Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

7/23/2022

Summer Fun #4: Sprains, Strains & Bicycle Falls

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I didn't get to all of these injuries, but I address quite a few of them in this article.

Summer athletes, take heed! ER visits shoot up in the warmer months as the weekend warriors take on the bats, balls and trails.

SPRAINS
This one hits home right now as my husband is in week 3 of his nasty sprain. Click here for an 18-second visual of what’s involved in an ankle sprain. (For the record, he wasn’t being a weekend warrior, it was just unfortunate happenstance.)

We were hours from medical care, his ankle was huge and looked very wrong. I gave him Arnica 1m immediately, to great effect. Ice. Rest. Elevation. More Arnica as needed. The ER took X-rays and sent him on his way with 2 Ace bandages and told him to take ibuprofen* for the pain. That was helpful. Not. The next day we were able to see a proper orthopedist who took more X-rays and this time sent him on his way with a walking/air boot and the same instructions for pain. He never resorted to the over-the-counter painkillers, I am happy to say.

What to do after that? Well, some people say the X-rays can be a problem. If you’re worried about that, Nat Mur 6x, (twice daily the day of the X-ray and a few days following) is said to help.

Back to sprained ankles…

The number one remedy to turn to for any accident or injury is Arnica. Give it early and repeat as needed. As a general rule of thumb, the worse the injury, the higher the potency and then back off the repetition and lower the potency as the pain dictates.

The next remedy to consider is Aconite to help reduce the shock which often follows a bad injury. Remember! Aconite rhymes with fright. Any situation that has been a shock to your system can benefit from Aconite. And, in this case, it can benefit not only the person who had the accident, but the person who witnessed the accident.

The traditional, much accepted treatment for injuries is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Some injuries respond to cold, some respond to heat. Ice restricts blood flow and blood flow is what you need to heal your parts. But, that blood flow is also what can cause all the swelling. I am not a physician but I have certainly had more than my fair share of injuries in my lifetime. Some of my injuries felt better with rest and elevation and ice and some felt better getting moving right away. To my mind, your pain (in addition to the input from your physician) needs to be your guide as to what is right for you.

What else can help? Here are a few homeopathic suggestions and their symptoms which may help you choose the best homeopathic remedy for your injury.

Arnica: Start here. “It is safe to say that 98% of patients who have suffered traumatic injury, however caused, need a dose of Arnica to begin their recovery” (Thomas 2000). See below for some research on Arnica.

A typical Arnica patient does not want anyone to touch their injured area. Sore, they may feel “beaten up” with swelling, bruising and inflammation. Topical Arnica is an option if the skin is intact. Do NOT apply Arnica to open wounds.

Rhus tox: for an injury that feels better for heat and continued motion. Worse on first moving. Better suited to simple sprains.

Ruta: for an injury that is worse for motion and worse for cold application. Bruised, crushed, weak feeling. A remedy for tendons and ligaments, similar to Rhus in its pain. May feel hot to touch. Follows Arnica well to help aid in recovery.

Bellis perennis: Think of this remedy if Arnica is not helping as much as you think it should be helping. Bruised pain. Like Rhus tox, a Bellis pain hurts when starting to move but gets better as you keep moving the injured area and is better from heat. A Bellis pain, though, may have the sensation of a band squeezing the injured joint. “Complicated sprains involving tendons, ligaments and soft tissue with swelling, edema and pain” (Ratera 2016).

Bryonia: worse for the slightest movement of any kind. Better for rest and immobility. This person might be a little grumpy as a result of their injury.

Ledum: when the injured area feels better from cold applications. Ankle feels dislocated and is worse by walking, to the point of being intolerable. The skin may be cold to the touch.

Symphytum for tears at the point of tendon insertion into the bone (Ratera 2016). This remedy has been known to speed along recovery. CAUTION: do NOT use Symphytum until you are certain there is no break or fracture.

Cell Salts which may be of help for sprains (Weintraub 1999):

Ferr phos: first aid remedy
Mag phos: pain which accompanies sprains
Nat sulph: after effects of shock
Ferr phos, Kali mur: swelling

for tendons and ligaments: Make a compress from these cell salts dissolved in tepid water and applied to the area: Calc fluor, Ferr phos, Mag phos, Kali mur.

Again, let your pain be your guide as to how long and how often you taking the remedies

STRAINS
According to American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, a sprain is a stretch and/or tear of a ligament and a strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon. Sprains generally occur in ankles, knees and wrists and strains generally occur in the back or leg, particularly the hamstring. Both injuries can range in severity and neither is necessarily worse than the other — it depends on the person and the injury.

Conventional medicine again recommends RICE for strains (see above).

Homeopathically, Arnica is the best place to start and may be all that you need. “Forcing, twisting, wrenching strains and tears are most likely to respond to Arnica if it is prescribed within 24 hours of the trauma” (Thomas 2000).

The above list of sprain remedies can also be applied to muscle strains with these notations:

Rhus tox may be especially helpful in injuries due to lifting or over-exertion.

Bryonia is especially well suited to intercostal and rib injuries.

Ruta is also useful for injuries due to over-exertion. Follows Arnica well to help aid in recovery.

Traumeel or T-Relief as it is now known is a nice combination remedy to help with strains. (See below for some Traumeel research.)

Cell Salts which may be of help for strains (Weintraub 1999):
In addition to the above listed cell salts:

Calc sulph, Mag phos: for muscles strained from overwork and a sensation of heat
Mag phos: for muscle spasms

BICYCLE FALLS
Number one: wear a helmet. Høye (2018) found helmet use reduced serious head injury by 60%.

We just watched an interesting documentary called Bikes of Wrath where 5 young guys re-created the journey from Steinbeck’s novel of a similar name, but this time on bikes. None of them had any head injuries, but they did indeed have some strains and perhaps a sprain — in his case, it was his elbow. They certainly could have benefitted from carrying a little remedy kit with them, that's for sure!

Sprains and strains are covered above, let's move on to cuts, scrapes and contusions.

Once again, Arnica is the first stop for any injury. If the fall was big enough, take a dose of Aconite for any shock.

ROAD RASH, see this link for more information

Ooof! It’s been a long time since I’ve had to pick gravel out of my knee, but I can still remember how unpleasant that is!

In this case, an oral dose of Arnica may be helpful because there is probably some element of bruising that will accompany the road rash, but remember DO NOT to apply Arnica to broken skin.

I have no idea who this group is, but they have some clear images indicating whether hospital treatment should be sought following a skinned knee.

Assuming the wound is not too bad and does not need professional medical care, clean the area and remove any debris. The Wound Care Society has some nice instructions.

Calendula is where you want to start homeopathically for this injury — after the wound has been sufficiently cleaned out, that is. Calendula can be taken orally, or a Calendula tincture or cream can be applied. If you have the homeopathic pellet, but not a tincture, dissolve the Calendula pellet in some clean water and apply that to the wound. Hypericum can be used in this way, as well.

Ledum is useful if the wound is deeper. It may be cool to the touch and very painful.

Hypericum: like Calendula, Hypericum is very good and soothing to use topically. In fact, they can work very well together. Helios offers a lovely combination cream**. A Hypericum wound is very sensitive and is definitely indicated if any nerves are involved, like fingertips or toes.

Hamamelis is very good if the wound continues to bleed. Arnica, too, can help with bleeding, but Hamamelis would be the next stop. Also very good for hematomas which may form as a result of the injury.

Cell Salts which may be of help for cuts and abrasions (Weintraub 1999):

Ferr phos for abrasions and wounds; topical application of powdered tables applied directly to the injured parts
Calc sulph: for cuts that are slow to heal

Kali mur, Ferr phos: for swelling

Bruising

Guess what the first remedy is for bruising? You’re so clever! Yes, it’s Arnica! The bruise is painful and they don’t want anybody to touch it!

Bellis perennis if the bruising is deeper, and especially if the bruising is in the abdominal area.

Ledum shows up again here, too -- if the area feels better with cold application.

Ruta or Symphytum if the bone is bruised or the periosteum is affected (the tissues between the bones and the skin — think of the shins or cheekbones).

Cell Salts which may be of help for bruising (Weintraub 1999):

Ferr phos for any bleeding into tissues -- may also apply powder directly to the area
Calc fluor for bruises affecting the bones
Kali phos for all-over feelign of being bruised
Kali mur for hard, blue-black bruises

To make a compress: dissolve 5 of each cell salt tablet and apply locally; take internally also: Ferr phos, Kali mur.

HEAD INJURIES
First off — consult a physician if you have hit your head, whether you were wearing a helmet, or not.

Once again, Arnica is the place to start. Not only because it’s the go-to first remedy for any accident or injury, but in this case because Arnica is the first choice homeopathic remedy for head injury, period.

Bonus! One of my favorite homeopathic books for injuries, First Aid with Homeopathy by Dr. Manuel Mateu Ratera, has a PDF of his Head Injury pages available online.

The next-in-line remedy for head injuries is Nat sulph (see cell salts below). Like Arnica, Nat sulph can be used for residual effects from old head injuries.

