Homeopathy is a gentle energy based medicine. It works on symptoms rather than diagnosed “conditions” or “diseases” and as such is perfectly placed to gently ease the symptoms of menopause that can be uncomfortable. Homeopathy unlike herbalism works with substances that are not just from the plant kingdom but from the animal and mineral kingdom also, so for example key hormonal remedies are made from snakes venom, salt, cuttlefish and the windflower amongst others. Homeopathy is based on the principle that the life force (or vital force as homoeopaths refer to it) that exists within us is always striving to seek heath, both emotionally and physically, and homeopathic treatment seeks to support our vital force in its job.  Homeopathic remedies are prescribed on a like cures like concept, so if a substance causes a certain set of symptoms when taken in crude form or in large quantities, these same self symptoms can be eased when taking diluted versions of the same substance. Homeopathic remedies are therefore diluted and succussed (a fancy word for shaken) versions of animal mineral and plant life. In practical terms, homeopathic medicines are liquids which are then used to coat pilules or powders or tablets, that are then ingested by the patient. Sometimes remedies are given in their liquid form. Some prescriptions will entail just a few doses whilst others will need to be taken every day. Remedies have different potencies depending on their dilution and succussion. The smaller the number after the remedy the fewer times it has been diluted and the less homoepathically potent it is seen to be. In this blog I am going to be talking about the homeopathic remedy Lachesis.

Menopause marks another rite of passage for women in which their energies transform from creating new life physically to creating new life in other ways. Its as though women’s energies rise from the base chakra and flow upwards gathering all the womanly wisdom she can find so that she can share her creativity more widely than just contain it within her womb.

And this is where the snake comes in! A commonly used homeopathic remedy in the climacteric period as the homoeopaths of yore were fond of naming the menopause is one called Lachesis; made from the bush master snake. As with so many medicines, herbal allopathic and homeopathic its a  deadly poison!

Lachesis is one of my favourite remedies, probably because it has helped me with so many symptoms myself over the years (its not only a homeopathic remedy for the menopause of course!) To really understand the remedy and how it can alleviate the symptoms of menopause, we have to slide down the coils of the snake to the beginning.

Lachesis was proved by Constantine Hering whilst on a trip to South America in 1828. How do you go about proving a snake venom remedy? Well you try a bit of it and see what it does to you and note down those symptoms. Pretty adventurous huh? Anyway Hering did just that and experimented with various dilutions of the poison and  noted all the symptoms he ended up with, including paralysing his hand and arm along the way!

During the proving of the remedy he noted several symptoms that became keynotes for the prescribing of Lachesis as a homeopathic remedy. One of them was the feeling of the “snake rising” within. That is the feeling of heat or cold rising upwards through the body. This is an important symptom for the menopause as women experience it a lot. Firstly, in a physical sense in the rising of heat in hot flashes;  a symptom which many women experience, but women also experience a different rising of energy. Their energy naturally rises from womb to voice, and so that brings us to a second keynote for the use of Lachesis; it is very effective in treating the symptoms of sore throats, laryngitis, pharyngitis and all things in which the throat and voice (our expressive energies) need balancing indicating there is an imbalance in the voice, or throat chakra. Women who fare best by taking the remedy often speak a lot, and I mean a lot! If there is a silence they will fill it!

The third theme is to do with feeling better after discharges. So when a woman who is regularly menstruating finds that she feels better the minute her menstruation arrives, then its the Lachesis snake as a remedy that can probably be of use to her in helping with the symptoms of un ease before she menstruates. The issue for a women who has experienced this symptom all the way through her menstruating years is of course that during menopause that symptom can no longer be relieved by the menstrual flow, and so its as if the  flow of the circulation of her blood cannot now be balanced by discharging, and so this leaves her in a pressure cooker scenario. Women often describe the sensation as bursting or feeling that they will burst. Bursting with new things to tell, bursting with emotions, bursting with headaches, bursting with rage. Circulatory flow in turn will affect the heart, and so the symptoms of palpitations and other circulatory problems also feature in Lachesis.

Other themes of lachesis include feeling worse on waking and irritability on waking, again interesting symptoms for the menopausal woman, who often reports difficulties with sleep. There is also often a tendency to have more symptoms on the left side of the body than the right, and often the symptoms travel to the right. So often women who can benefit from this remedy report more left sided symptoms such as ovarian pain or sore throats on the left. Lachesis is also a great remedy to help with the symptoms of ulcers and ulceration either internally, on the skin or in the emotions

Menopausal symptoms that can be helped with Lachesis include

1.Hot flashes and night sweats, especially if rising up through the body

2. Frontal headaches

3. Left sided pains eg ovarian pains or left sided sore throat

4. Mood swings and low mood as a result of hormonal imbalance .

5, Sleep imbalances, especially waking in the morning unrefreshed

6. Irritability, (although other remedies are also indicated by this symptom)

7. Aversion of anything tight around the neck, or round the abdomen. Often in an effort to rebalance and protect their  throat chakra women will adorn their throat by wearing large necklaces!

8. Suspicious, with great investments in conspiracy theories. Also superstitious!

9. Worse for suppression of symptoms, better when mensurating as this  gives release

10. Emotional symptoms  including sexual desire, irritability, sadness, sensitivity and memory lapses. Women whose symptoms may be helped with lachesis may feel detached or estranged from their normal relationships.

11. Ulcerating conditions

12. Feelings of heaviness or prolapse of the uterus

14. Circulatory problems such as heart palpitations

15. In the peri-menopausal state extremely heavy menstrual flow. For heavy periods at the time of menopause there are many remedies which can be useful, and we will discuss more of these in up coming blogs!The opposite can also be true of women whose symptoms can be helped by Lachesis, in that they may have a scanty flow.

Having identified some of the key notes associated with the use of Lachesis to help the symptoms of the menopause, the next question women have is “Well, how do I get this remedy, how do I use it and how often do I take it?” The simplest answer is to consult with a professional homeopath who specializes in women’s health. Its possible to self-prescribe, but in general it can be very hit and miss in terms of dosage and potency. When conditions are acute, remedies in low potencies can be taken several times over a short period of time. For example, the symptoms of a sore throat on the left hand side may respond well to 4 or 5 doses of Lachesis 30c over a period of a day or two, however when curing a long standing issue, remedies may need to be taken daily over a month or two and in that case it is best to consult with a professional homeopath.

Finally, its worth bearing in mind that symptoms which may seem distressing are not the enemy. They are expressions of your inner wisdom as a woman changing and entering a phase of transition and passing through a rite of passage.  For example, there are theories about the beneficial effects of hot flashes, such as the cancer-fighting benefits of raising the body’s core temperature, but the essential point to remember is to appreciate, value and respect your body’s own wisdom