143: Empowering Health Agency with Homeopathy for Kids: An Overview and Inspiration with Joette Calabrese

I dabbled in homeopathy for years before taking a proper course and trying it out more seriously, and I wish I hadn’t waited! Simple, safe, and effective, practical homeopathy is a tool that truly every family needs in their toolbox to raise healthy, independent adults. If you’re a dabbler or curious, here’s my list of the basic homeopathic remedies everyone should have on hand.

I’m honored to host the foremost homeopathic expert in North America (in my opinion) Joette Calabrese, to talk us through the joy of learning to use homeopathy in our families.

Her story made my hair raise on end at first and my heart bloom with joy at the end, and I know you’ll be inspired by this one. We talk about:

• Her inspiring story of the first time she tried homeopathy, and how often she wasn’t able to find a solution for her own 3 children
• How homeopathy works (and why it’s drastically different than pharmaceuticals)
• The difference between practical and classical homeopathy
• Why all moms need to build this skill (and what to do when you feel like you failed)
• How we know homeopathics are safe, with some great comparisons and one modifying term
• Where to look to find the right remedy for just about everything your kids might complain about in their physical health
• The difference between using practical homeopathy to treat immediate health issues (acute, like fever, growing pains, ear infection, cough, etc.) and long-term conditions (chronic, like eczema, allergies, IBS, etc.)
• How Joette teaches homeopathy to kids (this is so cute!)
• Joette’s call to action for all of us, her message of hope, and her torch to pass to moms who want to raise healthy families

Can’t see the video? Watch our homeopathy for kids overview here on YouTube!

No time for the video? Here are the notes!

Homeopathy for Kids Overview 

• 0:30: It’s so important to me to raise my kids to have agency and be independent adults. I don’t want them relying solely on doctors or google searches to know how to take care of their health and cook.
• 2:09: Joette gives us a glimpse of her background. She was sick often as a child but was looking for answers in herbal remedies, chiropractic, and nutrition by the time she was pregnant with her first child.

• 6:32: She hit a turning point when she went in for her baby’s first well-child checkup. That was the only time she ever took one of her kids to a medical doctor. 
• 9:10: Joette had a book about using homeopathy for everyday concerns. When her son spiked a 105-degree fever and refused to nurse for 2 days, she looked in the book and chose her first remedy. 

How Does Homeopathy Work?

•  13:13: How does homeopathy work? There’s a basic understanding in homeopathy that the body will try to correct itself. Homeopathy stimulates that process in the body to return to homeostasis. 
• 17:00: I dabbled in homeopathy for years before learning from Joette how to use it correctly. It seemed very hit or miss whether it worked or not. 
• 17:14: It can be confusing to google search “homeopathy + ailment” and get different advice. There is classical homeopathy and practical homeopathy and that’s where some of this confusion comes in. Joette practices practical homeopathy and she describes the key differences. 
• 22:05: So far homeopathy sounds great, but are there drawbacks? One drawback is that it can be a bit complicated to figure out the correct remedy. Once you learn how to use homeopathy you’ll be amazed by the results.

Is Homeopathy Safe for Kids?

• 24:39: Safety is a huge question for moms. Homeopathy is safe for any age to use. There has never been a homeopathic medicine taken off the market by the FDA but how many conventional medicines are recalled for safety concerns?
• 26:17: Speaking of conventional medicines that are harmful to us, the Pill is causing hormonal problems for many women but is still widely used. Doctors don’t always read the studies, they trust their pharmaceutical reps who are trying to sell medications!
• 28:03: Homeopathic remedies are pretty cheap, and there are no side effects, so there really isn’t a risk in trying it out. 

Get Started Using Homeopathy for Kids

• 28:30: Joette has tons of free information on her blog. Her site doesn’t have ads and she doesn’t use affiliate links when she recommends remedies because she wants you to know that she isn’t recommending excessive remedies to get a kickback. 
• 30:08: Here’s Joette’s opinion on the safety of homeopathy. 

• 31:02: For an acute situation vs a chronic condition you’ll use homeopathy a bit differently. Acute situations call for remedies to be repeated in shorter increments of time until the condition resolves whereas in a chronic case doses are more spread out.
• 32:26: Look up specific protocols instead of cherry-picking a variety of remedies and then trying out different timings.  

You really want to stick with the directions. It’s very, very important. -Joette Calabrese

• 33:19: All three of my boys have severe dust allergies. Two are on immunotherapy drops, but with the youngest, we’re trying a homeopathic regimen. Since this is a long-term condition, dosing is spaced out every few days and sometimes we miss a dose, but that’s ok. Just pick it up and keep going.
• 34:36: I give a quick tip for remembering to take a remedy every other day.
• 34:50: Joette teaches homeopathy to kids as well. She starts by teaching them to treat their pets. 
• 36:26: We leave you with a message of hope and optimism. 

Resources We Mention in our Homeopathy for Kids Overview

• Here’s my favorite place to purchase homeopathic medicines
• More on my sons’ dust allergies
• How we can raise independent kids
• How to take homeopathic remedies
• Visit Joette’s websites Practical Homeopathy and Joette Calabrese
• Here’s the best place to get started with Joette
• Here’s my list of basic remedies that I started with
• Joette’s Podcast
• Follow Joette on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Joette Calabrese turned her back on conventional drugs over 36 years ago, became a full-time homeopath, has met with and taught tens of thousands of mothers, grandmothers, and others in her practice and teaching career, and more importantly, raised her now adult children without a single visit to a doctor using only homeopathy, nutrient-dense meals, and guts, spunk and moxie.

Joette has practiced as a homeopathic consultant since 1997. She began her studies in classical homeopathy in 1986 and completed her five-year degree with the North American Homeopathic Master Clinician Course and the Dynamis School of Advanced Homeopathy in Toronto, Canada. She has studied with world-class homeopaths and is nationally certified by the Council for Homeopathic Certification – accrediting organizations that are dedicated to maintaining high standards of homeopathy in North America.

After years of full-time practice, Joette has focused her attention on teaching what she has learned both clinically and in her 1.5 cumulative years as a fellow at the Prasanta Banerji Homeopathic Research Foundation in Kolkata, India. This has influenced and inspired her to teach the Banerji Method and author her own Materia medica, along with 10 online courses teaching people how to use her easy method of Practical Homeopathy®, where she offers simple protocols for both basic and more complex ailments, and offers Gateway to Homeopathy study groups (that I’ve taken part in!). Currently, Joette has a homeschool curriculum for kids and teens in the works.

Joette believes that health care should be focused in the home with the mother and grandmother at the helm and that the most efficient method of learning to do so is by immersing oneself in homeopathy and self-reliance by starting or joining a study group. Joette’s study groups are called Gateway to Homeopathy and may be found on her website.