- Introduction
- Irene Hess-Oates: You think you are eating well
- Shashi Reddy: Homeopathy awareness week
- Homeopathy quick facts
- Celebrity use of Homeopathy
- Stewart France in Canada
- Testimonial for Candessa
- Remedy Spotlight
- History of Homeopathy
Welcome to the May edition of the Stewart France newsletter. In this newsletter we have articles on eating well and pregnancy and homeopathy from our experts; we have a homeopathic history snapshot for you and spotlight a remedy- Syzygium jambolanum; we have an inspiring testimonial for Candessa and news of our expansion into Canada.
You think you are eating well
Did you know that what you eat will soon become a constituent of your blood and a very important part of your body that will nourish or pollute your body, mind and sole?
Too many Australians believe that they are eating well, when this is definitely not so - 70% of Australian children are either overweight or obese. Diabetes has risen to alarming proportions where a conservative estimate is that there are at least two million diabetics in Australia. An article in the Sunday Telegraph July 9th 2006, titled Toddlers hit by diabetes - new fears about junk food created alarming news. Whilst news headlines are proud to exhibit such frightening facts, what is really being done about the fast decline in the physical and mental health of people in this country?
One's most important asset to good health originates in the stomach and intestinal tract. In today's society we are not taught to think of food this way, because foodless foods and chemical flavouring agents are masquerading in the place of what used to be a nutritious meal. I often ponder as to what really did come first - a toxic gut - or the mental emotional aspect that reduces one's digestive capacity and creates gut toxicity. Healthier eating to suit individual needs, in conjunction with specific homoeopathic medicine, can switch on the bodies healing doctor mechanisms and relieve the symptoms of digestive discomfort and many other health issues.
Diabetes doesn't wait for you to get old it is catching up with our younger generation all too fast. What are you doing about this situation?
It seems that people will continue to eat high carbohydrate and low nutrient food so long as it is made available to them. High tech TV, radio and billboard advertising have you coming back for more of the same low nutrient foods, and many cookbooks sadly misrepresent the hypothesis of what constitutes a balanced and nutritious meal. Those who promote refined white starch, cook with endless amounts of sugar, then tell you to boil the vegetables and tip the vegetable water (all the goodness that is) down the sink, are giving poor nutritional advice and are not educating you about good nutrition.
Intestinal bloating, burping, flatulence, constipation or diarrhoea are signs of poor digestion that can be directly associated with what you eat.
As practitioners we deal with this situation all too frequently, knowing that what people are eating (and not digesting) is polluting their body and causing ill health. Fifty percent of all the pollution in the body comes from what you don't digest. To compound this there are approximately 80,000 food chemicals and artificial food flavour enhancers that are added to our food chain today that greatly increases free radical toxins in the body. Add a few dozen or so of these to what you thought was an easy meal and you can see how simple it is to self pollute one's body. Emotional and/or physical stress can switch off one's digestive ability by 30% to 50% - which drastically reduces one's chances of digesting a meal. High starch and refined grains add further insult to the gut and can take up to five times more insulin for digestion, than fresh fruit. Eating in a hurry or swallowing your food in the absence of chewing properly can be the last straw for your digestive organs (the stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder) that become overworked and underpaid of nutrients to fulfil their important digestive role.
In fact, I often feel that the body is an absolutely marvelous machine to keep upright and functioning at all with the amount of foodless foods that many people regularly eat!
When the bowel becomes irritable and signs of burping, belching, flatulence, diarrhoea or constipation become evident, 'irritable bowel' takes on a new syndrome and medical meaning. "Go back to basics", I always say and treat the aetiology or cause of the problem at hand. Eating foods that are easier to digest and don't cause you bloating, flatulence, burping, diarrhoea, constipation or tiredness soon after eating is a simple and easy rule to follow. Take sufficient time out to eat a balanced meal by Nutrition and You standards that is. Eat slowly, or not at all is also part of the golden rule to good digestion (and other success).
