated as last time. Whenever she drank orate anything—even a sip of water—hernausea got much worse. “Even the thoughtof food makes me nauseous,” Melissa said,“and strong odors from food or perfumesare the absolute worst!” She was especiallyaverse to candy, sweets, meat, pasta withmarinara sauce, fish, and pizza. At leasttwice a day, she would vomit after eatingand would feel somewhat relieved after-ward; within minutes, however, the feel-ings of nausea would creep back. “Fooddoesn’t taste right either… kind of metal-lic tasting,” she reported.

Melissa’s nausea was so intense that it

interfered withher sleep. Whenlying down atnight, she felt likevomiting. Shecouldn’t find acomfortable posi-tion and wouldtoss and turnbefore finallyfalling asleep.Sometimes she

would feel too hot and stick an arm or legout of the covers to cool off. The nauseawould finally get a little better after 4 a.m.In general, Melissa felt worse in a warm,stuffy room and better when she was outin the cool, open air.

An emotional timeEmotionally, Melissa was very worriedand weepy. She was especially nervousbecause her three miscarriages hadoccurred between six and 12 weeks ofpregnancy, and she was at eight weeksnow. “I’ve always been someone whotends to cry easily,” Melissa said, “but nowthat I’m pregnant I cry all the time!” Shefound herself crying “just about any-where” and would call her husband orfriends to get sympathy, which made herfeel a little better. Melissa was so frustratedwith the unrelenting nausea that shesometimes got irritable, short-tempered,and impatient with her daughter, hus-band, and co-workers.

Melissa had a history of hypothy-roidism that was being monitored by herobstetrician. Her blood pressure was nor-mal, but she had already lost about fourpounds because of the vomiting. Asidefrom that, her physical exam was normal.

After considering Melissa’s symp-toms—her nausea from the smell of food,her weepiness, her amelioration from con-solation, her aggravation from drinkingand eating, the uncovering of her feet during sleep, and the fact that she feltworse in a warm room and better in thecool, open air—I pre-scribed Pulsatilla 200c,three times a day. Here ismy repertorization usingRadarOpus software withthe Synthesis TreasureEdition 2009 in Quan-tum View:

Three days later, Melissa called to reportthat her nausea had been much worse overthe past two days, but it was now back towhat it was before having taken the rem-edy. “I feel better emotionally, though…I’m not crying nearly as much,” she volun-teered. I analyzed this as a potentially pos-itive response to the remedy; her moodhad improved, so perhaps the temporaryworsening of her nausea symptoms was atherapeutic aggravation. If so, she shouldsoon experience improvement in her nausea. I asked Melissa to continue takingthe Pulsatilla.

Still battling nauseaMelissa came in for her first follow-up visitafter being on Pulsatilla for two weeks. Hernausea and vomiting were no better; infact, she would get a mild worsening of hernausea with each dose of the remedy. “I dofeel better emotionally,” she said, “but rightnow I really don’t care that I stopped cry-ing all the time. Please, can you just makemy nausea go away?” she pleaded.

At that point, I realized that I hadincorrectly given her a “big picture” rem-edy that addressed her chronic state ofoverall health (as evidenced by theimprovement in her overall mood), whenwhat she really needed was a remedy toaddress her acute condition. Yes, Melissawas very weepy, which is a keynote symp-tom for people needing Pulsatilla, but shewas weepy before her pregnancy as well.And although Pulsatilla fit many symp-toms of her nausea, it did not fit like aglove. So I re-analyzed Melissa’s case,focusing more narrowly on her latest andmost bothersome problem: her nausea.Colchicum seemed to be the best matchbecause it fit her strong symptom of nau-sea that is worse at the thought and smellof food, especially the smell of fish. It alsofit her nausea at the sight of food and nau-sea that was worse after eating. I pre-scribed Colchicum 30c, once daily. I chosea lower potency with less frequent repeti-tion than I had with the Pulsatilla, in


Most thrilling for Jessicawas that she couldtolerate being aroundher husband again.

hopes of avoiding any more aggravationof her nausea symptoms. See my newrepertorization below from RadarOpususing the Synthesis Treasure Edition 2009in Quantum View:

On March 28, about 2 weeks later,Melissa reported, “I’ve been doing somuch better! I feel nauseous only one ortwo hours a day now [versus most of theday]. I actually vomit maybe once everyother day [versus twice a day].” This wasgood news, and Melissa was pleased. How-ever, when I questioned her further, Ilearned that her improvement had leveledoff and perhaps even begun to backslide injust the last few days, so I increased thepotency and frequency to Colchicum 200ctwice daily.

