Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

8/24/2025

Fictional Wounds

Read Now

Do you ever watch a movie or read a book and think, that character needs XXX remedy? I do!

I love reading novels. It is without question one of my favorite things to do. I just finished an enjoyable book, My Friends: A Novel by Fredrick Backman. (He wrote another book I liked: A Man Called Ove. In my opinion, read the book, skip the movie.) One line from My Friends keeps playing in my head: “Getting stabbed with a knife is a trauma for the whole body, his leg was probably the part that healed quickest, it was other parts of Ted that were limping” (p 430).

This quote so beautifully relates to homeopathy. One thing happens and we generally think only of the tip of the iceberg effects. We assume (incorrectly) that, as in this case, a stab wound affects only the leg, right where it happened. But that is so not true. That wound reverberates throughout the entire system: mind, body and soul… and may linger long after the actual wound is “healed.”

I have listened to a lot of lectures* by Dr. Robin Murphy. (I highly recommend doing so yourself if you have anything more than a passing interest in homeopathy.) I was reminded the other day of Dr. Murphy’s thoughts on first aid prescribing while reading a blog post from Lisa Strba,† talking about Ian Watson quoting the great late Robin Murphy from “What Heals Podcast”:

The highest form of homeopathy is first aid prescribing. You homeopaths… you think it’s all this fancy miasm stuff and chronic stuff and constitutional? It’s not its first aid [sic]. Almost every chronic case, if you take it back, where did it start? It started as a shock, with a grief, an accident, with a medical procedure that went wrong. It started as a first aid situation and if that had been properly treated in the moment, someone had a home ready kit and they know what to do, this whole chain of health problems would never have needed to happen.”

Today, I’m going to have a little fun and see how we can address “Ted’s” stab wound. (For this exercise, I will be focusing (for the most part) only on highly indicated remedies for this type of wound, though, in real life, I would look at all possible remedies. It’s important to note that there is also crossover between these remedies and symptoms. For instance, “anger” is a 4 for Staphysagria and a 2 for Ledum and Apis - therefore the rubric only shows up in my list under Staphysagria.)

Homeopathically, there are a few big remedies to consider. Note: these would be the same remedies which would be useful in the moment, at the time of the stab wound. I have the added benefit of a little insight into Ted after reading this book and will supply relevant quotes when available. (If a symptom shows up in multiple remedies, I will only put the quote in the first instance, unless there are multiple quotes which fit the bill.) Other symptoms I will include simply from the general sense of the character from the book. It’s a little like taking a homeopathic case! Of course, there is so much more to this than I am writing here. People, even fictional characters, are highly nuanced. I have over-simplified this entire process tremendously… but I had fun doing it!

We’re not entirely certain when this stabbing occurred, except we know he was an adult. Did Ted’s history play a part in the ramifications? Probably. All the background of a person will then lead to how a person reacts when such a trauma occurs… miasms, genetics, epi-genetics, environment, experience… it’s all in there in each of us.

Looking up “stab” in Dr. Murphy’s Meta Repertory (found in Similia software**), five remedies show up as highly indicated (but I only included 4 of them): Apis, Calendula, Hypericum and Ledum. Those familiar with homeopathic remedies might be saying, “But what about Staphysagria?” Good question. keep reading to find out what I learned about this.

For this exercise, I focused primarily on the big 3 or 4 point symptoms in MIND and GENERAL and a quick scan through other highly indicated rubrics from things I remembered from the book.

In alphabetical order:

APIS
From Murphy’s Materia Medica, causations (among others): Grief. Fright. Rage.

MIND:

absent minded (while there is one reference to Ted “absentmindently” doing something, we don’t know if this fits well, in general)
alone, mental, ailments from, (see abandoned, neglected)
- He’s thought so many times as an adult that it’s a lie that people are scared of being alone, because what we fear is being abandoned. You can choose to be alone, but no one chooses to be left. (p. 177)
anxiety, general
- He tosses it in the trash can, glances at the mirror, an anxious and overwhelmed man with skin as soft as room temperature cheese glances back. (p. 177)
jealousy, feelings
- Ted felt deeply ashamed that he was jealous of that. (p. 79)
touch, general - agg
- The entrance to the train fills with a slow line of frustrated passengers, the man and the teenager stand on the platform and wait till last, anxious that they might touch or be touched by some stranger in the throng. (p. 184)

PHYSICAL:

bladder, pain; urging to urinate, frequent
- He feels a sudden urge to pee far more often now than he was prepared for, his body has started to wake him at night, he presumes it’s getting its revenge because it’s annoyed he’s keeping it alive. (p. 127)
walking, limping, spontaneous (we don’t know if his limp is consistent or spontaneous, but it’s the only of our remedies in this rubric.)

CALENDULA
is another good remedy for wounds, but unfortunately, it has not been proven very well (in the traditional sense) but let’s see what we can find. Because of the dearth of level 3/4 rubrics, I opened this MIND search up to levels 1 & 2, as well. (Colin Griffith does have more information on Calendula in his “New Materia Medica Vol. 3,” but that’s a whole other topic which I will (happily!) get to one day soon.)

From Murphy’s causations: Cuts. Punctures. Stabs. Surgery. Wounds.

MIND:

abuse, ailments from (all the characters suffered varying levels of abuse)
anxiety, general (there’s a lot of crossover between anxiety and fears but Ted has helped us out with this one…)
- People say that anxiety is fear for no reason, but Ted’s brain is very helpful when it comes to providing suggestions. (p. 278)
depression, sadness - wounds, after
fears, general, phobias - happen, something bad will
- How many phobias do you actually have, Ted? I have just enough! he snaps.” (p. 179)
fears, phobias, knives of
- He still has nightmares about both knives. (p. 130)
startled, starting - fright, from or fear, after
- Bastard, Ted whispered with his fists clenched, furious with himself for being so easily startled. (p. 311)
wounds, mental ailments from

GENERAL:
Interestingly, those who may benefit from Calendula may be ameliorated by walking.

HYPERICUM
From Murphy’s materia medica: “It is called for in nervous depression following wounds, effects of shock and fright… Pain in old scars.” From Murphy’s causations (among others): ill effects of fright… punctures, lacerations… wounds, stab wounds

Note: Hypericum has only one 3/4 level rubric under the MIND section in Murphy, so I added lower level rubrics for this one, too.

MIND:

sensitive, mental, oversensitive, emotional - pain, to (the only level 4 rubric for Hyper Mind)
anxiety, general
fears, general, phobias
- Because the question presupposes that I stopped being scared. (p. 131)
fright - ailments from
frightened easily
- His brain is so stupid, it can no longer tell the difference between threat and reality, he’s just frightened of everything all the time. (p. 263)
moaning, groaning, pain, from
- Do you always moan this much? Is that why someone stabbed you? (p. 130)
startled, starting
wounds, mental ailments from

Not a lot of the General or Physical rubrics for Hypericum appear to fit Ted well.

LEDUM
From Murphy’s materia medica: “Ledum is for punctured wounds, produced by sharp-pointed instruments or bites, particularly if the wounded parts are cold, this is the remedy… Causations: ill effects punctured wounds, recent or chronic injuries.”

