What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a safe and effective system of medicine, which can be used for treating the whole family. It is simple to use, has no taste or smell and has no adverse side effects. Every home should have a simple, readily accessible first aid box containing sticking plasters, cotton wool and bandages. The addition of a few homeopathic remedies means you can deal quickly and effectively with any accidents in the home as well as common ailments.
Shock
Every accident (great or small) is accompanied by some degree of shock and Arnica 30C can really help. It is especially useful when the person pushes help away, insisting that they will be all right in a minute, but it’s also useful for panic. Arnica will help bruises and sprains to heal more quickly. It is a useful remedy for tired, aching, over-worked muscles after too much gardening/unaccustomed exercise. Also take Arnica after dental treatment when there is bruising; whether it is a fall, an accident or surgery, Arnica is the first remedy to think of to reduce bruising and speed up the body’s own healing process, and you should always think of using it in combination with Rescue Remedy following a car crash.
Wounds
Calendula tincture made into a lotion (1 teaspoon to a pint of cooled, boiled water) should be used to bathe and clean an open wound. It inhibits the proliferation of germs so sepsis will not form in a wound properly cleaned with calendula. Don’t forget to give Arnica internally for shock and bruising while the wound is being cleaned and dressed. Ledum 6C is invaluable for puncture wounds: for instance in wounds from nails or barbed wire, or simple splinters. It will quickly reduce the shooting and pricking pains. Use Ledum internally every four hours and clean and dress the wound with Calendula. Typically, a wound requiring Ledum feels numb and is cold to the touch, but is better for cold applications.
Crushing injuries
Some injuries are especially painful. Nerve-rich tissues such as the spine, fingers and toes, will benefit from Hypericum 30C. It is the remedy to think of for fingers that have been crushed in a car door, a heavy block falling on toes, or a fall affecting the spine or the coccyx. It will also soothe pain in the coccyx after giving birth. Apply Hypericum tincture to bites and stings and wherever there is pain shooting up the limb from the site of a wound.
Sprains & Strains
One of the most common injuries is a sprain, usually of the wrist or ankle. Normally the joint remains functional, but there will be pain and swelling. Rest is important and a support bandage will help to reduce the swelling. To bandage an ankle, start the bandage under the foot and wind it in a figure of eight pattern around the ankle and back around the foot, overlapping the bandage on each turn. Give Arnica for shock and bruising and then give Rhus Tox 6C – a wonderful remedy for stiffness. Use it also for rheumatism; especially where the joint is stiff to begin with and gradually improves with movement.
Burns and scalds
These are amongst the most common and the most painful of home injuries. Of course, if the burns are extensive, you will need to take the patient to your nearest Accident and Emergency unit immediately, but give Arnica first for shock. For simple burns that can be treated at home, give the patient frequent sips of water to alleviate shock and to prevent fluid loss. Treat first with Arnica 30C (up to 3 doses) for the shock and bathe the burned area of skin with a Calendula lotion (1 teaspoon of tincture to a pint of cooled, boiled water) to soothe the pain. It is useful to keep an Aloe Vera plant in your kitchen for small burns from the iron or oven. The leaves contain a cooling gel, which can be very soothing and healing to burned skin. It also relieves the pain by shutting out the air. If you do not have a plant, Aloe Vera gel can be purchased from your local health food shop. Recovery from burns can be assisted by taking extra Vitamin C.
Coughs & Colds, Temperatures & Gastric Disturbances
Pulsatilla is a great remedy to have in your first aid box: it is useful for the family’s coughs and colds, for painful periods and for teething infants. A good clue for prescribing Pulsatilla is that the person can seem a bit weepy or clingy but always feels better for being out in the fresh air. Pulsatilla 6C can help in gastric disturbances, especially if the cause is pork, pastry or bad fish or meat. There will be nausea, a bad taste in the mouth and dryness, together with bloating of the stomach and colicky pains. The patient is without thirst, restless and better for having the windows open. Nux Vomica 6C is also a splendid remedy for poor digestion, especially when the cause is over-indulgence, making it a marvellous hangover remedy!
Quick treatment when a cold threatens can save the whole family from a great deal of misery.
Arsenicum 6C taken in half-hourly doses at the very first sign of a cold may abort it altogether. Give Aconite instead (6C hourly for three doses) if the chill is due to waiting around in a cold wind for a late train or a bus. Nux Vomica colds also come on after exposure to cold winds with fluent coryza in the morning and blocked flow at night. The patient will be unable to get warm, irritable and impatient. Give Nux Vomica 6C every two hours. In young children, the early stages of colds or childhood illnesses may be accompanied by a fever for which a parent may think of using Calpol, but the homeopathic remedy Belladonna 30C is a very good substitute. The patient will be thirsty, the face will be flushed red and there may be a headache of a throbbing kind.
Giving water with a little lemon juice to drink and gentle sponging with tepid water will also help to bring down a temperature.
Gelsemium 6C is useful for colds or early stages of ‘flu where the person is chilly with heavy, aching limbs. Keep Gelsemium handy for anticipatory anxiety and stage fright before exams, interviews or driving tests. The nervous Gelsemium patient will be shaking and having to make frequent trips to the bathroom with diarrhoea and/or frequent urination. For people who lack confidence but usually perform well once they get into their stride, Lycopodium is the remedy. They become nervous before making a speech or presentation, even though they do it well when the moment arrives. They like sweet things and when they are nervous, their desire for chocolate may run away with them, so it is a good thing that Lycopodium is also a good remedy for indigestion with flatulence and irritability.
How to look after your remedies
All remedies should be stored in a clean, cool, dry place, away from light, heat, electrical interference and strong smells. Do not keep your homeopathic remedies in the same box as aromatherapy oils for example, or with any strong-smelling substance. Carefully stored, homeopathic remedies will last a long, long time. To give a dose, avoid touching the pillules by tipping a tablet into a spoon and then into the patient’s mouth. Let them dissolve slowly under the tongue. Remedies can be taken at any time of the day, but ideally allow a gap of at least 20 minutes between any food, drink or toothpaste. Discontinue treatment when the symptoms have abated and only repeat remedies when and if pain or other symptoms return. Homeopathy has remedies to treat all sorts of illnesses in the whole family, from pregnancy and babyhood to old age. Home prescribing for the family can be very rewarding and your own professional homeopath will be happy to give advice over the telephone if you are not sure which remedy to give. However, if more serious or chronic conditions arise, you will need a homeopathic appointment to address the situation fully.
Finding a good practitioner
The experienced homeopaths who work within The Complementary Health Care Clinic are all fully registered and insured, and furthermore are all part of the core lecturing team of The Homeopathic College of East Anglia which operates from the same premises. Our Homeopaths provide a caring and competent service to fully ensure the health and well being for you and your family. All are registered with The Society of Homeopaths, for which there are stringent academic and clinical assessments before admission to their register.
