Cindy's Biz

Hey folks!

I just got a nice email from a very nice woman down in Corpus Christi, Texas who runs a neat shop that deals with homeopathy, aromatherapy, wood art, and other interesting products. You should really check out her website if you get the chance www.cindysbiz.biz. Not only does she have many different products available, but she has great information about some of these alternatives to "modern" medicine. Check out her King Bio homeopathic products for a good listing of different articles Dr. King has written on many important health concerns- from menopause and breast feeding to jet lag and fatigue relief. And you must check out her original wood art. The dragon is very cool as is her "Debonaire Man." I only wish she had a better store set up so that I could order some of that beautiful art from her!

Thanks for the nice note Cindy. Let's talk and see if we can't help each other out with our respective businesses!

Be well everyone.

A visit to the homeopath's office

Some of you may be wondering what a visit to a homeopath's office would be like. For those of us whose only exposure to visiting the doctor is waiting interminable amounts of time past your appointment and then being poked and prodded in such a way that you are left with no doubts as to you and your body's inability to deal with your own health- a visit to a homeopath- or any practitioner of complimentary alternative medicine can be quite the breath of fresh air.

One of the primary differences between the approach of a traditional medical doctor (traditional meaning of the 20th century tradition) and a complimentary alternative medical approach is that the alternative looks at the body's symptoms as a system of communication whereby the body is attempting to recreate healing. The traditional "modern" medical approach looks at symptoms as things that need to be removed in order for the body to be well. This removal of sympoms far too often takes the form of masking, the covering up of symptoms in order for a person to feel symptom free. What the alternative health care practitioner realizes is that when these symptoms are suppressed, the disease is pushed deeper, creating more complicated health problems later.

A visit to a homeopath begins with an interview in order to develop as clear a health picture as possible. Very often, the complex emotional issues surrounding one's physical health play an integral part of that health picture. And, any remedies considered should take these emotional issues into consideration. Depending on the practitioner, remedy selection can be done through muscle testing, the leg length check, bio-metric electrical response, or by merely looking at the associated symptoms of each remedy and matching them as closely as possible.

The remedies at King Bio are combination remedies in a pure water based solution. A dose is three sprays of the remedy under the tongue. Very simple and user friendly. The bottles are small enough to be kept in a purse or set on a desk top. I leave my remedies next to the kitchen sink so that whenever I get a glass of water, I am reminded to take them. Other homeopathic remedies take different forms and must be handled in different manners. Many substances counteract the remedies, substances like mint and caffeine. These should be avoided in order to determine whether or not the remedy is working.

After a short period of time, for some as short as a week or as long as a month, the patient returns to the homeopath to evaluate the effectiveness of the remedies. Has the health picture changed? Have the symptoms changed? The health improved? Mere symptomatic relief does not always mean health is being restored. It will take some work to ensure that progress is being made towards the cure that is exclusive to the realm of homeopathic and complimentary alternative medicine.

Cures. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Actual cures. This isn't too much to ask for from our health care industry, is it?

Be well my friends.

King Bio Community Outreach Program Update

Hey everyone!

Exciting news here at King Bio. Mothering Magazine, an international publication dedicated to parenting and alternative health, has recently published an article I wrote about King Bio's Community Outreach Program. If you haven't heard of this innovative grant before, I'll fill you in.

The KBCOP is a grant I created for Dr. King at King Bio. Organizations that work with the public health can apply for the grant and, if accepted, receive a custom selected set of our contemporary homeopathic remedies along with support materials and education designed to help groups implement these remedies into the practice. It's a great opportunity to help spread Dr. King's message of healing and is also a way for us to give back to the community.

Well, the article in Mothering Magazine has really generated some interest. Just today I've received more than a few application requests for the grant. It's all very exciting. I've been trying to get the word out that we're here with a great product that truly recreates health, and we want to give it away to qualified groups. For several months, I had little success at generating applicants. But now, things are finally happening!