Finally, a breakthroughThree days later, Melissa called: “I startedfeeling better immediately after taking thenew remedy. I haven’t thrown up at all inthe last two days! I’m sleeping better now,too… maybe 50 percent better.” Since shewas reacting positively, I asked her to con-tinue taking the remedy. Melissa also

mentioned that at this point, she had lostseven pounds since the pregnancy began.

About three weeks later, Melissa toldme her nausea had continued to improvesince we last spoke. Now in her 15th weekof pregnancy, she still felt slightly nause-ated at times, but it was tolerable andbothered her only if she hadn’t eaten in awhile. She hadn’t vomited in severalweeks. Since Melissa was still reacting pos-itively to Colchicum 200c, I asked her tocontinue taking it.

One month later, Melissa reported thatshe was “about the same.” Her nausea wasno worse, but no better either, so Iincreased the potency to Colchicum 1M, tobe taken as needed for nausea. Melissa didshare one exciting piece of news: “Last weekwhen my OB/GYN weighed me, I was uptwo pounds!” Given that ongoing, severenausea had prevented her from gaining anyweight during her last pregnancy, this wasan especially good outcome.

In mid-July, in her 27th week of preg-nancy, Melissa had gained back all theweight she’d lost since becoming pregnantand was beginning to gain steadily. Shereported: “I’m doing great! I’m hardly evernauseous anymore. And I’m able to keepfood and drinks down easily… I can’t evenremember the last time I vomited. This isso much better than when I was carryingmy daughter. I was sick as a dog that entirepregnancy—and terrified that those anti-nausea drugs were going to hurt the baby.I was so desperate that I took them, eventhough they barely helped. This is somuch safer and better. Thank you!”Melissa’s pregnancy progressed well, andat the end of the summer she delivered avery healthy baby boy.

Bethany: “My brain is spinning”For most pregnant women, morning sick-ness begins to improve after their firsttrimester, but for 31-year-old Bethany, itseemed to be getting worse. At 12 weeks

into her pregnancy, she sought help fromme (Dr. Jamie Oskin) for intense nauseathat was most severe in the morning. Thethought and smell of food only made herfeel worse; she especially loathed the smellof eggs and meat and could not eat them.If she vomited even a little bit, her nauseawould be relieved for a few minutes.Bethany described the nausea as “in myhead. It’s as if my head is being shaken. Itfeels like my brain is spinning and beingtossed about.” Noise made her nauseaworse. She felt better if she lay down anddidn’t move or change positions. She waschilly, but felt worse in a warm room.

“I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleep-ing lately,” Bethany told me. “I keep wak-ing up in the middle of the night worryingabout my friends and family.” She was alsofeeling lightheaded, and standing made itworse. “I often have to hold onto some-thing because I feel like I’m going to passout. My legs feel weak, and they shakewhen I walk down stairs,” she said.

With tears in her eyes, Bethanyrevealed, “I had a miscarriage a year ago…I still feel so sad about it.” Whenever shetalked or thought about it, she got a lumpin her throat. She was bothered if anyonetried to give her sympathy, and she pre-ferred to be alone to think or cry about it.When I asked Bethany which of her prob-lems bothered her the most, she replied,“If you’d asked me a month ago, I wouldhave said it was the miscarriage and feel-ing bummed over that. But now it’s defi-nitely this morning sickness. It’s miserableto feel this sick!”

Grief, worry, & morning sicknessBethany’s nausea symptoms seemed simi-lar to those of Melissa’s described above,which the remedy Colchicum had helped.But Bethany had some key differentiatingsymptoms: her vertigo, her leg weakness,and her insomnia caused by worry forothers pointed to a different remedy thatis also commonly used during pregnancy:Cocculus. (See repertorization chart onnext page.)

I also considered the well-known griefremedy Ignatia for Bethany because shehad clearly experienced great loss andgrief after her miscarriage, had the classicIgnatia lump in the throat, wanted to bealone to cry, and felt worse when anyonetried to console her. But grief was no

For most pregnant women, morning sickness begins to improve after

their first trimester, but for 31-year-old Bethany, it seemed to be getting worse.



longer Bethany’s main problem—themorning sickness was. And since Cocculuscan also be indicated for people who haveailments that arise after a grief, I pre-scribed Cocculus 30c once a day.

