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| Hpathy Ezine - December, 2005 | ||||
Christmas Catastrophes!Surviving The Holidays with Homeopathy-- Elaine Lewis, DHom |
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| What can possibly go wrong at Christmas? Ha! Don't get me started! Oh, wait a minute, if I don't get started, this won't be much of an article, will it? Let's think: Overeating. Too much to drink. Depression. Slipping on icy sidewalks, falling off ladders, car accidents from drunk driving; sleep loss from traveling, ailments from overwork from planning parties for too many people without enough time, tension headaches, anxiety over seeing relatives you haven't seen in years -- maybe we ought to just cancel this treacherous holiday! Well, fortunately, homeopathy can help get you through it. Let's start with.... OvereatingWhat are the two kinds of foods people are most likely to over-indulge in during the holidays? Fatty, rich foods and sweets! (Mmmm....fatty, rich foooods.....!) Anyway, what was the point of...? Oh, ailments from fatty rich foods! OK, your main remedy here, is Pulsatilla! Make a note of it. Now, we've also got Ipecac in the "Fats agg." rubric; expect nausea to be a big part of the case if it's Ipecac. It's often hard to tell Ipecac and Pulsatilla apart because they're both better for fresh air, worse in warm stuffy rooms, both are thirstless, but Ipecac however, has a clean tongue -- no coating. The Pulsatilla candidate may say, "My stomach feels heavy" or they may say that they feel heavy in general. Carbo veg. is another one that has ailments from fats. The big tip-off here is the gas and bloating in the stomach and intestines. Burping, which relieves -- at least for the moment -- is a sign that this could be your remedy. You can almost never go wrong with Arsenicum in cases of indigestion and food poisoning, especially if there's diarrhea. Arsenicum is well-known for chilliness, restlessness, anxiety, prostration, thirst for small sips at a time, and the need for company; but sometimes, just having diarrhea is enough to justify its use. Now, what about sweets? Again, you can go for Ipecac, especially where nausea dominates the case, but far and away, Argent-nit. is the big winner here! Also in the "Ailments from sweets" rubric are -- Lycopodium and Phosphorus. If you see the Phosphorus grand keynote of desire for ice cold drinks, go right for Phosphorus. In fact, whenever you see a grand keynote of a remedy in a case, like Bryonia's "worse for the slightest motion", or Chelidonium's "pain beneath the right scapula", go for it without hesitation. While on the subject of Phosphorus, if you have indigestion from too much salt, that would be Phosphorus too. If it's a simple matter of over-eating, try Nux vomica. I have found personally that Zingiber (homeopathic ginger) will settle a lot of cases of indigestion, even as a tea. And speaking of herb teas, nothing in my experience beats Spearmint for nausea. It works like a miracle. It's not so easy to find, but Celebration Herbals makes it and perhaps your health food store will order it for you if they don't already have it. Finally, a probiotics supplement, like Chewable Acidophilus, which I have, really helps to put the digestive tract back in order! DepressionThe holidays can be a time of great depression for some people; it seems to highlight their loss, their grief, in juxtiposition to the joyousness of the season. I hear that there are more suicides at Christmas time than at any other time of the year. What are the remedies for holiday blues? Ignatia -- depression from grief, disappointment, loss; characterized by silent brooding, sighing and changeable moods; laughing and crying, the sensation of a lump in the throat, loss of appetite. They just can't accept the bad news, they can't believe it. They're up and down. No one quite knows how to handle the Ignatia person, the wrong word might really set them off. One interesting aspect of Ignatia is the way they are helped by the unexpected; for instance, stooping helps the headache; eating helps the stomach trouble -- it's not logical, in other words; maybe that sums up the Ignatia state altogether. When someone is suicidally depressed, you should think of... Aurum. Aurum is actually ameliorated by thinking about suicide, it cheers them up -- to know they can end it all. The cause could be failure in business, loss of money, loss of a relationship; a fear that he has failed his friends, let down the people who were counting on him, feeling guilty. Worse at night. Aurum is gold. These people feel they are good as gold, they set very high standards for themselves, have a high sense of duty and are very hard on themselves if they believe they have failed. There are those people who have nursed a grief for years! Ten years have gone by since they've spoken to their relatives or best friend, but no matter, they will not be extending the hand of reconciliation to these "betrayers"! Give these spiteful, brooding, vengeful, hardened, loners Natrum muriaticum, or Nat-mur, for short. They don't want sympathy and they don't want company. They don't cry -- except maybe when they're alone. They rehash old scenarios over and over again of how they were mistreated and didn't deserve it! And then there are those who have just given up. They don't care anymore; they lie facing the wall; they give one word answers; they're extremely apathetic and desire refreshing things like soda water or fruit drinks. This is Phosphoric acid. Then there's Sepia. Sepia feels no joy in life. They're indifferent to their families; these people feel over-burdened; they're drained of their energy from over-work and too many demands. They're chilly. They're worse for company but afraid of being alone. They may be snappish and easily offended. They're envious of others, see the negative side of everything, worse for consolation but better for physical exercise, especially dance, and also better for the excitement of thunderstorms. They love lemons and chocolate and they also love sour, like vinegar/pickles. If you ever hear anyone say, "I feel like a black cloud follows me everywhere I go," think of Cimicifuga. Here's something strange in a depressed person: they're extroverted and love talking! They leap from subject to subject and talk very fast. This is often a woman's hormonal remedy, so, look for Cimicifuga in post partum depression, menopausal depression and PMS. Then there's our dear friend, Pulsatilla. They are gentle and yielding, and they'll cry openly while talking of their problems. They're looking for sympathy and reassurance and if they get it they feel better. Lycopodium. Christmas isn't a good time for Lycopodiums, not at all; because they don't like change, they don't like public appearances, they don't like having to speak in public, they don't want to be noticed, they want to hide and avoid responsibility, they're self-conscious and uncomfortable around people, they worry about making fools out of themselves, so, you can see that this is not the best time of year for Lycopodium to navigate through! Carcinosin. This is the person who has taken on too much work, planned too big a party, hasn't enlisted the help of ANYONE, wants to please, will feel guilty if the party isn't perfect in every way including the decorations -- even the presents have to be wrapped just so -- and with all the demands she has placed upon herself, she is doomed to feel unhappy with the final outcome. Then there's the depression that comes after a head injury or a spinal injury and the remedy for that is Natrum sulphuricum. Depression following an injury involving the nerves or a surgery could be Hypericum.
Drug and Alcohol OverdoseWell, this is pretty predictable, isn't it? We usually think of Nux vomica right away in these cases. Look for anger, irritability and hyper- sensitivity to light, noise and odors. The person may want to vomit but not be able to. "Wants to but can't" is a Nux vomica theme and may be the case in general; such as, wants to urinate but can't, etc. Very chilly and wants to be warm. Tremors, bad taste in the mouth. Think of Agaricus as a back-up for tremor if Nux vomica isn't working. You can give Nux even while the person is still drunk. Hyoscyamus is the character who's leading the conga line with a lampshade on his head; laughing excessively and inappropriately and behaving in a very annoying, touchy-feely way. He may also suddenly start crying. We'll think twice before inviting him back next year, but at least he's not... Stramonium! Stramonium, in his intoxication, may see wild animals coming toward him, may have a look of terror on his face and try to run away -- I say let him go! He may have a bright red face and he may be violent in his attempts to get away, even trying to bite. When Stramonium doesn't work in these cases of terror, think of Aconite and Belladonna as back-ups. Phosphorus sees faces peering at him from every corner of the room. Gelsemium feels very sluggish, heavy, his eyelids are sagging; he feels dizzy, droopy and dull and will seem very apathetic and may answer all of your questions with, "Huh?" If you see an intoxicated husband at a party accusing his wife of flirting with every man in the room, drop a pellet of Lachesis in his drink so he won't beat her up when they get home (if he hasn't started already)! Arsenicum is weak, prostrated, sees "ghosts" and brushes "bugs" off of his body. Charming. Sulphuric acid is another remedy, like Nux vomica, that seems to be a specific for the alcoholic, but this remedy tends to be a habitual drinker of long-standing. Think of it if you see hic-cupping, though Nux vomica has that too. There are hot flashes and sweating on the upper half of the body. AnxietyHaving to see relatives you haven't seen in years, having to be with strangers at your husband's office party...the possible reasons for anxiety at Christmas time are endless! You might as well start with Aconite; we call it "Homeopathic Valium"! I remember the last family debacle I went to, one dose of Aconite 30C and I was fine! Other remedies to consider are: Gelsemium. With Gelsemium, you may actually feel sick -- weak, trembly, you may think