MIND:

fears, general, phobias - men, of
- Throughout his life, Ted has been frightened of men. (p. 253)
serious, disposition
- We are NOT the same age. We might have lived the same number of years, but we sure as hell aren’t the same age. You’ve been eighty years old since we were twelve. (p. 363)

There are other, lesser MIND rubrics which “fit” Ted but I will include only this one:

wearisome, burdened feeling
- He feels like yelling at the box of ashes that he isn’t ready for this responsibility… I can’t even look after shoes, and you’ve left me with a person, he thinks angrily. (p 105)

GENERAL:

walking, general - agg (this could be the other parts of Ted limping, not just his leg wound)

STAPHYSAGRIA
Has a reputation for “clean” wounds, not jagged, just as a knife would create. Dr. N.M. Choudury, senior professor of Materia Medica at Bengal Allen Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital in Kolkota, says: “We use it both internally and externally for injuries caused by sharp cutting instruments such as knife, glass, etc.” Why it’s not this clear in the repertories, I have no idea. I asked Viva (homeopathic) AI*** why Staphysagria doesn’t show up in the “stab wounds” rubric and it says,
“Staphysagria is more commonly associated with emotional trauma and conditions resulting from surgical procedures rather than purely physical injuries like stab wounds. While Staphysagria can be useful for wounds, it is particularly indicated when there is a history of emotional trauma (which Ted has in spades) or when the injury is associated with feelings of anger, resentment, or violation.)

To find appropriate rubrics for Staphysagria and knife wounds, one needs to search a little differently for that:

Clinical - cuts (or “wounds,” they’ll both get you to the same remedies — (Apis and Ledum are both listed here but not so prominently)
Clinical - cuts, general - incised (Apis is not in this one, but the others are)
Clinical - cuts, general, sharp, instruments, from glass, etc (Calendula and Hyper are included)

From Murphy’s materia medica: “Surgery. Lacerated tissues.” Causations: “Ill effects of anger and insults, anger suppressed or reserved. Humiliation.”

MIND:

abandoned, feelings, forsaken
abuse, ailments from (all the characters suffered varying levels of abuse)
anger
- Angry at himself, angry at the artist, and most of all angry at death for having such good taste. Always taking the best first. (p. 105)
anger, grief, with silent
- The most frightening thing about his dad dying that summer when he was fourteen wasn’t the grief he had felt, but the anger. (p. 247)
  - indignation, with
  - anger with himself
anxiety, exaggerated
- Everyone should be afraid of flying! (p. 69)
cares, full of
- Ted? He had made it his responsibility that none of the people he loved would die. That’s a terrible burden for a person. Your shoulders creak, your skeleton shrinks, in the end you can hardly walk. (p. 85)
domination, by others, ailments from - children in, history, of, a long
- When he was young, his big brother, six years older, used to beat him up like it was a game. (p. 253)
fears, hurt of being, emotionally
grief, sorrow, general ailments from
- The only thing we can take for granted is that everyone we have ever met and everyone we have ever known and everyone we have ever loved will die. So how great must our imaginations be for us to even summon up the enthusiasm to get out of bed each morning? (p. 39)
grief, sorrow, general - silent
love, disappointed, ailments from
- If you have loved anyone as much as Ted loves the artist, so much that you’re prepared to be mistaken for someone else just to see your friend’s face light up for a couple of seconds, then you know what he feels. (p. 48)
memories, recalls disagreeable
mourning, feelings
suppression, emotions, of, agg
wearisome, burdened feeling
- He feels like yelling at the box of ashes that he isn’t ready for this responsibility… I can’t even look after shoes, and you’ve left me with a person, he thinks angrily. (p 105)

GENERAL:

trembling
- He’s holding his suitcase in one trembling hand, the ashes of his best friend in the other. (p. 87)

PHYSICAL:

bladder, urging to urinate - frequent

Are there crossovers in lesser indicated rubrics between the remedies? Absolutely. Did I miss some rubrics? I most certainly did, but given I did this retroactively (yay e-books!) I had a fun time exorcising that line from this book that keeps running through my head… and, I’m pretty sure I know which remedy I would choose for Ted.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* It looks like the Lotus Health Institute† may be moving some of their goodies around — I see a podcast and putting his lectures up for online listening.

** Similia has been kind enough to open up the full use of their software for me to play around with in exchange for any feedback I may have for them. Other than that, I have no affiliation with this company, either.

*** Staphysagria info from Viva ai† cites the following: “These sources collectively contribute to the understanding of how remedies are classified and used in homeopathy, including the rationale behind the presence or absence of specific remedies in particular rubrics.” The sources cited are: Hahnemann’s Organon of Medicine; Materia Medica Pura; Andrew Lockie’s The Complete Homeopathy Handbook; Boericke’s Homeopathic Materia Medica; Clinical experience; Homeopathic repertories such as Synthesis or Kent’s Repertory “categorize remedies based on symptoms and modalities, providing insight into why certain remedies appear in specific rubrics while others do not.”

† I have no affiliation with this or any other company.

6/15/2024

The Red Menace in the White Sands

Read Now

You can't see them in the photo, but trust me… they're there!

So there I was, basking in the purity of the White Sands. The day before was unbearably hot… all… day… long. I mean seriously hot. In fact, we were supposed to visit White Sands yesterday afternoon but the thought of said dunes in that heat was too much. We opted for an early morning visit the next day instead.

Excellent choice!

The sand, (well, the gypsum,) felt amazingly cool as we climbed the first dune. I left the rest of the hiking of the dunes to the more intrepid among us and I wallowed in the marvel that is this amazing place.

I was lying on my back, hat over my face, loving every second of this and contemplating making a sand angel cuz it felt like the appropriate thing to do. My arms were stretched out to either side, just about ready to go and, “Ow!”

I frantically brushed at my arm and as I looked to see what got me, a little red head was still attached to my bicep.

How could something so awful be hanging out in such a pure and marvelous landscape?

To be fair, shortly after arriving on the top of the dune, I looked down and saw a red ant. Then I saw many more red ants. I knew they were there and I should have paid heed. Alas. Live and learn.

Back to the red menace… I leapt up and got down the dune incredibly quickly. (Bounding down the dune was so much fun — if you go, forget the sled! They sell you a sled at the ranger station and then they buy it back from you for less than you paid. Sometimes you can find a perfectly good sled in the garbage, FYI.) I dug out my kit of 100 miniature vials of homeopathic remedies that always travels with me and immediately went for the Apis.

I did a couple doses of Apis but the thing was still incredibly painful. I then switched to Ledum. Still really not any improvement. Then, I looked at the bite and saw a large welt developing, coupled with the intensely painful itching… Staphysagria.

That one brought some relief, both to my arm and to my mood. I then alternated between Staphysagria and Apis every few hours for the rest of the day.

This was on a Sunday. By Tuesday, it felt like it was getting worse. It was hot. It was itchy. It hurt. It felt like it was getting much bigger. Infection setting in?

I moved to Hyper/Ars: Hypericum mixed with Arsenicum album. This, too, was helpful. It contained the spread and it shrunk in size just a little bit, but then it began to spread again.

I tried a little Plantain ointment. That certainly didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t the answer. By Wednesday morning, I had decided to try a completely different route and I dug out my little canister of PRID Drawing Salve*.

My one little bite was pretty big by now so I dabbed the sticky brown stuff on my arm and had to use 2 bandages to keep it from getting on everything.

PRID Drawing Salve has been around for over 50 years, and, as the package says, it is a “pain relief & irritant drawing salve” for splinters, thorns, ingrown hairs, insect bites, boils, minor cuts and scrapes.

