Calcarea Carbonica

I was once told by a well-known American homeopath that my constitutional medication was Calcarea Carbonica, because I was cold, feeble and weakly. My first encounter with homeopathic medicine was in 2008 when I had just turned eighteen years old. I had signed up for three months of treatment from a naturopathic doctor in this small town of El Salvador, called La Union. At the time, I was still unworldly and not too cultured when it came to holistic and unconventional medicine. Despite being such a tender age, I had already lost all trust in allopathic medicine. My first day there, I remember Dr. Luis Portillo giving me some herbal teas and bestowing on to me these clear bottles with liquid in them. As I put a few tasteless drops under my tongue, I looked up and realized this was, “water?” At that moment I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake by leaving everything behind and going to seek medical help in another country. “You’re giving me water for my abdominal pain, you’re joking, right?” I furiously asked him as I slammed the bottle on the table, confused and irritated, I was ready to leave. “It’s called homeopathic medicine, the more diluted, the more potent it becomes.” He took out a green book from his shelf and opened up to a chapter that elaborated more on this theory of his. The book was in Spanish, of course, with Latin phrases that I did not understand. Eleven years later, looking back to that day, the only words that resonated with me were, “Lo similar cura lo similar.” Or, “Similia similibus curentur.” Which translates to, “like cures like.” Sitting there I thought, “Never had I heard of such a speculation, but it sounds interesting.” So, I gave him an opportunity to elaborate on this theory of what I believed to be a simple placebo. I was already there, three-thousand miles away from home, I might as well. He explained that these remedies, which would make you sick, are diluted down so much that there is essentially nothing remaining. They come in form of purified water or sugar pills and these small globules carried energy representing the main medicinal item. Which could be minerals or plants. I took these “magic pills” as I remember calling them, for three times that week. He had given me Belladonna for these debilitating menstrual aches that I had suffered from since I was a little girl. Nothing would touch this pain, not even 800 milligrams of Motrin that my pediatrician would give me. I would go visit him five times a week for treatment, we would do acupuncture, yoga, meditation, Tai chi, amongst other natural approaches for my ailments. After my second

month there, I noticed my menstrual cramps had diminished greatly. I didn’t feel the need to lie

in bed with a pillow over my lower abdomen as I breathed profusely, feeling alone. It was during my second month with Dr. Portillo that I realized the power of homeopathy and how foolish I had been to think these sugar globules were futile and valueless. I owe my spark of interest to this great man; he is no longer here with us and has moved on to a better place. But his energy and memory are always present in my life, his knowledge and brilliance will forever be engrained in me.