If you are interested, click on the title of this posting. It will direct you to some general information about the grant and about King Bio in general. From there, you can email me directly and I'll send you off an application.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Be well.

Ways to kick that habit

I just finished watching the movie "Thank You for Smoking." It was a very smart look into the cigarette industry and the devious ways it maintains its clientelle. Spoiler warning- if you plan on seeing the movie, I'm getting ready to spill a little bit of the beans about the plot.

Ok, so at one point the main character, who is the tobacco industry's primary spokesperson, gets kidnapped and covered with over fifty nicotine patches in an attempt at killing him. He slides into a nicotine induced coma and nearly dies. Eventually he comes to and is greeted by the doctor saying, "That amount of nicotine would have killed a non-smoker. You're lucky you were a smoker." The irony of the moment is compounded moments later when the doctor informs him that he can longer smoke, that even a single cigarette might produce that same life-threatening coma again.

I am an ex-smoker. I don't like using the term "non-smoker" since I feel that having kicked the habit places me in a different category from all the other (more intelligent) people who never picked up smoking in the first place. I was lucky in that much of my success in quitting smoking lay in the fact that my wife and I were both quitting at the same time. If it had been just me, I'm not sure I would have made it through. Knowing that more than just my health was on the line somehow made it more workable. And going through those damned withdrawls together certainly made things easier.

My first week off of "the nic" I went cold-turkey. Soon enough, I realized that the combination of fighting the nicotine withdrawl coupled with the hand-mouth compulsion was just too much. My wife had been using one of the nicotine gums at the time. She swore by the relief it gave her. By isolating the different habits, she was able to gradually ween herself off the nicotine while working on the hand-mouth thing.

I jumped on the gum bandwagon and found quitting a little easier. I remember feeling a little guilty pleasure at chewing a piece of gum while I was working, feeling that gentle pull of the nicotine. But soon enough, my wife and I worked our way off the (very expensive!) gum and became ex-smokers.

Today, many alternatives exist to help people quit. I'd really enjoy hearing some of your quitting stories and what helped you kick the habit. I know different homeopathic remedies exist to help. King Bio has a couple great ones- Addiciton Control and Smoke Control. When taken together, I hear that they really reduce those cravings and help create a positive mental outlook conducive to staying smoke-free.

Whatever you do, remember, it is tough, but it will change your life. Don't be a slave to nicotine and the tobacco industry. Take back your life and live smoke free!

Be well. And thanks for coming 'round.

Movin' and Shakin' at King Bio!

I just got back from a meeting with Dr. King back at King Bio HQ. Things are definitely heating up over there. Most of the work I do I accomplish at home, but occasionally I like to show up at the office and show off my face. Glad I did!

We've got lots of new updates going into our website. Primarily, our new product lines of homeopathic remedies, SafeCareOTC for over-the-counter sales, and SafeCareRx, our line of remedies designed for health care professionals, are hitting shelves in stores and offices around the country. We're busy getting the good word out about these powerful products, hoping that as more and more people are turned on to the world of homeopathy, they will try our contemporary remedies.

I truly feel these combination remedies are the future of homeopathy. As more and more people are failed by our "modern" medicine and disease-care system, they are turning to alternatives. Traditional homeopathy seems a little out-of-reach for many people just beginning to dabble in the world of alternative medicine. Our combination remedies help open the door to this message of healing and restorative health care.

We don't have to live with our faulty and doomed disease care system. If you've been looking for an alternative path to health and wellness, check out our website at www.kingbio.com. I'd love to read your comments on the website as we're always looking to make it more user friendly and helpful.

Be well, and stay informed!

Call for submissions!

Hello everyone! If you've been reading the last several posts, you know that I've started writing a fictional novel about different people's journeys from various states of dis-ease to different levels of health and wellness. This book excites me, not just because I'm finally being paid to write creatively, but because I feel it will be a book that many people find echoes of in their own life. I hope that people's reading of my book will inspire them to find new paths to wellness, spreading health and motivating people to be more active in their pursuit of health.

