Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

6/24/2022

Summer Fun #1: Sun

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Summer is now officially in full swing! Whether you are jetting across the world or driving to the coast or just visiting your local water park, I hope you are out and about and enjoying the sunshine … with a nice, big, wide-brimmed hat, of course!

After decades of being told to avoid the sun, at least one group is warning us that we are not getting enough sun (Alfredsson et al. 2020). As a redhead, I know too well it’s a fine line between too little and too much. Finding that sweet spot of sun is tricky.

Sunburn. I’ve been there, done this and I feel your pain!

I was always under the impression the sun reflecting off the water played a part in a beach vacation sunburn, but Diffey and Mobley (2018) say otherwise. They claim it is just a simple lack of shade at the beach that is the culprit. Those passing clouds aren’t going to help much, either! According to Cancer Research UK (2019), 90% of the UV rays can still pass through light clouds. And, it’s not just the sun from above… hot sand can result in “beach feet” (Cohen 2019). (My personal thoughts on the water and the clouds are that you just don't feel the intensity of the sun as much in those conditions so you are less likely to be taking the necessary precautions.)

Years ago, I watched a TV program which said that adding lycopene (via tomato paste, specifically) to your diet can help keep your skin from burning. Apparently, they weren’t wrong: (Stahl et al. 2001; Cooperstone et al. 2017). Other carotenoids can also be helpful, too (Stahl and Sies 2012). But, if you haven’t eaten enough tomatoes and carrots and instead you find yourself turning into a sun-dried tomato*, I have some homeopathic remedies for you.

For each of these sunburn remedy suggestions, repeat a 30c dose, every half hour or so until some relief is felt and then space the doses out.

The first remedy to turn to for any burn, whether from the sun, a chemical or a flame, is Cantharis. Burns, as well as burning pains. Restlessness. Sunburn with blisters. Even burning pains in the eyes.

Belladonna for dry and hot skin with burning sensations. Swollen skin. Throbbing pains. Bright, red skin. “Burning, pungent, steaming, heat” (Murphy 2020).

If your skin is feeling itchy or prickly after a sunburn, Urtica urens is the remedy you’re looking for. Itching, raised, red blotches. (I had a childhood friend who used to get this after any exposure to the sun. I wish I had known then what I know now. Alas.)

If your skin is burning up and you’re sweating but are inexplicably NOT thirsty, Pulsatilla may be in order.

One more idea is Similasan’s Burn Recovery** for some quick, spray-on relief.

That big beautiful glowing thing in the sky not only can be too much on your skin, it can be too much on your entire system. Horrible to experience, but not generally life threatening is a terrible headache resulting from too much sun.

Belladonna or Glonoinum is what you need here.

As mentioned above for the sunburn, the sun-induced Belladonna headache will be throbbing and intense. A Glonoinum headache will, in addition to throbbing, also be bursting with “waves of terrible, pounding pain” (Murphy 2020) with a rush of blood to the head.

The person needing Glonoinum cannot tolerate having heir head laid backward and may also experience twitching or muscle contractions.

The person needing Belladonna will be more comfortable with their head laid in a backward position and sitting quietly.

This sun headache can be indicative of worse things to come. If you find yourself at this point — get out of the sun now(!) and get some fluids in you. Do whatever you need to do to gently lower your body temperature.

The Natural First Aid Handbook (Mars 2017) suggests making a spritzer to cool yourself down by filling an 8-ounce spray bottle with water, 2 teaspoons of witch hazel, 10 drops of lavender essential oil and 10 drops of peppermint essential oil and “spray or sprinkle over yourself.”

If you are unsuccessful in regulating your temperature, Heat exhaustion or Heat Prostration is the next step when you’ve been out too long and your body is not able to cool itself. Children are particularly susceptible to this phenomenon (SunSmart 2020). Symptoms of heat exhaustion include confusion, weakness, faintness, headache, muscle cramps, heavy sweating and nausea and/or vomiting.

Dr. Colin B. Lessell (1999) recommends giving either homeopathic Carbo vegetabilis for the exhausted person who seems ready to collapse or Bach Rescue Remedy and notes that expert medical assistance should be sought if the patient does not respond rapidly.

