Homeopathy and anxiety

How are you feeling today? Are you experiencing anxiety sometimes? Often work-life balance is difficult to achieve and we may have periods of time when we experience an accumulation of events in our life. Or even a visit to the dentist or other medical professional can put us on the edge. At this time homeopathy comes to hand. So what are the remedies to consider?

Aconite– very frightened, strange or peculiar phobias. A person can be paralysed or driven to restless activity. Panic attacks with no obvious fear about specific things such as flying. Better by company.

Gelsemium– remedy for apprehension, trembling and physical weakness. Often constant fearfulness with no obvious cause. Feels helpless and would like to hide in the corner.

Arsenicum album– extremely fastidious, always worry about not getting what they need or losing what they have. Anxious about money and health. Needs company. They are quite chilly people.

Lycopodium– stage fright, constant fear of having their inner weakness exposed, that may lead to gastritis and digestive problems. Their courageous battle against cowardliness makes them look older than their years.

Phosphorus– fear of being alone, fear of dark, thunderstorms or ghosts. Lively personalities and vivid imaginations. Needs reassurance and tend to worry about the slightest thing but they can be reassured by a reasonable response.

Cause of anxiety

In the case of chronic problems, you want to go deeper and see what is the underlying cause of the issue. For this, it’s important to take a full case and prescribe remedies on the totality of the symptoms rather than just one symptom alone. When you use a totality method, you address the deep cause of the problem and not only treat the presentation of them.

Any questions you may have?

Get in touch so we can help you to get back to balance.

What is the sensation in your throat?

We are in the middle of the season of acute colds, coughs and flu however Strep throat infection is a bit different just because of its sudden development. So, what are some characteristics of Strep throat?

Strep throat can be caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes and some strep throat strains might cause a rash resembling scarlet fever.

Typical symptoms of Strep Throat:
• Sudden high fever, headache
• Mild to severe soreness in the throat
• Redness in the throat with white patches
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck and tonsils
• Difficulty in swallowing food or water with pain when swallowing
• Nausea and vomiting are seen in younger children
• Chills
• Loss of appetite

Other symptoms which may be presented are lower stomach pain, general discomfort, uneasiness or ill feeling.

How do I know if it is not Strep throat? If you have
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Conjunctivitis
• Hoarseness of voice

In homoeopathy, we do not need an accurate diagnosis because we base our prescribing on how symptoms present.

Tell me your symptoms!

What the homoeopath wants to know in an acute state is :
• how do the symptoms present?
• what sensations of the symptoms do you experience?
• how are your energy in general, what is your thermal state and your thirst compared to normal?
• what makes your symptoms better or worse (modalities of symptoms)?

Here is some information that a homeopath would like to know about your  possible Strep throat symptoms:
• How your fever started– with heat or chill, any redness, sweating, you want to be covered or not
• Soreness of the throat and swollen tonsils –one or both sides? is swallowing affecting it? How about drinks or food?
• How is the headache? What part of the head? Is it affected by light, movement, or smells?
• What temperature of drinks are you preferring at present?

Example case

A case of a female in her 30s
Presentation:
• Sore throat started 2-3 days ago, mainly on the left, with a sensation of a lump, and needles
• Empty swallowing hurts
• Fever with full-body chills followed by heat
• No energy this morning, fever of 103
• Red on the face, hot sensation inside the mouth
• No thirst but is forcing herself to drink, cold water makes it better
• Quite anxious and moving a lot, aversion to questions
• Headache in the temples and across the forehead
• Had lots of Strep throat in the past so knows the sensation

Remedies considered: Belladonna and Rhus Tox
The remedy prescribed: Rhus Tox,

Update:
• Lots of improvement on the first day
• No fever, throat felt better but still hurting
• Pretty well back to normal
.

Homeopathic remedies for a Strep throat

Belladonna symptoms have a sudden or rapid onset with redness of a tissue involved, with great sensitivity to touch and jarring motion. Pains are usually throbbing or pulsating. It’s a top remedy for Strep throat when the following features occur:
Throat:
• Dry, as if glazed. Red, hot and worse on the right side. Constricted, angry-looking, congestion.
• Tonsils are red and inflamed.
• The larynx is sore and very painful.
• Swallowing difficult, worse liquids.
Head: Throbbing pain with heat, and fullness especially in the forehead
Mouth: Dry, tongue red on edges, swollen strawberry tongue
Fever: Burning, steaming heat with icy cold feet. No thirst with fever.
Modalities: Worse: touch, jar, noise, draught, lying down. Better: rest, light covering

Aconite:
Very sudden onset, intense and often with great pain often after exposure to cold wind, sun or water. Also a remedy in case of ailments after experiencing a shock.
•Sudden marked heat and fever alternating with chills
•Heat and flushing of the face
•Pupils constricted
•Restlessness
•Thirst for cold drinks
•Cold extremities
•Fear of death

Mercurius Sol
The most prominent features of Merc Sol are swollen glands, with lots of saliva and a metallic taste in the mouth. Infection can start on one side of the throat.
• Sore, raw, burning throat
• Glands swell every time patient takes cold
• Tonsils enlarged
• Constant desire to swallow
• Stitches into the ear on swallowing
• Acute or chronic pharyngitis with dirty tongue and salivation
• Tongue imprinted with teeth
• Offensive breath
• Excessive saliva, especially at night in bed
• Hot and cold aggravate or they feel hot one moment and cold the next
• Night sweats
• General aggravation from perspiring

Hepar Sulph: Sore throat with pus or hawking mucus with a sensation of something stuck in the throat.
• Sensation as if a fish-bone were lodged in his throat
• Breathing is short and suffocating, forcing a patient to sit up
• Production of tenacious yellow-coloured mucus in the chest
• During fever there is an icy coldness of the face and feet
• Can have fever blisters around the mouth
• Swelling of the tonsils and glands of the neck
• Wheezing in the larynx and a painful small spot in the larynx
• Feels worse in dry cold weather and better in damp weather
• Cold clammy, often sour, offensive, sweat
• Sensitiveness to open air, with chilliness and frequent nausea

Rhus Tox: it’s not a typical remedy for Strep throat however certain features resemble Belladonna with much more restlessness. 
• Sore throat with swollen glands
• Sticking or stinging pain in the tonsils, left side
• Sensation of dryness in the throat, hot mouth
• Chills followed by heat
• Extreme restlessness with continued change of position
• Headache on the forehead
• Face swollen and red

Other possible remedies:
Phytolacca, Merc Iodus Ruber, Ailanthus gland, Calc Iod, Streptococcinum

What about recurring states?

The recurring states are:
• Possibly inherited which means we have susceptibility to some imbalances or weakness of specific organs
• Might be caused by suppressions e.g. by the use of allopathic medicines

Whatever the cause homoeopathy can help with recurring states by using remedies like nosodes, miasmatic remedies or detox methods. You can read more about reccuring states in my previous blogs:

RECURRING INFECTIONS- UTIs ASSOCIATED WITH KIDNEY STONES

RECURRING INFECTIONS- ADENOIDITIS 

RECURRING INFECTIONS- TOENAIL FUNGAL

Working closely with a homoeopath helps to rebalance and break the cycle of recurring infections. Are you ready for your journey with homeopathy?

Let’s speak about homeopathy!

Have you experienced a urinary tract infection?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can occur suddenly and they might be quite uncomfortable. Have you struggled to choose a remedy for acute UTIs? There are a few different homoeopathic remedies that can be useful.
This is a flow chart which can help to choose the correct remedy for acute UTIs:

Remedies from the flow chart – distinguished features

Here are the remedies from the flow chart to choose from, that may help with acute urinary tract infections:

ACID NIT– Scanty urine, dark in colour. Burning and stinging sensation. Better movement, worse in the evening and at night.

ARGENT NIT– Burning pain and itching. Divided stream of urine. Better in fresh air and cold, worse in warmth and at night.

CANTHARIS– Scalding urine passes drop-wise. Constant desire to urinate. Better by warmth, worse by drinking cold water.

CAUSTICUM– Involuntary passage of urine when coughing, sneezing or excited. Better in the warmth and heat of bed, worse cold air and movement.

LYCOPODIUM– Pain in the back before urinating ceases after flow. Much straining. Polyuria during the night. Better being uncovered, worse heat or warmth of the room.

NUX VOMICA– Irritable bladder, frequent passage of small quantities of urine. Better in the evening at rest, worse in the morning and in the cold.

SARSAPARILLA– Urine dribbles, bladder distended and tender. A child often screams before and while passing urine. Better in cool dry air, but worse at night and after urinating.

STAPHISAGRIA– Burning sensation during urination. Better warmth and rest at night, worse emotional upset and tobacco. Women- after intercourse.

Urinary tract infections are usually related to our emotional state and looking into the totality of the symptoms allows homoeopaths to prescribe homoeopathic remedies to regain balance.
Are you having any recurring states you need to balance out?
Let’s speak about homoeopathy!

Homeopathic home prescribing- Top Tips.

In my last blog, I touched a bit on home prescribing and potency. It’s important to elaborate more on other aspects of home prescribing.

What can I treat with homeopathic remedies at home?

In-home, prescribing we can treat ailments that you would normally treat without seeing a doctor, like coughs, colds, indigestion, food poisoning, and many others. Using self- prescribing we can treat states which are not long-standing but occur acutely and should go away within days or a week.

How to choose between remedies?

Sometimes we struggle to differentiate between remedies. It is important to observe a few key things:
– what makes our symptoms better or worse,
– what has changed since the acute state started. (thermal state, thirst, energy)
– the more peculiar symptoms it may help to choose the remedy
Based on this information we can try the remedy which resonates the most. If no improvement after 3-4 doses reassess and move to the next remedy. Click on the link below for a previous blog on What outcome you may expect when you take a homeopathic remedy.

What is a more important remedy or potency in an acute state?

If we are not sure about potency or we only have a remedy in one potency that will be a good choice rather than trying to get ‘the specific’ potency. The body will most likely respond and the potency can be changed if needed it. In acute states potencies of 30C or lower are great. Also, 200C is used in acute states.

When to change a remedy in the acute state?

The acute state normally changes, so reassessing is needed if we do not see the improvement after 3-4 doses after taking a remedy. Sometimes remedies cause partial improvement and that should be noted it.

How do I take homeopathic remedies?

There are various ways of taking a homeopathic remedy. You can take it as a homeopathic pill or tablet on your tongue. Crushing the pill or tablet and dissolving it in small water is possible. You can also put a couple of pills in a bottle of water and shake and drink now and again.

Is water dose better than dry remedy on the tongue?

It’s very individual how we react to remedies. Often in the acute state, we may benefit from water doses just because we may repeat the dose more. We also need hydration during the acute state so that’s another benefit.

Do I need to wait after having food to take the remedy?

Homeopathic remedies absorb in mucus membranes of our mouth so for the remedy to work in full respect having a remedy in a clean, mouth before or after the remedy is important. Strong smells directly around remedies will lessen how the remedy works so for the benefit of treatment keep away food and drinks around the homeopathic remedies. (water is okay).

I hope these few tips help a bit with home prescribing. Let me know if you have any questions about home prescribing.
Let’s talk about homeopathy!