Preparing for Summer the Holistic Way
Don’t let those summer bangs, bruises, bites ruin your vacation.
Presented by Wanda J. Bedinghaus, MD Harmonia Center for Healing. Offering classical homeopathy and medical massage therapy (under the direction of Joan Sloss, Ed.D., CMMT)
What is Homeopathy?
- A natural, scientific method of healing.
- Using remedies prepared from the plant, mineral and animal kingdom.
- Remedies are diluted and potentized to eliminate harmful side effects.
- Based on the principle of “like cures likes.”
Homeopathy is a “whole” system of healing and can heal at a deep level. Today we will focus on homeopathy as a healing medicine for acute trauma and acute infections.
Think homeopathy first for any acute situation!!
Accidents cause far more deaths and serious injuries to children and young adults than all diseases put together. First apply proper first-aid measures. Get help immediately if necessary. The correct homeopathic medicine can complement the standard first-aid measures. Homeopathic remedies reduce pain and speeds healing remarkably!!! Even if the injury requires traditional medical care, you can use homeopathy once the injured person’s conditional is stable. Case taking for acute injuries can be simple. Only a small number of remedies need be considered for each type of injury.
Arnica First for any injury that involves bruising, bleeding, swelling and pain.
Cuts (lacerations) and Scrapes (abrasions)
- Stop the bleeding by applying firm, direct pressure..or the appropriate pressure point for that part of the body.
- Clean the wound with soap and water.
- Gently irrigate the wound to remove all debris.
- Apply Calendula or Hypericum externally.
- Deeper cuts may need sutures.
- For minor cuts, pull the edges of the wound together with steristrips or butterfly Band-Aid.
- Shallow scrapes allow to heal w/o bandage. The scab is the “natural bandage”…do not remove.
Calendula
- Tincture: diluted with sterile saline and apply to injured area.
- Also available as a gel, cream or ointment.
- Apply thinly to scraped knees, chapped lips, diaper rashes.
Hypericum
- May be substituted for calendula or mixed with it if cut seems infected.
- Hypericum 30C can be taken orally for deeper cuts or if there is pain or tenderness to touch.
- It lessens pain and speeds healing.
- Can also be used orally for injuries that involve areas rich in verves, e.g. fingers, toes, and spine.
- Shooting pains.
Blunt Trauma
- First is Arnica. 30C for mild. 200C for concussion. 1M for more serious falls.
- Frequency: depends on intensity. 1M every 5-10 min. for more severe injury.
- Bellis perennis (common daisy) after arnica if still painful, there is deep muscle bruising, if internal organs are bruised.
- Bryonia (white hops), pain so bad person can’t be still…movement is excruciating; pain better from hard pressure; person is irritable.
- Ledum (marsh marigold): If blunt trauma is excruciating, more intense than the situation would assume; person needs ice cold pack to relieve the pain. In the ledum state person is very irritable, more so than bryonia.
Remedies for specific blunt trauma
- Breast and testicles: Give conium (hemlock).
- One dose can make a difference.
- Conium is big remedy for breast cancer that comes from trauma to the breast.
Blunt Trauma to Areas with Lots of Nerves
- Hypericum (St. John’s wort):
- Smashes finger in door…incredible shooting pain.
- Lips, tongue, the spine, teeth.
- Cures excruciating pain that shoots toward the heart.
- Aristolochia: Pains shoot towards the heart. Give if hypericum isn’t working.
Blunt Trauma to the Periosteum
- Ruta: severe pain to the shin.
- Makes motion hard.
- Worse from motion.
- 30C 2-3 times/day for 3-4 days.
Blunt Trauma to Eye
- When arnica doesn’t help, use Symphytum (comfrey).
- Ruta for bruising to the bone around the eye (Black eye).
- Next use sulphuric acid and calcaria carbonica if the above don’t help.
- If penetrating trauma, seek immediate medical care.
- If visual disturbance or unequal pupil, seek immediate medical care.
Puncture Wounds
- Wound is deeper than wide.
- Dangerous:
- May penetrate deeply.
- May push foreign bodies deep into tissue.
- Difficult to clean, more susceptible to infection.
- Perfect environment for tetanus to thrive…grow in absence of oxygen.
- Clean thoroughly. Allow to bleed some.
- Soak with warm water while still painful.
- If wound open, cover with sterile gauze…inspect frequently for infection.
Homeopathy Remedies for Puncture Wounds
- Arnica first.
- Ledum: for any puncture wounds.
- Coldness at the site, relieved by cold appl.
- Redness, swelling, throbbing pain.
- Apis (bee): warm/hot, stinging pains, better cold appl. Much swelling at site.
- Hypericum: sharp, shooting pains.
- Staphysagria: Leading remedy for stab wounds from knife, esp. to abdomen. Seek immediate medical attention.
