First published: 04-04-2023
By Kirsty Richards
“Are homeopathic remedies safe to take during pregnancy?”
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked this question, I’d be a wealthy woman! And I don’t mean to be dismissive with this. I totally get it; pregnancy is a precious time and of course you don’t want to take risks with your precious baby.
In fact, it was this very same reason that led me to becoming a Homeopath in the first place - I wanted to find something that was safe to use during my pregnancy with my first child many years ago, and Homeopathy was that ‘something.’
The answer to the question is yes, Homeopathy is safe to use during pregnancy.
In my online forums I often see people saying there are certain remedies (such as Apis, Silica, Belladonna etc) that should be avoided in pregnancy. Let me assure you, this is simply NOT true!
Let’s dial it back a bit. Homeopathic remedies are made from hyper-diluted substances, in fact they are so diluted, there’s no physical element of the original substance remaining in the remedy. It is an energetic imprint of the original substance which has been diluted and succussed (shaken vigorously) a specific number of times to increase its potency.
Some herbal preparations are risky to take during pregnancy as they contain the raw material, which has a different impact on the body. Let’s take Belladonna as an example. Belladonna (or deadly nightshade), in its raw form would make someone very ill (if not kill them).
However, Homeopathic Belladonna is completely safe to take as it does not contain any of that dangerous, raw ingredient. This is why people on antidepressants cannot take St John’s Wort (hypericum) in its herbal form as it has contraindications with their medication, but they can take Homeopathic hypericum as it contains the energetic imprint only.
Another area people can get confused is when homeopathic remedies have specific uses in pregnancy - such as Pulsatilla for breech babies. Some may think they therefore can’t use Pulsatilla for any other ailment in case it makes their babies turn when they don’t want them to.
Again, this isn’t the case.
Homeopathy works with the body, not against it. The remedies act where needed and make ‘corrections’ only if something needs correcting.
Of course, during pregnancy as with any other time, my recommendation is always using the lowest potency needed to get relief, and don’t repeat a remedy longer than is necessary.
I don’t recommend self-prescribing nosodes and sarcodes during pregnancy (or at any time), or doing homeopathic detoxes, but if they’ve been prescribed by a qualified Homeopath, it’s fine.
For Acute situations during pregnancy, I recommend following my Acute guidelines:
Take a 30c potency once up to every four hours, for a maximum of four doses over a 12-hour period. Stop as soon as symptoms improve. If there is no improvement or changes after four doses, stop and try a different remedy.
I work with clients locally and worldwide and do Acute as well as Chronic consultations. If you need more help, feel free to book an appointment with me online. If you can’t find a time in your time zone to suit, please email me and I'll try to accommodate you where I can.
I hope this has helped put your mind at ease! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more info and sign up to my newsletter (via my website) for more tips and special offers.
Wishing you a safe, happy and healthy pregnancy - Kirsty xo
No part of this blog may be reproduced in whole or part, without the express written permission of the author and creator of this work - Kirsty Richards DipHomNZ
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