Reine Du Bois is a family naturopath practicing in Byron Bay. Here she answers some frequently asked questions regarding pregnancy, baby and childhood issues. We hope your questions can be answered below. Take a look at our frequently asked questions fact sheet. If you have visited our site before, you will notice that she is unable to offer her free service any longer, but I do hope the issues raised on this page can assist you find your first step.

Naturopathy is based on the principle that the natural laws of life apply inside the body as well as outside. It uses a range of natural approaches including diet and herbs and encourages exposure to sun and fresh air to maximise the body's natural responses. This system of healing aims to provide holistic or whole body healthcare by drawing on treatment methods from several traditional systems of medicine.  

Exposure to chemical substances, poor diet, tobacco, alcohol use, caffeine and weight have all been linked to decreased fertility levels, childhood behaviours and settling babies. I can highly recommend a visit to http://www.womhealth.org.au to learn more about specific issues in this area.

In my own personal experience of treating my children’s illness and imbalance with homeopathics, herbs and healing arts such as cranio sacral, kinesiology and more, I feel I have developed a profound and natural understanding of our families bodies and how we can operate at optimum health. Naturopathy is our first port of call with any illness and I encourage all families wanting to live a natural lifestyle to take this journey. I urge you to take the plunge. The first step is to educate yourself. See your local library or subscribe to some of the wonderful magazines who have a family focus on natural healing such as Informed Voice. Natural Parenting or byronchild magazine.

Finding a local practitioner is very important and sometimes this involves ‘shopping’ around until you find someone you feel you can work with.
Start with your yellow pages and be willing to visit another suburb.

I trust you will benefit in some way from the information here. Thank You.


Frequently Asked Questions
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1. Q. what oil is safe to use for perineum massage?

A. A simple organic almond or avocado oil, best not to use any essential oils as they can sometimes be to stimulating.

2. Q. Natural remedies that are safe to use during labour?

A.Sipping Raspberry leaf tea with a little ginger helps the uterus to make the most of each contraction.
Arnica 30c helps to keep you focus and calm
Rescue Remedy if you start to doubt your bodies ability to complete the journey and to keep you grounded

3.Q. What natural remedies are best to use for colic in babies

A. Chamomile and Fennel tea (organic) are ideally drunk 15 minutes prior to feeding. The baby can also be given tiny amounts via a dropper before feeds. It's also important to look at the mothers diet, certain foods can create extra wind for newly born babies.

4.Q . I am getting really bad heartburn in this pregnancy, what can I do to stop it or get some relief?

A. It is very common to experience Heartburn during the second part of pregnancy. It may not necessarily get worse, but could continue for the next three months. However there are some simple natural remedies that are safe and effective that you can use.

First it is important to consider the following with regards to eating

Don’t drink with your meals (30 minutes before and after is fine)

• Don’t eat too late at night – try and have your last meal around 6-7 pm
• CHEW your food really well – put knife and folk down between mouthfuls
• Eat small meals frequently
• Keep a bag of almonds on you – chew well in between meals (they decrease the acidity of the stomach)
• Avoid greasy take away foods and spicy hot foods

Remedies that are safe to use during pregnancy

• Slippery Elm (1 teaspoon) mixed into a paste with some honey neutralizes stomach acid, soothes the stomach and eases gas. You can usually find slippery elm l oz enges in health food shops, often a convenient way to use this remedy when away from home. This can be used as often as needed and usually provides relief quickly.
• Blackmores celloid S.P neutralizes stomach acid and can be sucked until the pain eases. This also works quickly. (This remedy tastes a bit like soap)
• Chewing fennel seeds after a meal aids digestion and decreasing acid production.

If you have difficulty getting any of these remedies I can arrange to have them sent to you.

ONLINE NATUROPATHIC INFANT KIT

The remedies contained within the “Naturopathic Infant Kit” have been designed with ease of applicat ion in mind. Having two young children of my own I understand how difficult it can be when childhood illness suddenly appears. This kit empowers the parent with easy to use information to identify the right combination of remedies to use for an ailment.

The “Naturopathic Infant Kit” contains - Cold and Flu Herbs
Settling and Soothing Herbs (Teething and Irritability)
Cough Herbs
Slippery Elm Powder (diarrhoea)
Bumps and Bruises Cream
Bites and Stings Cream
Cuts, Sores and Burns Cream
Infant Drops (Shock and Trauma)
Iron Phosphate (Fever and infection)

An information sheet is also included specifying dosage amounts and the use of these remedies for 21 childhood ailments. Please contact me directly if you would like to assess the suitability of the Naturopathic Infant Care Kit for your family. The infant care kit can be purchased for $79.95.

The Naturopathic Infant Care Kit cannot be purchased on-line but can be purchased direct by phoning 1300 555 632. Phone between 9am - 5pm EST Australian Time.