The Natural Medicine Guide for Travel and Home gives important information on how to use homeopathic and herbal medicines. It prepares you for all forms of travel, with facts and treatment for many conditions, as well as precautionary measures. It gives information on remedies for both simple and complex conditions, from injuries to jet lag, diarrhoea to dehydration, typhoid to bites, burns to poison ivy, miscarriage to appendicitis, diaper rash to shingles, and much more, including tropical diseases.
It is unique in that it gives a comprehensive coverage of both regular travel issues as well as more exotic and tropical health challenges when traveling. It gives a detailed breakdown of the risks of different types of travel and explores both conventional and alternative forms of prevention, looking at major travel vaccines used and their alternatives.
It is also an excellent overall introduction to homeopathy, suitable for students and the general public who want to have one book that covers nearly all health contingencies in daily life. It both educates and informs on how any person can embrace the benefits of homeopathy and herbal medicine in a precise and accessible way.
- Author: Richard Pitt
- ISBN: 9789490453084
- 282 pages
- Edition: First
- Paperback
- Published in 2013
- Printed in United States
Reprinted with the permission of The Homeopathic Links Journal. Reviewed by Francis Treuherz.
In most respects this is the widest ranging first aid guide for travel and home I have seen. Unique in this genre, there are short sections on 23 tropical and infectious diseases, and 5 tick-borne diseases.
As many readers will know, I have spent 2 or 3 days a week for the last 17 years on call on a telephone helpline dealing with distant patients with acute illness*, where I have gained much experience. This book goes right to the top of my list of suggested reading for patients. I do not know how Richard did it but he has crammed in 18 useful chapters, including well written introductions to homeopathy in the context of natural medicine, and being prepared for sudden ill-health at home and abroad. Only last month a young man, known to me since he was a toddler, consulted me. He needed a personal session to prepare him for gap year travel to tropical Asia; if only I had had this book for him.
Richard studied homeopathy in England well over 30 years ago - we were contemporaries as students. He moved to USA and played a great part in teaching, the regulation of homeopathy qualifications and editing a journal: The California Homeopath. Richard's experience as an international traveller and as a prescriber, particularly in Africa, shine through the book. His advice is concise and to the point. In addition to plain homeopathy there are references to herbs and naturopathy and the prevention of illness with common sense procedures. He also suggests combining remedies if, as a layperson, you cannot find the right remedy. He is realistic, especially if the patient is a long traveller, that if and when homeopathy is not appropriate or is not effective, that allopathic help should be sought.
I did find some lacunae. The first condition I looked for in the index is DVT; not mentioned there. DVT is briefly described in a section about travel but with no homeopathic therapeutics. Having survived embolisms after DVT, I am certain that homeopathy can help and this should be included. Today in The Guardian a whole page was devoted to problems with jellyfish on holiday; again not much in this book. I think Medusa as a homeopathic remedy and urine as a natural solution might be mentioned**. While expressing concern about the effects of X-rays on remedies he does not suggest lead film-protection bags. Finally the Society but not the Faculty is mentioned in the resources chapter.
This book is written in an easy and accessible style, always authoritative yet modest and realistic where homeopathy may or may not help. unlike some of the huge tomes sent to me for review I have read all of it. It deserves to be your favourite first aid and travel book to suggest for patients.
* The Helpline at www.homeopathyhelpline.com/articles-resources/
** Small remedies: the struggle to escape, The Homeopath, 1994
