Homeopathic First Aid Kit

“Homeopathic First Aid” – a boost for your home kit!

We are now living in a world where it is essential to utilize natural medicines that help the body heal itself when injured. Minor scrapes can lead to major infections. If not looked after and with increasing strains of disease not responding to antibiotics, it is even more crucial that we employ measures that are going to give our body assistance to regain a healthy balance.

In an acute injury, our body sends out clear messages which, when you understand the principles of homeopathic prescribing, are just cries for help and for particular remedies to be given. Symptoms produced by the individual are the key to good choices; we always look for what is unusual, characteristic or the ‘unique factor’ in the person who needs assistance.

In this article, we are going to look at some common types of injury and the specific remedy ‘pictures’ that might suit these sorts of injuries.

Arnica – for blunt trauma

The most usual sort of injury that you will use Arnica for is injury from a blow or a blunt force. Usually, this sort of injury will result in a bruise and the resulting aching pain. Typical symptoms of the remedy are:

Restlessness with the injury
Dislike of being touched
An aversion to being looked at/ not wanting to see a doctor or seek help
They protest that “I’m OK!” when they are not
Pains or sensations are of a bruised or aching type
Useful for sprains, strains or fractures, or back pain from over-exertion
Think of for post-operative pain or exhaustion and pain from a long labour

Rhus tox – strains and injury to the muscles

Rhus tox is the remedy to think of when there has been an injury or strain to the muscle/s resulting in soreness and stiffness. Ailments can often occur from a period of cold, damp weather or a period of unusual or prolonged over-exertion. What you are likely to see are some of the following symptoms:

Worse on beginning to move, stiff, sore and slow
Better from continued motion, they loosen up and feel better (the ‘rusty gate remedy’)
Restless – in both mind and body, cannot sit still and feel better on the move
Much better from warmth (applications, bath, and showers, etc) and warm weather
Neck or back stiffness causing the patient to move their neck to get comfortable or feel better from warm applications
A good remedy to think of for sprains where the injury means it is hard to get comfortable in bed and is better from rubbing.

Hypericum – for puncture wounds and injuries to the nerves

This is the remedy we think of when we are dealing with injuries involving nerves – tips of fingers and toes, tailbone, spine or puncture wounds. The nature of the pains, when we need to use Hypericum, is sharp, severe and throbbing. Typical injuries requiring Hypericum might be:

Jamming a finger or toe in a door and crushing the nerves
Great pain after a fall on to the tailbone
A puncture wound – injection, injury or vaccination where the resultant pain is sharp and shooting
The patient may want to sit with their head bent backward when they are dealing with the pain
Useful for the severe headache resulting from a forceps delivery or epidural or for sharp pains after a caesarian
Tingling, burning or numbness of the extremities after a back injury

Calendula – for jagged cuts or grazes

This is a remedy beyond compare in its ability to stimulate the healing of the skin. Calendula (the common marigold) has antiseptic properties and encourages the skin to granulate and mend. It also helps with the pain of skin and tissue injuries. Think of Calendula for:

Wounds that bleed excessively – helps to stem the bleeding
Nasty wounds of great pain – e.g. from a jagged cut of the type tin can leaves
For painful grazes on gravel or rough surfaces
For burns or cuts or any infection post-surgery, Calendula will help the pain
Vaginal tears or infection after a difficult delivery
Unhealthy cuts which suppurate and are slow to heal

Homeopathic remedies are generally taken internally as pillules, tablets or liquids. They help the person with the injury to heal from the inside out.

Sometimes it can also be soothing to have an external application with which to bathe or care for a wound while giving a remedy internally. This can bring great relief to the patient and in turn enhances the healing process.

If you are ever in doubt, contact your local Homeopath, thank you!