Q: What first interested you in homeopathy?
Ellen: My first introduction was by a college teacher who was a homeopath. I was instantly intrigued. Later that year I was suffering from gallbladder attacks. A health food store recommended a homeopathic tincture for liver/gallbladder. It worked! A year later that same teacher offered a “homeopathy for home, injury and illness” course. So of course I took it and loved every minute of it. I also had suffered from bleeding, oozing, painful contact dermatitis for years. I tried a consult with the teacher and to my astonishment it was cured!
Q: What has homeopathy helped you with the most?
Ellen: That’s easy! My contact dermatitis. I had tried absolutely everything. I had gotten the skin to the point where it was manageable. However it had never gone away completely and I would always have brutal acute flare ups. It took about 6 months but homeopathy really did help support healing. I get the odd flare up. Maybe once every 5 years. Every time it’s homeopathy that heals it!
Q: What do you think is the biggest myth about homeopathy?
Ellen: One of the myths out there is that homeopathy is just a sugar pill and doesn’t work. I can understand it is a hard concept to grasp. The more diluted the stronger the medicine?! However I have seen it work for babies and my animals. There’s no placebo effect on chickens! They don’t even know I’m putting homeopathic remedies in their water! I have had chickens on death’s door and within a day I couldn’t even tell the sick hen from the healthy ones. They all looked healthy…and no dead chickens!
Q: What are the must-have homeopathic remedies in your kit?
Ellen: Well about 5 years ago that was an easy question. Now, after taking several course and doing a lot of reading, I have about 40 remedies on hand. However I could never go without Arsenicum, Apis, Belladonna, Aconite, Ledum, Nux vom, Rhus tox, Gelsemium.
Q: Have you or your child ever had a vaccine injury?
Ellen: I had eczema as a child. In the “olden days” that was always viewed as a vaccine reaction and a contraindication to further vaccinations. I had one shot in grade 6. I have my records so I know it was only one, the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). I remember clear as day my arm swelled to triple its size, turned the most putrid colour of purple and was completely paralyzed for 3 days.
I remember shoving my hand in my pocket while playing because I had no control over it. It was freaky yet nobody seemed to know what to do. Within days I got asthma. I also had my parotid gland on my right side swell up (like mumps…). It was the size of a grapefruit. Yet again nobody knew what to do. I still to this day have a lump in my gland that is palpable. My mother also suffered vaccine injuries which caused her death while she was fighting cancer at the age of 66.
Q: What do you wish everyone knew about homeopathy?
Ellen:
a. You don’t have to believe in homeopathy for it to work.
b. That the disadvantage is finding that right remedy, like curing like. If you don’t match the remedy to the person with the the symptoms correctly, it does nothing. But when you do it’s amazing to watch how fast the body can respond and self-heal.
c. That there is a lot science behind it. You just have to be willing to read.
Q: What is the most exciting thing that homeopathy has to offer?
Ellen: Homeopathy is another tool in our toolbox to help keep our families healthy. The more tools we have the better we can complete the jobs, especially with the difficult illnesses. I’m envious of countries that have medical professionals that use homeopathy. I think a collaboration of medicines would go so far in the health of humans. And animals too!
Q: What does being an ambassador for homeopathy mean to you?
Ellen: Giving insight into our home. What we as parents need from homeopaths. Support, education, practice. To help the homeopaths know what we need and how they can help us be a success. Brainstorming so we can be a part of the success of Donna. She’s so accomplished already but to be able to see her succeed in her element of teaching and education is so satisfying.
Q: Please tell us about you!
Ellen: I am a wife to a very busy farmer. That alone is a career… trust me! A mother of a beautiful daughter (I know we all think our kids are great but mine really is!)
I was a full time registered massage therapist for 10 years until we had our daughter. The last 7 years I’ve been part time. I am on my 18th year of being a massage therapist! Where has the time gone?! It only feels like a couple and I still love it ?. I was so fortunate to have excellent schooling. I still can hear my teacher’s instructions to this day. I am so grateful for their teaching for I am a success because of them. I love my classmates more today than I did in college and have enjoyed watching their careers be successful too. It’s so rewarding to see the love and passion they still have for helping others achieve better health.
We live on a farm. It wouldn’t be my choice but since I’m here I try to make the best of it. I have chickens (that I get to practice homeopathy on), cats and a dog. We like to garden when time permits and do our best to raise or grow our own food. I like to experiment with fermenting foods. I am strict gluten, grain, corn and dairy free and have become an amazing cook creating recipes to accommodate our dietary needs. I truly enjoy learning about health. I have from the age of about 20 and have continued on that path ever since.
I have just recently discovered how much our mental, emotional and spiritual aspects influence our physical health. So I am trying to balance my health by focusing on these dimensions more. Therefore it has opened up a whole new area to learn and research. Most important health lesson I have learned (and it took cancer to learn it) is to always love myself. I have spent too many years trying to have people in my life love me. Or see me for who I am. I always knew I was amazing. I just didn’t realize the damage it does when we allow others to let ourselves question that. Or try to be “better” in a certain way to achieve their “approval”. To always try to be someone they will like. That they will finally get to know me. To see the true me. We are magnificent whether others see that or not. I am very grateful for this new life lesson. It sounds cliche but I truly believe the world would be a better place if we all just loved ourselves more.
I have many interests and hobbies. A few of them are hiking, camping, fishing, gardening, travelling, playing volleyball, learning and most importantly laughing.
I am so grateful for Donna and her knowledge. Her support over the years has been invaluable. She truly is a shining light in this beautiful world.
