Food poisoning can lead to a nasty bout of vomiting or diarrhoea, or if you're really unlucky, both simultaneously. The following remedies can be very helpful to speed your child's recovery and get you back to enjoying your holiday all the sooner. Decide which remedy fits your child's symptoms most closely, and give it every half hour for up to 4 doses, then hourly for a further two doses, if required.
Arsenicum Album 30c
This is the first remedy for food poisoning. As a student I was taught to give Arsenicum with one hand and have a bowl in the other ready; as a parent, I have found this advice invaluable! Arsenicum is very good at helping the body eject from its stomach what it doesn't want inside it.
The child has frequent bouts of burning diarrhoea, which smells terrible and leaves their anus sore. Their vomit will also feel burning and give them a sore throat. The child will be very restless and needy, and though their vomit and diarrhoea will be burning, they themselves will be very chilly and want to be warm. They will be thirsty for just little sips of water at a time.
Nux Vomica 30c
I am including this remedy as it is invaluable for kids who've eaten too much of the wrong thing, but it also can come in very handy for their parents' hangovers. If we focus on the kids, Nux Vomica is useful for food poisoning, but also if there's been an overindulgence in rich or junk food, when there's vomiting a couple of hours after overeating. Nux Vomica is useful also when there's retching and a feeling of wanting to be sick but bringing nothing up.
The child feels temporarily better after they've passed stool, but will have diarrhoea again straight after they eat, or first thing in the morning. They will also have lots of wind and could well have a bloated abdomen. The child needing Nux Vomica will not be a mild-mannered patient; they'll be very grumpy and irritable.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this useful. Don't hesitate to get in touch for further information.