What is Homeopathy? And how does it relate to natural medicine?
Homeopathy is an alternative medicinal practice developed in the late 18th century by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor who believed that “like cures like”. A typical homeopathic remedy contains minute concentrations of a particular toxin intended to cure the very same symptoms it would cause in larger doses.
Homeopathic remedies often come in the shape of tiny sugar pellets to be placed under the tongue, but they also come in other forms such as ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets. Treatments are usually individualized and tailored to each person per consultation with a trained homeopath who takes a patient’s history and then prescribes the treatment.
However, there are some remedies that apply to many common symptoms and ailments. British homeopath Angela Jones has been practicing homeopathy for a decade and shared some insight on common homeopathic remedies that can help alleviate symptoms of common day-to-day ailments.
Shocks
- Aconite: For immediate shock or fright, free-floating anxiety and panic attacks.
- Ignatia: For bereavement, grief, loss, silent grief, unhappy love, bad news, and moodiness.
Bumps & Bruises
- Arnica: For trauma from accidents and shock. This is a go-to remedy after any accident or physical injuries with bruising. Also, injuries to the muscles and strains from over-exertion. If given early, will reduce swelling and bruises.
- Hypericum: For injuries to fingers, toes, or coccyx with shooting pains where nerves are involved.
Cuts & Scrapes
- Calendula: For painful wounds and abrasions. Often used as a cream to aid wound healing or to calm an inflamed skin.
- Hypericum: For sensitive wounds with shooting pains. Often used as a solution with calendula to clean wounds.
Sniffles & Sneezes
- Aconite: Use at the very first signs of a cold after exposure to dry, cold winds. Sudden onset with chilliness and great restlessness.
- Allium cepa: For colds and hay fever with streaming eyes (bland) and runny nose (acrid and burning), cough brought on by cold air, and a painful throat. Frequent sneezing.
- Arsenicum: Colds begin in the nose with acrid discharge and sneezing; very chilly and anxious, or a gastric flu with vomiting and diarrhea.
- Gelsemium: A slow onset of feeling exhausted, sleepy, everything heavy and aching. Bursting, congested headache.
- Belladonna: Use for the sudden onset of sore throat, red, very hot and dry cough. Throbbing headache.
Strains & Sprains
- Rhus tox: Use for over-exertion, stiffness coupled with restlessness, worse on first movement, but improves with continued movement. Also good for sore muscles after exercising too much.
- Ruta: Similar remedy to Rhus tox, but for when tendons are involved. Sprains, tennis elbow, and eye strain from excessive reading or close work.
Stings & Puncture Wounds
- Ledum: Use for puncture wounds (e.g. from nails, splinters), stings and bites, better with cold applications.
Digestion
- Nux vomica: This is the number one remedy for hangovers; nausea after too much rich food, alcohol, coffee. Also useful for colic and constipation.
- Arsenicum: Vomiting and diarrhea especially from food poisoning and gastric flu. Burning pain in stomach. Thirst for small quantities. Anxious, finicky, and restless.
This is a very abbreviated list and homeopathy offers many more remedies for each ailment, the descriptions here give a brief idea to what each remedy treats and addresses. Upon consultation with a homeopath, a lot more detail is given. .
Also check out: 5 Things to Know About Panic Attacks