What’s in it?

As I mentioned above, this stuff is sticky. Among its ingredients: beeswax and wood rosin (the internet tells me this is a natural resin from the sap of pine trees.)

Homeopathically speaking, PRID contains low X potencies of Arnica, Calendula, Echinacea, Hepar sulph, Ichthammol, Silicea and Sulphur -- all excellent choices for infection.

I have written previously about Arnica, Calendula, Echinacea, Hepar sulph, Silicea and Sulphur. (You can search for articles on these remedies on Ruminating on Remedies.)

While digging a little deeper into Echinacea, I have learned some interesting things from herbalist Matthew Wood (I highly recommend picking up Wood's Earthwise Herbal books). (Note: I accessed this through Radar Opus software and I don't see which of his many books correlates to this title.)

The Indians of the Great Plains used the western purple coneflower, Echinacea, "to treat snake bites, insect bites, septicemia and various kinds of poisonings" (Wood).

Dr. Robin Murphy notes that homeopathic Echinacea is a great remedy "when boils progress to the stage where they appear about to point then stop and do not suppurate. Echinacea helps in carbuncles with similar symptoms, a bluish-red color and intense pain" (Murphy n.d.). (I have to say, this sounds a little like where it felt my ant bite was going.)

Ichthammol (or, Ichthyolum), however, is a new remedy for me.

Dr. Robin Murphy tells us this is an “unproved” remedy**, (made from shale oil), which comes to us from old-school therapeutics as an external application which has been used for psoriasis, eczematous dermatitis, leg ulcers, seborrheic dermatitis and furuncles (Boyd 2010).

Like Echinacea, Ichthammol is said to be a powerful anti-septic.

When I removed those first 2 bandages a couple hours later, the swelling and redness had shrunk considerably. I did feel the need to apply the PRID two more times and then that was the end of that. I am now a day shy of two weeks ago from getting this bite and I have no pain, but I do have a residual reddish mark. The other day I could see and feel 4 little white bumps so I think I suffered more than 1 nibble.

The downside of using a combination remedy is that it is impossible to know which remedy worked. Having said that, who cares? I am interested in positive results -- it really doesn't matter to me how I get there. Might it be more elegant to take a single dose of the appropriate homeopathic remedy. Sure! In this case, might the drawing part of this salve have played a role? Could be.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* I have no affiliation with this company or this person.

** Ichthammol is listed in Bradford’s Index of Homeopathic Provings (1898), so 🤷‍♀️.

References:

Boyd, A. S., 2010. Ichthammol revisited. International Journal of Dermatology [online], 49 (7), 757–760.

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

National Park Service, 2022. White Sands National Park (U.S. National Park Service) [online]. www.nps.gov.

5/11/2024

Broken Whistler Quickie

Read Now

So I was just driving home from the grocery store and a song came on that I like to whistle along. I couldn’t whistle. I mean, at all. It was weird. I then tried to sing along instead and my voice was all gravelly. I was having a very challenging musical moment!

I called my son, who is a whistling aficionado and asked if his whistler ever just stops working. His response: “You gotta lick the lips, dude.” I had licked my lips already. It wouldn’t work. At all. I told him it was like my lower lip and/or jaw was stuck. It was kind of uncomfortable, actually.

I got home, put away the groceries and thought that my lower lip and chin felt like I had had dental work - like numbing that was wearing off. So, I tried some Hypericum. Nothing.

Then I sat down at my computer and I saw the new flavor of kombucha that I was drinking sitting next to me. One of the ingredients is yuzu. I’ve never knowingly had yuzu before so I looked it up. Stylecraze.com (no idea what it is, but it was one of the first things that popped up) tells me that it’s rare, but that yuzu may cause allergic reactions and other symptoms like… (first thing listed) itchy lips, tongue and throat.

That changed my choice of remedy. I went to the kitchen and grabbed my handy dandy tube of Apis that sits ready on the counter for any allergic reactions to bees (which has been known to happen in my house).

It has been about 10 minutes. I’m drinking lots of water. The tingling is disappearing. My whistler is returning.

Phew! Who knew?!?

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

4/7/2024

Allergic Eyes

Read Now

I am so not amused. The winds are picking up and I am really missing my Similasan eye drops. The powers that be in the USA have removed the choice of using these eyedrops from us. When they removed them from the store shelves in 2023, they did so without cause, as far as I’m concerned. They didn’t cite any adverse reactions to these eye drops. In fact, they didn’t even cite a single case of anything negative. Not cool.

So, what do we do without access to this really helpful product?

Fortunately, homeopathic remedies work on the entire system — eyes included. The Similasan eye drops may feel delightful when you use them, but the drops are not a required method of delivery for the homeopathic remedies to address the eyes.

There are 5 homeopathic remedies that I think of right off the bat when someone comes to me for help with their allergic eye symptoms:

Euphrasia
Pulsatilla
Natrum muriaticum
Apis
Allium cepa

Euphrasia is hands down the first homeopathic remedy I turn to for allergic eye discomfort -- actually, for any eye discomfort. In my list of 21 various eye symptoms that I used to compare these remedies for this article, Euphrasia is highly indicated in all but 2: bland tears and the desire to rub the eyes. (All 5 remedies are indicated in 6 of my symptom list: Bloodshot eyes, burning pain, inflammation, lachrymation, and light sensitivity. For the following symptoms, where multiple remedies are indicated for each symptom, I have underlined the remedy which is more highly indicated for each symptom.)

If you are suffering from bland tears — tears that do not burn and bother — your best bet is Allium cepa or Pulsatilla.

If your eyes feel like there is dust or sand in them: Euphrasia or Nat mur.

If your eyes are stuck together or the eyelids are sticky: Euphrasia or Pulsatilla.

If the pain in your eyes is a stinging pain: Apis, Pulsatilla or Euphrasia.

If the pain in your eyes causes you to wink and blink: Euphrasia or Apis. (If the sun causes you to wink and blink, look to Nat mur.)

If your eyes feel filmy: Euphrasia or Pulsatilla.

If your eyes feel dry: Nat mur, Pulsatilla or Euphrasia.

Aching pain in the eyes: Pulsatilla is your best bet. (If you have aching pain above your eyes, try Allium cepa.)

If the removal of homeopathic remedies from the store shelves irks you like it irks me, go to Americans for Homeopathy Choice and use their handy-dandy, easy-to-use form to send a message to congress and let them know you would like to have the option to purchase these safe and effective eyedrops once again.

Until that time, go the old-fashioned homeopathic route and try one of the above mentioned remedies which best match your symptoms.

If you suffer from more than just the occasionally irritated eyes from allergies, I highly recommend contacting a professional homeopath to see how they can help.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

12/23/2023

Tis the Season for… Burns?!

Read Now

Tis the Season for… Burns?!

Yes. You catch that holiday spirit and suddenly you’re a baking fool and… that’s the way that went.

Are you frantically baking these days? I’m not. I want to be, but traveling was on the front burner this week. (Sorry, couldn’t resist the bad joke.) And, since we have no big at-home festivities planned, I decided to be honest with myself and acknowledge that if I were to start baking now, I would only just eat them all myself. Alas. All my cookie recipes will have to wait til next year. OK, maybe I’ll have to make just one*.

