Page 76 - summer2016

When the not only suffered from insomnia but also a Here are some of the most common causes

DNA is swollen, tympanic belly. It was wishful think- of chronic pediatric insomnia and their impor-
ing on my part that kept me believing his belly tant homeopathic medicines to consider:
poked at by was normal, but in my most lucid moments, it
suppressing was painfully evident that I was not addressing 1. Ignatia is the best choice when the cause
methods, the true essence of his condition. Then one day of insomnia is the result of a psychologi-
(for no reason I can clearly recall), I decided to
cal issue such as fear, anxiety, sadness or
such as drugs give him a homeopathic medicine designed to stress. It’s also an effective go-to remedy
of commerce, treat bloated bellies and food intolerances. Over when there do not appear to be any other
the result is a period of about six weeks, some remarkable extrinsic factors present. Ignatia 200 is also
changes began to occur. First, his appetite re-
my primary choice in cases of childhood
thrown into turned. This was not something I had wholly insomnia when nothing else stands out as
the next recognized as being associated with his overall the cause.
generation. state, but it was evident upon its correction.
Then soon enough, a healthy, stable sleeping 2. What if the sleepless child is a newborn?
This inherited pattern started to emerge. I can’t recollect ex- We don’t usually associate insomnia with
stain is called actly when my husband and I were no longer neonatal pediatrics, and we don’t expect

a miasm. assigned to our obligatory nocturnal walkings, that there would be a psychological cause.
So instead, we might look at what preceded
but now, decades later, I can recall that he slowly
began sleeping through the night and not long the baby’s insomnia; that is, the actual birth.
after, his swollen belly returned to a normal If the baby came into the world in a flurry
shape and size. of drugs, such as those administered dur-
What plagued me as much as my sleep ing and after a C-section—Pitocin, which
deprivation was the guilt I accrued wondering is used to speed up the body's natural
what I had done that might have contributed to labor process; antibiotics present when the
this condition. I could only blame my husband's mother is giving birth—a newborn can be
and my DNA, which had been plenty manipu- adversely affected. Who wouldn’t be after
lated during previous decades of meds, meds such an event? In cases like these, one
and more meds. Indeed, I should have recog- dose only of Aconitum 200, followed by
nized this because in homeopathic literature Nux vomica 200 taken once daily for a few
throughout the centuries, it is noted that when days will often antidote the ill effects of
the DNA is poked at by suppressing methods, the drugs and restore the child's sleep. This
such as drugs of commerce, the result is thrown is particularly well-suited for babies who
into the next generation. This inherited stain is concomitantly suffer from gastrointestinal
called a miasm. conditions, such as constipation, diarrhea
I will note that certainly, not all cases of or both, as well as colic.
childhood insomnia are rooted in gut ailments,
yet with this episode in my personal life and in 3. If the child is a little older and appears
my practice, I’ve noted that far too many are. over-active by way of constant chatter and
As such, insomnia is frequently not just a noticeably hurried state of mind, particu-
insomnia, but a representation of a deeper un- larly after the use of conventional drugs,
derlying condition, which can include inherited such as ADHD meds and other personality-
conditions of gut dysbiosis. altering substances, Coffea 200 is likely the
However, there definitely are causes stem- appropriate remedy for insomnia. The use
ming from more minor pathologies. Cases of of Coffea is also suitable if the child eats or
teething are a prime example of this. What drinks stimulating foods such as chocolate,
would seem to be a normal milestone in a child’s coffee and other caffeinated substances, yet
life can sometimes morph into a pathology that the use of these substances is not necessar-
can be the root of sleeplessness, sometimes even ily requisite for choosing this medicine.
for weeks, thus becoming chronic.
76 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2016 Wise Traditions