The Benefits of Alternative Medicine: From Reducing Life’s Stressors to Addiction and PTSD Therapy

Many of us have the experience of being “thrown off balance” or stressed by life’s turmoil. The stressors can range from the typical slings and arrows of life—unexpected expense and panic, a real disappointment, having to deal with a family emergency—to the more life changing events: a death in the family, diagnosis of a serious illness, a betrayal through an affair.

If we pay attention to the nightly news there is a drug for everything. Even though the side effects are often hair raising, Americans flock to pharmaceuticals at an alarming rate. Pain killers, anti-anxiety medications, and medication for sleep and focus are some of the prescriptions that are especially worrisome as they can lead to a medical condition known as dependence or addiction. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) notes that prescriptions for pain killers and sleep medications (many of which are addictive) have risen from 5 million to over 45 million since 1990. Even if the medication does not have addictive properties, all medications wash through the liver and other organs. All drugs have both benefits and costs. If medication is necessary, being aware of the benefits and the potential risks helps us make an informed decision about using this drug or seeking an alternative. Acupuncture, message, meditation, and homeopathy are all ways of addressing many of our stresses and health concerns.  

Using many concepts of healing, from Hippocrates to his own era, Samuel Hahnemann, a German medical doctor, developed the use of homeopathy. Using Nano doses of natural substances, homeopaths from the 1800’s to the present use what the National Institute of Health (NIH) describes as “energy medicine.” Homeopathic remedies, over 3000 of them, can be used as the primary and sole treatment for many conditions; and because of their sub molecular dosing they can also be used as an adjunct to pharmaceuticals reducing the amount of medications needed.

A good example from my practice is what is done for people newly recovering from substance dependence problems. After the traditional treatment of detoxification in a medical facility, the client who has been afflicted with addiction to pain killers, and recreational drugs, including alcohol, leaves the detox with the intent of not returning to drug use. However, most newly sober people experience a difficult condition known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) for four to six weeks post detox. These include symptoms of intense cravings, preoccupation with drugs, sleep disturbance, emotional mood swings, and gastric disturbance. Often, the severity of the cravings cause a client to relapse into addictive drug use.  In over eight years of working with clients experiencing PAWS, a small dose of a homeopathic remedy Nux Vomica dramatically reduces the cravings and preoccupations and allows the body to move forward more quickly to a state of health and balance. In addition to my work with addicted persons, I have found that many clients benefited from homeopathic remedies rather than psychiatric medications to cope with the losses and stresses of life in our fast moving culture.

A colleague in California, Renita Hermann, CCH, has also had tremendous success working with veterans with Post-Acute Stress Disorder. Veterans from wars in Vietnam to Afghanistan, many homeless, have experienced relief from flashbacks, depression, and anxiety from homeopathy. These are but two of the mental health/physical health conditions homeopathy has helped. There are many homeopaths around the world assisting people with their conditions both mental and physical with these Nano remedies.

To understand more about homeopathy and to find a homeopath in your area, visit the National Center for Homeopathy’s website, www.homeopathycenter.org. There you will find videos explaining more about homeopathy, how to access resources in your state, and interviews with people who have experienced relief through homeopathy. A good introductory book is The Impossible Cure by Amy Lansky, PhD.

Loretta Butehorn, PhD, CCH, is a licensed psychologist and certified homeopath who practices homeopathy in Boston, MA. Dr. Butehorn is also a Board Member of the National Center for Homeopathy. She can be contacted at lbutehornphd@gmail.com or on her website www.lorettabutehomphd.com.