But (and there's a big but tagged onto this statement), I sure could use some help from all of my friends and readers out there in the blogosphere. If any of you have taken your own journey to health and feel like sharing it, I would love to hear from you. I can draw from my own experiences and the experiences of people with whom I've worked in order to create storylines and meaningful fiction. But I'd really like to get some new ideas and new stories from you!

If you feel like you want to share your story of what you've gone through in an attempt at recreating or finding or maintaining health, be it mental, physical, or emotional, you can contact me by leaving a comment on this blog (by clicking on the 0 comments link) or directly through my email, which is dbarkett@kingbio.com.

On a different note, today is my 35th birthday. I'm finally of presidential age. My family spoiled me by taking me out to dinner where we ate and ate until we had eatn far more than we ever should have. My gastronomic health will be suffering for the next couple of days. Ah, you only turn 35 once, I guess...

Be well. I hope to hear from you.

Homeopathy on Oprah?

I'm headed to Myrtle Beach this weekend to get a little alternative healing done with old friends. I sure am looking forward to relaxing with my lady and watching my kids get covered in sand. I found an old surfboard at a garage sale I hope to try out. I promise to let you know how things go.

News from work! Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey's aunt is conducting some research into alternative healing methods. She is reportedly coming to King Bio for a visit and to check out the latest in homeopathic healing. If this actually works out and if we get a mention on her neice's little show, this could blow the top off of our business. I only hope our infrastructure can handle such a dramatic increase in our exposure.

Again, I promise to keep you updated. It's always exciting to see our message of healing spreading to the masses!

Be well. I'll be thinking of you while I'm lazily digging my toes into the sand.

User Friendly Homeopathy, Changes in Homeopathic Labeling

Check out the moves afoot in Great Britain with regards to new labeling on homeopathic remedies. The British Homeopathic Association is currently reworking the over-the-counter rules governing what can be stated on the labels of homeopathic remedies. Many traditional homeopaths here in the states stick firmly with the belief that all homeopathic remedies should be prescribed by a certified homeopath and administered using a very specific and time-consuming process. It sounds like the Brits might be willing to loosen this rigid perspective a bit.

The link below takes you to some of the dialogue taking place in Britain. The general consensus seems to be that making homeopathic remedies for certain conditions like colds allergies more easily identified and utilized will help more people find the healing possible through homeopathy. Could this be a crack in the stern exterior of classical homeopathy in favor of a more user-friendly approach?

http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&useSecondary=true&ssDocName=CON2024653&ssTargetNodeId=389

Check out the link. Europe is quite a bit ahead of the US in terms of homeopathic acceptance (mostly because their homeopathic community didn't have to survive the assualt from the American Medical Association). But hopefully the US homeopathic market won't be far behind. The more people able to access the healing power of homeopathic remedies, the better!

Be well and love one another...

Scientific Research on Homeopathy

Many of the critics of homeopathy like to state that homeopathy's effectiveness is nothing more than the placebo effect. They claim that there is no science behind homeopathy, that what these homeopathic manufacturers are selling is merely fancy, purified, and expensive water. No more, I say! Science is finally catching up to homeopathy.

Check out the link I've listed below on some of the latest research on homeopathy in clinical double blind studies. The research showed how homeopathy can be effective in a variety of ailments. Fibromyalgia, allergies (the benefits of which I've experienced first hand), influenza-like conditions, the pain of lactogenesis (women have it tough!), the prevention of acute radio dermatitis, even the treatment of arsenic poisoning, diarrhea, and hyperactivity in children have all been helped homeopthically, studied clinically, and shown to be more effective than a placebo or no treatment at all.

http://www.boiron.com/en/htm/04_recherche_homeo/recherche_clinique_03.htm

I'm not trying to convince the septics, uh, I mean skeptics, of the efficacy of homeopathy. Rather, if you're one of the millions out there who have experienced one of these ailments and have been failed by modern medicine, try homeopathy. Homeopathy's focus on finding the root cause of the illness and addressing that root cause in order to help the body heal itself can create a truly transformative healing state. Homeopathy is not a magic solution. Nor is it a silver bullet that heals overnight. But, when used consistently, effectively, and with the guidance of a professional, homeopathy offers another path to healing.