Baking. Cooking. Roasting. Heck, even a quick little zap from some old Christmas lights or stomping on an ember that shot out of the fireplace. Hazards of the festive season, I guess. If you are interested in a good fire glove, these have been a really impressive addition to our fireplace.**

Juggling all the pots on the stove while fishing the baked goods out of the oven and, boom, there it is… A nasty burn, generally on the hands or wrists in my experience.

I’m talking about little burns today. If you get a big, deep burn, be sure to pay a visit to your nearest emergency room. For previous blogs on burns, see: Kitchen Quickie: Burns and Summer Fun 1.

According to The Survival Medicine Handbook (Alton and Alton 2016), first degree burns will appear red, warm and dry and be painful to the touch. The conventional treatment is to simply relieve the discomfort. (Second degree burns are moist with blisters and will cause swelling.) So, in addition to the conventional application of a cool cloth, here are a few homeopathic remedies which may help, especially if the remedy is incorporated into the cool cloth.

Homeopathic remedies that come to mind for 1st degree burns… For all of these suggestions, repeat the remedy whenever the pain returns.

Urtica urens for stinging, burning pains. Burns with itching.

Calendula for burns that hurt more than they "should." Richard Hughes, a homeopath from the late 1800s, refers to Calendula as a remedy for "breaches of surface" -- an apt description for a superficial burn. Calendula cream can be applied directly on the minor burn, or, around the edges of the burn if it's too tender. For an interesting study on Calendula and burns, click here.

Causticum for burns with a sensation of rawness. Causticum is a good one to turn to if the other well chosen remedies aren’t quite doing the job, or, the burn is slow to heal. It is also useful to help heal up old burn wounds and scars.

Hypericum would be especially useful in cases of burns to nerve rich areas like the fingertips. May have a tingling or numb feeling.

Cantharis is an excellent choice for really painful burns -- a cutting, smarting pain. Cantharis is said to help prevent blistering from burns.

All of these remedies can also be applied topically, as well as taken internally. First Aid with Homeopathy (Ratera 2016) says to dissolve a couple pellets (whatever your tube recommends as a dose) in some saline (e.g. 2 pellets in 200 ml of saline) and to always keep the dressing moist.

Another option is to put a few pellets of your chosen remedy into a fresh bottle of clean water. As the pain returns, take a spoonful of the water in your mouth as well as applying some gauze soaked in that remedy water directly to the affected area.

How about when you just can’t wait another moment for one of those cookies and you pop it into your mouth before it’s cooled?

A dose of Cantharis, Calendula or Causticum would be where I would start.

If you decide to try your hand at a figgy pudding and suffer a burn from hot steam, in addition to the remedies listed above, Apis or Kali bich might be useful.

If the hot toddy spills on you (or, more likely, the boiling water for the potatoes spills on you) resulting in a superficial burn, Dr. Ratera recommends Causticum.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry (and burn free!) Christmas!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* The cookies I have just now decided to make this year are Brown Sugar and Nutmeg Snaps, a recipe I found in Bon Appetit way back in 1994. (Note: the dough needs to chill for 1 hour.)

1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour (Jules gluten free flour** is a terrific substitute)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar
--
Using an electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in bowl until fluffy.
Mix in egg.
Add flour, nutmeg, baking soda and salt; beat until well blended.
Chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350.
Butter 3 heavy large baking sheets.
Roll dough into 1” balls.
Roll ball in sugar, coating completely.
Arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing balls 2” apart.
Using the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies to 1-3/4” rounds.
Bake until cookies are golden, about 13 minutes. Be careful getting them out of the oven!
Cool on baking sheets.
(Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight containers.)

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

Reference list
Alton, J. and Alton, A., 2016. The survival medicine handbook : the essential guide for when help is not on the way. United States: Doom And Bloom.

K. Chandran, P. and Kuttan, R., 2008. Effect of Calendula officinalis Flower Extract on Acute Phase Proteins, Antioxidant Defense Mechanism and Granuloma Formation During Thermal Burns. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition [online], 43 (2), 58–64.

Ratera, Dr. M. M., 2016. First Aid with Homeopathy. Germany: Narayana Verlag.

6/19/2023

Kitchen Quickie: Bee Sting

Read Now

I guess this one is only a kitchen quickie because it’s where I keep my remedies for bee stings.

Yesterday, while happily lazing in the pool on a beautiful Father’s Day afternoon, I grabbed a bee when I was trying to grab the floatie. It hurt like the dickens! (Though, I dare say the bee suffered worse than I.)

I got out of the pool and immediately went to the kitchen to grab a dose of Apis 200c. Things improved quickly but I could still feel it. I repeated Apis. The pain remained about the same this time. Not bad, but there was room for improvement.

A while later, I grabbed a cold can and it felt so good on my sting!

Aha! Ledum was the answer.

Bee stings:
If it feels worse by heat: Apis.
If it feels better for cold: Ledum.

Watch where you’re grabbing this summer!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

11/19/2022

When it hurts to go

Read Now

I was reading an article the other day about Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and antibiotics. According to this CNN story LINK, 47% of women were being prescribed a wrong antibiotic for their UTIs. Nearly half! This is bad on many levels, not the least of which is that the pathogens which cause the UTIs are becoming increasingly resistant to the commonly used antibiotics (Mattoo et al. 2021; Wawrysiuk et al. 2019).

UTIs are painful things. There often is burning pain. The urge to urinate that is not relieved by urinating — you have to go, you go and immediately feels like you have to go again. There may be blood in the urine. Cramping pain. They’re not fun and they are not uncommon. A 2011 WHO report “found UTIs contributed to over 8 million office visits and over 1 million hospitalizations” (LaMotte 2021).

As for antibiotics for UTIs in general, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t work. Whether they work or not is irrelevant to what they do to your gut (Ianiro et al. 2016).

Some people, women most frequently, experience UTIs multiple times a year and know pretty much exactly what’s going on when they have these symptoms. For children (and their parents), the burning pain can be quite distressing.

So, when do you know if it’s time to seek medical treatment? According to Dr. Troy Madsen (University of Utah 2018), if you’re an older man experiencing these troubles, that can be more problematic than if you’re a woman as these symptoms may signify prostate troubles.

When to seek medical treatment for a UTI (ER of Texas 2022):

symptoms have progressed to the point of lethargy
high fever
shaking and chills
severe nausea
vomiting
blood in the urine

So, what’s the answer to this painful condition that winds up with so many people presenting to the ER and taking (possibly) ill-prescribed antibiotics which may lead to antibiotic resistance?

Well, for run-of-the-mill UTIs, homeopathy, of course!

For the treatment of minor urinary tract infections, homeopathy can be a marvelous and fast answer to some relief.

A few well-indicated homeopathic remedies to address these uncomfortable symptoms, (for men, women, children and pets, too!):

Cantharis
- very frequent urge to urinate, almost constant
- stinging/burning/cutting pains before, during and after urination
- passing small quantities of dark urine
- may be insatiably thirsty

Staphysagria
- pressure upon the bladder — feels as if it didn’t empty
- burning pains in the urethra, especially between urination
- frequent urging to urinate with either scanty or profuse watery urine
- may be thirstless

Apis
- burning and stinging pains during urination
- retention of urine
- difficult or slow urination
- may be very restless

Not only can homeopathy help the immediate symptoms, but using homeopathy has even been found to decrease the recurrence. Pannek (et al. 2018) found adjunctive homeopathic treatment led to a significant decrease in UTIs in patients with spinal cord injury.

