Remedy spotlight – Pulsatilla
Pulsatilla is one of the most important homeopathic remedies for women.
For puberty, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause, Pulsatilla, where indicated, can bring balance and harmony and ease the passage through these hormonal milestones.
The remedy is made from the blossoms of the windflower, a purple bell-shaped flower that grows abundantly on hillsides in Northern Europe. According to Roman myth, the flower originated from the tears of the goddess Venus and one of the main keynotes of this remedy is tearfullness.
Another key indicator for Pulsatilla is ‘changeability‘. There can be changing moods – maybe from happy to sad, or a sudden flaring up of anger – or changing physical symptoms – a pain that comes and goes, switches from dull to aching or from one side to another.
Other personality characteristics of Pulsatilla are softness, yielding, a need for company, and a desire to be out in the open air. It is a good remedy for children who cling to their mothers and want to be carried, and are prone to ear infections.
At night, they will often sleep with an arm under their head.
This is my dog, Nola – a typical Pulsatilla, right down to sleeping with her arm under her head! She was a rescue dog, and when we adopted her, she was shivering, afraid of her own shadow, and hated being left alone. Three months later, thanks to Pulsatilla, she is a different dog – happy, lively, playful, and confident!Pulsatilla is often indicated for catarrh, hay fever, and sinus infections, and the changeability is seen here too, with a discharge that changes from green to yellow, or from dry to fluent. There is often a loss of taste and smell and a lack of thirst, even though the throat is dry.
On the digestive front, they are easily aggravated by rich food, especially pastries, butter and pork, and they are prone to heartburn and indigestion.
The homeopathic master William Boericke (1849-1929) described Pulsatilla as “mentally, an April day”
“O, how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day,
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
And by and by a cloud takes all away!”
Shakespeare — Two Gentlemen of Verona
Homeopathy tips for Halloween
Some tips for Halloween…
Keep a bottle of Rescue Remedy on hand – it’s useful for children (or adults!) who are restless from anticipation, or sleepless and over stimulated from too much excitement and sugar.
Rescue Remedy is also good for counteracting the frights that often accompany Trick or Treating – the “monster” that jumps out of the darkness, the unexpected ghostly howl from an innocent- looking doormat, or just the unfamiliar feeling of being out at night in the dark. It can also be used to calm pets whose nerves are on edge from the stream of characters at the door or the strange sounds from the street.
If the fright persists, or the child or animal seems overwhelmed with fear, then Aconite 30C is the #1 remedy. There are also homeopathic remedies that can address cases of fear, such as night terrors or panic attacks, which continue long after the event, but this requires a consultation with a professional homeopath to determine the correct remedy for the situation.
For all kinds of overindulgence – whether it’s too much Halloween candy, pumpkin pie, or Zombie cocktails, Nux Vomica is the go-to homeopathic remedy. It helps with the gas, bloating, nausea and other discomforts associated with drinking or eating too much, especially if these symptoms are accompanied by an unusually irritable disposition. For children with these symptoms who are also clingy and weepy, Pulsatilla is a good remedy too.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about these Halloween tips, or general questions about homeopathy, and best wishes for a happy Halloween!
First aid remedies for summer vacations
IT’S VACATION TIME!
Don’t forget to pack your homeopathic emergency kit.
FOR SUNBURN:
CALENDULA OR URTICA URENS TINCTURE
To soothe sunburned skin, add 10 drops of the tincture to half a cup of water, dab on gently with cotton wool or use a spray bottle. Alternatively, you can apply Urtica Urens cream, which is useful for any kind of burn (handy to keep in the kitchen)
For more severe sunburn, take a dose of CANTHARIS 30c
If you are susceptible to sunburn, it might be worth nurturing an aloe vera plant. Break open a leaf of aloe vera and the sticky liquid inside is a healing balm for sun damaged skin.
FOR INSECT BITES AND STINGS:
LEDUM TINCTURE
Ledum is useful for puncture wounds, especially when the skin is cold to the touch. For bites and stings, make up a solution of 10 drops of the tincture and half a cup of water and apply to the affected area.
Ledum can also be take internally, one pellet of 30c.
If the skin is hot, burning, and itching, feels worse from hot compresses and better from cold, then APIS 30C is the remedy. It’s especially good for bee stings, and also for jelly fish stings.
BELLADONNA 30C is indicated when the skin is red, swollen, throbbing and burning.
FOR SUNSTROKE:
Sunstroke comes on suddenly with violent headache, nausea, and a rise in temperature.
Avoid becoming dehydrated – drink plenty of water while out in the sun, don’t over-exert yourself and stay in the shade wherever possible. Never fall asleep in the sun!
Sunstroke is a medical emergency and you should call 911.
In the meantime these homeopathic remedies can help to minimize the effects of sunstroke.
GLONOINE is the first remedy for sunstroke. The key symptoms are confusion, chilliness after sun exposure, pulsating headache with the sensation that the brain is too small for the skull, nosebleed, nausea and/or vomiting.
BELLADONNA is recommended where there is burning skin with a red face, rapid pulse, drowsiness and tightness in the chest.
The third remedy, NATRUM CARBONICUM, is needed when there is dizziness, extreme weakness, mental and physical exhaustion, eye pains from sunlight, black spots in front of the eyes, and sharp shooting pains in the head – especially after drinking wine or when there has been too much sun exposure in the past
FOR FOOD POISONING :
It seems no trip to undiscovered, exotic, out-of-the-way, or just different, places is quite complete without at least one episode of traveler’s diarrhea (TD).
