Anyone familar with homeopathic remedies?

[jif]

My 2 1/2-year-old is starting a new preschool soon. I'm in the process of filling out all of the paperwork - the usual parent info/medical history, etc. forms. However, one form that is included is an authorization for homeopathic remedies for first aid treatment.

The form indicates that the school uses Apis Mell (for relief after a bee sting), Arnica (to help with swelling after a head bump) and Bach Flower Remedies ("A harmless distillation of flower esssences in a little alcohol. A few drops are put into water and given to a child to drink. It has a calming effect after an upsetting incident, such as a knee scrape, fall, etc.")

I'm not familiar with homeopathic medicine at all, other than using Hyland's Teething Tablets. Is anyone familiar with these remedies or know of any reason why it would not be a good idea for these to be used?

I'm going to contact our pediatrician as well, but just wanted to see what others might know about them.

Thanks in advance!

[GingerPow]

Homeopathic remedies are great - been using them for years. The Arnica is very good for pain as well.
Wow, what I would have given when my children were little to have access to a preschool that uses homeopathic remedies.
Always a good idea to check with the pediatrician.

[Kathy B]

You know, I initially thought, "sounds OK to me" until I read the one about the Flower Remedy. It's not the alcohol that gives me pause, (sounds like a very minute amount which is diluted even more in water), but the idea of giving kids something to "calm them" after a scraped knee or fall. :confused: I know it's considered a "natural remedy", but I guess I hate to start kids that young thinking they need something more than a hug and a bandaid to recover from the typical childhood owies. And if it's a bigger owie than normal, they should be calling you anyway.

I might be convinced otherwise if I had more info about it, but that is the first thing that popped into my head as I was reading the OP, and I still can't think of any good reason it should be necessary. JMHO.

[jif]

Kathy B, I had the same thought about the Flower Remedy. It's not as though he gets any special "calming remedy" currently when an upsetting incident occurs. He gets hugs and cuddles. Those seem to suffice.

I will probably discuss this further with the school.

Thanks to you and GingerPow for your thoughts on this.

[mikex1337]

Our religious sect is completely against using socially numbing medicines like the "Bach Flower Remedies." Actor Tom Cruise would agree... It's definitely not psychologically healthy for a kid to experience soothing by taking chemical infusions rather than love and support.

[cookieee]

Ok, bee sting maybe, but what is wrong with an ice pack for the bump and the Bach Flower Remedie sounds like it is more for the teachers benefit than the child. That I would tell the teacher to take it and leave my child alone.

[badunnin]

Our religious sect is completely against using socially numbing medicines like the "Bach Flower Remedies." Actor Tom Cruise would agree... It's definitely not psychologically healthy for a kid to experience soothing by taking chemical infusions rather than love and support.

Well if an actor would agree... I'm sure that's the correct way to go. :rolleyes:

[Robyn1007]

Well if an actor would agree... I'm sure that's the correct way to go. :rolleyes:

Especially an actor like the down to earth, sensible Tom Cruise. :p ;) :rolleyes:

[badunnin]

Especially an actor like the down to earth, sensible Tom Cruise. :p ;) :rolleyes:

Absolutely! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a headache, and I'm going to take a few ibuprofen. I hope Lindsay Lohan would agree with treatment. ;)

[jif]

Well, after discussing this with our pediatrician, I'm not going to sign the form.

Our pediatrician researched these and found that Arnica is safe when used topically short-term, but is poisonous if taken orally. (Though, the same could probably be said for many "traditional" topical preparations.) My main concern is that she found that "Arnica can cause reactions in individuals allergic to plants in the Asteraceae/Compositae family. Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many other herbs." My son recently experienced a pretty bad bout of contact dermatitis which my pediatrician believes was due to contact to some sort of plant, but we don't know exactly what caused it. Given that he has sensitive skin anyways, and then had this bad skin reaction, I think it's too risky to use the Arnica on him.

She indicated that Apis Mell (or Apis Mellifera) is derived from bee honey, wax, jelly or venom, and all are safe. And Bach Flower Remedies/Rescue Remedy is usually so diluted that it's not expected to have any real effect. However, the more I think about it, the more I don't see the point of giving a child something to calm them after an upsetting incident. Ice, hugs, and a little extra attention/reassurance should be enough to get them through. I don't like the connections it could create for my son, i.e. something upsetting occurs = take something to calm me down.

So, I'm going to drop by the preschool and discuss this with the director. Hopefully she appreciates that I'm a careful/concerned parent and doesn't see me as a "problem parent". Of course, if she does, than maybe this isn't the right school for us after all....

[mikex1337]

Especially an actor like the down to earth, sensible Tom Cruise. :p ;) :rolleyes:

I sense a tone of sarcasm in your statement. Mr. Cruise is one of the most highly respected figures in our community, and generally any criticisms of him are not tolerated... I don't think any of the members on this forum would like it if I spoke of President Bush in the same way. :(

[LakeMartinGal]

I don't think any of the members on this forum would like it if I spoke of President Bush in the same way. :(:rolleyes: LOTS of people speak of the President sarcasticly...I'm not one of them, but I have seen lots of thread where people are not happy with the Pres...

[badunnin]

I sense a tone of sarcasm in your statement. Mr. Cruise is one of the most highly respected figures in our community, and generally any criticisms of him are not tolerated... I don't think any of the members on this forum would like it if I spoke of President Bush in the same way. :(


I'm sorry, which community are you speaking of that seems to revere him?

