A remedy that can ease withdrawal

—compiled by Homeopathy Today staff

Throughout the history of homeopathy, Nux vomica has helped people with addictions. It can ease withdrawal symptoms, smooth and shorten the detoxification process, and address the lingering effects of overdoing any drug. Like any homeopathic remedy, however, Nux vomica is not a panacea and works best when selected to fit a person’s individual symptoms.

Modern-day homeopaths use Nux vomica in much the same way as did these homeopathic forebears:

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An addictions treatment program uses homeopathy to offer help and healing to its residents

by Loretta Butehorn, PhD, CCH, RSHom(NA)

Once upon a time…

Those are the words that open all good stories, and this one is no exception. It begins in the heart and mind of Nia Imani, a substance abuse counselor in a residential treatment program for women with addictions. Nia was also a student at Teleosis School of Homeopathy in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As she learned about homeopathy’s all-encompassing healing potential, she kept thinking, “Homeopathy could change these women’s lives!” And indeed it would, beyond her wildest expectations.

The women in Nia’s program ranged in age from 22 to 60. They had struggled with addiction, on average, for 12 years, battling everything one could imagine: cocaine, heroin, alcohol, prescription drugs, and so on. The average length of stay in this residential treatment program was 6 to 8 months. Most of the women were mothers and some had their children with them.

Real women, real stories

We will follow the stories of Jessie, Alice, and Kim. Their names and identifying data have been altered, but these are real women who are representative of many others.

Jessie, 47, has a cocaine and alcohol problem. This is her fourth attempt at getting sober; each of the other times, she left the program insisting, “I can do it on my own,” and each time she relapsed. She began drinking alcohol at age nine and has made her way in the world by shoplifting ever since. Jessie is Caucasian and of English ancestry.

Alice is a 23-year-old African American woman with two children, ages two and three. Her mother was a heroin addict, but Alice was raised by her father, finished high school, and had a good job. Then she went looking for her mother and started using heroin with her, thinking if she understood the drug maybe she could get her mother to stop. This is Alice’s first time in treatment and she is not sure she wants to be here, but she does want to get her kids back. Custody of her children was awarded to her father, and he will not let her see them until she gets sober.

Kim, 35, has been in two treatment programs before but got into fights, was expelled, and then relapsed each time. She grew up in the juvenile justice system because of her assaultive behavior. She has three children; two were taken from her and have been adopted, but her three-year-old lives with her in the treatment program. Kim is Latina and comes from a large extended family.

Jessie, Alice, and Kim are representative of the women in the program, spanning a wide range of racial, ethnic, and spiritual backgrounds, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic classes. Addiction is a non-discriminating, equal opportunity problem.

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