I am happy to say that I am on vacation where the sun is strong and it feels amazing, so I am going to keep this article real short and get back to the business of being on vacation.

The problem with that marvelous sun is the fact that I am a red head. We redheads can love the sun but the sun is definitely not our friend for more than a few short minutes.

When I was a kid, I suffered sunburn regularly and a couple of them were pretty severe. I’m getting better about balancing my wanting to feel the sun on my skin and calling it quits before I’ve turned into a lobster.

Better, but not perfect!

Last year, I thought I had my bases covered. I had on a big hat, I had on a long sleeved hoodie with thumb hooks in the sleeves so even my hands were covered and I thought my legs were good to go. So, I went for a nice, long walk on the beach. 

We were in our RV, parked on the beach and it was raining while we slept. I awakened in the middle of the night with my lower legs simultaneously on fire and in a swamp. I quickly grabbed my remedies and popped a Belladonna (known for it's positive effect on burning pains). It took the edge off for a couple of minutes. Tried again. Same thing. The relief did not stick around.

Then, I remembered I had brought along a tube of homeopathic Sol, a remedy I had never tried. Within 15 minutes, I was back to sleeping like a baby (but still in my swamp).

Homeopathic Sol is made by exposing milk sugar “to the sun’s rays and then stirred with a glass rod until saturated” (Murphy n.d.). I will be completely honest… I wasn’t sure this was a realistic way to make a homeopathic remedy. This one sounded a little “out there” to me. But, I have to say, I take it all back.

“Potentized sunlight is used for sun dermatitis, sun headaches, heatstrokes, cancers and radiation. Photophobia is another keynote. Sunburns easily or never well since a severe sunburn. Sunlight can damage the eyes, from over-exposure, snow-blindness, sun-blindness” (Murphy n.d.).

As I said, I’m on vacation and in an effort to keep this short I will just say that if you have a history of severe sunburns, take a look at Sol and see if it’s a good fit for you.

Or, contact me and we can take a look together to see if homeopathy can address any longstanding issues stemming from previous sun exposure.

Cover up and wear a big hat!


Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath


#wellnessawaits

Murphy, R., n.d. Homeopathic Remedy Guide. accessed through Radar Opus.

A friend texted the other day asking for a remedy suggestion “for work stress and ready to cry — not sad crying, but overwhelmed.”

My general go-to for stress and feelings of overwhelm is Ignatia, but that remedy wasn’t quite right here. I suggested Nux vomica to her.

Surprisingly, these two homeopathic remedies have a lot in common in the mental and emotional realm. It’s not really this simple (because there is a lot of nuance to homeopathic remedies), but to me, the difference comes down to this: Ignatia is a bit sadder and Nux vomica is a bit angrier.

In the homeopathic repertory (the big, marvelous book of symptoms), the remedies are listed on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the strongest association of the remedy to the symptom. Here is how Ignatia and Nux vomica stack up in a few mental/emotional symptoms:

• Nervous excitement: Ignatia 3 & Nux 2
• Grief & sorrow: Ignatia 4 & Nux 2
• Inconsolable: Ignatia 4 & Nux 3
• Sulky behavior: Ignatia 4 & Nux 2
• Sadness: Ignatia 3 & Nux 2
• Feeling dispirited: Ignatia 3 & Nux 2
• Brooding behaviour: Ignatia 4 & Nux 1

Where is Nux vomica more highly indicated? Funny you should ask… I have that info right here:

• Feelings of hatred: Nux 4 & Ignatia 1
• Apathy & indifference: Nux 3 & Ignatia 2
• Easily irritated: Nux 3 & Ignatia 2
• Easily offended: Nux 4 & Ignatia 3
• Disposition to quarrel: Nux 4 & Ignatia 1
• Tendency to scold others: Nux 3 & Ignatia 1
• Oversensitive… to noise: Nux 4 & Ignatia 3; to voices: Nux 3, Ignatia 1

See what I mean? These two remedies are very similar but just ever so slightly different (in the mental & emotional arena, anyway).

Homeopathic Nux vomica has a reputation of being a good remedy for “the businessman.” Picture the old stereotype of the stressed out, overworked, chain smoking, hard drinking, stressed out, short-tempered business man … the characters from Man in the Grey Flannel Suit*  or Mad Men, or, heck, even Darren Stevens from Bewitched!

We’re now in a world where the smoking and heavy daytime drinking may have been dropped away from being societally acceptable, but the stress and the resulting grumpiness remains for all the desk jockies (not just the men in the grey flannel suits).

Homeopathic Nux vomica also addresses issues that stem from work, otherwise known in the repertory as the rubric, “ailments from being overworked".

