Q&A with Jan de Vries

Renowned naturopath and health guru Jan de Vries answers your health questions on homeopathic remedies for common complaints:

Q I am a 78-year-old woman and have always been a reasonably healthy woman apart from one problem - constipation. I have tried many solutions including proper diet etc. I have tried to avoid laxatives and have been taking Eliminex from Lamberts for some time, which is helping, but I wondered what else I should be doing to keep my bowels healthy and regular.

A Constipation is not a pleasant problem but there are many remedies and methods to help ease this. The Eliminex a bowel-regulating agent but is not a laxative agent it is simply a powder to help keep the stool soft and also promote a healthy bacteria flora within the gut, so it will be worthwhile continuing to use to this. Other methods such as reflexology, acupressure/acupuncture and eating a diet high in dietary fibre will be of help. Eat plenty of raw vegetables (especially cabbage varieties), plums, prunes, grapes, raspberries, figs, cherries and strawberries. Also ensure that you drink two glasses of lukewarm water first thing each morning. An excellent breakfast is to eat muesli with yoghurt, and four prunes which have been soaked overnight.

Q I have been very ill recently with a terrible virus, which seemed to bring on terrible vertigo. I though I was getting better until I woke up one morning with terrible earache. I am not generally an ill person and don’t take infections very often so you can appreciate this is getting me down.

A In the first instance, to help with the vertigo, I would suggest a homeopathic remedy called Vertigo Heel. This is very effective for dizziness of all origins. In addition to this I would recommend Echtrosept-N at a dose of 15 drops in a little water, twice daily. Echtrosept contains Echinacea, which will help support the immune system and increase your resistance to further infection while helping to cleanse the system of any left over infection, which may be present.

Q My daughter is lacking in vitamin B12 and gets injections regularly. I have now discovered that my granddaughter also has the same problem and she too is receiving injections every 3 months. I would be grateful for any help on diet or supplements they can use.

A The best sources of vitamin B12 can be found in meat, dairy produce and eggs. In addition to eating foods like these, they can also take a good vitamin B12 supplement such as Bioactive B12, which is simply one tablet sucked daily, to help keep their B12 levels topped up in between injections.

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