Why choose one over the other? Arnica has the general trauma/injury element to it.

When to choose Nat sulph? Nat sulph has a slight edge in terms of residual effects from head injuries: concussions afterward, migraines afterward. However, Nat sulph is more clearly indicated when there is vertigo following a head injury or depression or mental dullness sets in after a head injury.

For some research on mild traumatic brain injuries and homeopathy, see Chapman et al. (1999).

Cell Salts which may be of help for head injuries (Weintraub 1999):
Calc fluor for bruises on the cranial bones, with hard, rough, uneven lumps
Ferr phos for bruising to the head, with pain
≈ Nat sulph as a cell salt may be used, as well.

These homeopathic remedies, Arnica in particular, should accompany you when you set out for any physical activities this summer. Or, better yet, purchase a little kit to throw in your bag. Taproots has nice one*.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits
* Just because NSAIDs are available over the counter does not mean they are without risks. There are plenty of studies out there talking about the downside of taking NSAIDs. Below are just a few of these studies.

** I have no affiliation with these companies, I just like their products.

Reference list

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, n.d. Sprains, Strains and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries - OrthoInfo - AAOS [online]. www.orthoinfo.org.

Helios Homoeopathy, n.d. Hypericum/Calendula cream: helios-frontend [online]. www.helios.co.uk.

Høye, A., 2018. Bicycle helmets – To wear or not to wear? A meta-analyses of the effects of bicycle helmets on injuries. Accident Analysis & Prevention [online], 117, 85–97.

Mayo Clinic, 2018. Sprained ankle - Symptoms and causes [online]. Mayo Clinic.

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

Sonnenschmidt, R., Sankaran, R., Vithoulkas, G., Borland, D., Scholten, J., Kusse, F., Mangialavori, M., Birch, K., Das Kaviraj, V., Perko, S., Welte, U., Le Roux, P., Hahnemann, S., Jus, S. and Chauhan, D., n.d. Manuel Mateu i Ratera First Aid with Homeopathy Reading excerpt First Aid with Homeopathy of Manuel Mateu i Ratera Publisher: Hahnemann Institut [online].

Summers, S., 2022. How can I take care of a scraped knee? [online]. www.truthaboutnursing.org.

TapRoots, 2022. SUMMER On-the-Go Portable Homeopathic Kit Including Hard-covered Case, Holds 8 Kit-sized Remedies [online]. TapRoots.

Temple ReadyCare, 2021. 6 Reasons for Summer ER Visits and How to Avoid Common Injuries and Illness [online]. Temple Health.

Thomas, E., 2000. Homoeopathy for sports, exercise, and dance. Beaconsfield, Bucks, Uk: Beaconsfield Publishers.

Weintraub, S., 1999. Natural healing with cell salts. Pleasant Grove, Ut: Woodland Pub.

woundcaresociety, 2016. How to heal skinned knee quickly? [online]. Wound Care Society.

woundcaresociety, 2019. How Long Does Road Rash Take To Heal [online]. Wound Care Society.

Research links - Arnica:
Marzotto, M., Arruda-Silva, F. and Bellavite, P., 2020. Fibronectin Gene Up-regulation by Arnica montana in Human Macrophages: Validation by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay. Homeopathy [online], 109 (03), 140–145.

Research links Homeopathy & Head Injury:
Chapman, E. H., Weintraub, R. J., Milburn, M. A., Pirozzi, T. O. and Woo, E., 1999. Homeopathic Treatment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation [online], 14 (6), 521–542.

Research links: Traumeel:
Birnesser, H., Oberbaum, M., Klein, P. and Weiser, M., 2004. THE HOMEOPATHIC PREPARATION TRAUMEEL® S COMPARED WITH NSAIDS FOR SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT OF EPICONDYLITIS. Journal of Musculoskeletal Research [online], 08 (02n03), 119–128.

Conforti, A., Bertani, S., Metelmann, H., Chirumbolo, S., Lussignoli, S. and Bellavite, P., 1997. Experimental studies of the anti-inflammatory activity of a homeopathic preparation. [online].

Lussignoli, S., Bertani, S., Metelmann, H., Bellavite, P. and Conforti, A., 1999. Effect of Traumeel S, a homeopathic formulation, on blood-induced inflammation in rats. Complementary Therapies in Medicine [online], 7 (4), 225–230.

Porozov, S., Cahalon, L., Weiser, M., Branski, D., Lider, O. and Oberbaum, M., 2004. Inhibition of IL-1β and TNF-α Secretion from Resting and Activated Human Immunocytes by the Homeopathic Medication Traumeel® S. Clinical and Developmental Immunology [online], 11 (2), 143–149.

