As parents, you continually work at finding the balance between keeping your kids safe and letting them go. You put every precaution in place to allow for freedom from mishaps, accidents, and injuries. You find the right out-of-school activities, check to make sure that the instructors are good and the programs are reputable, buy the best equipment you can afford, and then, whew!, off they go to the lesson, the field trip, the adventure.
The first time “letting go” is the hardest, but you let them go with a hope and a prayer that they will have just as much fun as you remember having as a kid…racing down a slide, tobogganing down a hill, or skiing on the slopes in winter…safely.
The Phone Call
Then one day you get the ‘phone call’…there’s been an accident. The only information you get is that it is serious and that the medics have been called. Every parent’s living nightmare is that one single phone call.
This actually happened to one of my favorite families in my homeopathic practice. They contacted me once the emergency was over, and they have given permission to share how homeopathy has helped with the recovery.
“Our son has had a fall from a chairlift (the boy sitting beside him opened the barrier bar without him noticing), and he fell a good 20-30 feet. He tumbled and landed on his face – broken jawbone, the part that fits into the socket at the ear. His mouth has been stitched up and his lip, too. The miracle is that he didn’t break anything else.”
The young lad in this situation is also a gifted musician; he plays the violin. Not only is skiing out of the question at this point, but any motion requiring movement of the head, neck, or chin will be hampered for some time.
Homeopathic Support
After the initial email, here is what I recommended:
Day 1
“To help support healing, I would recommend Symphytum for mending bones (it is almost specific for injuries and inflammation to the face, especially in the jaw area) in a 12CH (also known as bone knit). Give your son one granule twice a day for one week. Then I would suggest Calc phos (to promote bone growth/regeneration) in a 12CH, one granule twice a day for one week.”
***Please work closely with the doctors and surgeons to make sure that the bone or bones have been set properly. Even without homeopathic support, it is not uncommon to have bones heal only to have to be re-broken later because they were not positioned correctly in the first place. Homeopathic Symphytum, given once the bones are set properly, will help speed healing very quickly.
Along with the Symphytum (but given at a different time of day), I would recommend Calendula 12CH, one granule twice a day for one week. This will help to prevent infection and help heal the wounds on the face.
Calendula is in the same plant family as Arnica and you likely already know that Arnica is the first ‘go-to’ remedy in your home kit for accident, injury, swelling, bruising, shock, and…head injury. For external injuries, though, Calendula taken in granules is preferred to Arnica for its ability to help heal and promote growth of new skin tissue and, at the same time, prevent infection in the blood. Who knew one small flower in homeopathic potency could heal such damage?!
***Use Calendula externally (like a cream or salve or ointment) ONLY after the risk of infection is gone. Calendula can be so helpful in promoting tissue growth that it could actually ‘cover’ possible bacteria. Let the wound bleed, take Calendula internally first, and then, after a couple of days, you can use it externally.
***Only use Arnica internally for bumps, bruises, and falls (when there is no open wound) and never on an open wound…it will prevent healing of the wound (granulation).
Potency Issues – Repetition and Frequency
Day 2
“I was emailing you, too, about getting the 12CH. I’ve been using the 30CH in the interim because I had them.”
Potency can often be a concern. As a parent, you really want to ‘get it right’! As this situation so brilliantly illustrates, sometimes you just go with what you have in your home kit. The idea of a 12CH was simply that it could be repeated more frequently. Going up to a 30CH means less repetition and frequency and in this situation, it worked beautifully. So in this kind of situation, use what you have, contact your homeopath, and see what they have to say.
(Watch for a future newsletter on potency!)
And later in the email…
“It must be the homeopathy because the difference in a day is incredible – he’s opening his mouth and the stitches seem to have disappeared!”
Day 3
“His face is transformed: the external stitches have disappeared (dissolving type). He’s able to open his mouth more and fit a teaspoon in since yesterday afternoon. That’s helping with eating food with more texture. I’m amazed at the improvements in mood too, although he’s still not himself and is tired. We went to a rehearsal this morning and left after an hour.”
This is a beautiful response from a homeopathic perspective. There are significant improvements physically, but we love to hear about being “amazed at the improvements in mood.” Homeopathy is working at all levels: mental, emotional, and physical. And the tiredness? Our bodies, especially those of young children, need rest in order to heal. Our body’s vitality uses ‘energy’ to heal so best to rest and let our body do its ‘healing thing.’
Day 6
“The wounds on the face are healing faster than I’d hoped.”
Day 12
“We’re still so amazed he’s doing so well. Imagine only a broken jaw.”
Healing will continue. The body is amazing in its resilience. The next hurdle will be surgery, but once again, homeopathy will be able to support this young lad’s ability to heal.
Watch for the next newsletter about Tetanus. Remember I mentioned how important it is to let a wound bleed? And to be cautious using Calendula too early when an open wound is healing?
Tetanus is the ‘T’ in the DPT vaccine and if you are vaccine free (it is a vaccine that is recommended in almost every emergency visit when a child or adult has a puncture wound), you will want to know how to use homeopathy to prevent tetanus. Learn more in the upcoming 12-week Vaccine Free: Now What? course.
You can do so much as a parent or care giver with your home kit and some knowledge of how homeopathy works. And remember, if you or your child are BLEEDING, have BROKEN BONES, and/or BREATHING difficulty, you are using your remedies ON THE WAY to the hospital. Emergency medicine is exceptional these days and it’s where you need to be.