Sprains, Strains, Injuries to Tendons/Ligaments
- Strain: ligament is over stretched.
- Sprain: ligament is partially torn loose.
- Torn ligament: ligament completely separated from the bone.
General Care for Sprains
- Rest
- Ice application. 15 min. at a time.
- Elevation
- Firm pressure to injured part. After 30 min. unwrap to allow for blood to circulate. Then rewrap.
- RICE = Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation
Homeopathic Remedies for Sprains
- Arnica first.
- Rhus tox: most common.
- Rusty gate: pains/stiffness worse during first motion, better continual motion.
- Esp. helpful for overuse injuries or lifting.
- Bryonia: pain worse by slightest movement, worse continued movement. Swelling but not as much with arnica. Pain better rest. Very irritable, demanding and not happy even when you meet their demands. Can be better with wrapping, pressure.
- Ruta: esp. if torn or wrenched. Best used after initial swelling, pain have decreased.
- If rhus tox hasn’t helped.
- Better rest, worse any motion.
- Particularly useful for wrists, ankle sprains.
- Not better with pressure…wants to be left alone.
- Ledum: for ankle sprains, if injured part feels cold or numb; better cold applications.
- Bellis perennis: if pain seems really deep and often bruising.
- Re-sprains: consider calcaria carbonica.
Medical Attention for Sprains
- If distortion, deformity, or instability of joint.
- Severe pain or massive swelling.
- Impossible to straighten joint.
- If cold, blue or numb beyond injury site.
- If can’t bear weight within 12 hours.
- If use of joint is difficult after 72 hours.
- Child injures wrist with outstretched hand.
Dislocated Joint
- Arnica first: cuts down on pain and swelling.
- Joint needs to be relocated as soon as possible to keep pain and swelling from worsening.
- Nursemaid’s elbow: don’t pull on small children’s arms. Dislocates the radial head easily until around 5 years old.
Fractures
- Can’t always tell if fracture without X-ray.
- If there is a deformity, probably fractures.
- If bone penetrates through skin, immediate medical care.
- Supracondylar fractures: elbow injuries in children should seek medical care as soon as possible.
- Immobilize injured part with splints before transporting.
Remedies for Fractures
- Arnica first in high potency if available: 200C or 1M.
- Symphytum: Once a day for 3-4 days or daily for 3-4 weeks. How long to give is determined by the duration of pain and the severity of the fracture. Best to consult a professional homeopath for this. Symphytum can cut the time of the cast in half.
- Symphytum is useful for old fractures that aren’t healing well and for stress fractures.
- Calcaria phosphoricum: pain worse from damp cold. Kids in growth spurts. Useful in old fractures if symphytum not helping. Kid breaks in same spot.
- Hypericum: bone in nerve rich areas, e.g. toes, fingers.
- Eupatorium perforatum: If above not helping. Deep aching bone pain.
- With all fractures, a professional homeopathy practitioner should be consulted for best results.
- Bryonia: for rib fractures. Worse from any motion.
- Silica: for small chips broken from the bone.
Head Injuries
- “Goose egg”: bleeding under scalp, skull. Not necessarily serious.
- Pay attention to person persons level of awareness. If person seems fine; rest and watch.
- Depression of skull: immediate attention.
- Ice application to decrease swelling.
- Check for injuries elsewhere, particularly injury to the neck or spine.
- Signs of concussion:
- Temporary loss of consciousness. How long?
- Disorientation.
- Headache; How severe?
- Visual disturbance: how long does it last?
- Vomiting. Many children will vomit immediately more from the pain and shock of it than from serious brain injury.
- Neurological signs: Size and shape of pupils, weakness or paralysis of a limb, confusion of place, person, time.
- If there is blood or fluid coming from nose or ear, seek immediate medical attention.
- Change in pulse or breathing, irregular or weak, seek immediate medical attention.
- Seizure/convulsion, seek immediate care.
- If there is a soft, squishy swelling over skull, may be a fracture, esp. in children: seek medical care as soon as possible if person seems okay.
Burns
- Prevention is best treatment.
- Keep hot liquids away from children.
- Be sure stoves have burners that can’t be turned on by children, esp. when not in your own home.
- No flammable fuels in your tent or RV.
- Know escape routes in case of fire: hotels etc…places away from home.
Degree of Burn
- In addition to flames, burns can be caused by excessive heat, acid or alkaline, electricity, radiation.
- First degree: pain, redness, e.g. sun, touching hot surface.
- Second degree: blistering, redness, pain.
- Third degree: all layers of skin burned through…skin is deathly white or charred black.
Homeopathic Remedies for Burns
- Apis (bee): rosy red, swelling, hot stinging pain.
- Arsenicum: anxious, restless, averse to cold, chilly.
- Cantharis (Spanish fly): for sever burns. Painful burning.
