Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

2/24/2023

Nobody needs a nasty nauseating norovirus

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With working from home and on-line school, we have been off the hook on the norovirus for a couple of years and now that we are resuming normality, this icky bug is rearing its ugly head again.

According to headlines this week, cases have risen by 34% in two weeks in the UK and cases are up 30% over last year in parts of the US, too.

I had a call the other day from a mom whose young daughter was sent home from school after going to the nurse’s office a few times in one day feeling nausea. When she went to pick her up, the nurse informed her that the Norwalk virus was going around the school. The girl was nauseous, but she still had an appetite, and sometimes she had a headache. Homeopathic Phosphorus 30c is what I suggested and she soon felt a little better. The report that evening was that she had a thorough bowel evacuation and she was feeling much better by the next morning. (At the time of writing this, the rest of her family didn’t catch it.) At the same time I learned of this little girl, another pre-schooler I know spent the weekend in and out of the hospital getting IV fluids. It’s not a fun bug, that’s for sure.

What is this norovirus? This is the disease you sometimes hear about in the news -- the nasty sickness which grips entire cruise ships. Highly contagious stuff that is commonly spread through contaminated food, water and surfaces as well as close contact — that’s a perfect recipe for sickness on a cruise ship. (Which reminds me of the one cruise we took when our kids were little where our youngest at the time actually licked the railing in the elevator! By some miracle, he did not get sick. Phew!)

According to the Mayo Clinic, a norovirus infection can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea that starts suddenly and is highly contagious. Symptoms kick in within 12-48 hours after exposure and usually last for 1-3 days. Most people recover completely without treatment, but some people (the young, the old and those with other medical conditions) may require medical attention.

So, what are the common symptoms?

Nausea. Vomiting. Stomach pain or cramps. Watery or loose diarrhea. Feeling ill. Low-grade fever. Muscle pain. Norwalk is a (relatively) new name for what we all remember as “the stomach flu,” even though it has nothing to do with influenza.

Seek medical attention if the diarrhea doesn’t stop or there is severe vomiting, bloody stools, stomach pain or dehydration.

Conventional medicine really has nothing to offer for this disease. So, then, what does homeopathy have to offer?

Arsenicum album is one of the first remedies to consider when there has been any sort of food “poisoning.” Weakness. Thirsty for small sips. Chilly. Coming out both ends at the same time. Stool may be burning and very offensive. Even tiny sips of water may cause vomiting.

Ipecac non-stop nausea — nothing gives any relief, not even vomiting. Lots of saliva with the nausea.

Mag phos is a good one to remember if there is a lot of cramping pain. Sour vomiting. Hiccups, even with vomiting. Diarrhea with abdominal pain.

Nux vomica is another go-to for nausea and vomiting, as well as food “poisoning.” There may be irritability and there may be the need or urge but nothing is coming out — retching.

Phosphorus, as mentioned above, is a good one. Symptoms which may point to Phosphorus: Similar to Arsenicum album in that drinking small amounts of water may lead to vomiting and it, too, also has burning pains. Diarrhea may be very watery or full of mucous. The unusual symptom here is that the appetite remains.

Podophyllum for explosive, painless diarrhea. Very weak after the diarrhea. Excellent choice for infants with diarrhea.

Sulphur has some nasty smelling diarrhea. Very thirsty for cold drinks. Insecure rectum — be careful with those toots! Nausea.

Veratrum album has a cold sweat with the diarrhea and vomiting. Very thirsty for cold water and may crave sour things. Burping and heartburn. Another insecure rectum remedy. Vomiting is violent and forceful, as is the copious diarrhea which is acidic.

What to do after emptying your system? In addition to replenishing your fluids (and having some nice cups of my favorite… bone broth), try some China officinalis to help your body regain its equilibrium.

These remedies, if chosen wisely and taken quickly enough, might just nip the whole thing in the bud and you might just escape the whole nasty business.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

2/18/2023

Wrangling Remedies

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Boiron* Remedy Holder

Ammo box of Narayanis

My Bisley box and a smaller option purchased on Amazon* for about $24.

9-compartment insert.

24-compartment insert

Lipstick riser

Have you begun to amass a nice collection of remedies yet?

