Summer has arrived!!
How wonderful to be looking forward to long lazy summer days, picnics in the park, evening strolls along the river, exotic holidays or “staycations”, a week or two of indulgence in the sunshine. Everybody smiling, sunglasses, tshirts & shorts the order of the day.
Marvellous!
So, to maximise the pleasure of summer, and to minimise those irritating potential summer hazards, it is good to be aware of ways to keep any of the less pleasant situations at bay. I’m talking bites and stings, sunburn, food poisoning, heatstroke, heat rashes, ear infections from swimming etc.
By taking some precautions, it is easy to be ready to either avoid or quickly deal with any or all of the above. I’ve detailed some of these below, for quick and easy reference.
Bites and Stings
Anti Bite & Sting Tincture
A combination of herbs and tinctures designed to deter insects. Apply to exposed skin, particularly in the early evening.
Apis
Stinging pain, swollen, sensitive and sore skin after a bite, with rapid swelling. Possibly itching
Belladonna
Rapid and violent swelling with heat sensations and scarlet redness. Sharp, knifelike pains.
Ledum
Good for any puncture wound, including insect stings, especially if the affected part is cold. Better for cold applications.
Natrum Mur
Itching and prickling of the skin, rash with stinging sensation; nettle like rash, worse for heat.
Urtica Urens
Itching of the skin with red, raised blotches, swellings and prickly heat, better for warmth. Numbness and smarting of skin with swelling.
Sunburn and Heatstroke
Belladonna
Head pain from becoming heated; rapid onset, flushed face, throbbing, burning head. Dilated pupils.
Bryonia
Head pain from becoming heated dryness of lips, parched and cracked, excessive thirst, bursting splitting headache. Physical weakness. Dizziness.
Gelsemium
Dizzy, drowsy, weakness. Apathy; flushed face. Drooping eyes. Muscular weakness.
Ear Infections
Belladonna
Throbbing earache, dilated pupils, sudden onset of pain. Throbbing, sharp, shooting, cutting pains.
Chamomilla
Ears red, hot, violent pain which causes screaming. Restless and irritable. Night sweats child wants to be held.
Hepar Sulph
Starts left to right. Thick creamy discharge from ear that smells. Sharp, stitching pains with decreased hearing. Irritable. Easy sweating.
Mercurius
Follows Hepar well fetid, bloody discharge, aggravated by extremes of temperature. Weakness & exhaustion. Worse at night.
Pulsatilla
External ear red bland yellowgreen discharge. Child is whiny, tearful and clingy better outside.
Food Poisioning
Always worth taking probiotics when travelling, but, if trouble hits then consider the following:
Arsenicum Album
Nausea, retching, vomiting after eating or drinking. Cannot bear the sight or smell of food. Great thirst, but drinking a little at a time. Burning pains. Restless. Diarrhoea.
Chamomilla
Distended abdomen gripping pain in navel region. Hot and thirsty, hot sweat with the pain. Bad tempered and oversensitive. Intolerance of the pain.
China
Tender stomach, vomits undigested food, sensation of a weight after eating. Belching, bloatedness, flatulence with colic. Abdomen tight and hard. Thirsty and cold. Undigested food in stools.
Colocynthis
Agonising, cutting pain in the abdomen, causing patient to bend over double. Bruised feeling of intestines; colic with cramps. Sudden violent cramping; Severe diarrhoea aggravated by least food or drink. Jellylike stools. Abdomen better for hard pressure.
Nux Vomica
Sour taste, nausea in the morning, after eating. Sour, bitter belching. Nausea and vomiting with much retching. Region of the stomach very sensitive to pressure. Constipation with constant, ineffectual urging. Irritable and oversensitive.
Podophyllum
Hot, sour belching; nausea, vomiting, thirst for large quantities of water. Vomits hot, frothy mucous. Better for lying on stomach. Gushing but painless diarrhoea. Diarrhoea in hot weather. Worse after acid fruits. “Summer diarrhoea”.
The above are just a sample of the remedies that are available for summer ailments.
If you have any questions or would like any more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
References:
The Homeopathic Emergency Guide – Thomas Kreuzel ND
Lotus Materia Medica – Robin Murphy ND
IMPORTANT:
No information herein is intended to be, nor implied to be, a substitute for professional medical or pharmaceutical advice. Healthcare professionals should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition. NEVER RELY ON INFORMATION HEREIN IN PLACE OF SEEKING PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE
