This week marks the first anniversary

It was only just yesterday that I realised that it will be the first anniversary of the closing of my chiropractic practice. As I type, I’m trying to figure out how I feel about the enormous change that has taken place in a year.  I’m still very sad about it. My practice represented the hard work and many years that went into attaining my first degree but also the kind of lifestyle that I wanted. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I loved the flexibility that came with being your own boss but definitely not the stress-induced ulcers from not having enough money for running a business. I really enjoyed building relationships with patients that spanned a few years; that was priceless. Having somewhere to be and something meaningful to do with my day and making a little difference in someone’s life definitely made me a better mother and wife.

That practice would not have been at all possible or feasible without the help of one of the most generous people I know ON THE PLANET, my dad!!! He has been so good to me, generous with his business advice and great as my “cheap” accountant. Words will never be enough to convey my gratitude to you and mum.

My husband was (and still is) a really wonderful pillar of support when days seemed dark and my biggest cheerleader when friends seemed few, thank you my love, you are a treasure.

The post-mortem is still stings. Could I have done things differently? Did I really do enough? Did I give it enough time to grow? Is it my entire fault? Am I cut out to be in business? And so many more questions arise about my capabilities as a person to the point where I was borderline depressed from constantly ruminating on the situation. And added to that was that I couldn’t find full-time employment for close to a year!

Is my life where I had hoped it would be? Certainly not! Do I have a hand in the way things have turned out? Definitely! This shouldn’t make me give up or throw in the proverbial towel. I have been so blessed to have made a friend on campus that is in the same place as me – married with kids and starting again at 30! She reminded me not to compare myself to anyone, ever! We are where we are and we are trying to do the best we can with the opportunities we’ve been given (which not many people have been afforded) so for that we must be grateful and plod on!!!

God IS good. Life is to be cherished. Children and family are meant to be enjoyed and as for the motto of my blog: remember, no matter where you find yourself, the journey is more important than the destination. Good luck on yours and may you find happiness where ever you go because life is what you make of it – regardless.

My good friend, homeopathy

My journey with homeopathy started out in 2000 when I was in first year at varsity. At the Chiropractic and Homeopathic Clinic on the DUT campus, as students we had access to free treatments for as long as we were there, bring on the freebies! This meant something close to abuse of the system, as any student would. At first I was not a believer, didn’t understand how it worked and thought those guys were quacks to say the least. Being a young adult at varsity meant missing lectures to spend lazy sun-filled days on the beach at Joe Kools sipping sangrias… errr I meant diligently studying and passing every test and assignment with flying colors. Now how on earth can you have problems???

There was a time where I was feeling emotionally fragile and extremely tearful (and ended up crying in the clinic reception no less), it could have been after a break-up of sorts (I think) and no amount of talking about it would have helped. My then homeopath (a senior student) gave me powder to place under my tongue that would calm me and I swear that it made a world of difference in no time. In the selection of a remedy, homeopaths regards each patient as a unique being. What drew me was that the remedy is selected on the basis, not only of the clinical diagnosis, but also and especially, on those aspects and attributes which reveal a patient’s uniqueness – the life experience, personality, values, beliefs, habits and emotions. While disease affects the entire patient in body, mind, emotions and soul, the remedy has to be selected on holistic principles and administered in quantum form to be able to address all these levels of existence to prove curative. There is no condition that should be excluded from the repertoire of Homoeopathy as it is a complete medical system with which any medical condition, in any human being, of any age has the potential to be treated.

To give a little background, it is believed that the first and central law of homeopathic science is the Law of Similars: what a substance can cause, it can cure! Simple examples of healing by similarity are: Allium cepa, the red onion, causes intense itching and watering of the eyes and nose and attacks of sneezing; it is often indicated for the treatment of head colds and hay fever. Coffee causes insomnia and mental hyperactivity; used as a homeopathic potency it relaxes the mind and permits natural sleep. Now, how cool is that?

As a new mother, pedantic about everything including the use and administering of medication, I’ve always used homeopathic preparations with my family, especially with Samuel. In the beginning of my pregnancy I caught a cold and other than the prescribed antibiotics and panado (which didn’t touch sides) natural remedies were the order of the day to get me through. I’m the kind of person that believes our bodies, when given the right kind of help, have the innate ability to heal themselves. And there are some really great homeopaths in our country.

Let me also be the first to admit that I hate seeing my child in any kind of pain or distress but I do believe that mainstream medicine has its place as well as its drawbacks! We definitely owe it to ourselves and our kids to research what options we have access to that will not cause unwanted side-effects in the long run – just a thought!

Related articles

• Homeopathy and Breast Cancer (christineonhomeopathy.wordpress.com)
• “Expert” Says Homeopathy Is “Just Energy” (lisabarger.typepad.com)
• The disinformation myths against homeopathy (usapartisan.com)
• Homeopathy as a Science (triangulations.wordpress.com)