Schneider, C., Klein, P., Stolt, P. and Oberbaum, M., 2005. A Homeopathic Ointment Preparation Compared With 1% Diclofenac Gel for Acute Symptomatic Treatment of Tendinopathy. EXPLORE [online], 1 (6), 446–452.

Research links: NSAIDs:
Allison, M. C., Howatson, A. G., Torrance, C. J., Lee, F. D. and Russell, R. I., 1992. Gastrointestinal Damage Associated with the Use of Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs. New England Journal of Medicine [online], 327 (11), 749–754.

Bindu, S., Mazumder, S. and Bandyopadhyay, U., 2020. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and organ damage: A current perspective. Biochemical Pharmacology [online], 180, 114147.

Graham, D. Y., Opekun, A. R., Willingham, F. F. and Qureshi, W. A., 2005. Visible small-intestinal mucosal injury in chronic NSAID users. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology [online], 3 (1), 55–59.

Risser, A., Donovan, D., Heintzman, J. and Page, T., 2009. NSAID Prescribing Precautions. American Family Physician [online], 80 (12), 1371–1378.

8/26/2021

I did a doozy…

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The before picture was immediately after the injury. The after photo was taken about 6 weeks later.

Graphic content warning. If you’re squeamish, you can start at the 3rd paragraph.

Back in February of this year, I did a doozy. In hindsight, I perhaps shouldn’t have been handling a knife. I was having an “off” day. But, life goes on and I was preparing dinner and slicing a sweet potato. Turns out I sliced a nice hunk off the pad of my left ring finger!

That was shocking, I tell you. The blood was profuse. My finger was throbbing with pain. Part of my finger remained on the blade of the knife. My husband happened to be on the phone with his cousin/doctor who informed him that there was not much that could be done since there was no skin left to reattach. I paced around with my arm straight up over my head to hopefully staunch the bleeding, but it didn’t help much.

Start here, if you're squeamish.
I am happy to say we have a good first aid kit at home* and my husband and son went to work to get me bandaged up. Meanwhile, I went to my cupboard and took Hypericum 30x which happened to be sitting in the kitchen cupboard from the last time one of us had some dental work done. The pain very quickly abated. Hypericum is well known homeopathic remedy for its positive effect on nerve rich areas and “lacerations with intolerable pains.” That fit the description of what was happening for me, I assure you.

I also right away took a dose each of homeopathic Aconite and Arnica to address the shock and some Phosphorus for the bleeding. With my finger wrapped up well and propped on a pillow for the night and a couple of doses of Hypericum 200c in me, I miraculously got a pretty good night’s sleep. I took very good care of myself and my poor, sore finger for the next few days, but I still managed to develop an infection. I did an on-line call with a physician who prescribed both an antibiotic and a silver ointment. I filled the prescription for the antibiotic (just in case) but I chose to first treat the infection using only homeopathy, which I successfully did. (I did use the silver ointment for a couple of days because it needed something between the wound and the bandaid.)

I continued with the Hypericum 200c and then I added Arnica routinely after learning about a study showing the positive effects of Arnica on tissue development and healing. Once the skin had grown back, I used Helios’ Healing Cream for a few more weeks. This cream is made from tinctures of Calendula and Symphytum with Thiosinaminum 6x and Vitamin E oil.

Calendula has a long history of wound healing in the herbal world. (Follow these links for a review of Calendula’s wound healing properties in canine dermatology and a study on Symphytum’s beneficial effects on human skin fibroblasts.) And here for a 1910 article talking about the fact that “thiosinamine is not a new drug” and has been used in treating scars since way back when.

It’s been 6 months and I am happy to say that with the help of homeopathy, the skin grew back on my finger — you really have to look at it in the right light to see the circle of scar tissue. It is tender now and again if I knick it or pinch it but, all in all, I am pleased with how this potentially disastrous situation turned out.

NOTE: This is how I decided to treat my injury. I am not recommending anyone who suffers a similar fate to do it this way. Emergency rooms are there for this very reason.

* If you don’t have a good first aid kit at home, I suggest you get on that. Most of the readily available kits are pretty lame, in my opinion. The big kit we have at home I created over the years after researching what may be needed in an emergency. Recently, I found really good kits from My Medic. I keep one of these in the RV and have been very pleased with it. I do not have any affiliation with this company, I just like their products. https://mymedic.com

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Ruminating on Remedies

Julia Coyte, CHom

Summer Fun #4: Sprains, Strains & Bicycle Falls

I did a doozy…

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