If you suffer from frequent, recurring UTIs, I highly encourage you to work with a professional homeopath because there’s something else going on there that needs to be brought into the equation.

Stop the burning drip and get with the flow!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

Reference list
American College of Emergency Physicians, 2022. Urinary Tract Infections — Know When to Go to the ER [online]. www.emergencyphysicians.org.

Chand, K. S. and Kapoor, P., 2020. Two Case Reports of Integrated Management of Antibiotic-Resistant Urinary Tract Infection. Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy [online], 10.1055/s0039-1696992.

ER of Texas, 2022. When to go to the ER for Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms [online]. ER of Texas.

Ianiro, G., Tilg, H. and Gasbarrini, A., 2016. Antibiotics as deep modulators of gut microbiota: between good and evil. Gut [online], 65 (11), 1906–1915.

LaMotte, S., 2021. Doctors treat female UTIs with wrong antibiotics nearly half the time, study finds. CNN [online], 24 February 2021.

Mattoo, T. K., Shaikh, N. and Nelson, C. P., 2021. Contemporary Management of Urinary Tract Infection in Children. Pediatrics [online], 147 (2).

Pannek, J., Jus, M. C. and Jus, M. S., 2012. [Homeopathic prophylaxis of urinary tract infections in patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction]. Der Urologe. Ausg. A [online], 51 (4), 544–546.

Pannek, J., Pannek-Rademacher, S., Jus, M. S., Wöllner, J. and Krebs, J., 2018. Usefulness of classical homeopathy for the prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in individuals with chronic neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine [online], 42 (4), 453–459.

University of Utah, 2018. ER or Not: It’s Difficult to Pee [online]. healthcare.utah.edu.

Wawrysiuk, S., Naber, K., Rechberger, T. and Miotla, P., 2019. Prevention and treatment of uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections in the era of increasing antimicrobial resistance—non-antibiotic approaches: a systemic review. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics [online], 300 (4), 821–828.

7/16/2022

Summer Fun #3: Flying Things (mainly)

Read Now

As a rule, repeat the homeopathic remedy every 15 minutes for the first hour.

If no relief in that time, it is most likely not the correct remedy for now -- try another.
--------------------
Swelling, redness, heat, worse by heat: Apis.

Bites that itch and burn: Caladium.

If a watery blister develops: Cantharis.

Burning pains: Cantharis.

If a secondary infection develops: Gunpowder.
See: Things that go boom.

Intense, unbearable, possibly radiating pain with hypersensitivity to touch: Hypericum.

If the skin is hot and looks blue or purple: Lachesis.

Itching is better by cold and the site is sensitive to touch: Ledum.

Excessive itching or develop large welts: Staphysagria

Intense itching and burning with hive-like swelling: Urtica urens.

(Lessell 1999; Schmukler 2006; Ratera 2016).

My teenager came looking for me the other day at 8 am. It’s summer vacation so I knew something was not quite right. He awakened with a centipede in his bed. Not a good way to wake up in the morning! [Note to self: be careful of the blog articles I am planning… first the appendectomy and now the centipede in the bed!] Dr. Forgey (2020) says a cold pack is usually sufficient treatment but notes that some centipede bites can be severe and result in regional lymph node swelling. My son’s morning visitor got him on the shoulder and we used a little OHM Sting Relief & Insect Repellent and he was good to go. Beautiful stuff, but we’ll get to those ingredients in a minute.

It's a good thing that most bug bites are just annoying. But, for those unlucky few, that's not the case. I have a friend who just found out the hard way that she is allergic to bees. They got her twice at once - (one on the leg and the other the hand) and her hand swelled up, as did her throat! She, too, is a homeopath and knew just what to do. In this case, Apis mellifica.

Homeopathic Apis is made from the honeybee and is absolutely the #1 go-to remedy for anything that causes an anaphylactic reaction. Repeat Apis often while on the way to the hospital or awaiting medical attention.

“Anaphylaxis is a sudden onset, immediate reaction that implies a risk of death … reactions usually begin within 2 minutes to 2 hours after injection, infusion, ingestion, contact or inhalation. Fatalities can be from asphyxiation from laryngeal or oropharyngeal swelling, collapse from hypotensive shock, cardiac arrest, or acute severe bronchoconstriction that causes respiratory failure and arrest” (Watts and Ditto 2019). In other words, anaphylaxis is serious stuff which most often requires immediate medical attention though “fatalities are a rare occurrence” (Anagnostou 2018). Most people who know they have anaphylactic reactions would be equipped with an Epi-pen, but this was news for my friend!

Even without the anaphylactic reaction, Apis is the remedy to turn to for bee stings. As a side note, given that the remedy is made from the honeybee itself, this makes Apis not homeopathic, but isopathic. Isopathy is “same cures same” as opposed to homeopathy “like cures like.” See Hom, not Home.

Anyway, back to bee stings and Apis… if there is burning and stinging, swelling and redness, then Apis is what you’re after.

Ledum can also be useful for bee stings, especially if the stricken area feels cold.

Ticks can be hard to spot -- be sure to check your skin carefully!

Ticks are insidious little creatures. I remember finding wood ticks on me as a kid. I even have a little piece of my ear missing from when I panicked and pulled the big, fat thing off of me when it was still attached. To my knowledge, those ticks were just annoying. Now, we have to worry about Lyme disease (and 14 other known diseases (Alton and Alton 2021)) from the ticks.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection from ticks and is a multisystem disease which is on the rise (Ross Russell et al. 2018). Fortunately, as we have gained more knowledge of Lyme, we learn of more preventative steps which can be taken and the horrific nature of this disease can be thwarted if caught early.

How do you know if you’ve been bitten by a disease carrying tick? First off, if you find a tick on you, remove it, following the most recent medical recommendations for removing the tick. (See here or here for starters.) Once the tick has been removed, save it in a jar or a plastic bag to be submitted to your local health authorities to find out whether it is indeed an infected tick.

OK, the tick has been removed and saved for analysis. Now what? Wash and disinfect the area (and wash your hands afterward, as well as washing your clothing in hot water and drying in high heat) and keep an eye on the bite sight. If that “bullseye” rash develops, and you experience fever and chills, muscle aches, fatigue and joint pain -- seek professional treatment immediately. "In about 70% of patients, the rash occurs before the fever and starts as a bump with redness in the area of the bite. It often then develops into a red ring-like 'bulls-eye' that feels warm to the touch. Alternatively, some may present with a spreading, crusty, splotchy area of redness, a red oval plaque or a bluish rash" (Alton and Alton 2021).

Homeopathically, start with Ledum 200c, twice daily for a week. Ledum is known for its use in puncture wounds and for the ill effects of puncture wounds. Ledum can be helpful in warding off bad stuff which would result from said wound. If you had to remove a tick from your body, you have certainly been punctured by the little bugger! The Mayo Clinic (2018) says Lyme infection is unlikely if the tick is attached for less than 36-48 hours, so be sure to check yourself carefully if you’ve been out in the wilds (or, even the not-so-wilds, like just being in your backyard if you live in tick-land!)

Mosquitoes.
I have to say, I am not a fan. At all. OK, I actually don’t know anyone who does like the little bastards, but I feel compelled to complain about them.