• Indigestion from the stress of being overworked.
• Angst and problems stemming from business failures
• Worries about business matters
• Business matters infiltrating your dreams while you sleep
• Headaches with irritability
• Just plain worn out from work

All of this stress and worry can then lead to sleep problems which can be addressed nicely by Nux vomica: 
​

• Disturbed sleep 
• Stupefaction, after sleep or just generally feeling worse when you wake up
• Falling asleep while sitting
• Insomnia, especially if as a result of business worries

Just because the homeopathic literature speaks of the benefits of Nux vomica to businessmen does not mean it only benefits men or only benefits ailments from work related issues… but, it’s a helpful way to remember the remedy.** 

Keep calm and carry a tube of Nux vomica…

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits



*Aucoin (2015) has a nice overview of The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit.

**For more information on Nux vomica, see these previous articles: Calming the Cold, My Little Bag of Wellness, The Eagle has Landed!, Too Much!

A scary morning!

My teenage son stepped outside the patio door and promptly hit some ice and was on the ground. I heard it from the other room. We knew he banged his knee up pretty good. We didn’t know if he hit his head on the flower pot next to the door.

With some help, he hobbled back in the house and sat down in a chair. Almost immediately, he “disappeared.” He was staring (and breathing!) but completely unresponsive. Concussion? Seizure? It was a very spooky few seconds. Then, nausea and retching set in and he started shaking; his face (lips in particular) were absolutely colorless. Now, we added shock to the list of possibilities.*

Immediately, I gave him Arnica 200c.

Why 200c? Because it was the one that was the nearest. In an emergency, the best potency is the one you have! (I did move to Arnica 1M shortly thereafter.)

Homeopathic Arnica is the go-to for injuries in general.
Arnica is the go-to for head injuries, too.
Arnica is indicated in traumatic shock and shock from fractures.
Arnica is also indicated in, as the repertory says, “fainting, injury from shock in.”

Cleveland Clinic (n.d.) says, “Fainting, also called passing out or syncope, is a temporary loss of consciousness. It is caused by a sudden decrease of blood flow to the brain. An episode typically lasts a few seconds or minutes. Most fainting spells are not a cause for concern. But if you faint often or have other symptoms, you should seek medical attention.”

(I have seen 2 of my boys faint now on more than one occasion and it certainly does not feel like it’s not a cause for concern!)

Mayo Clinic (2018) describes: pale skin, lightheadedness, nausea and jerky, abnormal movements. “Recovery after a vasovagal episode generally begins in less than a minute. However, if you stand up too soon after fainting — waiting about 15-30 minutes — you’re at risk of fainting again.” I wish I had read that earlier because he did try to stand up and he did “disappear” again.

One theory of why this happens, according to Alboni and Alboni (2017), is the body is trying to “take on a gravitationally neutral position” — to get the head lowered to get some blood flow back to the brain. It turns out sitting in a chair was probably not the best position for him; we should have had him lying down with his head on a pillow. 

Is Arnica the only remedy I used? Nope. Aconite for shock. Ipecac for the nausea. Bryonia for the knee stiffness.

I also used homeopathic Carbo vegetabilis.

We were discussing going to the emergency room and he commented that putting a mask over his face "felt like a very bad idea." When taking a homeopathic case, the patient’s words are very important, so his mentioning this with no prompting gave me reason to pay attention.

Why did I care about this statement? It is Carbo veg’s association with the want of air that tipped me off. “The patient faints easily, is worn out, and must have fresh air” (Boericke 2007). 

Homeopathic Carbo veg is known to be helpful for:

• Asphyxia
• Cyanosis
• Difficult breathing
• Wants to be fanned
• Gasping for air
• Desires air
• Panting
• Breathing stopped
• Wheezing

Carbo veg is also useful for: shaking with chills, unconsciousness or semi-consciousness, traumatic shock, physical anxiety, and it is very highly indicated in hypotension or low blood pressure, which, of course also makes it a good remedy for fainting, making it a good fit for my son this morning.

I am happy to report that after a couple of hours of taking it easy and getting some good food and plenty of water in him, he is nearly back to his old self. His knee is still a little tender, but it’s getting him where he needs to go and it doesn't appear to be broken. (Phew!)

Any other remedies used? Yep. Ignatia 200c for me. As my mother-in-law used to say about raising children, “it’s not the work, it’s the worry.” Stressful stuff to watch your son “disappear.”

Watch your step!


Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath


#wellnessawaits


* I am fortunate to have an excellent and kind MD who answers my texts on a panicked Saturday morning. We also spoke with an ER doctor. We did not go this alone. If we had not had these resources, we definitely would have taken him to the ER.

Reference list

Alboni, P. and Alboni, M., 2017. Typical vasovagal syncope as a “defense mechanism” for the heart by contrasting sympathetic overactivity. Clinical Autonomic Research: Official Journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society [online], 27 (4), 253–261. 

Boericke, W., 2007. Pocket manual of homeopathic materia medica & repertory : comprising of the characteristic and guiding symptoms of all remedies clinical and pathogenetic including Indian drugs. Accessed through Radar Opus software. New Delhi, India: B. Jain.

Cleveland Clinic, n.d. Fainting: Causes, Symptoms & Prevention [online]. Cleveland Clinic. 

Mayo Clinic, 2018. Vasovagal syncope - Symptoms and causes [online]. Mayo Clinic. ‌