TD is self-limiting and usually resolves by itself within 3 or 4 days, but within the context of a precious 2-week vacation, 3 or 4 days can seem like an eternity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), diarrhea is the most common travel-related illness; with an estimated 30-70% of travelers affected, or 10 million people a year! Those most vulnerable are travelers from industrialized nations, such as the US and Northern Europe, and the highest risk travel destinations are Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America.
Interestingly, young adults are most affected – possibly because of their more adventurous tastes in foods.
In addition to keeping well-hydrated and eating a simple diet of bland foods such as bananas, plain rice, toast or crackers, homeopathic remedies can help to alleviate symptoms.
The two most-used remedies for food poisoning are ARSENICUM ALBUM and VERATRUM ALBUM. The main difference between these two remedies is that with Arsenicum there is a great restlessness, weakness, and intolerance of pain that is not found in a case of Veratrum.
If the cause of food poisoning is cold food, ice water, bad fish, or ice cream, the likely remedy is Arsenicum, If there is profuse, violent retching and vomiting, the likely remedy is Veratrum. Both remedies have a strong thirst for cold water, but Veratrum wants to chug large quantities while Arsenicum drinks in small sips.
I hope you find this information helpful, but please feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like more information.
And have a great summer!
Homeopathy treats the person, not the disease
One of the most often heard homeopathic mantras is “Homeopathy treats the person, not the disease”.
But what does this really mean?
From a medical standpoint, a disease diagnosis is key, because drugs are prescribed to target a particular disease condition – for example, Prilosec for heartburn, Fosamax for osteoporosis, and Ritalin for ADHD.
From a homeopathic standpoint, the disease name is not important. Homeopathy triggers the body’s own healing mechanism and homeopathic remedies are prescribed based on the overall symptom picture.
In an acute case – such as flu, gastroenteritis, or an injury – this picture would include such variables as:
– Energy level – are you more or less tired than usual? Is it worse at any particular time of day?
– Changes in emotional state – are you more weepy, restless, or angry?
– Pace of the illness – did it come on quickly, did it progress rapidly or slowly?
– Any unusual symptoms – e.g. a fever with no thirst, hunger with no desire to eat (These are the most important symptoms for a homeopath, as they help to individualize the case and guide to the best remedy)
An example of this is a case of the flu.
A medical doctor will elicit the common symptoms, such as aching limbs, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose and fatigue, and the prescription will be the same for every patient.
A homeopath will take these symptoms too. but will also want to know how your flu is different from everyone else’s.
So you could have a situation where two members of the same family have contracted the same virus, but one may have felt it coming on for several days, with chilliness, irritability and fatigue, while the other experienced a rapid onset of symptoms with a high temperature, perspiration, restlessness and anxiety. Although the medical diagnosis would be the same, the manifestation of the virus is quite different, and each person would require a different homeopathic remedy.
This is the beauty of homeopathy – that it is unique and personalized for each individual and for each case of illness – but the down side is that homeopathy is not one-size-fits-all, which makes it more complex to practice and not compatible with the double blind trials so popular in the validation of traditional medicine.
If you have any questions, please contact me here or, if you would like to receive more tips and information, please sign up for my newsletter.
Homeopathic Support for Dental Health
Growing up in England, land of chocolate biscuits, sticky toffee pudding, and bad teeth (remember Austin Powers?), my children’s favorite poem started out like this…
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth,
And spotted the dangers beneath
All the toffees I chewed,
And the sweet sticky food.
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.
They loved the poem, but, like most children, they didn’t follow the sentiment, and by the time they were in their teens, they already had a cavity or two. The CDC calls tooth decay “the most prevalent chronic disease in adults”, and periodontal disease is present in almost half of adults aged 30 years or older.
Fortunately, there are homeopathic remedies that, along with a regimen of brushing and flossing, can help you in the fight against dental decay.
Homeopathic cell salts (also known as tissue salts) are the first line of defense. Made from minerals that are important for the body, they provide support in times of physical and emotional stress.
There are a total of 12 cell salts and 2 of them, Calcarea Fluorica and Calcarea Phosphorica, are especially indicated for dental health.
Calcarea Fluorica is found in the surfaces of the bones and in the enamel of the teeth. For dental health, this homeopathic tissue salt has a sphere of action where there is deficient tooth enamel and a tendency to cavities, and also where the teeth are loose in their sockets.
Calcarea Phosphorica is essential for the proper growth and nutrition of the body, and it has a special affinity for the bones and teeth. It is helpful in tooth decay and where the gums are painful and inflamed. It helps to build strong healthy teeth.
For tooth pain from nerve injury, the number one remedy is Hypericum. For fear of the dentist, a dose of Aconite 30C can help calm nerves. Following tooth extraction, Arnica 30C is the first remedy to use, along with a diluted Calendula tincture rinse when your dentist says it is safe to use a rinse.
Plantago tincture is helpful for teeth that are sensitive to hot or cold or where there is pain from a cavity. Add 3 or 4 drops to half a cup of warm water and rinse as needed.
For teething, a single dose of Chamomilla 30C helps with pain and irritability in babies and young children and can also help older children when wisdom teeth are coming through. .
In cases of chronic tooth pain or gum disease, you will need a constitutional homeopathic remedy, supervised by a professional homeopath, but these remedies are a good place to start out for the relief of short-term dental problems.
For questions about how homeopathy can help with dental health, or any other questions about homeopathy, please contact me here. If you would like to receive more tips and information, please sign up for my newsletter.