Sunday 12 May 2013

Homeopathy when travelling

I have just spent a two week holiday in China with my family. As a homeopath I obviously took a basic travel kit of homeopathic remedies with me. I was hoping not to need them at all but as it turned out we had plenty of opportunity to use the remedies. They proved to be invaluable. Today's post is to show you which remedies you could easily take with you on your next holiday. You won't regret it.

Get the homeopathic remedies in a 30C potency from your homeopath, health shop or pharmacy. 1 dose = 1 pillule. Let the pillule dissolve under your tongue and repeat as needed. In acute situations of fever or food poisoning you can dissolve a pillule in a glass of water and sip every 5-10 minutes. Be sure to stir before repeating and stop once symptoms/complaints start improving or aggravate. If there is no change within 1 hour, stop taking that remedy. It is not the right choice. Store the remedies in a dark, cool place. Do not touch pillules you are not taking and do not put spilt pillules back into the bottle.

Jetlag: Arnica & Cocculous - If you have ever been "trapped" in the narrow seat of  a plane for 12 hours and then had to continue flying just 2 hours later and finally peeling yourself out of the seat to find yourself ready for a good night's sleep but oh no, a whole day lies ahead of you!!! Fabulous, this must be holiday. Well to combat the muscle ache, sore back and fuzzy haze you will find yourself in, try taking a few doses of theses 2 remedies. Start when you board the plane, repeat after a few hours of flight and again upon arrival. Another dose during that long day won't hurt. Your jetlag should be next to non-existent.

Travel constipation: Lycopodium - Do suffer from constipation when travelling? The change in time zones, food, own bathroom,......... Well, as every time, I sure did. This time I was prepared. 2 doses of Lycopodium 30C; 1 pillule in the evening and one the next morning and that problem was sorted!

Blisters: Aristolocia - If your hiking up a mountain or just simply sight seeing all day long, it is very easy to get a blister or two. It's no big problem if at home but on holiday you will probably need to be walking again the very next day in the same shoes! I can feel the pain just thinking about it. Well my husband took three doses of the remedy and the next day he was ready to go with a smile on his face and no more blister. "Honey, your stuff really works wonders," was his comment. After all these years he is still surprised.

A bit of everything: Pulsatilla - Our daughter started complaining about a bit of this and a bit of that after a few days. Sore throat, constipation, then diarrhoea, tired, ear ache then ear itch, .......... Great, I thought. Nothing was very clear. She is a very gentle, mild person. Was a bit whiny, clingy, syptoms constantly changing so I gave her Pulsatilla which sorted that out. Luckily I know from previous illnesses that she responds well to this remedy.

Arsenicum album: Food poisoning - Our teenage son had some issues eating a Chinese breakfast. I fully understand that but he just had to eat one ham and egg muffin from an international food chain which I am not naming but I'm sure you can guess. We all cringed looking at the disgusting thing which was worse than our breakfast but he was happy. Well at least for a few hours! Suddenly his face turned pale and he was obviously unwell. Diarrhea and vomiting, exhaustion and sweat were to torture him all night. The next morning I was called to the rescue. Unfortunately it was the day of our departure and a very long return flight to NZ. I honestly thought we would have to cancel the flight. I gave him a glass of water with Arsenicum album and waited. He improved while resting and staying in bed until 2pm. He then showered and said, " all good to go." And that was the end of that! Even the severe kidney pains that were torturing him all night and day had vanished. The journey home went well.

Belladonna: Fever - I  would like to just list this remedy separately as he also developed a fever with a bright red face, dilated pupils and a very strong pulsing neck (carotid) artery on one side only. Those are clear indications for this remedy. A single dose and 20 mins. later his temperature and all other signs disappeared.

Coffea: Sleeplessness - The final homeopathic remedy was then again taken by me once we arrived at the motel in Auckland at 1am. I could not sleep. My mind was racing and I had lost all sense of time. Was I still in China, Sydney or in NZ? My biological clock was going crazy. I had to take a few doses to calm down and finally sleep. I have given screaming babies on long distance flights this remedy many times to the relief of the mothers on the verge of a nervous breakdown and the surrounding flight passengers who were ready to explode. For babies 1 pillule seems to be enough for them to fall into a deep sleep within 10 mins. I needed several doses.

So, in case you are wondering, we actually had a fantastic holiday. Without homeopathy it might have turned out to be a minor disaster.

My recommendation to you is, contact me or a homeopath in your area and get your travel kit put together to suit your personal needs. It might be just what you need to have a wonderful holiday you truly deserve.