A Not So Bitter Pill

She broke her wrist. Anyone who has experienced joint breaks or surgery can attest that the pain is excruciating. For her, the narcotic pain killers did not even touch the numbing, tingling nerve pain. She could not sleep.

"The moment I would lay down the pain would start," Dr. Spomenka Jercinovic said.

She had started a homeopathic course. The instructor recommended costicum and arnica, two homeopathic remedies. It didn't take a week and the pain was down, she said.

"I started sleeping again," Spomenka explained.

"Me, too," laughed her husband, Dr. Bruno Jercinovic.

Both Spomenka and Bruno are the doctors at their namesake, Dr. J Pediatrics in Shorewood. They decided to add homeopathy to their traditional medical practice because they were using it at home.

"Trying first on my family I learned the basics of how homeopathy really works," Spomenka explained.

What is homeopathy?

The "taking a hair of the dog that bit you" strategy may not really work when it comes to curing a hangover with more alcohol. However, the concept is essentially the basis of homeopathy.

The National Center of Homeopathy describes it as a therapeutic method that uses diluted, micro-doses of medicines found in nature, according to www.homeopathic.org. It is based on the Law of Similars coined by German chemist Samuel Hahnemann in the 1800s, but has been traced back to Hippocrates. The concept is that like cures like. If something is a poison when concentrated, it can be a cure when diluted, Spomenka said.

For example, when we peel onions, we experience itchy, watery eyes and perhaps a runny nose. According to the NCH, people who experience the same symptoms from an allergy attack or a cold can take allium cepa, which is red onion. Then, the body would kick in its automatic response to such symptoms, thus healing itself.

Not just herbs

When talking about alternative medicines, the American mind often jumps to thoughts of herbs. Although some herbs, like chamomile, can be found in common homeopathic remedies, herbal medicine is not the same.

The main difference is that herbal is concentrated, where as homeopathic is diluted, Spomenka said. Homeopathic medicines may include active doses of mineral, botanical or biological substances, according to Boiron, a provider of over 800 homeopathic medicines.

The remedies are diluted so much that we cannot overdose on them, Spomenka explained. Homeopathic medicines cannot hurt you, she said. The worst they can do is that they just won't work to solve the problem.

The Jercinovics explained that using homeopathic options for their patients only enhances the classic medicine they practice. 

"They key is homeopaths need to know where to draw the line between classical and homeopathic," Spomenka said.

Both Spomenka and the Deirdre Casagrande, a nurse practioner in her office, are certified in homeopathy.

Shorewood welcomes homeopathy

"In the beginning, some of the people felt absolutely offended when I started to talk about homeopathy," Spomenka explained. 

Dr. J. Pediatrics has had a few patients leave the practice because they did not like the homeopathic option, Bruno said. However, they have had so many more come to them because of it.

"I have lots of people who very much like that," Spomenka said. "It's a good thing for this community."

The bottom line is that there is never only one answer for their patients, they said. For people who are more comfortable with traditional medicines, they offer those options. For patients who are interested in what Americans consider an alternative, Dr. J Pediatrics offers homeopathic.

"I am certainly not going to sacrifice classical treatment," Spomenka explained.

For more information about homeopathic for children, or to download a brochure, click on www.homeopathic.org or call Dr. J Pediatrics at 815-729-1144.