Within a week, Bethany’s morning sick-ness was much improved. “Thank good-ness, I’m a lot better,” she told me. “It’s notgone, but it’s probably half as bad as it was.I’m not so lightheaded either.” After threeweeks, Bethany’s morning sickness was 75percent better than when she first came tome, and she was actually craving food nowon occasion. I noted, however, that hersymptoms of grief seemed to be strongernow. “Even though I should be overjoyedwith the new baby coming, I’ve beenbrooding about the miscarriage a lotagain,” she sighed, choking back tears. “It’shard to focus on anything else.” Bethany’sgrief over the past miscarriage had becomemore prominent than her morning sick-ness, which let me know it was time tochange remedies. Hahnemann would saythat Bethany’s grief and morning sicknesswere two “dissimilar diseases” that existsimultaneously in the same person(Organon, Aphorisms 40–42). Accordingto his instructions to use only one homeo-pathic remedy at a time, I asked Bethany to stop taking the Cocculus and to take asingle dose of Ignatia 10M.

Within days of taking Ignatia, Bethanyreported feeling emotionally “lighter” andmuch less sad. She still thought about hermiscarriage, but those thoughts didn’timmediately give her that lump in thethroat, make her want to cry, or consumean inordinate amount of her time.

She continued to feel good for the nexttwo weeks, until her morning sicknessbegan acting up a bit again. Cocculus stillseemed to fit her symptoms, so I suggestedshe take Cocculus 200c, once a day. Overthe next six or eight weeks, Bethany con-tinued to do very well on Cocculus, with a95 percent reduction in morning sicknesssymptoms. On two occasions, she beganto relapse a bit, which prompted me to

Here are seven of the more commonly used remedies for simple morning sickness. These can be found at your local health food storein low potencies. Follow the directions on the bottle, usually dosingthree or four times a day or as needed. If some improvement is not

experienced within a few days, stop and check whether a different remedymight be a better match for your symptoms. Of course, if you have severe orlong-lasting symptoms, always consult your health practitioner.

Colchicum: Nausea from the thought, smell, and sight of food. Especially worsefrom the smell of fish and eggs. Although nausea from the smell of food is acommon symptom, if it is the woman’s most intense and characteristic symp-tom, then Colchicum should be one of the top remedies you consider.

Cocculus indicus: Nausea is worse with the thought, smell, and sight of food(similar to Colchicum). She has no appetite, feels fatigued, and tires easily. She feels chilly. Symptoms are worse in the afternoon. Often the nausea isaccompanied by vertigo and loss of sleep because of worry for others.

Ipecacuanha: Violent and persistent nausea all day that can be accompaniedby retching, belching, and copious saliva. She may not be able to vomit, but ifshe does, it does not relieve the nausea.

Nux vomica: Nausea is worse in the morning and from eating. Nausea canmake her feel faint, may be constant throughout the day, and is worse uponwaking. Very well indicated if the woman is irritable, impatient, and chilly. She may be constipated.

Sepia: Nausea is worse in the morning before eating, but is not made better by eating. Nausea with an empty feeling in the stomach. She is sensitive toodors and craves sour foods. She may feel sad and irritable and indifferent toher family. Exertion improves her symptoms.

Pulsatilla: Nausea is worse in the afternoon and evening. She can crave foods(especially creamy, fatty foods) but feels sick after eating. She is not thirsty, andher nausea is worse in a warm room. This remedy is particularly indicated if thewoman is weepy and feels better after receiving sympathy.

Tabacum: Incessant nausea that is worse in a warm room (similar to Pulsatilla)and from the smell of tobacco. Intense seasickness or motion sickness in thecar that is better in fresh cold air, so the woman may want to open the car window to get the fresh air or go up on the deck of the boat. She wants touncover the abdomen.

Ease the Quease!Top 7 homeopathic remedies to relieve morning sickness

Ease the Quease!


increase the potency to 1M and then 10MCocculus daily.

A problem with back painAt that point, approximately 23 weeks intoher pregnancy, Bethany began complainingof low back pain. “The baby is getting heav-ier, and it’s really starting to hurt my back,”she said. The pain was much worse in themiddle of the night from 2 to 4 a.m., andher lumbar spine felt as if her back “wouldbreak.” It was a sharp, stitching pain madebetter from taking a warm shower, lying ona hard surface, and applying hard pressure.She was also having some indigestion andhemorrhoids. She was chilly and crankytoward her husband, even though shewanted him around. Based on these symp-toms, I prescribed Kali carbonicum 200conce a day, as it is well-known for helpingwith severe backaches of pregnancy thathave sharp, stitching pains and are charac-teristically worse from 2 to 4 a.m. Bethanycalled the office an hour later: “Wow!Within 30 minutes of taking that remedy,the pain was way better!” she said. She esti-mated her back pain was 50 percentimproved right away, and it continued toget better over the next three weeks.