These little suckers also carry some nasty diseases. The Survival Medicine Handbook (Alton and Alton 2021) notes that “in terms of the sheer number of human deaths, the lowly mosquito puts all the classic creatures from our nightmares to shame.” They do clarify, however, that it’s not the mosquito in and of itself that is the problem, they merely carry the microbe to the unsuspecting victim. I still don't like them, even if they haven't transmitted any diseases to me! Their bite alone is enough!

What kinds of diseases? Malaria, Dengue Fever, Zika, West Nile, to name a few. Addressing all those diseases homeopathically is far beyond the scope of this article. However, it's important to note that the first homeopathic "proving" done by Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, was done on Cinchona or quinine -- which is the original treatment for malaria (Permin et al. 2016) and that homeopathy may help in these situations. For a quick read on this, try: The Cinchona Experiment (Homeopathy Plus 2020).

Homeopathically, again, the first place to stop for a mozzy bite is Ledum, as it’s another puncture wound, after all.

My go-to for mosquito bites is Staphysagria — it’s particularly well indicated if there is a level of anger involved with dealing with the bite.

For wasp stings, see my previous articles: here and here.

"Within the vertically oriented sheath of mouthparts below the eyes are scissor blades that slice and shred their way into the skin of tough cow or horse hide with ease. A sponge-like structure on the end of the proboscis then mops up the blood that pools on the skin".
(Sue 2014)

Blackfly or Horsefly

These guys are relentless! Equipped with the ability to cut through cow hides or horse hides, they can do a real number on humans!

I had a run-in with them a few weeks ago. I felt the first one and then I didn't feel it when they delivered the rest of their nastiness! These bites were sore and scabby and oozy and definitely good candidates for Graphites. (I still have residual marks, but the pain is gone.) But, again, Ledum could definitely have been helpful here, too.

BUG BITE PREVENTION:

In addition to bug spray and citronella candles, what else can be done?

Dr. Colin Lessell (1999) claims homeopathic Ledum begun 3 days before potential exposure to the biting insects and repeated every 12 hours “will assist in the reduction of reactivity.”

Dr. Ratera (2016) also adds Staphysagria (3-6 times a day) as well as Vitamin B12.

If you know you react poorly to bug bites, these certainly sound worth a try to me!

DON’T LET THESE GUYS FOOL YOU!

These 2 look cute and friendly and I thought they were harmless. Silly me!

Many years ago, my then-toddler got a terrible, painful rash on his cheeks and it turned out to be from a caterpillar. I know now that the best thing to do is to use sticky tape to remove the toxic hairs from the skin (Cleveland Clinic 2021). In hindsight, I would most likely have used Cantharis to help him out with the pain, but maybe Graphites as I think I remember it being a weepy rash.

Later, we were visiting out of state and while swinging on the swings we were attacked by ladybugs. Who knew?! They were painful little bites! In hindsight, I probably would have used Ledum or Staphysagria.

Back to OHM’s Sting Relief and Insect Repellent. OHM is a homeopathic pharmacy located in Texas; but, unfortunately, they do not sell to the general public. What’s in this marvelous little concoction? Equal amounts of Apis, Belladonna, Caladium, Calendula, Graphites, Ledum, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox and Staphysagria (as well as non-homeopathic bug repellent ingredients. It's a win/win -- if the repellent fails, you've got the homeopathic remedies to fix you up!)

As I have mentioned before (see: Calming the Cold, What Hurts?, Relief, Recovery from Surgery) learning the various remedies included in a combination remedy is a good place to start when figuring out what might help you, as well as just learning homeopathic remedies in general.

We talked about Apis, Ledum and Staphysagria already so let’s have a quick look at OHM’s other ingredients.

Belladonna is highly indicated in red, swollen, hot, intense conditions and there may be a “biting” quality to the pain.

Caladium may also have a “biting” pain. Bites that itch and burn intensely.

Calendula (See: I did a doozy) is a marvelously soothing remedy for things that hurt, particularly things that hurt worse than they “should.” Calendula can also be used topically.

Graphites is known to help skin conditions with honey-like oozing.

Pulsatilla skin eruptions which itch or sting, especially when scratching makes it worse.

Rhus tox for burning skin eruptions or pain after scratching.

If a stinger remains, Herbal Medic (Coffman 2021) recommends scraping “it away using a flat scraper such as the edge of a credit card. Then clean the bite or sting area well and apply the plaster or poultice.”

What kind of a poultice, you ask? Coffman recommends bentonite clay or charcoal.

Other topical options:
Calendula, Pot Marigold, is just a marvelously soothing substance. It is also known to help keep infections at bay.

Rural Sprout (Magyar 2020) has instructions for a fresh plantain poultice for bites and stings. Or, you can use a ready made Plantain tincture. I tried the tincture after my wasp sting and found it very soothing. Or, you could also use homeopathic Plantago major which is also indicated for puncture wounds.

For both Calendula and Plantago, if you have the homeopathic remedy, but not the tincture or the fresh ingredients at hand, put a pellet or 2 of the remedy in clean water and then apply the medicated water to the affected area.

It’s a jungle out there in the summer! All this talk of creepy crawlies is making me itchy! Keep some of these homeopathic remedies at hand in case of attack!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

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

Reference list:

Alton, J. and Alton, A., 2021. The survival medicine handbook : the essential guide for when help is NOT on the way : a Doom and Bloom guide. United States? Doom And Bloom Llc.

Anagnostou, K., 2018. Anaphylaxis in Children: Epidemiology, Risk Factors and Management. Current Pediatric Reviews [online], 14 (3), 180–186.

Benzoni, T. and Cooper, J. S., 2021. Tick Removal [online]. PubMed.

Cleveland Clinic, 2021. Caterpillar Rash: How to Spot and Treat It [online]. Cleveland Clinic.

Coffman, S., 2021. Herbal medic : a green beret’s guide to emergency medical preparedness and natural first aid. North Adams, Ma: Storey Publishing.

Forgey, W. W., 2020. The prepper’s medical handbook : how to provide medical care when you can’t rely on anyone but yourself. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press.

Homeopathy Plus, 2020. The Cinchona Experiment [online]. Homeopathy Plus.

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

Magyar, A. C., 2020. How To Make A Plantain Tincture + 8 Ways To Use This Healing Plant [online]. Rural Sprout.

Mayo Clinic, 2018. Lyme disease - Symptoms and causes [online]. Mayo Clinic.

Permin, H., Norn, S., Kruse, E. and Kruse, P. R., 2016. On the history of Cinchona bark in the treatment of Malaria. Dansk Medicinhistorisk Arbog [online], 44, 9–30.

Ratera, Dr. M. M., 2016. First Aid with Homeopathy. Kander, Germany: Narayana Verlag.

Ross Russell, A. L., Dryden, M. S., Pinto, A. A. and Lovett, J. K., 2018. Lyme disease: diagnosis and management. Practical Neurology [online], 18 (6), 455–464.

Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines, 2022. How to Remove A Tick [online]. HealthyChildren.org.

Schmukler, A. V., 2006. Homeopathy : an A to Z home handbook. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications.

Sue, 2014. Gigantic black horse fly [online]. Back Yard Biology.

Watts, M. M. and Ditto, A. M., 2019. Anaphylaxis. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings [online], 40 (6), 453–456.

