I have so many personal testimonials of how homeopathy has helped my family.
My youngest daughter’s success with homeopathy for debilitating monthly pain is one of them! Her time of the month was extremely painful because of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally grows inside the uterus, grows outside the uterus.
My daughter did not have normal period cramps. I remember one time, a couple of years ago, when we were out shopping, she collapsed on the floor in a shoe store, writhing in pain. I had to help her to the car supporting her weight as best as I could. The pain was often so bad that it would cause her to vomit. None of the over-the-counter medications touched it. We knew that conventional medicine had very little to offer her. What they did have, hormones and surgery, came with the potential for serious side-effects. I did my best to help her with herbal teas, essential oils, and warm compresses. Nothing really helped bring her relief.
Then I learned about homeopathy!
Several years ago I was introduced to homeopathy through Joette Calabrese. Joette teaches free information about homeopathy in her blogs and podcasts. She also offers beginner homeopathy classes and more advanced homeopathy courses for mothers, grandmothers, and other home-prescribers. I joined a guided study group and went through the Gateway to Homeopathy Study Group Curriculum. I learned the basic principles of homeopathy and how to use homeopathy to treat my family’s minor acute health issues: things like first aid, colds, flu, headaches, sore throat, and seasonal allergies.
Endometriosis is not a minor acute issue. It is considered a chronic issue because it is on-going. The study of Classical Homeopathy for chronic illness is very deep, extensive, and it takes much time and experience to become skilled enough to treat chronic issues.
Classical Homeopathy
Classical Homeopathy was developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). He identified certain healing principles and systematized his findings into a branch of medicine he called Homeopathy. The basic principles that Hahnemann established are as follows:
- The principle of Individualization- This means that there is no one specific medicine for any disease, but instead the medicine is chosen according to the specific symptoms of the individual case.
- The principle of Similia- This is commonly referred to as “Like Cures Like.” It means that the same set of symptoms that would be caused by a substance in its crude form will be cured by the substance in its properly diluted homeopathic form.
- The principle of Simplex- Hahnemann taught that one single remedy should be chosen that best matches the entire symptom picture of the individual.
- The Law of Minimum- This means that a single dose is given and allowed to act. The patient is observed for his/her response. The remedy is not given again unless clearly needed.
It is generally agreed in Classical Homeopathy that with a little self-education and some resource guides, home-prescribers can learn to follow the above stated principles to treat minor acute health conditions. My story of how I chose Belladonna for my grandson’s fever would be a good example of this. You can read about it in my post titled, “Fevers: Be Prepared and Not Scared.” I treated him “Classically,” which means I observed the symptom picture and chose the remedy that most closely matched the symptom picture. In Classical Homeopathy it is usually recommended that chronic health issues should only be treated by a skilled professional homeopath.
Joette’s philosophy is different. Joette teaches the basics of Classical Homeopathy, because these principles are the foundation of all homeopathic prescribing. However, since Hahnemann’s day his many followers have built on his findings. Today there are many excellent and valuable systems of practicing homeopathy that have been developed by master homeopaths. These master homeopaths have identified patterns through clinical practice. These patterns allow the formulation of homeopathic protocols.
A “homeopathic protocol” is a recommendation of homeopathic medicines (including potency and frequency) specific to a condition. Protocols are developed based on clinical evidence, and experience over time, by experts with a long history of practice.
Most Classically trained homeopaths use protocols to some extent. Common protocols used in Classical homeopathy are:
- Arnica- for pain and bruising
- Chamomillla- for teething
- Aconite- for shock
- Ruta- for strained ligaments
- etc.
In addition to the basics of Classical Homeopathy, Joette Calabrese teaches many tried and true practical protocols. Her mission is to teach mothers and others how to treat their own families with homeopathy. Joette spent several weeks each year, for many years, studying in India under Dr. Prasanta and Dr. Pratip Banerji of the Banerji Research Foundation in Kolkata. The Banerji clinic is the busiest health clinic in the world, treating over 7,000 patients a week. They are medical doctors, who are also Classically trained homeopaths. They have over 150 years of cumulative experience. Their patients come from all over the world to be treated for every health condition known to man. Patients of the Banerji Clinic come from every walk of life, including high government officials and poor village dwellers.
The Banerji Protocols
Sadly, Dr. Prasanta Banerji passed away in May of 2018 and Dr. Pratip Banerji passed away in January of 2021. They devoted their lives to the relief of human suffering and leave a very distinguished legacy. Their enormous volume of patients and experience enabled them to observe patterns of healing and develop homeopathic protocols. The Banerji Protocols are the result of tens of thousands of documented clinical studies. Through their many years of clinical practice they discovered that certain protocols are successful for treating 80% of the population. They also developed many secondary and tertiary protocols that are often helpful for the remaining 20%. Because of their important work, they have received great public acknowledgments for their achievements, including a postage stamp designed in their honor by the government of India. They have been invited to present their methods at The National Institute of Health, the Anderson Cancer Institute, the Roswell Cancer Institute, Columbia University, University of San Diego, St. Luke’s Hospital, as well as many other medical research institutes around the world.
What I find extremely admirable about the Drs. Banerji, is that in a world where medicine is based on patents and profits, they gave their knowledge and discoveries away for little or no cost. In their clinic patients are not turned away. Many of their patients are seen for free. As far as I know, none of their protocols are patented. Their cures for diseases, such as cancer, are available to the public in their book and on their website. Their mission was to teach their protocols to medical doctors and they heartily endorsed the mission of Joette Calabrese to teach their protocols to families.
After learning about the Banerji Protocols in the Gateway to Homeopathy curriculum, I purchased the Banerji Protocol book. I was fascinated to read it and find protocols for many health issues, including Endometriosis! Having learned the guidelines for using the Banerji Protocols from Gateway to Homeopathy, we decided to give the Endometriosis Protocol a try.
Please note, that it is not wise to use any homeopathic protocol without a basic understanding of homeopathic principles. It is also important to note that the Banerji protocols were designed with specific guidelines as well. If you don’t understand these guidelines you may cause trouble, so careful prudence should be exercised.
We were amazed at the results. We saw incredible improvement after just a few months of my daughter using the Banerji Protocol. Her monthly discomfort is now in the range of normal and she can actually function during her monthly period! No kidding! She has even been able to teach her Zumba classes, which she never could have done before the homeopathic protocol. She is a living testimonial to the effectiveness of homeopathy and the Banerji Protocols!
Joette Calabrese’s Gateway to Homeopathy courses are an excellent way to learn about the Banerji Protocols and how to use homeopathy! I hope you will consider learning about homeopathy and how it can help your family! I lead several Gateway to Homeopathy guided study groups throughout the year. Contact me for more information on how you can join!
I recently had the honor and privilege of sharing my homeopathy story on the Mom’s With Moxie Podcast. The interview is Podcast 109 – Symptoms as a Gift and a Guide. You can listen to the interview here.
