Last updated 16:19, Thursday, 20 November 2008

Childbirth can be daunting if you are experiencing it for the first time but Janine Whitfield is not concerned. She is putting all her faith in the contents of small bottles she says will help her have a healthy pregnancy and birth.

Kitted up: Homeopath Janine Whitfield from Carlisle with 42 remedies for use during pregnancy and childbirth

The bottles contain homeopathic remedies and Janine has complete confidence that they will help her without the need for conventional medicine.

She has experienced the benefits of homeopathic remedies before, after using it to relieve the symptoms of IBS and a range of food intolerances and auto-immune problems and it was this experience that led her to become a qualified homeopath.

She said: “I didn’t want to be dependent on long term regular medication and be unable to eat certain foods.

“A friend suggested homeopathy and I went to a clinic. Within six months I got my energy back and was free of symptoms.

“I haven’t looked back since.”

Janine, who lives in Carlisle with her husband John, became fascinated with homeopathy and decided to find out more about what treatments she was being given.

Within a few months Janine, 35, had decided to enrol on a part-time homeopathic practitioner training course, graduating in July from the Lakes College of Homeopathy in Ambleside.

When Janine, who previously worked in publishing, became pregnant she felt it was the natural choice to continue to use homeopathy during her pregnancy and the birth.

“It makes sense for me to use homeopathic remedies,” she said. “I understand the way they work so I have no doubts about using them during the birth and before and afterwards.”

There are common ailments and complaints experienced throughout pregnancy, including nausea, low energy, swollen legs and high blood pressure, that can be relieved by homeopathic remedies.

Janine said: “When you are pregnant you are limited to what conventional medicine you can take. Homeopathic remedies have no side effects because they are a natural, gentle therapy and can boost the general wellbeing of the mother and baby.”

During her pregnancy Janine is following a tissue salt programme, a form of homeopathy to replenish any biochemic salt deficiencies in the mother, also said to benefit the unborn child.

The tissue salts are prepared in dilute form, are non toxic and safe to use during pregnancy.

The month by month programme can help circulation, reduce the chances of heartburn, help prevent swollen ankles and help prevent stretch marks.

One remedy used, Calc Fluorm, helps with bone development.

They also have post natal benefits, helping with speeding up the recovery, healing, problems during breastfeeding and post-natal depression.

They can also be used by babies and children to relieve teething, weaning problems and sleeping.

Janine also has a pregnancy kit containing 42 essential homeopathic remedies that she will need during pregnancy and childbirth.

As well as using homeopathic remedies, she also plans to give birth at home, in a specially hired birthing pool.

Stressful previous experiences in hospitals led Janine to opt for a home birth.

Research by the National Childbirth Trust has found that home birth is as safe as hospital birth for healthy women having a straightforward birth.

“My first instinct was that I wanted to give birth at home,” she said. “It is a familiar and relaxed environment and I love water so this should also help. It will help me to feel that I am in control.”

Janine is hiring an independent midwife for the birth who is also a homeopath.

She now wants to share her knowledge with other expectant mothers and is offering individual treatment plans and home remedy kits.

As a fully qualified homeopath (MLCHom) Janine undergoes continuous professional development, returning to the Lakes College four times a year for residential weekends, is a member of the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths and adheres to their code of ethics and practice.

Janine still visits a homeopath every month.

She said: “Homeopathy is known as a talking remedy. It is a holistic therapy so it treats the whole person. I tell her about my month and talk about what has been stressful.”

Working from her home clinic in St Aidan’s and the Stanwix Clinic in Carlisle, Janine’s clients include those who have found that no other medicine works for them, people who are reluctant to take too much medicine and want to take a holistic approach before other medicine, and people who want to use homeopathy alongside conventional medicine.

Homeopathic remedies don’t interfere with other medicine and it can be used for a whole range of conditions including digestive ailments, depression, as a support for the symptoms of HIV and AIDS and cancer, frozen shoulder, high blood pressure and stress related problems.

A limited range of low potency homeopathic remedies can by bought in chemists for minor illness or injury.

Janine said: “They are great for home use but if it is something serious you should go and see a practitioner to get treatment specific to your condition.

“If you take a remedy and it is not the right one then it will not harm you.”

Visit www.newpathhomeopathy.com for more information.

WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY?

HOMEOPATHY is an alternative system of medicine that was founded in the early 19th century by a German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.

It uses potentised remedies from the plant, mineral and animal worlds that are heavily diluted and come in the form of tinctures, drips and tablets.

‘Like cures like’ is a phrase often used about homeopathy. It works on the basis that a disease is cured by a medicine which creates symptoms similar to those the patient is experiencing in a healthy person.

So if you are cutting an onion and you experience symptoms of itchy eyes and a runny nose, then the homeopathic remedy would be something containing onion.

Homeopaths build up a big picture of the person looking at how the patient feels normally and about the symptoms, emotional angles and stress levels.

Treatment is tailored to the individual and there are thousands of remedies to choose from which help the whole person rather than just the symptoms of illness.

Homeopathy remedies can be used in circumstances where conventional medicine can’t be used, such as during pregnancy.