When I first discovered homeopathy, I would read about Arnica and then pick up a tube at the grocery store. Then, after realizing how helpful the Arnica was, I would then read about Nux vomica and so I grabbed a tube of that. Merc sol was the one that really sent me down the homeopathic rabbit hole. Pretty soon, I found I had all these little blue tubes scattered around my house in various places.

When I started working with a homeopath for real, more tubes were piling up. Then, I started taking classes and by this time I had quite an assortment..

What to do with all these little tubes of marvelousness?

It’s a lot easier than herding cats, but once you discover how useful homeopathic remedies are, these little tubes have a tendency to multiply… quickly!

I began with little open containers. At one point I purchased Boiron’s* remedy holder ($49.99 at the time of writing this) which worked fine until I bought a new tube and then would have to rearrange all the previous tubes to put the new one in and keep them alphabetical. The other downside to this box is it only holds the Boiron-sized tubes. But, if you have a static collection, this is an excellent option.

When my collection outgrew my Boiron box (which tops out at 48 tubes), I moved to ammunition boxes. Alas, this method has the same problem as the Boiron box and another drawback — whenever you add a new one, you have to re-hole all the previous tubes to make room alphabetically for the new tube AND you have to put a sticker on the top of each tube so you know what you have. I still use ammo boxes, but they are no longer my primary storage.

I like to figure out storage solutions and I was over the moon when The Container Store* opened up in town. A place that sells stuff to hold stuff!

The Container Store can be a dangerous place for me, but on one visit where I was focused solely on storing homeopathic remedies, I hit the jackpot. Bisley 5-drawer Cabinet was my answer. (Note: These are often offered at nice sale prices, especially if you don't care what color it is.) The 5 drawer cabinet is what fits in my cupboard, but the 8 drawer cabinet has some deeper drawers that look like they would be perfect to hold tinctures and liquid remedies but I haven't seen it in person, so I can't be certain.

The best part about these little cabinets are the liners. The 9 compartment deep drawer insert holds a lot of remedies. Each compartment holds 12 tubes easily — that’s 108 tubes in each drawer — times that by 5 and that’s 540 homeopathic remedies. That is a very healthy selection of remedies! (As you can see in the photo below, many different brands of tubes fit in these compartments nicely — so you’re not locked into just one pharmacy’s packaging.) And, there is no need for an extra sticker on the top of each one to see what they are.

The 24 compartment insert is perfect for 1/2 dram (travel kit size).

What other things did I find on my trips to the Container Store? Acrylic Lipstick risers are a perfect fit for both remedy tubes and Bach Flower Essences.

February isn't too early to start some spring cleaning… Happy Organizing!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

2/12/2023

NWS

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NWS — nope, I’m not talking about the compass and I didn’t forget “East”. However, I am talking about what we’ve heard a lot about in the NeWS for the last couple of years.

Long Covid. It seems perhaps we're not hearing about it quite as much recently, but for the last couple of years those two words popped up all the time; talking about this as if it's a brand new thing. From a homeopathic point of view, there is nothing new about this phenomenon — the idea of never quite returning to your old self after being ill or suffering an emotional shock has been a thing for a long time.

Homeopathically speaking, this is known as Never Well Since, or NWS.

NWS doesn’t have to come after an illness. It’s not unusual to hear a person say that they have never been the same since… fill in the blank…

NWS a head injury — this is a big one
NWS a surgical procedure
NWS taking care of a loved one during their long illness
NWS some medical procedure or medication
NWS an emotional trauma/shock
NWS childbirth
NWS puberty
NWS a divorce (your own or your parents)

The list goes on…

We humans are complicated creatures and when we get hit with an outside influence, like an illness or a medicine or a shock, it can upset our delicate equilibrium and we may need a little help reclaiming our balance.

If you are aware of a precipitating event for your current symptoms and would like to see how homeopathy may be able to help you, click here to book a focused consultation.

Life is too short for lingering yuckiness.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

2/4/2023

Rooty Toot Toots

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Let’s take a look at toots — you know, gas… bottom burps… farts… stink bombs… fluffer-doodles. While there certainly can be some instances which may indicate a serious medical problem for which medical treatment should be sought*, for the sake of this article, we’re going to just stick to common, everyday gas.