And that can't be all bad, now can it?

My father is fond of quoting Frost.

"...Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Don't be afraid to walk on that new path. Perhaps it will make all the difference for you, too!

As always, be well my friends.

Homeopathic Emergency Alternatives

Once upon a time, America had many homeopathic hospitals, homeopathic schools, and homeopathic doctors. When the AMA came on the scene some time in the late 19th and early 20th century, they worked diligently to suppress the hard work of the homeopaths and to discredit and close down those hospitals and schools that were utilizing the homeopathic healing philosophy. This, of course, has led us to today's version of health care (or as I like to call it, disease care).

More and more often people are finding that the medicine they've always relied on doesn't have all the answers they need to live healthy and complete lives. All too often they become trapped in the cycle of suppressing symptoms, which then creates a facade of health. You've probably found this blog as part of your search for alternative answers to your health concerns.

Working as I have for the last several months with King Bio Natural Medicine, I've tried to educate myself on homeopathy and its ability to create true health. In posting on the forums at Hpathy.com, I participated in a lively discussion about the combination remedies Dr. King makes at King Bio. These combination remedies are usually snubbed by the classical homeopaths, but lately it seems that a little window has opened in the minds of these classical homeopaths.

Emergency homeopathy has started to force its way into the mass consciousness of America's mainstream. And in an emergency situation where someone wants to avoid the chemicals and toxic pharmaceuticals traditionally offered, the combination homeopathic remedies work as a great alternative to the classical homeopathic remedies.

In classical homeopathy, the homeopath prescribes one remedy based on the presenting picture of health. Then that patient waits, sometimes for up to several months, before taking any additional remedies. As that patient's picture of health changes with the introduction of the homeopathic remedy, the homeopath changes the prescription. And the patient waits again.

In an emergency situation, this just isn't workable. Enter the combination remedy! With these combinations, which have been organized by many remedies that, when taken individually, all work to help correct a similar health condition, these combinations can work in seconds without the necessary wait time of the classical homeopathic approach. Finally, an alternative to the chemicals of modern pharmaceuticals.

I haven't approached my boss yet about my thoughts on emergency room homeopathy. But I feel I might be on to something here. As the cries for alternatives to our disease care system get louder and louder, our hospitals will be forced to seek alternatives. These combination homeopathics might be just the ticket to bridge the gap between mainstream medicine and the poweful transformative health possible through homeopathy.

Be well.

(Hey, I finally got my 100th viewing! Sure would be nice to hear from some of you out there. Just click on the "0 comments" link to leave me a note!)

Emergency Room Homeopathy

I just found this article discussing the use of homeopathic remedies in the emergency room. Quite interesting and promising. Could we eventually move towards a more inclusive and accepting view of homeopathy in the traditional hospital?
http://www.camresearch.net/showabstract.php?pmid=16425109

Also, on the forums at Hpathy.com, there's a heated debate about the use of combination remedies and combination potencies that poses a hypothetical question about choosing homeopathics in life-or-death situations and details many homeopaths' views. Check it out and leave me a comment on what you're thinking.
http://www.hpathy.com/homeopathyforums/forum_posts.asp?TID=4674&PN=1&TPN=1

Be well.

Self-defense for the Classroom Teacher

Once the school year starts, I'm always on the watch for the slightest sign of a cold. If you've ever put yourself in front of a classroom full of pre-teens and just barely teenagers, you know how demanding it can be. With a cold, you've hardly got a chance. The nice thing about teaching is that you can take a sick day if necessary. But usually the sub that comes in can't really move the class forward like it needs to. Many of us have learned to try to suck it up and tough out those days where we feel under the weather for the sake of our students' education (such martyrs, aren't we?).

