Festival fun

It is that festival time again. I am off to Glastonbury on Monday and will be working with the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective. Our enormous tent is just on the right hand side as you enter the Healing Field. So pop in for a chat if you're passing or are in need of some treatment.

http://www.thc.org.uk

While I'm away if you need some advice or remedies in the Settle area please call my colleague Samantha Glossop 07877 138210

Or you can call the Homeopathy Helpline for advice on 0906 534 3404. A qualified homeopath is available between 9am and midnight every day. Calls cost approx £1.50 a minute but if you are clear on what symptoms you want help with the calls will not last long.

http://www.homeopathyhelpline.com/

Homeopathy Awareness Week 14th-21st June

This year the focus of Homeopathy Awareness Week is on hay fever and advice will be available for those looking for an alternative to conventional medication. During this time homeopaths around the country will be handing out information and answering questions about homeopathy in many pharmacies, health shops and other locations.

Many people suffer with hay fever all summer and either don?t want to take anti-histamines over such a long period, or struggle with side effects. There are a number of research trials into the use of homeopathic remedies which have shown significant improvement in hay fever symptoms.

Each year I work at one or two festivals for the Travelling Homeopaths Collective who provide homeopathic first aid clinics for festival goers. About 60% of the people who come to us have problems with hay fever so I have seen first hand how effective homeopathic treatment can be for this problem.

Listed below are some common remedies for hay fever. Homeopathy treats the individual so you need to consider whether any of these remedies sound relevant for you. They should be readily available in your local chemist or health food shop.

Euphrasia this is a fantastic remedy made from the plant Eyebright where eye symptoms are the most distressing. Itching, burning and puffy eyes with watery nasal discharge. Eyes feel much worse in sunlight and windy weather. Feels worse indoors.

Allium Cepa this is a remedy made from onion. In homeopathy like cures like so if you think about how you feel if you chop up a strong onion you can see how this could be useful for hay fever. There is a streaming, watery discharge from eyes and nose, the nasal discharge may be burning, may also be sneezing ? better in open air, much worse indoors.

Arsenicum burning, watery, discharge from eyes and nose, feels chilly, thirsty but may want hot water or frequent sips of cold water, often there is also some anxiety or restlessness.

Nux Vomica lots of sneezing, streaming eyes and nose, itching in ears, very grumpy and irritable, general over sensitivity to light, smells and noise.

If you would like to have a chat in person I will be in the Gateway to Health Clinic in Settle on Monday 15th and Friday 19th June. There will be free, home made cake!

I will also be in the shop at Growing with Grace in Clapham on Thursday 18th and Saturday 20th and will be around on Saturday 13th June at their Summer Open Day.

I have started to produce a quarterly newsletter with short articles on homeopathy and related topics. If you would like to receive a copy please call or email me.

Northern Green Gathering 2008

Earlier this month I went to the Northern Green Gathering which was held at Lime Tree farm near Ripon. I was working with the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective to provide a clinic at the festival.

Northern Green Gathering is an annual camping event focused around sustainable living and green campaigns which has been running since 1998. The camp was powered entirely by sustainable means - wind turbines and solar panels - and the aim was to ensure minimal impact. The site also has composting toilets, recycling was encouraged, and all on-site food was organic and vegetarian.

The weather was not kind to us with a fair bit of rain and very strong winds but a good time was had by all. There was loads of stuff for kids to do, a big craft area as well as a permaculture and gardening area and a large campaigns tent where there was information and literature on environmental and other issues.

Our clinic was based in the healing field where there were lots of free classes and workshops including yoga, tai chi, meditation, Tibetan chanting and even how to make softpots (plant pots made out of old tights!)

Lime Tree Farm is a beautiful location and a fine example of conservation in action. The farm has wonderful roundhouse, tepee, lake and a stone circle, a bird hide and woods.

http://www.nggonline.org.uk

http://www.limetreefarm.co.uk/

Glastonbury 2008

I had a great time at Glastonbury and it was wonderful to have some good weather for a change!