A further ill-effect from the sun is Heat Stroke or Sunstroke which is a serious condition and requires immediate medical attention. Administer Belladonna or Glonoinum while on the way to the hospital or while waiting for the ambulance.

How to tell the difference between Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke? According to Lessell (1999, p. 116):

If you, like me, have a history of sunburns, check out my article on Sol, yet another homeopathic remedy which can help set things right after too much sun.

Now, get a big hat and a bottle of water, grab a friend (or a book) and head to the beach, the pool, the park or your balcony to soak up some (but not too much!) delicious vitamin D!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* Bonus remedy: Consider some China officinalis if you have experienced any dehydration from too much sweating or not drinking enough water. Note: putting a little pinch of salt in your water (Lessell 1999) can help balance your electrolytes … or, grab nature's electrolyte balancer, coconut water. (Clever thing that coconuts are what you find on an otherwise uninhabitable island!)

** I have no affiliation with this company, I just like their products.

Reference list and further reading:

Alfredsson, L., Armstrong, B. K., Butterfield, D. A., Chowdhury, R., de Gruijl, F. R., Feelisch, M., Garland, C. F., Hart, P. H., Hoel, D. G., Jacobsen, R., Lindqvist, P. G., Llewellyn, D. J., Tiemeier, H., Weller, R. B. and Young, A. R., 2020. Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [online], 17 (14).

Cancer Research UK, 2019. The UV index and sunburn risk [online]. Cancer Research UK.

Cohen, P. R., 2019. Beach Feet: A Sand-associated Thermal Injury to the Soles of the Feet and the Plantar Aspect of the Toes. Cureus [online].

Connolly, S., Bertinetti, M., Teague, W. J., Gabbe, B. J. and Tracy, L. M., 2021. Sunburn Injuries Admitted to Burn Services in Australia and New Zealand. JAMA Dermatology [online], 157 (6), 729.

Cooperstone, J. L., Tober, K. L., Riedl, K. M., Teegarden, M. D., Cichon, M. J., Francis, D. M., Schwartz, S. J. and Oberyszyn, T. M., 2017. Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations. Scientific Reports [online], 7, 5106.

Diffey, B. L. and Mobley, C. D., 2018. Sunburn at the seaside. Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine [online], 34 (5), 298–301.

Gauer, R. and Meyers, B. K., 2019. Heat-Related Illnesses. American Family Physician [online], 99 (8), 482–489.

Glazer, J. L., 2005. Management of Heatstroke and Heat Exhaustion. American Family Physician [online], 71 (11), 2133–2140.

Kenny, G. P., Wilson, T. E., Flouris, A. D. and Fujii, N., 2018. Chapter 31 - Heat exhaustion [online]. ScienceDirect.

Lau, W. Y., Kato, H. and Nosaka, K., 2019. Water intake after dehydration makes muscles more susceptible to cramp but electrolytes reverse that effect. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine [online], 5 (1), e000478.

Lessell, C. B., 1999. The world travellers’ manual of homoeopathy. Saffron Walden: C.W. Daniel.

Mars, B., 2017. The natural first aid handbook : household remedies, herbal treatments, basic emergency preparedness everyone should know. North Adams, Ma: Storey Publishing.

Murphy, R., 2020. Nature’s materia medica : 1,400 homeopathic and herbal remedies. 4th edition. Blackburg, Va.: Lotus Health Institute, November.

Pirayesh Islamian, J. and Mehrali, H., 2015. Lycopene as A Carotenoid Provides Radioprotectant and Antioxidant Effects by Quenching Radiation-Induced Free Radical Singlet Oxygen: An Overview. Cell Journal (Yakhteh) [online], 16 (4), 386–391.

Stahl, W., Heinrich, U., Wiseman, S., Eichler, O., Sies, H. and Tronnier, H., 2001. Dietary Tomato Paste Protects against Ultraviolet Light–Induced Erythema in Humans. The Journal of Nutrition [online], 131 (5), 1449–1451.

Stahl, W. and Sies, H., 2012. Photoprotection by dietary carotenoids: concept, mechanisms, evidence and future development. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research [online], 56 (2), 287–295.

SunSmart, 2020. Alarming number of infants, children and teens presenting at Victorian hospital emergency departments with sunburn - SunSmart [online]. Sunsmart.com.au.

Tripathi, R., Mazmudar, R. S., Knusel, K. D., Ezaldein, H. H., Bordeaux, J. S. and Scott, J. F., 2021. Trends in emergency department visits due to sunburn and factors associated with severe sunburns in the United States. Archives of Dermatological Research [online], 313 (2), 79–88.

6/13/2022

What to expect in an acute consultation

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Continuing on from my last article…

What to expect before your first acute homeopathic consultation

Let’s take the example of an ear ache* as the Chief Complaint.

We homeopaths not only want to hear that you have an ear ache, we want to know which side it’s on. Does the pain radiate anywhere? Are any glands involved? Any fever? Is there any drainage? If so, what color is it? What is the consistency of this drainage? What kind of pain are you experiencing… Stitching? Aching? Burning? Throbbing? Is there a time of day that the pain is worse? What makes the pain better? Is the pain better lying on the painful ear… Heat? Fresh air? Blowing your nose? What makes the pain worse… burping (yes, it’s a thing!) … drinking … blowing your nose … hiccups? Does the person have a history of ear infections?** If so, when did they start and what treatments were given over the years? Did they help? What happened after the treatment?

What else is happening at the same time you are having this ear pain? Is there a headache that goes along with it? Does your left elbow hurt? Are you urinating more or less? Are you thirstier than normal? Any change in appetite? Any change in mental/emotional health?

What was happening before this pain started? Did it start with cold symptoms? Did it come on after swimming? Did it come on after being stuck out in windstorm? Or, do you get an earache every spring when the weather changes?

Some of these questions I know sound ridiculous and seem unrelated, but trust me, everything is relevant and the answers to these questions will help lead the homeopath to the right remedy for you.

Following all these questions and the method in which the homeopath works, the homeopath may have a remedy for you immediately, on the spot, or they may need to take half an hour or so to figure out the best remedy for you. Make sure to ask your homeopath when you can expect to hear from them with remedy suggestions.

The homeopath will then provide you with instructions on how to take the remedy/remedies as well as any further instructions which may be relevant to your situation.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* If you are experiencing an ear ache, here are two good remedies to try: Helios' ABC and Similasan Earache Relief or Similasan Kids Earache Relief.

ABC is a combination remedy of Aconite, Belladonna and Chamomilla and can often set an ear infection right in short order. Note: you don't need to purchase this combo remedy, you can pop a pellet of each remedy into your mouth at the same time; or, you can put a pellet of each remedy into some water and sip it as needed.

** Chronic ear infections will likely require more treatment beyond what helps your ear pain acutely.

I have no financial affiliation with any of these companies -- I just like their products.

6/7/2022

What to expect…

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Meeting with a homeopath for the first time can be slightly daunting, especially if you have no idea what to expect. What is happening? Is this quackery? Why am I telling my life story to someone? There are a lot of questions on the paperwork! Why are you asking these crazy questions?

The first time I intentionally met with a homeopath, I was nervous. I actually had sweaty palms- nervous. I don’t know why that was, but it was definitely the case. Of course, my anxious thoughts all turned out to be unfounded, but I didn't know that at the time. I really and truly had no idea what to expect.

Let’s walk through the homeopathic consultation process and alleviate any concerns you may have, shall we?

The first thing you need to know is that homeopaths ask a lot of questions. There is (just about) never too much information for a homeopath. Homeopaths ask a lot of questions on paper before you even meet with them. What are we looking for?

We are looking for background information — anything that may be a piece to the very beautiful and complex puzzle that is you.

We want to know about your health history.
We want to know about your family health history.
We want to know about any childhood illnesses.
We want to know about any major life events.

We are building a timeline of you to see if there are any patterns — to see what stands out. (If you haven’t done your own health timeline, do yourself a favor, and get one underway. It most likely will never be finished and that’s OK. You’re going to remember things after you think you have completed it. Just plug the information in as you remember it. It’s a fascinating exercise and you will learn a lot about you.)

