Homeopathic medicines for first aid and sports injuries are very easy to prescribe and are usually very effective in reducing pain of the injury and speeding the healing process. It is thus no wonder that many superstar athletes have heard about homeopathy and have begun to benefit from its use. Football superstar O.J. Simpson, tennis player Boris Becker, New York Knick coach Pat Riley, ex-Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton, and pro golfer Sally Little are but some of the athletes who spell relief with H-O-M-E-O-P-A-T-H-Y.
The following medicines are used to treat people in first aid situations. There are other homeopathic medicines that can also used, but these are the most commonly used medicines for the conditions described.
NOTE: Homeopaths use the latin names for their medicines since a similar nomenclature is needed to converse with homeopaths throughout the world.
ARNICA (mountain daisy)
ARNICA is mentioned first because it is a medicine par excellence for the shock or trauma of any injury. It is necessary to treat an injured person for shock first unless the injury is very mild or unless the person is bleeding so profusely that stopping the bleeding should be attended to immediately. Since ARNICA is the first medicine prescribed in numerous types of injuries, it is the most common medicine used in first aid. It helps reduce shock, relieve pain, diminish swelling, and begin healing. ARNICA is a great medicine for injuries to muscles, especially when there is pain from overexertion.
ARNICA is also an excellent medicine before or after surgery since the body experiences a state of shock from these medical procedures. It is used as well before and after dental surgery, and before, during, and after labor to help the mother and infant deal with the shock and stress of birth.
Common conditions for use: Shock or trauma of injury; surgical shock; muscle injuries.
HYPERICUM (St. John's Wort)
HYPERICUM is an excellent medicine for injuries to nerves or to injured parts of the body which are richly supplied with nerves (fingers, toes, the spine). Generally, such injuries have sharp or shooting pains, and the injured part is very sensitive to touch. HYPERICUM is also good for old injuries to nerves which still seem to both the person.
King George VI of England was so impressed by the effectiveness of HYPERICUM that he named his prize racehorse after it.
Common conditions for use: Injuries to nerves.
URTICA URENS (Stinging Nettle)
As you might have predicted from learning about the law of similars, URTICA URENS is the medicine of choice for burns (stinging nettle, as you may know, causes a burn upon contact with the spine of the plant). URTICA URENS in external application is also helpful in diminishing the pain of the burn and in promoting healing. Such application should be diluted approximately one part of URTICA URENS with ten parts water.
Common conditions for use: burns.
LEDUM (Marsh Tea)
LEDUM is the best medicine for puncture wounds, whether it be from a needle, a nail, or other sharp object. Deep punctures or punctures from rusty nail should receive medical attention, but this should not delay you from taking LEDUM which has no side-effects and which can be helpful in healing wounds and preventing tetanus. LEDUM is also commonly prescribed for insect stings and animal bites. It's applicable as well to people with severe bruising (black eyes or blows from firm objects), especially if the affected part feels cold and yet feels relieved by cold applications.
Common conditions for use: puncture wounds; insect bites.
RHUS TOX (Poison Ivy)
Although some people cringe when they even hear someone mention poison ivy, it is an obten prescribed homeopathic medicine (in non-toxic homeopathically prepared dose!). It is a great medicine for certain types of skin conditions (since it causes them!) as well as for numerous other conditions which homeopaths have found it causes in overdose. One of the conditions it causes in overdose is the rupturing of ligaments and tendons. Because of this, it is the most common medicine prescribed for sprains and strains, especially the type of sprain and strain that is worse upon initial motion but that is better upon continued motion. It is also a medicine given for dislocated joints. ARNICA is another medicine to condition for dislocations.
Common condition for use: Sprains or strains.
RUTA (Rue)
RUTA is the medicine given for severe sprains where the person has a torn or wrenched tendon, split ligament, or bruised periosteum (bone covering). It is also the most common medicine prescribed for recent or old injuries to the knee or elbow. As such, it is one of the medicine prescribed for "tennis elbow."
Common conditions for use: Severe sprain; injury to the bone.
SYMPHYTUM (Comfrey)
Homeopaths, like herbalists, use SYMPHYTUM for fractures. Homeopaths, however, give their medicine in potentized dose rather than in teas and poultices as done by herbalists. Although one must go to a physician to have the fracture re-set and placed in a cast, SYMPHYTUM will relieve pain and promote rapid healing of the fracture. Besides its application in fractures, SYMPHYTUM is a great medicine for injuries to the eyeball, bones around the eyes, and the cheekbones.
Common conditions for use: Fractures; facial injuries.
External Applications
Some homeopathic medicines are used externally,* including:
CALENDULA (Marigold)
CALENDULA TINCTURE (in an alcohol base), GEL, SPRAY, and OINTMENT are invaluable external applications in treating cuts and abrasions. CALENDULA is known to have antiseptic properties due to its organic iodine content. CALENDULA helps stop bleeding, inhibits infection, and promotes granulation of tissues to help heal wounds and burns. CALENDULA TINCTURE should not be applied directly on a cut since its alcohol content causes stinging pain. It is best to dilute this tincture with a little water. If you'd like to avoid this effort, you can instead directly apply CALENDULA GEL, SPRAY, or OINTMENT.
Note: CALENDULA works so rapidly in healing the skin that it is not recommended for use in deep cuts. In deep cuts CALENDULA sometimes can close and heal the outside skin before the tissue underneath is completely healed.
Common conditions for use: Cuts, abrasions, burns.
HYPERICUM (St. John's Wort)
HYPERICUM TINCTURE is recommended as an external application in treating deep cuts since it helps heal internal structures as well as the skin. It also has the ability to close open wounds and thus sometimes prevents the need for stitches. HYPERICUM is also used for septic (infected) wounds (CALENDULA, in comparison, is primarily good for clean uninfected cuts). HYPERICUM TINCTURE, like other external applications which have an alcohol base, should be diluted prior to application.
Common conditions for use: Deep cuts, infected cuts.
General Rules for Determining Dosage
People who are beginners in homeopathy should primarily use the 6th potency (written on the bottom as "6x" or "6c") or the 30th potency ("30x" or "30c"). The 6x is a dose of the medicine that has been diluted 1:10 six times with vigorous shaking between each dilution, while the 6c has been diluted 1:100 six times. Only homeopathic practitioners who have a great deal more knowledge of homeopathy should use the higher potencies (200x, 1000x, or higher). It is important to remember that homeopathic medicines are more powerful the more they experience "potentization"--the pharmaceutical process of dilution and shaking. Higher potencies thus should be used with great care.
Homeopaths have found that injured people tend to need more frequent repetition of doses shortly after injury. One may need to prescribe a medicine every 30 to 60 minutes immediately after severe injury. After a couple of hours, the frequency of doses can diminish to every other hour or every fourth hour, depending upon the severity of pain. Doses every four hours or four times a day are common when a person has a non-severe injury. A person will generally not need to take a medicine for more than two to four days, except in fractures or severe sprains where one to three doses daily for five to seven days are common.