January is often the month for fad diets and short term health fixes. After a Christmas and New Year period commonly filled with excesses, coupled with less activity, many of us decide that now is the time to exercise more, lose weight, or get healthy. Unfortunately, for the vast majority, these good intentions only last a few weeks, and another national lockdown does nothing to help our motivation.

One of the main reasons why so many of us fail with this, is because our actions are not sustainable, and our goals are not achievable. Our health is a 365 days a year project, not a few weeks here and there, so why not make 2021 a new dawn for your health, the year that you put your health first, and in a way which becomes part of your everyday life.

Health begins with maintenance of good health and prevention of illness. After all, it’s better to strengthen and protect your body from becoming unwell in the first place. Homeopathy works in a way which supports the whole body and stimulates the body’s own inbuilt healing mechanisms. It’s also natural, so there’s no toxic chemicals.

Start the new year by sleeping better and boosting your energy. Feeling refreshed and energised strengthens your immune system and helps you tackle not only illness, but the day to day pressures that so many of us are facing at the moment, from work worries to family stresses. Perhaps there’s a health niggle that you’ve been putting off dealing with for some time?

Having a homeopathy kit in the home is a brilliant way to start to use homeopathic medicines for yourself and your family. As a patient recently put it ‘every home should have a kit and every GP should be trained in homeopathy. That’d save the NHS a fortune’. Many minor ailments can be resolved quickly and easily with homeopathic medicines. To help kick start your healthy year, we wanted to share four homeopathic medicines that could be worth adding to your holistic health kit:

Arnica is one for every healthy first aid cupboard. Starting out a new fitness challenge? Taking up running again? Got kids in the house? Arnica, is great for bruising. It helps to reduce swelling, reduces pain and discolouration. It’s also great for over exertion – perfect for a new year challenge! Perhaps we’ll save telling you how it can help with jet lag for another time…

Rhus tox could be another useful homeopathic medicine for a new year get fit health kit. People needing Rhus tox feel better for movement, hence it being known as the ‘rusty gate’ homeopathic medicine. It can be helpful for joint pain especially stiffness that hurts on first movement, but then continued movement eases the pain. Pains are eased by warm applications. It can also be a great for rashes and is one to think of to help ease the itching of chicken pox spots.

Ruta, our last homeopathic medicine for the month, is particularly well known to help with sprains and strains, particularly of tendons and ligaments. Pain and stiffness is often made worse by cold, damp weather (watch out in the UK!) and eased by warmth and gentle movement. It may be helpful to think of in cases of eyestrain, and can help with this where it’s caused by over straining the small tendons of the eye.

As ever, to prescribe accurately, the homeopathic medicine needs to fit the symptoms of the case, and these descriptions are brief. There may be other homeopathic medicines that help. Please check out the ‘Homeopathy UK’ app for more details.

Make January the month that you take action and get your health on track. Make it a new dawn when you change to a natural, healthy option. Make it the time that you try homeopathy.

Waving goodbye to 2020 – it's been a difficult year mentally and physically for old and young alike. As this year draws to a close, we’ll all be looking forward to seeing friends and family over the Christmas period. Re-connecting with friends and family can in itself bring a boost to your health and wellbeing. As you celebrate though, remember not to overdo it, or if you do, why not have a range of natural options at your fingertips to help ease the symptoms of your excesses. Why not keep some Nux Vomica at home for any nausea, bloating or heartburn?  You could even treat yourself to a homeopathy kit from one of the pharmacies, which would provide you with a wide range of homeopathic medicines for the whole family.  Have a look at the Homeopathy app, listed on the apple store and Google Play as ‘Homeopathy UK’. It’s packed full of useful information and facts. There’s no need to suffer unnecessarily when there’s help at hand.

And, whilst our focus this year has been on bigger issues, remember that this time of year is the peak time for coughs, colds, and other seasonal ailments. These minor conditions can ruin your festive celebrations, so be prepared. It’s for everyday illnesses like this that millions of people around the world turn to homeopathy, which offers a gentle and natural option for the whole family. Homeopathy works with your body’s own healing mechanism and can be used preventatively too. We’ve listed a few homeopathic medicines at the end of the article that may help you deal with some seasonal complaints. There are many more, so do seek professional advice if you need some assistance.

Don’t wait until January to address any health concerns. Act now. Many homeopaths also offer online consultations, so you don’t need to take too much time out from your Christmas shopping to get some help. 2020 has given us all the chance to think about our health and wellbeing, and how we should take better care of ourselves. Perhaps homeopathy is the natural, safe and sustainable health option that you need for the future? A present to yourself and your family for life.

Aconite is often a great homeopathic medicine to take at the start of a cold, and it’s worth remembering for complaints that come on suddenly, especially after having been outside in the cold. It can be a useful medicine to remember in cases of coughs and fever, particularly where there has been a sudden onset and there is dry, burning heat. 

Arsenicum can be helpful where colds leave you exhausted, and with burning mucus and skin around the nostrils that is red and sore. It can be helpful in cases of ‘flu, especially, though not exclusively, where there are gastrointestinal issues accompanying it.