Homeopaths want to know about your childhood diseases and what puberty was like for you.
We want to know if you had any recurring illnesses or surgeries.
If you are a woman, we want to know all about menses (from the onset to current) as well as pregnancy, labor and menopause.
We want to know if you had any conditions from which you never fully recovered.

Unlike mainstream medicine that seems to just put that information in a file and then leaves it there (but continues to ask you the same questions every visit), homeopaths actually utilize this information. As I said, every bit of information is a piece to the puzzle.

With all this information comes a lot of time. It is not at all unusual for an initial consultation to last an hour or even longer. And, all this information makes for a lot of note taking: some by hand or some use a computer and some may record the consultation (with your permission, of course). Don’t be surprised or concerned at the amount of frantic scribbling you see.

Homeopaths want to know and understand your current and past treatments (homeopathic or otherwise) and how such treatments helped, or didn’t help.
Homeopaths want to know about your sleep habits and your dreams and don’t be surprised if you are asked about your favorite foods and your food aversions as well as other general questions about who you are as a person.
Additionally, some “head to toe” questions may be asked -- meaning, a quick run-through of body systems to see how they are all working.

Remember, homeopathy is individualized medicine, and every aspect of you is taken into consideration when choosing the appropriate remedy/remedies.

BUT, before we get to our questions, we want to hear your story. What brought you to seek homeopathic treatment? We call this the Chief Complaint.

Not surprisingly, a lot of people who seek homeopathic treatment have tried every other possible mode of healthcare: allopathic, nutritional, herbal, chiropractic, naturopathic… you name it. Homeopathy is often a last-ditch resort, which is a shame because homeopathy can often set you on a new and better course when things are treated in a timely manner. Homeopathy can do so much good for little things as well as big things.

What can you expect from the homeopath?

You should expect to be heard.
You should expect to be respected.
You should expect to be understood and the homeopath should make themselves understood — a mutual understanding.

A homeopath should make the process clear to you and should be willing to answer any questions you may have related to homeopathy.

In short, you should expect open and honest communication.

A homeopath should respect your boundaries and should not push you further than your comfort allows. For example, if you are looking for help with only your Plantar Fasciitis, and you are not interested in a complete homeopathic consult at this time, communicate this to your prospective homeopath.

That's the long and the short of what to expect before your first homeopathic consultation. Tune in next week for a quick run down of an acute consult.

To be continued…

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

For more information:

Anon., 2022. The Snooks : What happens when you visit a homeopath? [online]. www.youtube.com.

Society of Homeopaths, n.d. Seeing a homeopath – Society of Homeopaths [online]. Society of Homeopaths.

6/1/2022

Anger and fear

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Photo by Saara Nafici.
https://www.bbg.org/news/weed_of_the_month_jimson_weed

One of the first remedies I gave my (then) young son after beginning to study homeopathy was Stramonium.

He was about 9, I think, and my previously easy-going young fellow had become pretty surly. To paint the picture, he had previously had a good relationship with the after-school tutor who had been helping all 3 of my boys at various times for a few years. They would sit at the dining room table when I was cooking dinner and they chatted nicely and joked as she explained to him how this thing called “math” worked. Then, one day, he just became unpleasant and rude to her. It was not just with the tutor, but that relationship provided the clearest display of what was happening.

I had learned recently about the homeopathic remedy Stramonium and I ordered a tube because it sounded like a pretty good fit for him. As the days went by, waiting for the remedy to arrive in the mail, I hoped that it was actually just a passing phase and my pleasant son would return. My hopes went unanswered.

As luck would have it, the Stramonium arrived in the middle of a tutoring session. I opened the package and popped a couple of pellets in his mouth. A few minutes later, he said, “what did you just give me? It has made me really angry!”

I have to admit that I panicked for a minute. What had I done? (In hindsight, a lower potency probably would have been better.) But, a few minutes later, he calmed way down after a short-lived aggravation*. I don’t think I ever actually gave him a second dose of Stramonium and his old, pleasant self soon returned.

What is Stramonium and how can it possibly have this effect?

Stramonium is made from jimson weed, a nightshade relative of tomatoes, eggplants and tobacco, and is known to trigger psychosis when ingested (Mental Health Daily 2015). All parts of this plant are toxic and in its raw state can cause convulsions, hallucinations and even death if ingested (Nafici 2016).

The bloom itself is quite striking, but the seedpod (see top photo) is a better depiction of what this plant is all about. Jimson weed, also known as “locoweed,” “mad-apple” “thorn-apple” and “stinkweed” is “UNSAFE [original author's emphasis] when taken by mouth or inhaled” and “contains chemicals such as atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine” which “interfere with one of the chemical messengers (acetylcholine) in the brain and nerves” (Rxlist.com 2021) and can be fatal in high doses (Charmley 2022).

Alrighty then! Message received — keep a safe distance from the plant itself! (If you or your pet do come in contact with this plant, call Poison Control at 1.800.222.1222.)

“Jimson weed poisoning is found primarily among adolescents who seek the hallucinogenic effects of the plant” (Chan 2002) but it can also harm animals (Guthrie 2014) and makes the list of the “10 common poisonous plants” (Charmley 2022). (A quick search of the internet turns up many news articles of teens ending up in trouble from smoking or ingesting this weed.)

Many of homeopathy’s most powerful medicines come from the most poisonous substances on the planet: Belladonna, Hemlock, Aconite… the list goes on because as we know in homeopathy, “Like cures Like.”

What does that even mean? "Like cures like" means the symptoms or conditions which can be created or caused by a substance in its natural state can then be “cured” through the use of the potentized homeopathic version of the same substance. (See also, “Hom, not home”.)

Indeed, one of the ways we find out the healing properties of homeopathic remedies is through historical accounts of poisonings. Take for instance Socrates, the Greek philosopher who was sentenced to death in 399 BC by drinking a hemlock liquid mixture — his symptoms were recorded by Plato in his book Phaedo (Dayan 2009). Plato told of the slowly ascending paralysis which crept up his legs and resulted in death when the paralysis reached the respiratory muscles. Enid Bloch (n.d) researched the veracity of this account and discovered Scottish toxicologists of the 19th century conducted their own experiments and found similar effects. John Harley, author of The Old Vegetable Neurotics, poisoned himself and recorded the physiological effects, again confirming Plato’s account. As a result, we have a good homeopathic picture of what Conium maculatum (Poison Hemlock) can do. (For this article, suffice it to say that homeopathic Conium can help with feelings of constrictions, indurations, nodules and tumors; conditions where the symptoms move upwards; it is highly indicated in a number of coughs, especially when lying down; sensations of heaviness and weakness, and, finally, paralysis.)

Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, “found that the more he diluted his medicines, the more the toxic impact of their original substance was washed away. And he found something else that was even more surprising: that the more dilute the medicines became, the more powerful they became in terms of their healing power” (McCabe 2010).

McCabe goes on to speak of the homeopath E.B. Nash (1838-1917) who said, ‘the stronger the poison the stronger the cure.’ “Homeopathic remedies, when given in micro dose, have no toxicity left. But it is also true that they retain their inherent medicinal strength, making the remedies taken from poisonous substances particularly curative.” How these diluted solutions actually work eludes scientists to this day.

Back to jimson weed…

Along with the hallucinations, Charmley lists “aggressive or unusual behavior” as one of the dangers of consuming this plant. Dewitt (et al. 1997) lists “combative” behavior. This is where I found the homeopathic version of this plant useful all those years ago.

Homeopathyonline.org (2013) says “the idea of Stramonium is we have lived through a night of terror … but more commonly the terror is internalized.” A person or a child has seen or experienced something frightening and that fright got stuck inside them.

Morrison (1998) lists a “change of character” and “rages.” “Terror. Night-terrors. Feeling of threat or violence.” Boger (2015) lists “DREADS DARKNESS … Fearful, desires company or wants to escape … talks incessantly … wildly excited … or does all sorts of crazy things. Raving mania … cursing … Awakes in fear or screaming.”

How do these internal terrors express themselves? Often through rage which shows itself with a red face. Or, rage alternating with laughing; rage with cursing and hitting, even an uncontrollable, violent rage. Stramonium is one of only 5 remedies listed in Murphy’s Repertory for rage and fury in children.

It doesn’t have to get to this level though. Those symptoms listed above are extreme examples. Like all homeopathic remedies and their symptoms, there is a range of expression. Stramonium is also used for plain old anger: those who are easily angered and those who are angry from being frightened. It’s a good remedy for those who get angry as a result of anxiety and for temper tantrums.

It was the idea of temper tantrums that caught my attention all those years ago. I realized that was what my young son was doing. It wasn't like the temper tantrums of a toddler, this was different, but very much the same -- an unreasonable bout of anger, out of reach of logic.

Where else is Stramonium useful? For those suffering from fear: fear of being alone, (especially children), as well as fear of being alone in the darkness — they want light and company. Fear of animals and dreams of scary creatures. Fears of being attacked or bitten. Claustrophobia, the fear of going to the doctor, fear of ghosts and imaginary things. The fear of being injured, the fear of mirrors in a room, and being afraid of monsters and scary noises.

As you can see, Stramonium is an excellent homeopathic remedy for frightened and/or angry children.

Was my son exhibiting fearful behavior at this same time? I don't remember now and I didn't have the knowledge to look for such things then. Did my son see some show or read some story that freaked him out and got stuck in his head? Possibly, but I’ll never know for sure. What I do know is homeopathic Stramonium removed that layer of anger from him, regardless of where it originated, and returned to me the sweet young fellow I knew him to be.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* Remember, an aggravation is considered a good thing in classical homeopathy. It is an exacerbation of the existing problem. The pendulum swings further in the direction of the problem and then corrects itself soon after, resulting in equilibrium.

Reference list:

Bloch, E., n.d. Hemlock Poisoning and the Death of Socrates: Did Plato Tell the Truth? Academic Paper. [online]. State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, USA.

Boger, C. M., 2015. Synoptic key of the materia medica : a treatise for homeopathic students. New Delhi: B. Jain.

Chan, K., 2002. Jimson Weed Poisoning—A Case Report. The Permanente Journal [online], 6 (4), 28–30.

Charmley, S., 2022. Top 10 most common poisonous plants: How to identify [online]. www.medicalnewstoday.com.

Dayan, A. D., 2009. What killed Socrates? Toxicological considerations and questions. Postgraduate Medical Journal [online], 85 (999), 34–37.

Dewitt, M. S., Swain, R. and Gibson, L. B., 1997. The dangers of jimson weed and its abuse by teenagers in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. The West Virginia Medical Journal [online], 93 (4), 182–185.

Guthrie, T., 2014. Jimsonweed – a poisonous plant that may be found in or around your horse pasture [online]. MSU Extension.

Homeopathyonline.org, 2013. Stramonium [online]. homeopathyonline.

McCabe, V., 2010. From Poison to Medicine: Homeopathic Medicines made from Poisonous Plants. kindle. McBooklets.

Mental Health Daily, 2015. Drug-Induced Psychosis: List Of Causative Agents [online]. Mental Health Daily.

Morrison, R., 1998. Desktop companion to physical pathology. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Publ.

Murphy, R., n.d. Repertory, version 3. Accessed through Radar Opus software.

Mutebi, R. R., Ario, A. R., Nabatanzi, M., Kyamwine, I. B., Wibabara, Y., Muwereza, P., Eurien, D., Kwesiga, B., Bulage, L., Kabwama, S. N., Kadobera, D., Henderson, A., Callahan, J. H., Croley, T. R., Knolhoff, A. M., Mangrum, J. B., Handy, S. M., McFarland, M. A., Sam, J. L. F. and Harris, J. R., 2022. Large outbreak of Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) poisoning due to consumption of contaminated humanitarian relief food: Uganda, March–April 2019. BMC Public Health [online], 22 (1).

Nafici, S., 2016. Weed of the Month: Jimson Weed [online]. Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Rxlist.com, 2021. Jimson Weed: Health Benefits, Uses, Side Effects, Dosage & Interactions [online]. RxList.