After 15 years as a health practitioner and 20 years of nursing before that, I self published a book on improving one's general health with genuinely healthy meals (plus other ideas). My Nutrition and You book A WAKE UP CALL is written from the perspective of a nurse, mother, athlete and devoted health practitioner. All of my recipes are designed to taste good and give you the right balance of fresh fruit and vegetables, protein, carbohydrates and the very important, good oils. A variety of culinary herbs are used for their wonderful medicinal benefits and to add magical flavour to home cooked food. I have perfected many short cuts in the kitchen, but not at the expense of good nutrition - quite the opposite in fact.
For more information on Irene Hess-Oates please read her bio here...
Also available from Irene's site is her exciting and inspiring book "A Wakeup Call". An easy to read and comprehensive guide to improving your general health - and keeping it that way. This book caters to the needs of people who are gluten and/or dairy intolerant or suffer from irritable bowel problems. For more information and to place an order go to this page on her site.
Homeopathy awareness week
Homeopaths, around the world, work together to promote homeopathy, especially during the World Homeopathy Awareness Week, which runs from 28 March to 4 April. The topic of focus this year is "Womens' Health".
Pregnancy is a time when the body undergoes a lot of changes - physical, hormonal, mental and emotional. This is also a time when discomforting symptoms are experienced. Avoiding any form of medication, especially during the first three months, is advisable, due to the potential for damage to the baby.
Homeopathy, being safe, non-toxic and effective, can help women deal with their mental, emotional and physical problems greatly during pregnancy. It is safe for pregnant women to take homeopathic remedies prescribed by a registered practitioner.
Morning sickness, in pregnancy, is a very common complaint, especially in first time mothers. Eating a slice of toast(without any spread) or some other dry food while still in bed, is said to alleviate the symptoms. Inclusion of ginger in the diet is also said to be of help. Well selected homeopathic remedies, based on the homeopathic principles, like Nux vomica, Ipecac, Pulsatilla, Sepia, Symphoricarpus can be of great help.
Back pain in late pregnancy is another complaint where remedies like Kali carb, Belladonna, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox, can be helpful. Breeched position of the baby, false labour pains, post natal depression, sore breasts, mastitis, emotional disturbances(fear, apprehension, anger, extreme joy resulting in insomnia) are a few of the other conditions where homeopathy can be of immense help.
For information on homeopathy, or events during WHAW, visit the Australian Homoeopathic Association website http://www.homeopathyoz.org
For more information on Shashi Reddy please read her bio here...
Quick facts on worldwide trends in homeopathy today.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that homeopathy is the second most widely used medical modality for primary health care worldwide. Allopathic medicine is a distant fourth.
- In a recent U.S. survey, 84 percent of the individuals who used a homeopathic medicine stated they would buy it again.
- Sixty-nine percent of U.S. chain pharmacies and more than 3,000 independents stock homeopathic drugs.
- Thirty-six percent of the French population use homeopathic medicine.
- Thirty-three percent of French physicians consider homeopathy to be effective and use it in their practices.
- Twenty-one of the 24 Colleges of Pharmacy in France teach homeopathy, and homeopathic doctor visits are reimbursed by the national health plan.
- Forty-two percent of British physicians refer patients to homeopathic practitioners.
- Twenty-five percent of Germany's natural health practitioners use homeopathy.
- In Canada, 70 percent of homeopathic sales are through pharmacies.
- India has more than 100 medical schools providing rigorous training for physicians in homeopathic medicine. An estimated 100,000 homeopathic medical doctors are practicing in India.
- Homeopathy has a strong presence in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, including schools and advanced training available to physicians.
- The popularity of homeopathy is rising in Sweden and the Netherlands.
- More than two and a half million Americans use homeopathy.
Homeopathy is becoming increasingly popular amongst a growing number of celebrities and sports men and women. It was recently reported that the following personalities have found significant benefit from using a wide range of complementary and alternative medicines.
| Queen Elizabeth II | Tony Blair | Pamela Anderson | Cher | Cindy Crawford |
| Martina Navratilova | Olivia Newton-John | Nadia Sawalha | Boris Becker | Jane Fonda |
| Whoopi Goldberg | Peter Hain | Jerry Hall | Tina Turner | Catherine Zeta-Jones |
Stewart France in Canada
In February this year we sent our first shipment of products to Canada and formally launched our products at the CHFA Trade Show in Vancouver in April. The response from retailers was overwhelming and we’ve secured a number of key accounts. The next opportunity to bring our products to the Canadian market will be the CHFA Trade Show in Toronto in September.
