Last week’s newsletter very briefly covered a couple of very serious diseases, Blastomycosis and Lyme Disease. If you missed, check it out here. Blastomycosis was a new one for me but Lyme disease is something that is in the news these days so, I had some notion of what was involved with its flu-like symptom picture.
In terms of homeopathic remedies with their symptom picture to help support healing in a situation of possible Lyme disease though, I learned a lot these past two weeks.
Again, if a spider or tick, bee, cat, dog bites you, or if you manage to puncture your skin with needle, knife or nail, get out the Ledum in your homeopathic first aid kit! Arnica was mentioned last week as well. When the remedy picture fits, use it.
A homeopathic remedy is like a crystal. Turn it one way in the light and you see one kind of reflection. In another light, you see another aspect of the refracted light.
So it was that I learned about two symptoms in Arnica that were new to me and likely saved the person from days of debilitating headaches, whether it was a flu they had or a possible case of Lyme disease. Because the person was observant and fluent in the art homeo-speak when it comes to homeo-symptoms, we were able to confirm that an early abandonment of Arnica because muscle/joint pain improved was the wrong direction.
I Only Get a Headache after I Eat
As Scooby-Doo the cartoon character would say, ‘huh?’ Why would I tell my doctor that? You might not. Or if you did tell your doctor that, the symptom could be overlooked and a one-size-fits-all pain prescription would be given.
In homeopathy, that kind of symptom matters. A lot as it turns out in this situation of flu-like illness.
Originally, Arnica was given for the bruised, sore muscles pains that hurt as if someone had laid a beating on them; no comfortable position while resting in bed. In fact, the homeo-symptom is Delusions, bed is lumpy!
Here is what one homeopathic reference book says:
Muscles feel VERY SORE, PAINFUL, BRUISED; all over.
Great prostration; tired feeling.
Crushing pain. BED FEELS HARD or full of lumps.
Pains are paralytic; sudden, shifting pains from joint to joint.
And even:
Insect stings.
One of the characteristic symptoms of this flu-like illness was the inability to stand straight up because of pain in the pelvic area and weakness in the knees.
Here are the symptoms in Phatak’s homeopathic Materia Medica:
Cannot walk erect on account of bruised pain in pelvic region.
Knee joints suddenly bend when standing.
Back pain in this person and Arnica was similar:
Sacrum as if beaten.
What separates homeopathy from conventional medicine is the ability to individualize what a person needs to help support the body to self-heal. Where you have common flu-like symptoms with a throbbing headache a pain medicine might be prescribed; in homeopathy you can have characteristic symptoms such as bruised sore pains that make it hard for the person to stand erect and head pain that is throbbing AFTER eating.
Once Arnica was started again, the headaches got better. This is the beauty of homeopathy.
Tips for Getting Symptoms
Always try to get these unusual symptoms, which are called characteristic symptoms in homeopathy. Remember the 5 W’s you learned in school? Who, What, Where, When, Why…and even How.
If someone says ‘My head hurts.’ You can ask, ‘Where does it hurt? Forehead, back of head, top of head, side of head?’
Then you can ask ‘When does it hurt?’ After eating, like the Arnica case or does the head hurt only when you move? Only in the evening? Or maybe only in bed? Or maybe wakes the person from sleep. What time of day? Some headaches in homeopathy are worse at 10 in the morning. And some remedies have a time modality of headaches on the weekends only!
What is the pain like? This is where kids’ descriptions can be quite delightful. ‘It’s like someone has a sword inside my head.’ (Stabbing) Or they might say ‘It’s like my heart is in my head.’ (Pulsating)
The why can be more of a causation, such as an insect bite, a head injury, a death or loss, a financial stress or even happy events can bring stress responses that result in illness. Changes in weather are often a common causation so it is always good to ask what was happening just before the illness or injury.
And how does the illness/injury affect the person? Sometimes this can be a clue as to the best remedy fit. If you are looking at the person and you can tell by signs and symptoms that they are really sick and you ask, how are you? If they say, I’m fine despite being very ill, you know you might be looking at homeopathic Arnica. Arnica actually has that symptoms…says they are well even when sick. Amazing isn’t it?
Finally, you can ask the person ‘Besides pain medication, what makes the head pain feel better? If someone tells you the head pain feels better tying a tight cloth around the head, you know you have a characteristic symptom! Or you can ask ‘What makes the headache worse?’ Migraines commonly are worse for noise, light, motion but if you have someone say their headache or migraine is worse from drinking coffee (Arnica has this symptoms), you know you have a characteristic symptom.
As you use homeopathy for acute ailments at home, you will find that your homeo-speak will become fluent and well on your way to individualizing remedies for first aid situations.
Check Out Arnica Download
For those readers who have small children and for those who love to colour, please head over to the Homeopathy First Magazine Website’s Kids Corner. You will find some information and coloring sheets for Arnica and for some of the other plants in this family.
Yours in health and healing,
Donna
