My last blog was all about my story with ASD but I think what you really want to know is how I can help your child. That's what I would want to know! Straight up, I don't believe ASD is something to be fixed or altered. I do believe it's a gift but gifts can come with all kinds of baggage and conditions. This is no different. It's the baggage I'm interested in shifting.
     My practice uses homeopathy and nutrition to support adults and children through a myriad of issues. You don't need a diagnosis to see me. I work on the big picture regardless of what diagnosis people come with. A diagnosis might help by leading  my questions, giving me an idea of what symptoms to ask about or even give me a little insight into what you're going through but it doesn't enter my prescribing. I prescribe on the person, on the bigger picture and the presenting symptoms. 
     For ASD it works like this. I know ASD kids may have sensory issues, anxiety, stimming, difficulty communicating and making eye contact. They may feel better for having a heavy weight on them, they might prefer certain foods or textures. Sometimes they are fixated on certain things. Most likely there is gut issues. But because every single ASD child or adult presents so differently (just like neurotypical people) I treat them like an individual and look for the patterns indicating certain remedies. 
     The aim is to make life easier, calmer and improve quality of life. Isn't that what we all want? 
           
​             In short, I treat clients with ASD exactly the same as all my others- as individuals! 

Lets look at the most common questions I get asked! 
Q. Can homeopathy cure ASD? 

• No. This is not a condition that requires a 'cure' nor are they curable.

Q. Can homeopathy help my ASD child? 

• Homeopathy is used traditionally to treat the whole person. Those with ASD are absolutely no different. Remedies prescribed take into account fears, anxiety, sensations, food desires and a whole host of things you can tell me about your child.  For example, if your ASD child is especially fearful or anxious homeopathy has many remedies that are traditionally used for these things. 

Q. How soon before I can see results? 

• Some things take time to shift but you may notice some changes very quickly. We're all different and respond differently to different remedies. 

Q. Will homeopathy get my child talking, walking etc? 

• Honestly, I don't know. These are very, very big ticket items. I just don't know.  

Q. Can homeopathy help with heavy metals?  

• We can do a hair test to identify which metals are an issue.  We certainly have remedies traditionally used in homeopathy for the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity. 

Q. Do I need to test? 

• I usually recommend we do some testing if possible. Some base levels are really useful and it's very useful to see if children have any genetic variations that might alter the way they absorb certain nutrients. Some children can't be tested (sensory issues etc) and that makes no difference to homeopathic treatment. 

Q. Can you detox substances from my child?

• If we can pinpoint a time that you saw profound changes in your child we can look at traditionally used homeopathics to address the particular symptoms you are seeing taking into account what was happening at the time. 

This blog is probably a little less warm and fuzzy than my normal stuff. I'm still warm and fuzzy (promise) but this demanded a different tone. 
Know that I am here, ready to work with you and your family when the time is right. It would be an honour and a privileged to be part of the team you choose to support your child. 

With love in my heart and a mind wide open I wish you peace. 

The all elusive good night's sleep! It's not a one trick wonder but often something we need to work at. Sleep hygeine is such a weird term but basically like a clean house it's a constant effort. You can't clean it once and it stays that way (at least not in my house). It is, however, essential to sleep initiation aka getting to sleep!

How to clean it up! 

• Go to bed when you are sleepy. Pushing past sleepiness kicks your body into thinking you wan to stay awake so it throws out the cortisol (one of our stress hormones) to ensure that happens!
• Cut out tea/coffee/caffeinated drinks after 12pm. This may seem obvious but how many of us resort to an afternoon cuppa to get through the afternoon slump?
• Turn off the screens at least 30min before bed or at the very least put a blue light filter on. We’re very basic creatures. Our bodies respond to daylight by waking up.  The blue light emitted from our screens mimics daylight. Put a filter on it!
• Wake up at the same time everyday! Research shows that it’s not just the time we go to bed that is important but when we wake up to ensure we finish our last 90min sleep cycle. Waking before the last sleep cycle has finished can leave us feeling even more exhausted. Check out https://sleepcalculator.com/ to see when to get to bed! 
• Bed is for sleeping and sex not necessarily in that order! Ban the screens and get some snooze! 
• Bedtime routine is an oldie but a goody. It still applies. What's your bedtime routine? A little like Pavlov's dogs if we keep it consistent our body will start to get sleepy just starting the nightly routine- cup of chamomile, warm shower, teeth and zzzzzz.....
• Exercise is too often ignored in the sleep equation but if we exercise we wear out our body and mind so sleep comes more easily. If we exercise outdoors even better as we're getting plenty of daylight so darkness leads to zzzzz....
• Before bed eat lots of tryptophan rich foods. This makes sure we have enough serotonin to help us relax and also to make melatonin which helps us sleep. Chicken, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, pumpkin, fish and seasame seeds are all loaded with typtophan goodness! 
• Eat a light meal in the evening. This means your body isn’t desperately trying to digest fatty or rich foods as well as get to sleep. You might find your liver getting jiggy with it about 3am trying to sort out all the fatty goodness or sugary fun you had before bed. All you’ll know is that you’re awake while the liver works overtime. 
• Skip the alcohol. Anyone else get ‘the red wines’? It’s waking at about 3am after a glass or 3 of alcohol. This is your liver getting extra active trying to process the alcohol. It also results in a much lighter, more disturbed sleep.

I wouldn't be doing my job is I didn't mention at least one homeopathic!
For trouble getting to sleep Coffea has been traditionally used. If you think of the buzz coffee gives you this is the kind of sleepless you are. More used for sleep initiation than waking in the middle of the night it is the constant thoughts of the day turning round, the slightly energised feel that something else needs to be done, an inability to settle...coffee is a social drug after all! 

So much to be done but remember that even with all these things in place there may be other reasons why sleep is still elusive. Hormones, thyroid, stress, anxiety and/or depression can all cause sleep disturbance amongst other things so please get it checked out!

Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist. 
Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation.
Information is generally in nature and nothing said on this website is intended as a diagnosis and should not be taken as such.
Always seek medical advice in emergencies.
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This has got to be the number one thing that pops up in the clinic regardless of what they come in for. I rarely get someone say 'I sleep really well! Solid 8hrs every night- wake feeling great!'. It's an elusive dream for most. I can't give you a miracle cure but I can share a tip that I recently came across. Gelatin. Hang in there! Let me explain.
​Gelatin contains lots of amino acids that make up proteins. Some our bodies can make, some it can't. Glycine is made by our bodies but that doesn't mean we can't give it a boost when times are tough. Amongst a host of uses, glycine increases seratonin which is one of those lovely hormones that regulates sleep and mood.  

Like all the whacky stuff I suggest to clients, I trial it on myself. Some works, some...let's just say I don't pass on everything I try! But so far this one is a keeper! Not only is it relatively cheap and  ridiculously easy, there are a host of other reasons to eat gelatin. It's great for the gut! It soothes inflammation and seals the gut. It's a great source of protein and all those amino acids can go toward repairing muscle, tendon, ligament and cartilage damage. There's research to show it helps build lean muscle and supports the liver. You can't loose! 

Here's the detail.  The research uses 3g of glycine which is roughly 15g of gelatin. Try and source an organic, grass fed gelatin to avoid anything extra that may leach out of the bones or cartilage during the making of the gelatin. 

The down side is...it's rather a lot of gelatin you need to consume before bed. About one hour before bed stir about 1.5-2 tablespoons of gelatin into hot tea. That gives you approximately the 3g of glycine you need. A nice sleepy time or chamomile tea is lovely. It does have a slight earthy flavour be warned! And don't let it go cold or you'll be eating sleepy jelly. 

Other than that....Eat, drink, sleep...Good night! 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02181.x
https://aminoacidsguide.com/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x
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