I worked as a volunteer with the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective who provide drop-in clinics at various festivals over the summer. Working in the clinic was often a very busy, but rewarding, experience. Many people popped back in to see us to let us know they were feeling better after their remedies so it was nice to have some instant feedback.

We helped with a variety of conditions including dodgy tummies, cystitis, hangovers, coughs and colds, sunburn and skin rashs. By far the most common problem we treated was hayfever. Most people who came to us were taking medication which usually kept their symptoms under control. Spending a few days in a dusty, festival site with lots of unfamiliar pollen and their symptoms came on with a vengeance.

There are several published research papers which show that homeopathic treatment is effective for hayfever. Hayfever is an excellent example of the individual nature of homeopathy. A remedy is chosen based on the symptoms so we need to know what is causing the person the most trouble, is it constant sneezing, itchy and runny eyes, burning nasal discharge, hoarseness or anything else.

Three of the most commonly used remedies for hayfever are

Allium Cepa Burning nasal discharge causing sore nostrils and upper lip, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing

Euphrasia Eyes severely affected with profuse burning and watering, burning and swelling of eyelids, sneezing, nasal discharge which does not burn

Wyethia Particularly good for symptoms confined to the back of nose and throat; dry and intensely itchy; dry wheezy cough

Some of these homeopathic remedies are available over the counter and can be helpful when symptoms appear. However, hayfever is a deep-seated condition, and constitutional treatment from a qualified homeopath over two or three seasons may be able to cure the condition completely. I recommend starting treatment before the hayfever season in order to strengthen general health and reduce sensitivity to pollens.

I thoroughly enjoyed my festival experience, and am looking forward to doing another clinic with the Travelling Homoeopaths at the Northern Green Gathering near Ripon in August.

Travelling Homoeopaths Collective http://www.thc.org.uk/
Northern Green Gathering http://www.nggonline.org.uk

Festival news

Unfortunately the Settle festival has not been granted a license for 2008 but we will try again for next year.

In the meantime the festival team will be organising some events in the area: the first of these is to run the licensed bar and a promotional stand at The World Mountain Running Race on 26th April. The race takes place over 24 miles of the most rugged and spectacular countryside in the Yorkshire Dales National Park over the mountains of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside.

http://www.threepeaksrace.org

I will still get my 'festival fix' as I'll be working at Glastonbury festival with the Travelling Homeopaths Collective at the end of June

http://www.thc.org.uk
http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

At the festivals

Festivals is not something you might expect to find on a homeopathic website but they have played a big part in my life for many years.

I have been a regular visitor to Glastonbury since 1986 and for the last 10 years have been involved in recycling at the festival.

I am helping to organise the Settle Festival which will take place on August 31^st, September 1^st and 2^nd 2008. My main task is to co-ordinate local therapists and practitioners who wish to take part. There will be a healing area and we also hope to provide free classes during the day suitable for all ages in yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and anything else that people care to offer.

If you would like to get involved in the festival please contact Mark Dale mark@settlefestival.co.uk, if you would like to help out in the healing area contact me.

I am delighted that the Travelling Homoeopaths Collective have agreed to come along to the Settle Festival and I will be helping to organise things at this end for them. The Collective was set up in 1990 to provide a mobile clinic to offer treatment to people at fairs, festivals and other outdoor occasions. They see thousands of people every year at many festivals including Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, and The Big Green Gathering.

The majority of people seek help for acute conditions such as hayfever, sunburn, hangovers, digestive upsets, coughs and colds. Advice and support is also available for people who have chronic or more long-term disorders or diseases.

All practitioners work on a voluntary basis and the Collective is a non-profit making organisation. If you are a qualified homeopath or a student and would like to get involved in the Settle Festival contact Marcus at THC. marcus@thc.org.uk

http://www.settlefestival.co.uk

http://www.thc.org.uk/