Publisher: www.emryss.com
Price €21.95
First Edition 2017
Hardback
No. of pages – 173
ISBN: 978-90-76189-55-0
I chose this book to review because I was advised to start taking three gemmotherapy remedies and I knew nothing about them! In the foreward written by Dott. Fernando Pitera, we are told “The purpose of the text is to raise awareness for parents to care for the well-being of their children using Gemmotherapy extracts and proper nutrition from birth.” In the Author’s Note Lauren describes herself as a family healthcare practitioner and that her aim is to prevent the development of chronic diseases rather than fighting them.
The book starts with a section entitled How to Use this Book in which she gives examples of acute and chronic conditions in children.
Chapter One – Immunity Begins with Elimination
Lauren begins with a simple description of the digestive system to explain elimination as part of the body’s cleaning process, with tissue cleansing and regeneration managed by the lymphatic and circulatory systems, together with the kidneys and liver. She then describes the signs in children who have less than optimal elimination. She discusses the microbiome which refers to the population of microbes in our body and poor bowel elimination with a coloured chart of stool consistency!
Chapter 2 – Feeding Babies to Support Elimination
Naturally this starts with breast feeding. She suggests that any problems with the child should be dealt with by removing dairy products from the diet of the breast feeding mother. I have noticed this to be true in my practice. Next is a discussion of formula and other milks and then first foods for baby.
Chapter 3 – Gemmotherapy to Support Elimination and Build Natural Immunity.
Here Lauren discusses interventions such as antibiotics, steroidal creams and medication for colic and how gemmotherapy can resolve the symptoms. In a section called, Why Consider Gemmotherapy, she states that Gemmotherapy is affordable. Having bought them for myself from Belgium (I am from UK) I am not so sure about that! In the appendix I see Lauren advises a D1 dilution so these are probably cheaper than the concentrated bud liquids that I bought.
Chapter 4 – Gemmotherapy for the Most Common Recurring Symptoms.
This chapter discusses 7 common chronic symptoms in babies and young children i.e. infrequent and difficult or pass stools, blowout stools, reflux, skin conditions, sinuses, earaches and respiratory problems. Each has an overview, a protocol and a case history. Each overview discusses how it can be resolved without medical intervention. Each protocol contains a simple diagram of the area, a plan A and plan B and a section called, How Can I Prevent it from Recurring. Throughout, when explaining the dietary causes and the elimination of cow’s milk or soy based milk, there is written in brackets “see Chapter 3 for options”. I can’t find anything in Chapter 3 but there is a little in Chapter 2 on page 31.
Chapter 5 – Hope for Complex Cases.
Here Lauren shares two case histories. She also suggests that parents find a local practitioner for support and tells us that one can be found on her website the address of which I found at the back of the book in Additional Resources. What I liked while reading these cases is that Lauren shared her protocol with us including all the remedies and the posology. You often don’t find this when reading case histories.
Chapter 6 – Acute Protocols for Babies and Young Children.
Here all the dosing amounts and how to give the Gemmatherapy remedies are given in detail for specific age groups, from babies to school age children. The drops can also be used topically for stings, hives etc. It is critical to begin the acute dosing protocol within the first 24 hours of an acute. The acute care plan is simply explained in detail beginning with the Gemmotherapy protocol, a plant based diet, healing therapies of rest, fluids and warmth. Lauren frequently extols the use of raw organic coconut water for hydration. Next she explains how to know if there is improvement and how to continue from there.
The following pages go through typical acutes, e.g. Allergic reactions, bites and stings, broken bones, bronchial inflammation, to name the first few. For each of these there is a coloured diagram of the body showing the part affected, which remedies to give, for how long and what they resolve. Each page is very simple and easy to understand and is a brilliant guide for parents. All the 16 gemmotherapy remedies used are colour coded.
Chapter 7 – Gemmotherapy Extracts for Babies and Young Children.
In this chapter the 16 commonly used extracts are discussed, one remedy per page. For each remedy there are: Indications for Use: Acute, Indications for Use: Chronic, Organ/Organ Systems Affected, Additional Considerations, Often Mixed With, Contraindications and Growth and Cultivation. This again is very well organised.
Lastly is a useful appendix. Here we find the Gemmotherapy Extract Dosages in which the D1 Dilution is recommended with a general set of guidelines to help mothers make informed decisions. There is a colour coded diagram to show possible aggravations and how to decrease the dosage as well as the signs of when to increase the dosage. There are also 2 pages with a chart of “Plant Based Whole Foods for Growing Children”. These give Iron, Calcium and Protein sources with the amount of the mineral in a given portion. I would have liked to see a recommended amount for different age groups in the charts. Next comes some very interesting FAQ, from which I learned some answers to my questions. There is also a brief history of gemmotherapy. I didn’t realise what a new therapy this is. It appears to have been first written about in Belgium, in 1959. This explains why I have to buy the gemmotherapy remedies I am taking from Belgium.
Next there is a Bibliography followed by Additional Resources including 4 places where you can buy these remedies, and lastly an Index.
So who is this lovely simple book in plain English for? I would say any mum, it would make an excellent present for a new mum. This is because of all the very sensible information on how to handle acute problems that children all have and how they can be prevented from reoccurring. It is illustrated in full colour throughout, which aids in understanding for someone who is new to the biology of the human body. It will certainly be on my present list. I think it is also of interest to homeopaths who feel that they would like to add something extra to their practices as there are not that many remedies to learn about. If you wish to learn about more than the 16 discussed here and learn how to prescribe for adults I would suggest going to Dr Joe Rozencwajg’s book “Dynamic Gemmotherapy” a review of which can be found at https://hpathy.com/book-reviews/dyamic-gemmotherapy/.
