We are all born with unique DNA, or genetic programming so we all have different needs, tendencies and expressions. This means that a one-size-fits all medicine may not help our individual health problems.

Homeopathy is individualised medicine and in these cases I will show you how constitutional treatment can overcome challenging and persistent health problems. Once we can help a child to truly overcome their limitations will they be able to reach their full potential.

Beth was a robust and down to earth child. She found making friends easy and had an uncomplicated nature. She did, however suffer acute anxiety about going upstairs or being in bed on her own. She would imagine monsters under the bed. She was also very worried about her older sister starting secondary school, as she felt that she was too small to cope with the bus journey and the large new environment. This condition was starting to cause problems for her and her family so they tried homeopathy. Her constitutional remedy is Calc.Carb. a remedy prepared from the oyster shell. Shells represent protection from the outside world, helps people who feel most vulnerable to the 'big bad world', such as young children and older people. Issues such as moving house, losing money and going to a new environment as well as the dangers of contamination tend to be trigger anxiety or stubbornness in this constitutional type. Another example would be fragile elderly people resisting a move from their home, that is familiar to them, to sheltered accommodation.

Beth started to allay her fears so much so that within a month she had no anxiety about going to bed on her own and no longer worried about other members of her family.

To this day, Beth is now a confident child that can cope much easier with her changing environment.

Joe was pale, thin boy who was suffering from severe constipation, only going every 3-4 days. His mother was getting worn out, as he was very demanding and clingy, following her round the house calling 'mummy'. Although he could socialise nicely, he would revert to childish behavior and tantrums when he was not getting his own way. Contributing factors were that his mother had suffered stress and depression during and post-nataly, as she felt unsupported by her relatives. In these situations, there can be a transference of feelings from parent to child. In this case, I prescribed the remedy Gelsemium and it helps people who feel and believe that they are weak and helpless mentally and physically. They fear for the future in case something comes up that they can't cope with. When they feel compromised, they will either keep themselves to themselves for fear of disturbance, or cling to others.

A month after treatment I received the following email:

"Joe is quite a different boy since we saw you. He regularly used the potty and the toilet and takes no prescription medicines for constipation anymore. He is slightly better with his eating and his temperament is much better. He still has his defiant streak and will whack us if he is cross but the main breakthrough was the toilet issues. I just wanted to thank you for seeing him and for the remedy as it clearly did the trick!" Mrs B, Ashstead

Kate was a healthy 11 year old girl, who had had the odd bladder infection and tummy upset but no serious conditions. She was very intelligent and self-contained, but sometimes very shy and timid when meeting new people or situations. She had, however, the tendency to flare up in anger or be overly upset by other people on a regular basis, which spoilt an otherwise happy family life. On further questioning, the upset behaviour came about when she had 'lost face' in some way, or she felt she had been put down. For example, losing a family game of monopoly would put her in a rage. The homeopathic remedy that I prescribed was Aurum(Gold) because it helps people who need to feel valued. They are therefore very sensitive about situations that could shed a poor light on them. They take things personally when they are contradicted in some way, because they feel that what they stand (or their values) is who they are. This constitutional type would do badly after losing a job, money or friends.

After treatment, Kate calmed down dramatically within a week. Now she shows the positive aspects of her constitutional type which is that she is a high flyer and will always put 110% effort into activities that she feels she gives the greatest value.

George was a lively, yet overweight boy, who had an enormous appetite. He had been described as an 'aggressive feeder' at birth. Physical ailments included regular colds and sore fingers, lips and nose, which he constantly picked. There was also a question mark over his hearing tests. His parents were also concerned because he was complaining about school every day, partly because he felt that learning was boring so that he was getting behind on his reading and writing, and partly because he seemed to have a lot of problems with friendships.

The remedy I gave him was Ant. Crud. because it helps people who tend to feel emotionally insecure as if they are not getting what they need. This then makes them possessive and suspicious about whether others may take something away from them leading to 'taking as much as they can', just in case. Hyperactivity and attention deficit is associated with this state, as it can be triggered when babies are trying to make a connection with their mothers via the nipple and feel they are not succeeding.

After treatment, George initially physically discharged via a stomach bug, because his physical system felt 'overloaded'. His parents noticed that his appetite when down, so that he only ate when hungry. Most pleasingly, however, was that George was now positively enjoying school and concentrating sufficiently enough to substantially improve his skills. He also was not complaining about his friends, as he was no longer feeling issues around them.

Sebastian had always had an intolerance to diary, which was now cut out of his diet. Since last summer, however, he had developed asthmatic symptoms and regularly use an inhaler. He found indoor swimming very difficult as his chest felt very tight in the chlorine gas filled air. Allergies, excema and asthma are all due to toxic overload, so that the body because very intolerant to it's surroundings. In other words his body was unable to release the toxins in the body via the liver.

On further questioning it seemed that he had had a tough time settling into his new prep school the previous year. Because he was a very sensible and quiet child, the teacher had sat him next to a troublesome boy, who kept stealing his things. the teacher believed that Sebastian's good behaviour would 'rub off' on the boy with bad behaviour. Similarly, other boys were also verbally bullying him. In these situations Sebastian was suppressing his upset and resentment, as he was trying to be nice and sensible. It seemed very unfair to him that other people could act unreasonably when he was being so nice. His mother was concerned that him drawing depicted lots of scenes and monsters. It was obvious that he needed to express his internal conflicts. I spoke to him about connecting with how he feels about things in any situation and not put those feelings in the cupboard in order to let his mind run his life, as those feelings will not go away and turn to resentment if not listened to.

The remedy I gave him was Natrum Mur and it helps people who tend not to express and act through their feelings, and instead, choose to be objective and reasonable about everything. They then become more sensitive about what other people say or do to them that is unreasonable, as it's not their way. As a result they tend to dwell on past disagreements, which can eventually become toxic, because feelings, like a river, should flow and then be let go of. Since the body reflects the subconscious, it will also retain toxins in the same way the person retains and not release his feelings.

Within hours after the treatment, the mother emailed me to say that Sebastian commented on how 'light' his body felt, as if it wasn't there and did a drawing of a long line of people holding hands. A week later, he was coming out of school with a broad grin on his face - something his mother had not seen before. She also noticed how much better his complexion looked, no longer pale, but rosy. After one month the asthmatic symptoms were gone, as the body had discharged all the toxins, as he was no longer retaining his feelings.