About a month ago, Merrin and I decided to do a video on Homeopathy & Kids. It was completely unscripted and Merrin, my almost 12 year old, spoke from her heart about her experiences with homeopathy.
It was quite innocent…I thought. However, it ended up being a real eye opener for me. Despite the fact that I have a disclaimer on my blog and both sites and how cautious I am with my writings, I was quite surprised with what transpired with the release of this video.
Before I go into the whole story, I would like to re-iterate my sole intention of my blog and sites:
Inspiring families and children to be proactive and confident in striving for optimal health and taking ownership of their own physical beings.
Recently, I discovered that a gentleman was not very impressed with this video Merrin and I did. He did have some valid points that I had to agree with, although, I felt the need to clarify a few of his concerns.
( his concerns are the numbered ones and my answers follow)
1. Marketing medicine to children,
There was no intention to market to children…at all. Just bringing awareness to another type of treatment to illnesses.
2. Using the pills’ similarity to candy to sell them,
Homeopathic pellets do taste like sugar thus sweet. The wonderful thing about these pellets is that they are whole sugar with no added, potentially harmful, ingredients.
3. Blurring the distinction between medicine and candy,
Agree with this one. Next time, I would edit this out or script her on it.
PS Check out HBD: Battle with the Bugs. The audio story talks about sugar and the harmful effects it can have on the immune system.
4. Promoting a culture of pill-popping and keeping a medicine cabinet full of “remedies” at all times to children,
Unfortunately, we live in a society full of obesity and extreme laziness. My hope is to help people be more proactive in their health and not be popping pills every time they are sick. Using simple treatments as hydrotherapy, eating whole foods and exercising are what needs to be focused on before popping pills.
Most families do have a medicine cabinet. As a parent, you want and need to be prepared for the 2am throw up or fever.
5. Teaching children how to circumvent a child-safety device,
I am not completely sure homeopathic tube caps are designed to keep children out. I do understand they are designed for easy dispension.
6. Teaching children to self-diagnose instead of turning to a parent or guardian,
This should have been emphasized more, however, most children turn to a love one when they are sick. Always a good thing to remind families of this though.
In my blog and websites, I continually suggest seeking medical advice. It is always best to have support with your health.
7. Blurring the meaning of dangerous poisons such as Belladonna,
In the raw form, Belladonna is dangerous. I could have had Merrin address that, however, the diluted Belladonna in the homeopathic pellets are far from being poisonous.
8. Focusing on the symptoms instead of the underlying problems: Why does she have headaches frequently enough that she knows what “medication” she prefers for them? Is there some underlying problem that’s going ignored while she self-diagnoses and self-medicates?
I was surprised this bothered you.
Merrin and I talk about her health all the time. There was no self diagnosis or self medication. See number 6.
Any good parent watch daily watches their child to see if he or she is struggling with anything and as any good doctor would do, seek out any underlying cause.
We have done that. As she states in the video, homeopathy has worked very well for her.
9. Marketing a disproven therapy (homeopathy) to children,
Lots of medicines have been proven safe yet have caused many other health problems. I have done my research and believe in my choices of treatments for my family.
Being aware, open-minded and asking questions, is extremely important for achieving optimal health. This is what I try to promote. Use resources – family doctor, reliable internet sites and medical books.
10. Harming this particular child through the inculcation of these values.
Every family has different values and morals. As parents, we tend to teach our children what we think is best. Good parents, teach their children to have their own thoughts and to listen to them.
I am sorry that my health practices upset you.
Below is the video. I have decided to take it down by the end of the week. I hope, to re-film it this summer and address all of the above concerns and make it a positive resource for people who are considering homeopathy as one of their treatment modalities.
naturopathic medicine philosophy
Naturopathic medicine is founded upon a holistic philosophy; naturopathic medicine combines safe and effective traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine. Naturopathic medicine is appropriate for the management of a broad range of health conditions affecting all people of all ages.
the six philosophies
* Trust the healing power of nature
* First, do no harm
* Find and treat the cause
* Treat the whole person
* Doctor as teacher
* Prevention
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Bravo and extremely fair (and insightful) responses.
Hi, I believe that my children need to be a part of the process in taking care of their own bodies, and thanks for raising some interesting questions. My kids love your books and I love the information they have received about their body so they can become more informed. I will discuss this with my kids too!
i have seen the gentleman’s blog which you are speaking of, and it seems that some of his issue is with naturopathic medicine in general. Your response is a good one…. and a lot calmer than mine would have been!
Great post. Very clear and thoughtful in your response.
Thanks for all your support!
Homeopathy saved my life. I was working with an amazing homeopath who did a full constitutional with me. I am a true believer. However, I’ve also self-diagnosed and actually caused myself some minor harm.
I think you’ve done a nice job explaining things here…and reminding everyone you should have professional support.
Of course, this boils down to intention. Your intention was pure then, and it is pure now. I really admire how you learned from this experience (and criticism) – taking what you need to make it ‘right’ in your eyes.
Dear Dr Heather.
What I took from watching this video was a learned young lady, and even a bit precocious. This appeared to be a demonstration of her knowledge that she had learned from her doctor mom, just as another child may carry a black bag with blood pressure cuff, thermometer, injection needle and tongue depressor.
She was giving a lesson to the uninitiated in simple self care for self limiting illness. Just as so many children get a headache from life’s stresses. She did not say that her headaches in any frequency or debilitating; it was just matter-of-fact.
Each part of the film was something she learned, whether it be selection of remedies to match symptoms, how to care for the remedies, dosage and dispensing.
Some children demonstrate how to bake muffins, draw a picture, make a chemical reaction with lab equipment, and she was showing her knowledge.
It is wonderful that you took the criticisms to heart as a learning experience to improve on the message. No one should take it in the wrong way. All points were well stated and of concern, which we are with all documentaries or targeted messages. This is why professionals “Take Two” or more of each set.
So, “Take Two” and call me in the morning. I’d like to see the second version. Well done.
Debby
http://homeopathyworldcommunity.com
Aloha Dr Manley,
I am proud to be associated with you and encourage giving back in such a warm creative setting.
Mahalo,
Dianna Smith