Ever since I started working with King Bio, I always keep his Cold and Flu homeopathic remedy in my desk drawer. Typically a sickness, like the cold, follows a predictable pattern. For me, I get that tiny sore throat way in the back of my mouth. This lasts for about twelve hours. Then I get a bit of a runny nose and some sinus pressure. From there, I get the full blown cold. If I catch that cold early on in the sore throat stage, and dose myself up with my homeopathic, I often can fit off that sickness entirely! And, if I catch it just a bit late, taking that remedy helps soften and shorten the cold.

I can't tell you how many times these homeopathic remedies have saved me. If you're interested in the homeopathics I use, leave a comment and I'll get back to you. You can also order off the company's website www.kingbio.com.

One note of caution for all you first year teachers just getting started: there's precious little you can do for your sweet untested immune system. Get ready to be sick. Consider it a rite of passage for the uninitiated teacher. But on the flip side, once you make it through that first year, your immune system will be rock solid!

Good luck all you teachers out there. I know first hand just how valuable your service is to our children. Just remember when things get tough, we are literally saving these kids' lives by giving them the tools they need to succeed!

More Support for Combination Remedies

Check out this article by Dana Ullman, a respected natural medicine advocate who has dedicated much of his life to researching, manufacturing, and distributing homeopathic remedies, much like Dr. King. I found this article to be well written and very balanced, unlike much of the literature out there that claims combination homeopathy is utterly useless and the only path to health is through classical homeopathy. Clearly there are arguments both for and against this contemporary combining of remedies into "super remedies" but to throw the baby out with the bathwater just because Hahnemann wasn't convinced of the merits of combination remedies over a hundred years ago seems short sighted and close minded.

Here's a link to the article. It seems that some of us might just be ahead of the game with regards to these combination homeopathic remedies...

http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/issue2/revchap1.html

The growing acceptance of combination remedies

The online homeopathic community seems quite full of those who follow the traditional, or classical, homeopathic approach. In fact, I'm hard pressed to find much information about these combination, or contemporary, homeopathic remedies that I haven't actively asked for in a forum or otherwise. Is it that this type of homeopathic remedy is so new that people haven't seen it being used? Or is it a traditional homeopathic's bias away from anything that wasn't specifically incorporated into Hahnemann's repetoire?

Even Hahnemann looked into the combination remedies as a potential new source of healing. Many of the more open-minded homeopaths I've connected with realize that these contemporary remedies have shown themselves to be very effective in acute conditions. And when pressed what they would rather use in an acute crisis, they would much rather use a combination homeopathic remedy than the potentially toxic pharmaceuticals given in our hospitals.

It looks like the next step for our powerful contemporary remedies would be to begin "proving" their efficacy in the homeopathic lab. I'm just learning what this process entails, but it looks like something that is beyond my means. I'm hoping that one of my readers might be able to help connect me with other homeopaths that would be interested in proving some of King Bio's combination contemporary remedies.

I know the power of these remedies. I can't wait to share them with the rest of the world.

Research on combination homeopathic remedies

As many of you know, I've been working with King Bio for the last little bit. I did some writing with Dr. Frank King back in 1998 when we published a little "Guide to Homeopathy." It was enlightening and invigorating working with Dr. King and sharing his vision.

Now, I've become the Public Relations guy for the company. It's a great feeling working to spread the good news about homeopathy and King Bio specifically. I've been trying hard to create an online presence in the homeopathic world, posting on forums, reading and submitting articles to journals, and generally getting a feel for what the current state of homeopathy is.

Now I've been asked to write an article on current research and theory behind the combination remedies being produced by Dr. King at King Bio. Quite exciting news, this is! Since I know so little about how Dr. King first developed his homeopathic remedies over twenty years ago, I look forward to some lively discussions with him over the next couple of weeks as I try to write this challenging (and rewarding!) article.