7/9/2022

Summer Fun #2: Water

Read Now

Swimmer's Eye or Chlorine Conjunctivitis

Swimmer's itch
Swimmer's itch is an allergic reaction to microscopic parasites that burrow into your skin while you're swimming or wading outdoors. (Mayo Clinic n.d.)

Outer Ear Infection
(Mayo clinic n.d.)

Jellyfish… so beautiful and so dangerous!

Signs a swimmer is in trouble: (Redcross. CA 2013)

Struggling to keep their face above the water in an effort to breathe – head is low in the water, tilted back, and mouth is at water level
Has arms extended to the side pressing down for support
Has a vertical or approaching vertical body position with no supportive kick
Might continue to struggle underwater, often facing the nearest point of safety, for example land, a person, shallow water, a buoyant support toy or a boat.
Inability to respond to the question: “Are you okay?”
Silence

Whether a river, an ocean or a pool -- nothing is as inviting as a body of water on a hot, summer’s day. It’s cool and refreshing, but, after a shallow dive into the subject … I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it can be dangerous!

Let’s start with a dip in the pool, which is most likely chlorinated. Some people are particularly sensitive to the chlorine and can develop what is known as SWIMMER'S EYE or, chlorine conjunctivitis. It is essentially eye irritation but it stings and it can be pretty miserable. Goggles can help, but that's not a sure thing to keep it at bay.

Homeopathic Euphrasia or “Eyebright” for burning eyes and watery eyes. Pain as if something were in the eye. Puffy eyes. Red eyes. When “eye” is in the name of the remedy, you know it’s a good place to start.

Arsenicum album for profuse, watery, burning discharge. There is often a level of restlessness.

Or, Similisan’s Redness & Itchy Eye Relief* would be a good thing to keep in the cupboard if you or your child is prone to this.

---------------------------------------------

Moving from the pool to a natural body of water can bring it’s own set of problems, namely, SWIMMER'S ITCH or Cercarial Dermatitis.

Caused by a parasite that gets under the skin (Kolářová et al. 2012) and triggers an allergic reaction, swimmer’s itch is as the name suggests, an itchy rash.

If the rash is blistery and oozy, look to Graphites.

If the rash burns, stings and itches, try Sulphur.

If the rash stings and is raised and fluid filled, try Apis.

-------------------------------------------

SWIMMER’S EAR
Regardless of what kind of water you’re swimming in, swimmer’s ear is basically an outer ear infection caused by trapped water in your ear that can lead to the growth of bacteria (Mayo Clinic).

For sharp ear pain with a sudden onset, Belladonna. There may be redness and throbbing pain.

An aching ear pain that feels like the ear is stopped up, Chamomilla.

If there is discharge and itching, try Hepar sulph.

Or, Similason has a new formula: Swimmer's Ear Relief*.

-------------------------------------------

If you are lucky enough to be near the ocean, beware of JELLYFISH!

Potentially harmful jellyfish are found in most oceans and can cause both dermatological problems as well as systemic issues (Mebs 2014). The venom of the 51 species of box jellyfish can kill a human in less than 2 minutes (Baldwin 2022).

The Wilderness Medical Society has published “Jellyfish Stings: A Practical Approach” (Lakkis et al. 2015). If you left your stinger suit hanging in the closet and manage to get stung, conventional medicine doesn’t have a lot to offer. “The literature published on the treatment of jellyfish stings is limited, conflicting, and lacks consensus.” In short, help the person out of the water, keep them from rubbing the stung area and reassure them. Some say to apply cold, others heat. If it’s a life-threatening species, call an ambulance immediately. (Be careful when helping someone with a jellyfish sting as stinging cells may be spread on contact.)

Once again, this is a situation where homeopathy can come in very handy. Homeopathy doesn’t care if the sting is a result of a jellyfish or a bee. If the symptoms match the remedy, there is a good chance relief will follow.

First Aid with Homeopathy (Mateu 2020) says applying vinegar can decrease the effect of the toxins.

For all these homeopathic jellyfish remedy recommendations, repeat every five minutes until significantly better and then begin to lengthen the time between doses.

For most “run of the mill” jellyfish stings, try Apis mellifica. For intense burning and stinging followed by redness and swelling. The person needing Apis will generally be worse from warm applications.

If the affected area feels cold and also feels better from cold, try Ledum.

Urtica urens can be applied topically as well as ingesting the homeopathic remedy. The person needing Urtica will be experiencing great itchiness and burning, similar to experiencing stinging nettles (from which the remedy is made).

If the pains are more neuralgic in nature and radiating out, try Hypericum.

-------------------------------------------

HYPOTHERMIA
It’s a warm, beautiful day with a little breeze and you think, “what could possibly go wrong?” Well, Hypothermia is one thing that can ruin your day.

“That only happens in the cold, right?” Um. Nope. The only requirement for hypothermia to set in is anything that causes a severe drop in body temperature. It can happen in perfect conditions (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission 2022) and, actually, swimming doesn’t even need to be involved.

It can happen from being in the water or from being caught in a rainstorm. When I was a kid, my brother went sailing on a too cold day and he returned way too cold. I remember being instructed to lie down on the kitchen floor next to him under a blanket to try and warm him up. I now know that is termed “external passive rewarming” and is the method of choice for mild hypothermia. A slow and gentle warming is what you’re after.

For hypothermia to set in, the water doesn’t have to be cold, just cooler than your body temperature. Children, the elderly, injured or intoxicated people are more susceptible (Paal et al. 2022). Shivering, confusion, breathing issues, and muscle dysfunction are some of the symptoms which may be experienced with a significantly lowered body temperature.

The Natural First Aid Handbook (Mars 2017) recommends hot water bottles to the groin and sides of the torso and warns against rubbing or massaging an individual with hypothermia. First Aid with Homeopathy (Ratera 2016) recommends hot liquids and moderate warmth to the abdomen via a hot water bottle and also talks about breath as a treatment for hypothermia. “The helper places his mouth against the spine, between the shoulder blades, and breathes out in long breaths, blowing directly against the clothing. Almost immediately, local heat is felt, and gradually this heat spreads through the body if the exercise is continued. This technique helps to warm, and also to calm the patient. It can therefore also be used in crises of asthma or panic, to calm the patient and restore natural breathing.” Fascinating!

Other than warming the person, what can be done? Homeopathy, of course!

If the person is conscious, give a dose of Aconite to help with the shock.

Bellis perennis is useful in thermal shock (Ratera 2016). Thermal shock can happen from any sudden exposure to cold when the body is hot — even drinking cold drinks when the body is hot.

Carbo vegetabilis can be useful for persons who are chilly, with cold perspiration and cold breath. Other symptoms may include coldness, numbness and weakness.

Veratrum album is for internal coldness, as if ice-water is in the veins. Weakness and collapse with coldness.

If the person is icy cold but wants to be uncovered, consider some homeopathic Camphor. Cramps, convulsions or shock may be present.

-----------------------------------------

DROWNING
Regardless of the size of the body of water, drowning is always something to watch out for and contrary to what we have seen in the movies, drowning is often completely silent (Redcross. CA 2013). See sidebar for "signs a swimmer is in trouble."

According to Stop Drowning Now (2018), in the US, 10 people die every day from drowning. “Drowning is fast and silent and can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds.”

