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Natural Healing Arts
Homeopathic Remedies for Common Injuries
A growing number of professional athletes and weekend warriors are using homeopathic remedies for relief of symptoms. Although homeopathic medicines have a reputation of helping people who are suffering from chronic diseases, these natural medicines are wonderfully effective in treating common sports injuries.
In fact, using homeopathic medicines for injuries is easier than treating common diseases because treatment for injuries does not require a high degree of individualizing of remedies that is typical in treating diseases. When two people have sprained ankles, they each need a similar homeopathic remedy to heal them, while two people suffering from arthritis generally require different remedies, which are individualized to their unique pattern of symptoms.
Homeopathic medicine should be taken in conjunction with, not in replacement of, conventional first aid measures.
Single Remedies and Formulas
Homeopathic medicines are available as single remedies or as formulas of two or more remedies mixed together. Formulas are a more user-friendly way to use homeopathic medicines since the indications for their use are extremely clear. The use of several remedies in a formula provides a more broad-spectrum effect not available in a single remedy. Because injuries sometimes involve muscle, nerve, and bone tissue, it sometimes makes sense to use formulas to help to heal the various tissues involved.
Single remedies are recommended for injuries when you know the specific indications and when you want to use a higher potency of a remedy than is available in formulas. Formula products usually contain remedies in the 3, 6, or 12C potencies, while people with severe pain may receive more rapid benefit from the 30C potency.
The "X" after the potency number (as in 6X) refers to the number of times in which a medicine is diluted 1:10, while the "C" after the potency number (6C) is diluted 1:100 (it will be easy to remember the difference between "X" and "C" by simply remember their meaning as Roman numerals). Two hundred years of homeopathic clinical experience has found that the higher the potency, the more powerful and faster the medicine acts. However, the higher the potency used, the more accurate the remedy must be for the injured or sick person. Because of this, it is recommended to use the 30C potency when the user is very confident that the remedy used is the correct one. When one is not as confident, the 6C or 12C potency is indicated, or one can consider using a homeopathic formula.
Frequency of Dose
When taking homeopathic medicines it is recommended to take as few doses as necessary but as many as are required when experiencing pain. At first when there is the greatest amount of pain and discomfort, you may need to take the remedy every hour. Usually after four doses, you can reduce the frequency to every other hour, and as the intensity of pain diminishes, taking a dose every four hours is common.
If no improvement is noticeable after one or two days, it is not recommended to take further doses.
External Applications
Although most homeopathic remedies are in pill form to be taken internally, there are a few homeopathic remedies that are available in external applications. I recommend the gel form that is not in a petroleum base. Some external applications like Traumeel only come in a petroleum base so they are not washed off as easily as the gel ointments.
List of Symptoms and Corresponding Remedy
Shock and trauma of injury - Arnica 30C
Injury to the soft tissue/muscle - Arnica 30C
Externally use Arnica cream or Traumeel (a homeopathic formula for soft tissue)
Injury to nerves - Hypericum 30C
Sprains/strains - Arnica 30C (immediately after injury for swelling)
Rhus tox 30C - (Rhus tox is indicated when there is great pain upon initial motion but some relief on continued motion.)
Bryonia 30C - (Bryonia is indicated when the person experiences increased pain and discomfort the more motion they do.)
Tendonitis - Rhus tox 30C - better on moving
Bryonia 30C - worse on movement
Severe sprains - wrenched tendons - Rhus tox 30C
split ligaments - Bryonia 30C
Ruta 30C (if Rhus tox or Bryonia aren't effective)
Dislocation - Arnica 30C
Hypericum 30C (if shooting pains)
Injuries to knee or elbow - Ruta 30C
Shin splints - Rhus tox 30C
Fractures - Symphytum 30C
(Take Arnica 30C for shock of injury and to reduce swelling)
Head injury (immediately after injury) - Arnica 30C
Old head injury - Natrum sulphuricum 30C
Slow repair of fractures - Calcarea phos. 6C
Bruises/Contusions - Arnica 30C
Nosebleeds - Phosphorus 30C
Blisters - Calendula cream
Cuts - Calendula cream
Recommended Books
Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century, by Dana Ullman
Homeopathy, Medicine that Works, by Robert Wood
The Family Guide to Homeopathy, by Andrew Lockie
Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Remedies, by Stephen Cummings and Dana Ullman
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