you're getting the flu! "Oh, I can't go; sorry, I seem to be coming down with something! I'm chilly, I'm dizzy, I have to lie down; you better go without me." You're just having an anxiety attack, take some Gelsemium and let's go, already! Argent-nit. Where would we be without Argent-nit, the consumate anxiety remedy? This is the "What if" remedy: "What if the plane crashes? What if I get a headache? What if I don't like the food? What if I don't like where I'm staying?" Argent-nit. people are restless, pacing and they may have nervous diarrhea. Calc-carb. These people are worried about others -- their loved ones, their families. They're worried the plane will crash while their mom is on it. They worry, worry, worry. They want everything to be perfect and consequently, they take on too much work and too much responsibility. Calc-carb. is a little like his fellow worrier, Argent-nit., but Calc-carb. is chilly and slow, while Arg-n. is quick, hurried and warm and better outside in the cold, where Calc-carb. would not want to be. Kali arsenicum. Stated simply, Kali ars. has the kind of anxiety that translates into fear of having a heart attack. Kali phosphoricum. This is a great tonic for the nerves. Generalized anxiety is all the justification you need to give it. Nervous dread without cause. Looks on the negative side of everything -- "Something horrible must have happened!" Kali phos. 6X, as often as every 15 minutes in severe cases, will brighten the outlook in no time. Lycopodium doesn't want to go anywhere new or see anyone new, and that about sums it up! They're shy, self-conscious, and fearful of being seen as failures. Sleep LossWhose biological clock doesn't take a beating during the holidays? Between jet lag, sleeping in strange beds and long car rides to distant locations, it's easy to suffer from insomnia. I ordered Melatonin 30C from Ainsworth's in London and I've found it really works! Cocculus is another old standby for a disrupted sleep schedule, with dizziness and nausea accompanying the loss of sleep. The person needing Gelsemium may be tired, exhausted, but unable to fall asleep. If a person is lying in bed and becomes anguished and agitated from not being able to fall asleep, try Arsenicum. If not being able to sleep leads to despair, try Aurum. If you can't sleep because you're all keyed up, wired from excitement? The remedy is Coffea. When there is excessive yawning but no sleep, try Ignatia. If the bed feels too hard and you're over-tired, try Arnica. InjuriesWhat a shame we have to worry about injuries at a time like this, but take the fear out of Christmas and New Years's with a tube of Arnica 200C! This is our main injury remedy, and it saves lives! Think of it especially for head injuries. If the injury is to an area rich in nerves causing pain to shoot upwards, the remedy is Hypericum. Think of Hypericum also for cuts and scrapes. A fracture might require Arnica first and then Bryonia. A sprain could call for Arnica first and then Rhus tox. Be prepared to repeat these remedies as needed, one dose may not be enough! Aloe gel will take care of most of the burns from splattered grease and accidently touching the hot stove. HeadachesNux vomica -- This is especially the remedy if the cause is a hangover; but also from over-work (Calc-carb.). Also, the indigestion headache and the constipation headache call for Nux vomica. Stooping and coughing aggravate as do moving the eyes and moving in general. Noise is unbearable, as is light and odors. The Nux vomica person is grouchy and irritable. Belladonna -- Think of throbbing and right-sided. Light is intolerable and so is being jarred. Can't lie flat, wants to be propped up. Gelsemium -- Headaches from exhaustion. A typical Gelsemium headache will encompass the left side of the head from the occiput or nape of the neck to the forehead. Dizziness may accompany the headache. There is copious urination and the patient is relieved by it. Kali Bichromicum -- Headaches in small spots. The person may say, "It hurts right here," and point to it with his finger. Think of sinus headaches when you think of Kali bich. Cocculus -- Occipital headache that extends to the nape of the neck; it is intense and often associated with vertigo and nausea. Natrum muriaticum -- Feels as if little hammers are beating in the skull, worse from moving the head or eye balls. May be preceeded by visual disturbances as with Gelsemium. Ignatia -- For the highly nervous or sensitive among us and those suffering from anxiety, grief and worry and emotional disturbances in general. The headache might feel like a nail driven into the head. Staphysagria -- Headaches from anger. The person may be throwing things, yelling or breaking things. Coffea -- Headaches from emotional excitement. Pulsatilla -- Headaches from fatty food and ice cream. Argent-nit. -- Headaches from sweets. Zinc -- Headaches from wine.
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Elaine Lewis, DHom, CHom takes online cases. Visit her website at: www.hpathy.com/office/ElaineLewis.asp |
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