When my son was little, I turned my back to get his floaties and the other mother with me (who I thought was watching all the kids!) said, “I didn’t know he could swim.” I turned around and I saw him standing on the bottom of the pool, completely underwater, eyes open, looking up at me. He couldn’t swim! He definitely did not belong there! That could have been a disaster. It was absolutely instantaneous — shockingly fast! Thankfully, he was completely fine. I will never be able to get that vision out of my mind. It was terrible.

CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, followed by mouth-to-mouth is the standard recommendation. Venema (et al. 2010) claim that 30% of rescued drowning victims require CPR. Get medical help immediately.

If the person is unconscious, administer homeopathic Carbo vegetabilis while waiting for help to arrive. Carbo veg is known as “the corpse reviver” and should be administered frequently. To avoid inhaling the remedy, place the pellet between the lips and the teeth and let it dissolve there.

If the person is better when sitting up but is experiencing a rattling in the chest, try Antimonium tart.

Lachesis is indicated when the person is suffering asphyxia and the pulse is very weak.

If there is a “near miss” like I described with my son, it may not be over and done with when you have them out of the water and breathing on their own again. Jama Pediatrics (Stern and Thompson 2022) notes that “symptoms of drowning such as gasping or difficulty breathing most commonly occur immediately. In rare cases, symptoms may develop after a nonfatal drowning. If a child develops worsening cough, fast breathing rate, vomiting or change in mental status after nonfatal drowning, take them to the nearest emergency department for evaluation.”

It may seem like it’s better (and safer!) to just dip your toes in the water to cool off, but no! Life is too short to sit out the swim!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

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

References and further reading:

Baird, J. K. and Wear, D. J., 1987. 12 Cercarial dermatitis: The swimmer’s itch. Clinics in Dermatology, 5 (3), 88–91.

Baldwin, E., 2022. Box Jellyfish: The Dangerous Jellyfish | Ocean Info [online]. oceaninfo.com.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, 2022. Hypothermia [online]. Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Gordy, M. A., Cobb, T. P. and Hanington, P. C., 2018. Swimmer’s itch in Canada: a look at the past and a survey of the present to plan for the future. Environmental Health, 17 (1).

Hoeffler, D. F., 1977. ‘Swimmers’ itch’ (cercarial dermatitis). Cutis [online], 19 (4), 461–465, 467.

Kolářová, L., Horák, P., Skírnisson, K., Marečková, H. and Doenhoff, M., 2012. Cercarial Dermatitis, a Neglected Allergic Disease. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology [online], 45 (1), 63–74.

Lakkis, N. A., Maalouf, G. J. and Mahmassani, D. M., 2015. Jellyfish Stings: A Practical Approach. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine [online], 26 (3), 422–429.

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

Mateu, M., 2020. First aid with homeopathy. Kandern, Germany Narayana Verlag.

Mayo Clinic, n.d. Swimmer’s ear - Symptoms and causes [online]. Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic, n.d. Swimmer’s itch - Symptoms and causes [online]. Mayo Clinic.

Mebs, D., 2014. Durch Quallen verursachte Verletzungen. Jelly Fish Sting Injuries Der Hautarzt [online], 65 (10), 873–878.

Paal, P., Pasquier, M., Darocha, T., Lechner, R., Kosinski, S., Wallner, B., Zafren, K. and Brugger, H., 2022. Accidental Hypothermia: 2021 Update. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [online], 19 (1), 501.

Ratera, Dr. M. M., 2016. First Aid with Homeopathy. Kander, Germany: Narayana Verlag.

Redcross. CA, 2013. Drowning: A silent killer - Canadian Red Cross [online]. Red Cross Canada.

Schmukler, A. V., 2006. Homeopathy : an A to Z home handbook. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications.

Smith, S., 2007. Medical homoeopathy. West Wickham England: Winter Press.
Stern, A. M. and Thompson, L. A., 2022. What Parents Should Know About Drowning and Dry Drowning. JAMA Pediatrics [online].

Stop Drowning Now, 2018. Facts & Stats About Drowning - Stop Drowning Now [online]. www.stopdrowningnow.org.

Szpilman, D., Bierens, J. J. L. M., Handley, A. J. and Orlowski, J. P., 2012. Drowning. New England Journal of Medicine [online], 366 (22), 2102–2110.

Venema, A. M., Groothoff, J. W. and Bierens, J. J. L. M., 2010. The role of bystanders during rescue and resuscitation of drowning victims. Resuscitation [online], 81 (4), 434–439.

10/27/2021

Wasp Attack! part 1

Read Now

Photo by Jonas Allert on Unsplash

I was sitting out on the patio this afternoon for what is most likely the last beautiful 80 degree day of the year, when a yellow thing with a stinger started nosing around my sandaled foot.

Long ago I learned to not hit a bee or a wasp with my negative waves, so I shooed it away gently and turned my chair the other direction and promptly forgot about it.

Until the little !?@*! swooped in the gap in my sandal and stung me under my second toe! Bam! Out of the blue! No provocation of any kind! I flew out of my seat. I dropped my computer to the ground and retreated inside, cursing and limping and wondering what the heck just happened!

Luckily for me, just inside that door is where I keep my stash of homeopathic remedies. I immediately grabbed Ledum palustre 30c and threw some pellets under my tongue. I took a dose, waited for the pain to subside (which it did quite quickly), and then I started writing this article. About 15-20 minutes later, my toe started to throb and ache again, so I repeated the remedy and will continue to do so if and when the pain returns.

Why 30c and not another potency? To be completely honest, the 30c is the first thing my hand touched and I didn’t want to take the time to think about it. I just wanted the pain gone. Had I given it any thought, I probably would have chosen 200c.

Homeopathic Ledum is the first remedy to think of for stings and bites and puncture wounds of any kind.

Other than sneaky wasp attacks, where else would we see the usefulness of a homeopathic remedy for puncture wounds? … … … (I’ll wait while you fill in the blank.) … … … Yes! You’ve got it. Not that I am trying to get noticed by the Internet censors, but Ledum is the first remedy to consider following a puncture wound that stems from the pointy end of a plastic vial filled with liquid. After all, an injection site is, in simple terms, a puncture wound.

If one is suffering general ill effects following a puncture wound from the hands of a trained professional, Ledum should be the first thing you try. If other issues arise following that injectable fluid, a more specific homeopathic remedy should be given. For this, I suggest you work with a professional homeopath.

More pokey things that Ledum can help: bites from any kind of being (dogs, rodents, mosquitoes; ticks; bedbugs); goat’s head prickers (oh, these are nasty little things!); wounds from fixing a barbed wire fence or being poked by a branch. Ledum doesn’t care how the puncture wound got there, it just wants to help you feel better.

And, don’t forget your pets — they, too, can benefit from Ledum following a flea infestation.

Another time Ledum can come in handy is if a needle biopsy is in order. In this situation, take Ledum 200c just before the puncture and again as soon as possible afterward.

Should you find you are suffering an allergic reaction from a bee sting and Ledum is not doing the job, try Apis mellifica for bites/stings that swell up, are hot and resemble hives.

If the Ledum fails to act after acting well, some remedies that might follow well and are worth a try: Hypericum, Apis and Staphysagria.

If itching is part of this experience, Arsenicum album may help.

Remember homeopathic Ledum for those sneaky wasp attacks and any other unexpected (or even expected) puncture wounds.

Julia Coyte, CHom
classicallypractical.com
#wellnessawaits

unclerave.wordpress.com

<<Previous

Ruminating on Remedies

Julia Coyte, CHom

Archives

Categories