I’m a mom who uses homeopathy to help my family recover from a range of everyday complaints. To know that I have multiple options in my Mom tool-kit for wellness is empowering. It’s even more empowering when I save myself a co-pay or save my child from a round of antibiotics by using homeopathy at the first signs of an illness. My friends and family have recently begun to notice my approach, and a few have started asking questions. In some cases, these loved ones have even adopted my approach and are beginning to see an improvement in their own health as a result of introducing homeopathy into their lives.

To be clear—I am not a homeopath. I am a mom who has gotten quite good at self-medicating myself and my family. However, if any of us is suffering from a chronic issue rather than a common illness, I would (and often do) consult a homeopath.

Interested in using homeopathy with your family? Here’s what you need to know.

When I introduce homeopathy to friends and colleagues who aren’t familiar with it, I’m usually asked: “How do I take a homeopathic medicine, and what is the dose? Is it the same as taking other kinds of medicine, for example, a cold and flu remedy or antibiotics?” My typical answer is that homeopathy is different from other kinds of medications or remedies, including antibiotics, so there are a few new rules to learn. However, once you’ve got them under your belt, you will see great results. Here are some key points based on my own experiences so that you may begin to understand the differences between homeopathy and other forms of medicine. I’ll use Boiron’s Oscillococcinum and your child having flu symptoms as an example.

Treating your child (ages 2 & up) with a conventional OTC medicine

1. Give your child the OTC medicine every 6 hours as prescribed on the box. You may also have to give your child a “nighttime” version of the same medicine if you wish him to get a good night’s rest.

2. Continue to give your child the medicine until all symptoms are completely relieved.

3. If the symptoms are not completely relieved (i.e., the child develops a cough or suspected ear infection), then perhaps a different kind of medicine or a trip to the doctor’s office is necessary.

Believe me, I’ve been through this particular pattern countless times with my two girls when they were younger (they’re now 10 and 8 ½). The difference now, since we’ve starting using homeopathy, is that they hardly ever get a secondary infection or need to go to the doctor for antibiotics. They are willing to take the homeopathic medicines I keep in the house and are learning for themselves which ones are right for them. (But that’s a whole different blog post!)

Treating your child (ages 2 & up) with Boiron’s Oscillococcinum

1. Pay attention to the symptoms your child relates to you. Ask him where he is feeling pain. Observe if he has the “sniffles.” I usually check if my daughter’s lymph nodes in her neck are swollen—that’s often a sign that her immune system is fighting something off. (Touch lightly where the jaw meets the neck, and you can usually feel if the lymph nodes are enlarged). The sooner you figure out what’s wrong, the sooner you can treat it with a homeopathic medicine, if appropriate, and the sooner the symptoms will be relieved!

2. As the first sign of these flu-like symptoms, give your child a dose of Oscillococcinum every 6 hours, up to 3 times a day. I make sure the last dose is at bedtime.

3. Continue to give your child Oscillococcinum until his symptoms are relieved.

Differences between Oscillo and a conventional OTC cold or flu medicine

If we’re talking about a simple cold or flu medication, one of the major differences is how you use the medicine. In this particular case, only one homeopathic medicine is required (Oscillococcinum), versus possibly two or more conventional or ‘allopathic’ medications.

One of the key points to learn about homeopathy is that the cure is the symptom in progress. This means that a homeopathic medicine works with the body to progress the balance back into wellness. Homeopathy jumpstarts the body to overcome an acute illness, such as a cold or flu. A conventional cold or flu medication can relieve the symptoms, but other than enabling you to rest due to symptom relief, it does not encourage the body to “throw off” the virus.

Homeopathy—A completely different way of thinking about health

As you can see from this post, homeopathy takes a very different and holistic approach to body wellness. I hope this article inspires you to learn more about homeopathy and to allow it into your family’s lives to help you and yours.

About Our Guest Blogger: Sarah Lawrence Hinson is a blogger and aspiring writer – now regularly contributing to her self-hosted blog “Mom On A Spiritual Journey.” She is married with two children and lives in Wichita, Kan. She writes about the practical applications of homeopathy, essential oils, personal development tools and the latest in energy work and energy psychology in a family setting. She is a practicing reflexologist, energy worker and mom on a spiritual journey!  You can join the conversation with her via Facebook on the Mom On A Spiritual Journey Facebook page or on Twitter @SarahsEnergy.