At this point, however, Bethany’s nau-sea returned, so I asked her to stop the Kalicarb and go back to taking a daily dose ofCocculus, but in a higher potency (50M).When she came into the office 10 dayslater, she reported that at first the remedyhad seemed to relieve her nausea, but notso much anymore; she had vomited thelast three mornings. On questioningBethany further, I learned that her nauseasymptoms were not the same as before.She felt most nauseated now when in amoving car. She was feeling very hotinstead of chilly and felt much worse in awarm room. “It’s kind of weird,” sheadded, “but I feel better when I raise myshirt and prop it up over my belly; the coolair feels so good on my stomach andmakes me less nauseous.” These newsymptoms pointed to a different remedy,Tabacum, which is effective in treating the

nausea of pregnancy as well as motionsickness. It also matched Bethany’s uniquesymptom of wanting her abdomen uncov-ered in order to relieve nausea.

An emotional blowBethany started taking Tabacum 30c once aday. Within a week, her nausea was muchimproved, and the vomiting stopped.Unfortunately, a few weeks after that, at 32weeks of pregnancy, Bethany received newsof the death of a close relative. The intenseemotional stress caused her to developpremature labor contractions every fiveminutes. This was a very worrying situa-tion, as a premature birth comes withmany potential complications for the baby.By the time Bethany called me about it, shehad already been on bed rest for five days,as ordered by her midwife.

Bethany described intensely painfulcontractions in her abdomen. She also feltextremely weak in her mind, head, arms,and legs. “I’m dragging…it’s like my headfeels heavy and my legs do, too. I just wantto keep my eyes closed,” she said. She com-plained of a frontal headache with thecontractions that felt “like a vise or a tightband squeezing” her temples. She had

been having some diarrhea, yet shewasn’t feeling thirsty at all. Theremedy Gelsemium is useful forpeople who feel weak and emo-tionally or physically prostratedafter exciting or sad news. It is alsoindicated for false labor pains, lack

of thirst, and diarrhea from excitement,grief, or anticipation. People needingGelsemium often feel a heaviness in theireyes, head, and limbs. They may havepelvic pains in conjunction with headpain. Hering’s Guiding Symptomsdescribes these headaches as centered inthe temples and forehead with “pain asfrom a tape around the head.”

I asked Bethany to take Gelsemium200c daily. She felt a bit better within a fewdays and significantly better over the nextweek or two. The contractions lessened,and she became stronger and less shaky.We kept in touch, and I increased thepotency of Gelsemium twice when herimprovements seemed to plateau. Thank-fully, Bethany was able to carry the babyanother month and a half until, at 38weeks, she was happy to deliver a beauti-ful, healthy baby girl.

Morning Sickness Mysteries… Smart Kids?Despite the widespread existence ofmorning sickness, scientists don’treally know how it works or why itexists. Conducting studies on the subject is tricky because it’s unethicalto experiment on pregnant women. Animal studies won’t work either, sinceno other mammals are known toexperience nausea during pregnancy.

Theories about morning sicknessabound, however. Because it is soprevalent, some experts think that thenausea of pregnancy evolved as adefense mechanism—a way to protectmothers from eating anything thatmight be dangerous to the growingfetus. Morning sickness sufferers areoften averse to the sight and smell ofmeats, fish, and strong-smellingfoods—all items that historically mighthave been more prone to carryingtoxins or bacteria. Also, nausea ismost common from the sixth to eighteenth week of pregnancy, whichis the same time period in whichmajor fetal organs develop and aremost susceptible to defects fromchemical disruption.

Still, this doesn’t explain why some women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy andsome don’t, or why some get mildlyill for a few weeks while others sufferwith severe nausea their entire preg-nancies. But for those in the throes of morning sickness, here’s a littlecomfort: one study found that chil-dren born to women who sufferedwith morning sickness show greatercognitive skills than those kids whosemothers did not. Furthermore,women who had the worst morningsickness, lasting their entire preg-nancy, tended to have the smartestchildren, according to IQ tests.

Morning Sickness Mysteries… Smart Kids?

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As we see in Bethany’s story, homeopa-thy is not only good for morning sickness;it also can prove invaluable for severalother challenges expectant moms mayface during pregnancy.

Sally: No motion, pleaseSally, a mild-mannered 27-year-old, waseight weeks pregnant when she came tome (Dr. Natalie Ham) seeking relief fromthe constant nausea and frequent vomit-ing that had been plaguing her for the pastfour weeks. It was even preventing herfrom sleeping at night, because every timeshe moved in bed, she’d feel more nause-ated. The slightest motion could lead tosevere vomiting with retching, which shewould do all morning.

Sally was also extremely dizzy, espe-cially whenever she stood up or movedsuddenly. This made it hard for her to domuch of anything, and she had beenforced to take a leave of absence fromwork. “It’s awful!” she moaned. “All I cando is stay perfectly still in bed all daybecause moving makes me nauseous, andstanding makes me dizzy.” Sally was desperate to feel better. She consideredtaking the conventional anti-nausea drugsthat her doctor had offered, but she hatedthe idea of taking anything that might riskher baby’s health. A friend had suggested

she try homeopathy, which is how shecame to see me.

Sally would feel especially chilled aftershe vomited, but overall, she felt morebothered by warmth than she normallydid. As for her mood, she confided, “I’musually pretty personable and I like to bearound people, but not now! When peopletry to talk to me…ugh, it just feels likesuch a bother.”

How’s your head?The remedy that I was considering forSally has headaches as one of its strongindications, so I asked if she had experi-enced any headaches since this started.“Oh, yes, everything else felt so bad, Ialmost forgot,” she answered. “It’s a dullheadache and nearly always there to somedegree.” And like all her other symptoms,it was worse with any kind of motion; itwas only relieved if she sat perfectly still,pressing down hard on the areas that hurt.Additionally, she was very thirsty, withdry, peeling lips and a dry mouth.

All these symptoms pointed to theremedy Bryonia. The strongest indicationfor Bryonia is feeling worse from theslightest motion—which was certainlytrue for Sally! People who need this rem-edy also usually feel worse in warm tem-peratures, and their headaches feel betterwhen they apply hard pressure. They tendto be thirsty with a dry mouth and feelirritable and easily bothered. So I askedSally to take Bryonia 200c, three times aday, and to check in with me in 24 hours.

The next day, Sally reported that herdizziness and vertigo were still present,but the nausea and vomiting were drasti-cally decreased. Her headache was alsocompletely gone. The day after that, herdizziness started to improve as well. By theend of the week, her symptoms werealmost completely resolved. Sally wasecstatic to be feeling better—and withouthaving had to risk taking conventionaldrugs either.

I called Sally one month later to makesure she was still doing okay. “I’m feelinggreat! Haven’t needed to take the remedyin two weeks,” she reported. Sally went onto have a pleasantly uneventful pregnancy,and a healthy baby.

For morning sickness and moreHomeopathy is perfect for pregnantwomen who are experiencing the oftenconsiderable discomfort of morning sickness because it is safe, effective, anddoes not risk the health of the unbornbaby. In addition, experienced home-opaths successfully treat many other problems that can occur during preg-nancy, labor, and delivery, includingheartburn, constipation, mood swings,backache, and pre-term labor. So if you,your friends, or your family members willbe having a baby anytime soon, be sure tolet them know about homeopathy—it’sthe natural choice!

A Note About Dose & PotencyFor severe acute complaints, we tend touse high potencies like 200c or higher inrepeated doses. If there is no relief in ashort period of time, we typically select adifferent remedy. In more chronic cases,we often start with a low potency like 6c or30c every day, and expect slow, steadyimprovement over a longer course of treat-ment. When improvement plateaus, wetend to increase the potency—as long asthe symptoms have not changed substan-tially. We thank Stephen Messer, ND,DHANP, of the Southwest College ofNaturopathic Medicine, for introducingus to this posology method, which is rootedin the work of Samuel Hahnemann(Organon of Medicine, 6th edition, espe-cially paragraph 246, footnote a), Fran-cisco Eizayaga (Treatise on HomeopathicMedicine), and Douglas M. Borland(Pneumonias).

Jamie Oskin, ND, Natalie Ham, ND,and Laurinda Kwan, ND, practice atArizona Natural Health Center inTempe, Arizona. They are naturopathicphysicians who graduated from theSouthwest College of NaturopathicMedicine and have a special focus inhomeopathy. They can be reached at 480-456-0402, or find out more at www.AzNaturalHealth.com.

A B O U T T H EA U T H O R S

It was the actual movement and exertion that helped her feel better.

It was the actual movement and exertion that helped her feel better.

When the thrill of pregnancy is marred by homeopathy can help€¦ · needed. After a few weeks,...

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