... for Candessa
Bob Robbins, Telluride, CO
Approximately a year ago I began having a terrible problem with chronic yeast infections due to taking massive doses of antibiotics for complications of advanced prostate cancer and bladder radiation. After numerous months of experiencing the incredibly uncomfortable symptoms of these yeast infections a friend introduced me to Candessa by Stewart France. I immediately began to find relief. Because it worked so well at knocking out my continuous infections, I began taking it preventatively each day and have not experienced another yeast infection. For me, Candessa has been a lifesaver and has greatly increased my quality of life.
Syzigium Jambolanum
Jambul or Jamun or Jamblang (Syzgium cumini) is an evergreen tropical tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae, native to India, Pakistan and Indonesia. It is also grown in other areas of southern Asia including Myanmar and Afghanistan. The tree was also introduced to Florida, USA in 1911 by the USDA, and is also now commonly planted in Suriname. In Brazil, where it was introduced from India during Portuguese colonization, it has dispersed spontaneously in the wild in some places, as its fruits are eagerly sought by various native birds such as thrushes, tanagers and the Great Kiskadee. The various names for this fruit are (in Java) plum, jambul, jamun, jaman, black plum, faux pistachier, Indian blackberry, jambol, doowet, jambolan, jambolao, nava pazham (Tamil) and pring (Khmer). Scientific synonyms include Syzygium jambolanum, Eugenia cumini and Eugenia jambolana.
A fairly fast growing species, it can reach heights of up to 30 m and can live more than 100 years. Its dense foliage provides shade and is grown just for its ornamental value. The wood is strong and is water resistant. Because of this it is used in railway sleepers and to install motors in wells. It is sometimes used to make cheap furniture and village dwellings though it is relatively hard to work on.
The Jamun tree starts flowering in March-April. The fragrant flowers of Jamun are small, nearly 5 mm in diameter. This is followed by the fruit which appears in May-June and resembles a large berry. The berry is oblong, ovoid, green when just appearing, pink when attaining near maturity and shining crimson black when fully ripe. Another variety comes in white and is said to have medicinal properties. Jamun fruit is a mixture of sweet, slightly sub acid and astringent flavour that stands out even after eaten since it turns the tongue into purple color. The fruit is universally accepted to be very good for medicinal purposes, especially diabetics. The seed is also used in various alternative healing systems like Ayurveda, Unani and Chinese medicine for digestive ailments. The leaves and bark are used for controlling blood pressure and gingivitis. Wine and vinegar are also made from the fruit.
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Syzygium |
| Species: | S. cumini |
| Binomial name |
| Syzygium cumini |
| (L.) Skeels |
homeopathic uses
The homeopathic remedy is made from the seeds of the tree (see photo). It is used as a remedy for treating high blood sugar levels and it has a remarkable ability to decrease the amount of sugar in the urine. Homeopathic medical doctors are able to use it for treating diabetes.
Homoeopathy is a gentle form of medicine which was known to the Ancient Greeks. Its name is derived from the Greek homoios, meaning 'like' and pathos, meaning 'suffering'. Essentially it is treating like with like.
It was the great Hippocrates who first taught that there were two ways of treating a patient: either one could cure by 'contraries' which means using a medicine which is the opposite of the problem such as an anti-biotic or by 'similarities'. This means that a substance which has the ability to produce the same symptoms as those being experienced by the ill person can be used in very minute doses to make a medicine to stimulate the person to overcome their symptoms. This is how homoeopathy works - treating like with like.
In both cases he believed that the physician was merely creating the right conditions for the inner healing power, Vis Medicatrix Natorae to bring about a cure.
Several hundred years later in sixteenth century Europe, Paracelus threw off the shackles of medical dogmatism and again taught the merits of treating like with like, however it wasn't until the eighteenth century that the basic principles became formalised into a true system of medicine.