Bryonia has been a very useful remedy for many this year. Coughs can be dry and painful, there’s often a dryness of the throat and the person often has a ‘leave me alone’, irritable attitude. Bryonia has the nickname of ‘the grumpy bear’ and they usually want to stay very still. Any movement makes symptoms worse.

No article mentioning seasonal winter remedies would be complete without a mention of Gelsemium. A handy way to remember this remedy is the 4Ds. People needing it can feel dull, drowsy, dizzy and droopy. Admittedly, it sounds a little like Snow White’s companions, it is pantomime season after all! People feel dull, thinking is difficult, they’re lethargic and sleep a lot, dizzy when they get up and often have that ‘droopy’ look. Usually it can be that their eyelids are heavy, along with a dull heaviness and ache of the limbs in general.

There are many more homeopathic medicines which can help you stay healthy through the winter, do have a look on the 4Homeopathy app for minor ailments, or book a consultation with a practitioner for more advice.

Shorter days, darker evenings, and winter on the horizon. For some, this conjures up images of cosy evenings at home, crisp countryside walks, or preparing for the end of year festivities. But for others, it can bring a range of other emotions and issues, from lack of energy and changes in your appetite, to disrupted sleep and feeling generally sad and low.

Seasonal affective disorder, commonly referred to as SAD, is a type of seasonal depression that some people experience at certain times of year, often around now when the clocks have gone back and the days are shorter. Many of us can feel down from time to time, but if this is affecting your day to day life, or you regularly get these feelings at the same time of year, it is quite likely that you suffer from SAD.

These feelings can often exacerbate existing conditions too, so it’s best not to ignore them. 

Homeopathy is a whole person system of healthcare, in which each patient is treated in an individualised way. This means that the homeopath you choose will spend time during your consultation getting a thorough understanding of your overall health and presenting symptoms. You will be asked about your lifestyle, sleep patterns, medical history, and a range of other questions, which will enable the homeopath to prescribe the homeopathic medicine best suited to your needs.

If you don’t feel like your normal self at the moment, whether that’s mentally or physically, then homeopathy could be a good option for you. Consultations can often be carried out online if you prefer not to go out on these colder days, or have family or work commitments which make it difficult to attend an appointment. 

Don’t just accept that feeling low at this time of year is something you need to put up with. You really don’t have to! Try a gentle, natural system of medicine which has no side effects. Try homeopathy.

Uncertain, vulnerable, isolated? Are these some of the words that describe how you feel at the moment? After six months of lockdowns and social distancing, we were all hoping that the Autumn might begin a return to normal life. Now, with further lockdowns, and no fixed end in sight, this could lead to feelings of anxiety and stress, or exacerbate existing feelings. The toll on our mental health should not be underestimated. But you don’t have to suffer in silence!

There are a range of complementary and natural therapies which could help, and with no side effects, homeopathy offers you the opportunity to address all the feelings affecting your mental health in an individual and whole person way. You may be concerned that some drugs only mask symptoms or have unwanted side-effects. Homeopathy addresses the underlying problems and the root cause in a gentle way.

A homeopathic consultation can be carried out in person by finding a registered homeopath on findahomeopath.org. But, if you want to stay at home during these colder days, or if it’s hard to find time for yourself, or if social distancing is an issue, many homeopaths also offer online consultations. Alternatively, check out the 4Homeopathy app if you prefer to find out more about medicines for yourself.

Our mental and physical health are intrinsically linked, and failing to address one can cause problems with the other further down the line. Homeopathy is great for prevention and maintaining health too, so you don't have to wait until symptoms start to manifest themselves. From giving you an energy boost, to helping with sleep, or strengthening your coping mechanisms, millions of people across the world turn to homeopathy on a daily basis.

Whatever your concerns, don’t be afraid to seek help, and don’t suffer in silence. Your mental health is too important to ignore.

It’s hard to believe that the summer holidays are over, and the focus for many is now on returning to school again. This year could prove more challenging for families than ever before, as many children have not been at school since March. Some may be starting school for the first time, while others are starting a new school. 

Apart from the natural anxiety and concerns caused by these uncertain times, of both parents and children alike, following such a prolonged change to their usual routine, there is the additional concern that a return to school can also increase the incidence of the season’s normal coughs and colds. 

At times like this it could be worth considering homeopathy which can offer an ideal option for parents not wanting to use chemical interventions on their children. This gentle, natural system of medicine could provide the health reassurance you need – and it has no side effects.

If your child is nervous of medical environments, then homeopaths can offer a much less intimidating consultation experience. Or better still, many homeopaths can do online consultations, so you can discuss your health concerns in the safety and comfort of your own home, saving you travelling time too! This can be a huge factor for parents.

Alternatively, you may be parents with very young children and babies. Perhaps you need support in dealing with sleepless nights, or managing your own health as you try to juggle an increasingly busy day and night time routine. 

Homeopaths give you the time to really talk about your circumstances and health concerns – supporting you with their whole-person, individualised approach. Ensuring that you and your children are happy, healthy and supported at this key time, could prevent other health problems further down the line.