I promise to keep you informed as the research and theory comes in!

classical versus contemporary homeopathy forum

For the last several weeks I've been looking into the differences of opinion between classical homeopathy, or homeopathy where a homeopath utilizes only one remedy at one specific potency at a time, and contemporary homeopathy where multiple remedies and potencies are combined together into one new remedy. Seeing as how my knowledge base of homeopathy is very limited, it has been quite an eye-opening process.

The main arguments against combination homeopathics seem to be that as a patient experiences results with a combination, it is difficult to know which remedy or potency is creating a change. Homeopaths like to utilize the least amount of intervention possible, so I can see how this would be an issue for them.

The main arguments for combination homeopathics seem to be their ease of use. The latest postings on the forum linked to above discuss how these combination homeopathics might just be the bridge allowing more of the mainstream to see the power and effect of homeopathy.

Check out the forums. Leave a post. Bless us with your opinions.
http://www.hpathy.com/homeopathyforums/forum_posts.asp?TID=4617&TPN=1

More Science on Homeopathy

I found this interesting link on a blog of a scientist who set out to disprove homeopathy but ended up finding measurable results of the efficacy of a homeopathic remedy. Neat stuff!

NCCAM Report on Homeopathy

Hey everyone! This is a great link to a very balanced view on homeopathy by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. I know I tend to be somewhat biased in my thougts on homeopathy (only because I've experienced wonderful results!), but this report takes a great look at both sides of the current state of homeopathy and the debate surrounding it.

I've just recently returned from Dallas, Texas where I was visiting my ailing aunt and aging uncle. These two surrogate grandparents have been very special to me as I grew up and became an adult. I received the call last week that Edna was in her last days and that Kess, my great uncle, was asking if I could come to visit. I immediately got a seat on a plane and was at their house Tuesday this week.

As anyone who has witnessed the gradual passing of a loved one knows, it is amazing what the body can endure before finally calling it quits. Aunt Edna had entered the hospital over two months earlier after a fall that broke her wrist and injured her shoulder. While there, she began having adverse reactions to her treatment. During a colonoscopy, we think she might have had her colon perforated by the doctor. A steady stream of antibiotics ensued, but little healing occurred. After a couple of weeks of feeling horrible and getting worse, Edna was able to communicate her desire to return home to wait out her final days.

When I got to her bedside, she had been unresponsive for over a week. Her son and husband honored her wishes by removing her feeding tubes, her anitbiotics, and we loved ones began our separate pilgrimages to say goodbye. I saw her as a shell of the formerly tough-as-nails woman I'd always known. Her shrunken face and emaciated frame brought tears to my eyes. I spent two nights with her and my Uncle Kess. I held her lifeless hand and stroked her head, kissed her forehead and spoke reassuringly to her. Four hours after I said goodbye and boarded the plane for home, she passed away quietly.

How often have we had a loved one who went into the hospital and became sicker or even died? How effective is our current state of health care at achieving, attaining, or sustaining health? I'm not saying that Edna's death was caused by the hospital. What I am saying is that the time spent in the hospital was plagued by indecision, doubt, pain, and a serious feeling of disempowerment on the part of Edna and her entire attending family. Only when Edna finally decided to return home did she and her family begin to feel a real sense of direction and empowerment.

The angels of hospice provided constant support for Edna, Kess, and the rest of the family. Those workers are underpaid and should have a special place waiting for them when they meet their maker.

I meant to speak with Frank King from King Bio about making a homeopathic specifically designed for these end of life moments. The health picture is so complicated and the needs are quite diverse. But if anyone can develop a remedy for that difficult time, it is he.

I love Edna and Kess. I don't know what Kess will do now that his rock is gone. I know he want to follow her. After sicty-seven years of marriage, who could blame him? Perhaps when he goes, he will pass in his sleep with dreams of his lost loved one in his mind.

If only we all could be that lucky.