[honeygirl1971]

I sense a tone of sarcasm in your statement. Mr. Cruise is one of the most highly respected figures in our community, and generally any criticisms of him are not tolerated... I don't think any of the members on this forum would like it if I spoke of President Bush in the same way. :(

Mike, please don't be offended, but are you joking here? I can't tell and your post sounds like a joke... :confused:

Don't get me started on the President...I AM one of the ones who speaks her mind where that guy is concerned!!

On the topic at hand, I have some experience with homeopathic remedies as they are VERY popular in France and my PCP often prescribes them. Personally, I think that they don't really work and most benefits ascribed to them are due to the "placebo effect," but they don't cause any harm because the amount of the active ingredient in them is usually INFINITESIMAL. Since there are so few safe meds for pregnancy and breastfeeding, I have used homeopathic meds fairly often in the past year and half, with nothing negative to report save the fact that they aren't particularly effective, at least not for me.

I think, though, that it is QUITE reasonable for you to want the teachers to abstain from giving your child meds, even homeopathic ones, and if the teachers don't understand that, it might not be an ideal school...just my two cents.

[Robyn1007]

I sense a tone of sarcasm in your statement. Mr. Cruise is one of the most highly respected figures in our community, and generally any criticisms of him are not tolerated... I don't think any of the members on this forum would like it if I spoke of President Bush in the same way. :(

Well, at least you sense my tone correctly. I'm guessing you are a member of the Church of Scientology as you mentioned previously your religious sect and I believe Tom Cruise is also a member. If you are going to come and post in a public forum where we do have healthy and sometimes vicious debates about everything from politics to religion (of many types) to social issues then you better be ready to handle criticism. If you prefer to live in a world that doesn't criticize someone, anyone, then good luck because I don't think it exists. People, ideals and beliefs that I respect deeply have been criticized here and I choose to either defend it based on fact or walk away. And yes, President Bush is criticized here frequently and I am one of the criticizers. Our country was founded on the belief that we can and do criticize our leaders.

[Robyn1007]

As to the original question, I think that discussing with your pediatrician was absolutely the right thing. I hope that the school is understanding but at least if they are not you are finding out before getting your child started there.

[CompassRose]

"Socially numbing"?

The Bach flower remedies are not what I would call "socially numbing"; they are intended rather to be a re-integrating thing. If one credits such things, the vibrations of the flowers harmonise and calm one's own energies.

And as others have pointed out, the amounts, particularly in Bach flower remedies, are infinitesimal. The point of most homeopathic remedies is not to have a measurable active amount of an ingredient, but a "potentised" residue of its qualities.

(Not to mention, I see "hugs" given as an alternative, and most teachers I know are discouraged from having physical contact with their students in these paranoid and litigious days.)

I don't have much success with most oral homeopathics either (although they seem to be very effective on cats, and I would surmise, on children). According to homeopathic theory, though, I overstimulate myself in other ways, which might render me insensitive to their subtleties. I find arnica ointment, and an arnica-containing compound called Traumeel, very effective for injuries though. And the Bach flower remedies are in my experience a very non-invasive way of helping oneself come into balance with all sorts of more emotional states.

I don't think I can even coherently address the statements about either Mr. Cruise or Mr. Bush without laughing helplessly, so I won't.

[honeygirl1971]

I don't think I can even coherently address the statements about either Mr. Cruise or Mr. Bush without laughing helplessly, so I won't.


I just have to say that it is comments like this that make you One of My Favorite Posters. :D

[SusanMac]

I've seen this thread for a few days, but never clicked on it b/c I'm not familiar w/homeo remedies. Finally curious...I'm now glad I checked it out. This is extremely entertaining!! LOL :-)

[funniegrrl]

I sense a tone of sarcasm in your statement. Mr. Cruise is one of the most highly respected figures in our community, and generally any criticisms of him are not tolerated...

Ah, so thinking for one's self is out of the question? But then, I already knew that about Scientology.

If you are a Scientologist, then I pretty strongly disagree with you on many things. However, I would say go in peace and good luck on getting Clear. Just don't expect non-Scientologists to sit down and be quiet about the bizarreness that is Tom Cruise just because your group "reveres" him. That, in itself, is pretty weird and I'm not going to apologize for saying so.

I'm also not going to give much credence to a "religion" that believes all mental illness can be cured with vitamins, that believes that psychology is a conspiracy, that we are "alien" decendents. Any person who would blast a new mother for seeking modern medical assistance for post-partum depression is, essentially, ignorant and cruel. The truth is that the sainted L. Ron had a deep, personal hatred of psychologists / psychiatrists, and he turned that hatred and an overactive imagination into a cult.

Scientology states that no beliefs should be forced as "true" on anyone, that what is true for you is what you have observed yourself. My observation is that Tom Cruise -- a gifted actor who I used to enjoy immensely -- is a brainwashed bully, recruited because he (like so many other celebrity Scientologists) could be a high-profile recruiter. If you don't believe that, fine, but please don't chastise non-Scientologists for speaking our minds, either.

[lindrusso]

Wow - I'm pretty shocked that any school of any sort would use homeopathic remedies for children. I know nothing about them and am not necessarily against them in any way. It's just that some schools won't even give out something as benign as a Tylenol to kids, much less something not generally widely accepted......

[Robyn1007]

Funniegrrl, you stated what I wanted to say much, much better. Thank you.