If you go to a conventional medical practitioner for your gas problem, they will most likely offer you one of the following:

Enzymes to help break down the carbohydrates, (e.g. Beano)
Lactase supplements to help digest the sugar in dairy products, (e.g. Lactaid)
Years ago, our pediatrician suggested simethicone for our gas-prone little fellows which help break up the gas bubbles, (e.g. Gas-x.) (Looking back, I so wish I had known about homeopathy, I could have helped them much more!)
Activated charcoal (a supplement of which I am exceedingly fond, I have to say)
A change in diet

*According to Mayo Clinic, if you have chronic or unusual abdominal pain, severe heartburn, persistent vomiting or nausea, chronic diarrhea, bloody or black stool, weight loss and loss of appetite, severe bloating, constipation or difficulty emptying your bowels, seek medical attention.

All of these conventional treatments may help now and again and in the moment, but, to my knowledge, they don’t help get rid of the underlying problem.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, has many remedies for many kinds of toots. When I enter “flatulence” into my homeopathic software, Dr. Robin Murphy’s repertory comes back with 849 “different” rubrics. (I put different in quotes because there are overlaps, to be sure, but it’s a clear indication of how homeopathy differs from conventional medicine.) Remedies for specific complaints stemming from gas. How cool is that? Tailored toot remedies, you might say!

What kinds of flatus are there? Here are just a few descriptions from Dr. Murphy:

Painful abdomen with flatulence. Abdominal pain with flatulence after eating. Painful distended abdomen.
Distended abdomen in the evening. Flatulence in the morning on waking.
“Incarcerated flatus” is one of my favorite homeopathic terms — trapped gas.
Back pain which is better from passing gas.
Flatulence during menses.
Offensive flatulence. Offensive, sulphur-like odor. (And from Boger, we have a rather eloquent description: “copious, silent discharge of hot, bilious-smelling flatus.")
Odorless flatulence.
Flatulence from sour foods.
Rumbling in the intestines which improves after passing gas.
Flatus from anxiety.
Burning pain in the rectum after passing gas.
Then there’s the worst gas of all — the kind where the rectal gate keepers fail in their job.😳

I could go on — it’s a long and fascinating list -- but, you get the idea.

One of the most beautiful aspects of homeopathy is that it can not only help in the moment by relieving symptoms, it can help to lessen the problem altogether.

When you are using homeopathy, you should be looking for overall improvement: the problem should be less intense and less frequent. In short, you should be looking for the problem to be getting better in general, not just in the moment. For instance, if you suffer severe gas and bloating every evening, once you are taking the “right” remedy (there are many remedies which can help with many given symptoms), the amount of gas should be less and the abdominal pressure should be less and the rumbling should quieten. Soon, it won’t be happening every night, it will be every other night and then every few nights and then only once in a while. That’s what we’re looking for -- overall improvement in the complaint.

So, what are some go-to remedies for common gas?

My first thought when somebody is suffering from gas and bloating is Lycopodium.

Homeopathic Lycopodium is a very highly indicated remedy for gas and bloating, especially when said toots are a result of eating offending foods. Where else might Lycopodium be helpful in gaseous complaints? Abdominal pain; back pain stemming from gas; flatulence in the elderly; wind accompanying stool; evening flatus, and, rumbling guts which improve when you are able to release some air.

How about that “incarcerated flatus”? Trapped wind causing cramping pain might be Lycopodium, but it might also be Carbo vegetablis (which is actually made from charcoal). If all that trapped gas makes your belly so full it can be difficult to breathe, Carbo veg is probably gonna' be your new favorite remedy. Gas during diarrhea; offensive gas; so much trapped gas that the abdomen feels hard and maybe even tender.

Those poor little babies, scrunching up their legs trying to get some relief? Mag phos would be my first thought.

Toots which smell like spoiled eggs? Sulphur, or, even Arnica.

Another good gas remedy is Nux vomica for flatulence from anxiety; flatulence after eating or even while eating and toots which accompany coughing.

If you have a potent, musical bottom, give some homeopathic remedies a try. Your loved ones will thank you!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits