Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

4/29/2023

The Buzz on Apis

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A quick and positive response to homeopathy can often open the door for people to discover further benefits of this marvelous modality.

Last fall, we were at a gathering and somebody mentioned having been stung by a bee the day before. She had a hard, hot, red, painful lump on her leg, just above the knee.

Well, I always have homeopathic remedies with me, so I offered a dose of Apis mellifica. Not long after, the site was a little softer and a little less painful. We repeated the Apis. She was pleased.

I sent her away with the tube of Apis. A few days later I heard from her that she had been stung again. “Those little bee pellets of yours really work. I’m impressed! The bees have been vicious and I’m keeping this nearby.”

Is Apis the only remedy for a bee sting? Nope. For further information on what other homeopathic remedies may help if you’ve been stung or bitten: Summer Fun #3: Flying Things, Wasp Attack 1 & 2.

Apis mellifica is a homeopathic remedy made from a crushed honeybee and processed or, potentized into being a medicine which can help bee stings. Technically, in this instance, Apis would be considered Isopathy, not homeopathy. Homeopathy is “like cures like” and Isopathy is “same cures same.” Click HERE for more information.

Isopathy, from the Greek, “equal or same suffering.” Isopathic remedies are made from the actual substance which is causing the allergic reaction or illness.

We saw the example of Apis for the relief from the physical complaints of a bee sting, other possible isopathic uses would be potentized (for the sake of this discussion, potentize will refer to turning a substance into a homeopathic remedy) substances to help relieve allergies, (e.g. potentized cat hair to lessen the effects of cat hair on a person allergic to cat hair). The Journal of Asthma has a study evaluating isopathic treatment of allergic mice.

For further basic information on Isopathy, click here.

Where else does the potentized honeybee (the homeopathic remedy Apis mellifica) come in handy?

The quick way of remembering how Apis can help is to think about what happens when one is stung by a bee: swelling, fluid-filled, hot (sensation as well as feeling worse from hot), burning pain, stinging pain and redness.
Back to homeopathy (as opposed to isopathy)… when you have a condition resulting in one or more of those symptoms, Apis mellifica may be helpful. For example:

the stinging pain of a bladder infection or UTI (see also: When It Hurts to Go)
edema, swelling, general puffiness
allergic reactions, in general
arthritis
stings of insects, jellyfish, etc.
eyes: burning pain, inflammation, redness, stinging pain, swelling of the eyelids
hives
fever blisters
swelling feet or the sensation of the tips of toes swelling

One other very important thing that may possibly happen when one is stung by a bee is an anaphylactic reaction, resulting in swelling of the airway, tongue or throat, causing trouble breathing. If you find yourself in this position, get to the hospital immediately and administer Apis frequently while waiting for the ambulance or while on the way to the hospital.

The blossoms are blooming, the bees are busy gathering pollen and I will catch you next time with some more homeopathic nuggets.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

Further Reading & Reference List:
Coyte, J., 2021a. Wasp Attack, pt 1. CLASSICALLYPRACTICAL.COM.

Coyte, J., 2021b. Wasp attack! part 2. CLASSICALLYPRACTICAL.COM.

Coyte, J., 2021c. My Little Bag of Wellness : the homeopathic remedies I carry with me [online]. CLASSICALLYPRACTICAL.COM.

Coyte, J., 2022. Summer Fun #3: Flying Things (mainly) [online]. CLASSICALLYPRACTICAL.COM.

Homeopathyplus.com, 2023. What Is Isopathy? | Homeopathy Plus [online]. Homeopathy Plus.

Mayo Clinic, 2021. Anaphylaxis - Symptoms and causes [online]. Mayo Clinic.

Mazloomi, E., Ilkhanizadeh, B., Zare, A. and Shahabi, S., 2020. Evaluation of the efficacy of isopathic immunotherapy in the treatment of allergic asthma in BALB/C mice. The Journal of Asthma: Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma [online], 57 (6), 670–679.

10/28/2021

Wasp Attack! part 2, in the middle of the night

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I thought I was good to go with this wasp sting. I took a couple more doses of Ledum if any pain crept up and by the time I went to bed, I thought I was over it.

Nope. I guess this thing was a 1-2-3 punch!

I was awakened by a household noise about midnight. As I got out of bed, my foot pounded with pain. I took another dose of Ledum and tried to get back to sleep. Nope. I took a higher potency of Ledum and tried to get back to sleep. Nope. I tried some homeopathic Coffea cruda which is known to help sleep to come when there is pain. Nope. I was awake for about an hour trying to figure out what remedy to try next while I was trying to will the pain away and let sleep come. It really hurt badly.

I eventually decided on homeopathic Hypericum 200c. I slept the rest of the night. And, I did pretty well most of the next day.

I was sound asleep and awakened the next night at 3 am. This time with intense itching. Had someone offered to amputate it at that moment, I would have seriously entertained the idea. It was like the worst athlete's foot I have ever had, multiplied by a lot! It was miserable! Hypericum did nothing. Coffea did nothing.

I then went to an excellent homeopathic "itchy" remedy, Arsenicum album 30c. (Arsenicum is part of the Banerji Protocol for eczema, that's how good it is for itchiness.) It worked. I slept the rest of the night. This time I awakened the next morning and the itching was still there, just not as acutely. Arsenicum only barely worked now. I ran out of the 30c and all I had left was 3c which was of no help in this situation. [REMINDER: if you don't have the right remedy on hand, it's not going to help you!]

But, I did have the combination remedy of Hypericum 200c + Arsenicum album 200c. This is the Banerji's first line protocol for animal and human bites (Banerji and Banerji 2013). Animal and human bites are considered puncture wounds. Wasps leave puncture wounds and thus I decided it was worth a try. Relief came. But, again, only for a little while.

My toe, at this point was stiff and red and a little warm. It felt OK, and then it doesn't. There is no sign of a stinger left in there. It's localized only to that toe and it is not spreading up my foot.

At my husband's suggestion, I soaked it first in hot water with Epsom salts. Aaaahhh. That felt good. Then, I followed his next suggestion and soaked it in ice water. That, too, felt good. In short, it felt good as long as it was in the water. As soon as it came out out of the water, that's when it started to hurt.

I reached out to a homeopath friend who recently had a bad reaction to a bee sting. She suggested Plantago Major mother tincture. Now, that is soothing stuff! I've read about it many times, but I have never tried it. (This little bottle is moving into my medicine cabinet and will now be one of the first things I grab.)

So, I have now soaked it in both hot and cold. I have doused it with Plantago major. Now, I will alternate between Arsenicum album 200c (for the itchiness) and Urtica urens 200c.

Homeopathic Urtica urens is potentized (homeopathic) stinging nettle. It is well known for allergic reaction, edema and itching. I think these three bold-type symptoms in Murphy's Repertory for Urtica urens covers what's going on in my toe. (Note: I don't know that I am having an allergic reaction, but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.)

About 15 minutes after the first dose of Urtica, my toe is a little less stiff, but the itching is worse … hence the decision to alternate these two remedies. The Arsenicum calmed the itching. The stiffness remains, though lessened.

I will alternate these two remedies, as needed, for the next few hours. If the stiffness goes away, I'll back off the Urtica. If the itching lessens, I'll back off on the Arsenicum album.

And, I'll cross my fingers because I have had good amelioration 2 days in a row after taking well indicated remedies and I have been surprised 2 nights in a row.

I'll keep you posted!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical Homeopath

#wellnessawaits

SOURCES:
Banerji, P. and Banerji, P., 2013. The Banerji protocols : a new method of treatment with homeopathic medicines. India: Pratip Banerji.

Murphy, R., 2003. Homeopathic medical repertory : a modern alphabetical repertory. Blacksburg, Va.: H.A.N.A. Press.

9/24/2021

Keep Calm and Carry a Homeopathic Remedy Kit

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I’ve heard jokes made about homeopathic first aid kits. You know the sort of thing. “How is this sugar pill going to help you when you’re bleeding out?” Point taken. Your gushing finger will eventually need to be bandaged up, once you have the bleeding and shock under control. That’s where the homeopathy comes in and that’s why I keep both a homeopathic first aid kit & a good conventional first aid kit handy.*

Homeopathic Phosphorus is indicated when there is “bright red and abundant blood” (Ratera, 2016). I have witnessed the blood stop flowing, whether it be from my son’s profuse bloody nose or my gushing finger. “Maybe the blood was stopping on its own, anyway!” Maybe. But, when you see the blood stop flowing on multiple occasions and situations… I’m going with the Phosphorus is working… and very quickly!

Cantharis is one of the best remedies for burns (Ratera, 2016, p. 386). Not only can this remedy be taken by mouth to relieve the pain and to start the healing, homeopathic Cantharis can be diluted in water and applied topically after soaking some gauze in the solution.

Calendula is another remedy which works well when diluted and applied topically, especially if there are lacerations (deep cuts). Homeopathic Calendula is highly indicated “to promote healthy granulation (Taber’s Medical Dictionary: “granulations bring a rich blood supply to the healing surface”) and prevent excessive suppuration (Taber: “the formation of pus”) and disfiguring scars” (Allen, 2017, p. 76). Plus, it helps the pain… a lot!

** I have included a few links to research papers on Calendula in this article.
For more links to further research on the benefits of homeopathic remedies, visit my research page.

And, let’s not forget the first rule of dealing with an emergency … staying calm. Arnica should be one of the first remedies administered in an emergency. Homeopathic Arnica is highly indicated in the patient who says there is nothing wrong with them (especially when they are clearly in need of medical attention (Pareek and Pareek, 2012, pp. 62 & 79). Arnica, too, can be applied topically for bruises, strains and muscular injuries, but NEVER on an open wound (Morrison, M.D., 1998, p. 368). English physician Dorothy Shepard (1885-1952) writes about her patients who believed they were being given morphine when in fact they had been given homeopathic Arnica (Shephard, 1989, p. 145).

I am not suggesting that homeopathy can fix everything all by itself, (though, it can go an awfully long way!) Homeopathy is also excellent to use ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL!

If you are dealing with someone who is suffering hives or an allergic reaction and it looks like it is turning into an anaphylactic situation, administer homeopathic Apis mellifica immediately (Ratera 2016, p. 322) and frequently while on the way to the hospital or when you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

If you are faced with someone having a stroke or heart attack, administer Arnica or Aconite immediately (Banerji and Banerji 2013, p. 56; Pareek and Pareek 2012, pp. 17, 47, 53, 79 & 120) and frequently while you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

In addition to all the horrible scenarios that are possible, a homeopathic kit can also help address everyday issues that arise: ear aches, fever, too many sweets, diarrhea & vomiting, bumps and bruises and coughs, colds & allergies.

I have written a few times about when my homeopathic remedy kit has come in handy… here and here.

Below, please find some links to a wide range of homeopathic remedy kits. Once you have a kit in your possession, you are on your way to protecting yourself and your family both in everyday and emergency situations. The more you use it, the more you will want to use it because you will be amazed at how quickly bad situations can be averted and made right.

* I have no affiliation with any of the companies listed in this article.

Julia Coyte, CHom
classicallypractical.com

#wellnessawaits #homeopathycanhelp

Homeopathic Remedy Kits
These prices and links are accurate at the time of writing this article in September 2021.
1/2 dram vials are excellent for travel.
2 dram vials are much easier to dispense the remedies and are excellent for home use.
A 30c kit is a very good place to start, regardless of who makes it or how many remedies are included.

Americans For Homeopathy Choice
An Altoid sized tin with twelve 1/2 dram glass bottles to which you can add your own remedies, $20. Or, you can purchase a full kit which includes twelve 1/2 dram OHM Pharma remedies, $60.
A truly easy to carry choice.
BONUS! All profits from this kit are donated to Americans for Homeopathy Choice.

Boiron
Remedies included:
HomeoFamily Kit: this is a nice drawer-like kit, holding 32 full size Boiron remedies in both 6c and 30c as well as 12 individual Oscillococcinum tubes, includes the “Easy Guide” with room to hold 16 additional full size tubes: $199.99. Remedies included.
HomeoTravel Kit: Room to hold 16 remedies, 6c & 30c combined, $109.99. Remedies included.

Boiron storage containers only (no remedies included), but a good way to organize your loose Boiron tubes!
My Home Kit: is an empty drawer-like container with room to hold 48 Boiron tubes plus 18 doses of Oscilloccinum: $49.99.
My Pocket Kit is an empty container which holds 5 Boiron tubes: $1.99.
My Travel Kit is an empty container which holds 16 Boiron tubes: $29.99.

Hahnemann Labs:
2020 kit: 12 remedies, 30c: $70 — 2 dram
First Aid: 15 remedies, 30c: $61.95 — 2 dram
Home Remedy Kit: 35 remedies, 30c: $154.95 — 2 dram
Expanded Home Remedy Kit: 50 remedies, 30c: $203.95 — 2 dram

Helios
Childbirth kit, 18 remedies, 200c £29.95
Traveller kit, 36 remedies, 30c, £42.95
Pet kit, 24 remedies, 30c, £36.25*
*Homeopathic remedies are the same whether for pets or for people. A pet kit could be used for people and a people kit can be used for pets.
Accident & emergency, 18 remedies, 200c, £29.95
Basic 18 kit, 30c, £29.95
Basic 36 kit, 30c, £42.95

Lotus Health (Robin Murphy, N.D.)
First aid kit, 1/2 dram, 50 remedies, in either 30c or 200c: $150

Robin Murphy, N.D. also offers a number of CDs or Downloads to learn all about homeopathy and homeopathic remedies. I highly recommend all of his lectures, but in this instance, I suggest his “Emergencies and First Aid” lecture.

Natural Health Supply
First aid: 50 remedies, 1/2 dram:
6c: $149
30c: $149
200c: $179
Emergency kit upgrade, Part B, 1/2 dram:
     30c: $169
     200c: $189
Household kit, 25 remedies, 2 dram:
     30c: $159
     200c: $189
Tissue salts kit, 12 remedies, 2 dram: $59.95

Ollois
First aid kit, 4 remedies in a little case, 12c and 30c: $29.99

Washington Homeopathy
50 remedy kit 30c, 1/2 dram: $124.99 (out of stock til 10/21)
50 remedy kit 200c, 1/2 dram: $174.99 (out of stock til 10/21)
Top 100 kit: $224.99 (out of stock, no date given)

Empty storage kits:
1/2 dram, 50 count: $7.59
1/2 dram, 100 count: $8.19

Resources for this article:
Allen, H.C., 2017. Keynotes : rearranged and classified with leading remedies of the materia medica and bowel nosodes including repertorial index. Noida, U.P., India: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.
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Banerji, P. and Banerji, P., 2013. The Banerji Protocols: a new method of treatment with homeopathic medicines. India: Pratip Banerji.

**Givol, O., Kornhaber, R., Visentin, D., Cleary, M., Haik, J. and Harats, M., 2019. A systematic review of Calendula officinalis extract for wound healing. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 27(5), pp.548–561.

**Hostanska, K., Rostock, M., Melzer, J., Baumgartner, S. and Saller, R., 2012. A homeopathic remedy from arnica, marigold, St. John’s wort and comfrey accelerates in vitro wound scratch closure of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12(1).
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Morrison, M.D., R., 1998. Desktop companion to physical pathology. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Publ.

**Nicolaus, C., Junghanns, S., Hartmann, A., Murillo, R., Ganzera, M. and Merfort, I., 2017. In vitro studies to evaluate the wound healing properties of Calendula officinalis extracts. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 196, pp.94–103.

Pareek, R.S. and Pareek, A., 2012. Homeopathy for Acutes and Emergencies. Kandern, Germany: Narayana Publishers
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Ratera, Dr.M.M., 2016. First Aid with Homeopathy.
Dr. Ratera specialized in Internal Medicine and also studied Traumatology and Emergency Medicine in Spain.

Shephard, Dr. D., 1989. The magic of the minimum dose : experiences and cases. Saffron Walden: Health Science Press.
A highly readable book, loaded with good information as she recounts her days in war torn England.
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Venes, D. and Clarence Wilbur Taber, 2013. Taber’s cyclopedic medical dictionary. [22nd ed., ISBN: 9780803629776]. Philadelphia, Pa.: F.A. Davis.

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