- Phosphorus: for electrical burns.
- Calendula or urtica urens: topically, spray, gel
Burns: Homecare
- Apply cold or warm water (which feels best).
- Blisters protect the burned…if possible don’t break. If very large, use antiseptic technique to remove blister.
- Change dressing twice a day.
- Chemical burns may require immediate attention. Follow instructions on container. Wash off chemical with large amount of water if no instructions.
Sunstroke and Heat Exhaustion
- Belladonna first: Headache, red flushed face. Worse light, noise, movement. Delirious.
- Glonium (nitroglycerine): flushed face, pounding headache. Drowsy state, heaviness.
- Carbo vegetabalis: Weakness, cold, clammy skin. Almost collapsed. Needs to be fanned; need for air. Also great for altitude sickness.
- Gelsemium: similar to Bell. Flushed face, HA, trembling and weakness.
General Care for Sunstroke
- Cool the body immediately. Immerse in tub of cold water or use ice packs.
- Fan continuously.
- Rub arms and legs vigorously to get blood flowing.
- After temp falls below 102 F, seek immediate medical care.
Stings and Spider Bite
- Prevention is key.
- Wear appropriate clothing.
- Watch where you put your hand.
- Inspect everyone for tics.
- Be sure topical insect repellants are safe. Citronella oil is helpful.
- Oral garlic tabs can help with mosquito bites.
- Flick stinger out with fingernail. Pulling straight out can cause more venom to be injected.
Homeopathic Remedies, for Stings/Bites
- Apis: red, rosy, swelling, hot worse with heat, stinging in nature. Use for more than just bee/wasp stings.
- GIVE APIS IMMEDIATELY FOR ANAPHYLAXIS…causes intense swelling. Give high potency (1M) every 5 min. if necessary. Works quickly. If history of anaphylaxis, get high potency apis from a homeopathic pharmacy and keep with you at all times. Then give epinephrine is necessary.
- Ledum: cold and better from cold application. Brings relief before swelling goes down.
- Tarantula: bites/stings very painful, site gets blue/purple.
- Carbolic acid: severe symptoms. Swelling not hot or cold. Give if part is really swollen and really hurts.
- Medusa (jellyfish): for jelly fish stings and others have worked. Isopathic treatment.
- Staphysagria: children who get large, irritating mosquito bites.
Snake Bites
- Keep person at rest.
- GET IMMEDIATE HELP.
- Position bitten part below level of heart.
- Stay calm.
- Remove jewelry or clothing that can constrict.
- No tourniquets or ice immersion.
- Outside of neurotoxic or cardiotoxic effects, greatest damage is tissue damage from the venom.
Animal or Human Bites
- Soap and water clean the wound ASAP…and do thoroughly.
- Irrigate wound with copious amounts of water or saline.
- Squirrels, skunks, foxes…rabies carriers.
- If puncture wound, use Ledum.
- If skin cut or torn, choose hypericum or arnica.
Posion Ivy/Sumac/Oak
- Rhus toxicodendrum
- Topical: aloe vera juice, calendula.
Other Remedies for Travel
- Aconite: Sudden onset of symptoms; very first stages of colds, flus: high fever, chilly, thirst. Anxiety, panic; better open air; worse evening, warmth.
- Arnica: Any trauma; achiness from physical exertion.
- Arsenicum: Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting (turista from contaminated food); anxiety, restlessness; poisoning from chemicals, pesticides. Flu with nausea.
- Belladonna: Headaches, earaches, fevers, sore throats, flu, sunstroke, burning or throbbing pains with red face congestion.
- Cocculus: Exhaustion, ill effects of travel, jet-lag, overwork.
- Ignatia: Hysteria, effects of bad news, state of grief or frustration, anxiety, anger, sighing and sobbing. Globus hystericus.
- Ledum: Puncture wounds, insect, bug bites, eye trauma, pains with general coldness, tetanus, poison oak.
- Nux vomica: Indigestion, headaches from overindulgence or overexertion; hangover from alcohol, drugs; laxatives; irritability.
- Phosphorus: Flu; hard, dry cough, bronchitis, pneumonia; craves ice cold drinks; bleeding; bad effects of anesthesia; POISIONING from chemicals, pesticides.
- Tabacum: Travel sickness, seasickness; nausea, vomiting; diarrhea; rapid pulse; listlessness; cold and sweaty.
These are first-aid procedures and remedies. Always consult a medical doctor or see your professional homeopathy provider once the emergency is over.
Potency and Frequency
- 30C is usually adequate.
- Repeat until the symptoms have either improved or gone.
- Can be given directly in mouth under the tongue.
- Or made into a water solution and stirred between each dose: give 1 tsp.
- Higher potencies can be obtained from a homeopathic pharmacy or a local homeopath.
Obtaining the Remedies
Finding a Professional Homeopath
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