Does anyone have an accident-prone toddler on their hands? Calendula, which is homeopathic Marigold, is a powerful remedy to have in your first aid kit. It promotes the rapid healing of cuts, grazes and other open wounds. Calendula heals so efficiently that to prevent dirt from being locked in, it is essential to ensure the wound is scrupulously clean before using it. Calendula can be used topically as a cream or tincture or internally as a remedy. Calendula's soothing properties make it an excellent balm for eczema and other skin irritations. Please get in touch for further information.
Aconite
Aconite is another must-have as a parent. If you’re ever been woken at midnight or thereabouts by your child who is feverish, fearful and suddenly coughing, holding their ear or seeming as if they’re coming down with something, a dose of Aconite is called for. Aconite is indicated for illnesses that come on suddenly, especially if you’re child’s been caught in the cold the day before. A well-timed dose of Aconite from your home-prescribing kit can nip whatever is brewing in the bud very beautifully and give you back your night’s sleep. As it says alongside the image, Aconite is also a remedy used for shock and also feelings of panic in older children or adults. Please get in touch for more information.
Chamomilla
Chamomilla is an essential homeopathic remedy to have on hand to help manage the trials of infancy and toddlerhood. This simple daisy is a saviour if your child is teething and is displaying the symptoms described beside the image.
Chamomilla suits a child whose teething pains seem entirely out of proportion, making them extremely hard to please. The child is cross and will want one thing then another, sometimes hurling things away - or at you - in their frustration. They will not be put down and will scream if you dare attempt to do so. When your child is in a Chamomilla frame of mind, you’ll likely be at your wit’s end. Their teething is often accompanied by sour-smelling diarrhoea. Chamomilla will help soothe the pain, calm the nerves, and give you the chance to get the kettle on.
Please get in touch to find out more about how homeopathy can help your child.
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #10
Pulsatilla
As a parent to four children, Pulsatilla has saved me from being entirely grey - as yet. Pulsatilla, the Wind Flower, has rescued me from otherwise sleepless nights and stressful days with a poorly child or two.
Pulsatilla can be used for a great many complaints, but only when the child is displaying the following symptoms: tearful, whiny, clingy and having changeable symptoms.
Pulsatilla children with a cold will have copious amounts of bland yellowy-green snot which might dangle decorously from their nostrils. With their cold, they're likely to be tearful, whiny and clingy, and the snot will pour one minute then the next the nose with be blocked.
The Pulsatilla tummy ache is likely to have been brought on by overindulgence in the rich foods that Pulsatilla kids love: ice cream and cake. (Pulsatilla is a great remedy to have in your bag for the trip home from kids' parties.) Alongside the stomach pain, the child will be, yes, you've guessed it, tearful, whiny and clingy.
Pulsatilla is also a primary remedy for kids' coughs. As this remedy applies when symptoms are changeable, the cough can be dry or loose and rattly, but the cough will often be accompanied by gastric symptoms.
Pulsatilla can be the right choice for many other complaints including earaches, fevers and colds, always with those central core symptoms explained before.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies. Feel free to get in touch for further information, or come along to see me at the Low-Cost Children's Clinic on alternate Monday mornings at Havelock Centre, Southsea.
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #9
Magnesium Phosphate (Mag Phos).
Magnesium Phosphate, or Mag Phos, affects muscular and nervous tissue and can be wonderfully soothing for all kinds of muscular spasms or neuralgic pain. It's so soothing that it is known as the "homeopathic aspirin".
What characterises this remedy is that the pain will be better for warmth and/or pressure. A child with cramping abdominal pain like colic, will bend double to ease the pain. Your older daughter with period pain will want a hot water bottle on her abdomen. Your teething baby will feel better for warm drinks or something warm on the cheek of the affected side. Children's growing pains will also feel better for warmth. All of above situations would be soothed by a dose of Mag Phos.
If your child has symptoms like those described above, give Mag Phos 6 or 30 and watch their reaction. If the pain backs off but returns, give a further dose and repeat for up to 6 doses. Unlike other homeopathic remedies, Mag Phos is even more effective when given dissolved in warm water.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies and feel free to get in touch for further information, or come along to see me at the Low-Cost Children's Clinic on alternate Monday mornings at Havelock Centre, Southsea.
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home # 8
Dioscorea (Wild Yam; pictured here)
This is the second major homeopathic remedy in this top ten used to treat colic in infants and stomach upsets in older children and adults. The distinguishing feature of this remedy is that the abdominal pain is better for arching or stretching back. The remedy we looked at last week was Colocynthis and in many ways it is the opposite of Dioscorea, with pain which is better for doubling up and putting pressure on the abdomen. The Dioscorea baby will arch their back to help ease the pain.
If your child has bouts of colic with symptoms like those described above, give Dioscorea 30 and watch their reaction. If the pain backs off but returns, give a further dose and repeat for up to 6 doses.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies and feel free to get in touch for further information.
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #7
Colocynthis for Colic
Colocynthis is an indispensable remedy for colic. Babies who draw their knees up into their abdomens and scream when suffering colic would benefit greatly from a dose of Colocynthis.
The pains associated with this remedy are typically cramping, come in waves, and can sometimes be accompanied with vomiting or diarrhoea. The child is likely to be very irritable because of the pain, though the opposite is also true because moments of anger can sometimes bring on a Colocynthis state.
The Colocynthis baby pulls its knees up to his or her chest as the pains are relieved by pressure. It is for this reason that Colocynthis babies like to be carried over their parent's shoulders or to lie on their abdomens, and older Colocynthis children may dig their firsts into their abdomens to relieve the pain.
If your child has bout of colic and their responses to the pain are like those described here, give them Colocynthis 30 and watch their reaction. If the pain eases but then returns, give a further dose and continue doing this for up to 6 doses.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies, and feel free to get in touch for more information.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. Please get in touch for more information, or for tickets, please click on the following link:
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #6
ABC - Aconite, Belladonna, Chamomilla.
Managing your child's fever is as simple as ABC - Aconite, Belladonna and Chamomilla.
It can be very worrying to find your child is producing a fever. The temptation is to want to bring down the temperature immediately, but the fever is a sign that your child is fighting something. It is a very healthy reaction and needs to be supported.
The advice of the NHS is in accordance with this. Naturally, there are definitely times when action needs to be taken, and the NHS website clearly sets out when and how to act. However, in a straightforward situation, the following can be done:
Encourage your child to drink to avoid dehydration. Sucking on ice cubes suits some older little ones.
Breastfeed if applicable - this is sometimes all that your child will require.
Sponge down your child's face and body to keep your child's temperature at an acceptable level.
In addition to this, if your child's temperature remains high and they seem to be struggling, the remedy combination ABC can work wonders. The remedies which make up this combination are Aconite, Belladonna and Chamomilla, and they are the three primary childhood fever remedies. As children invariably produce fevers at night when all you want to do is sleep, the ability to differentiate between remedies and find the one which best suits your child, is almost impossible. The combination remedy ABC, therefore, enables you to treat your child effectively and efficiently.
In acute situations, your child will use up the remedies quickly, so be prepared to give a dose of ABC hourly while the symptoms last. If you have given the remedy 4 times and the fever subsides but then reheightens, seek professional help.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. Please get in touch for more information, or for tickets, please click on the following link:
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #5
Chamomilla
This simple daisy is a saviour if your child is teething and is displaying the symptoms described below. Chamomilla suits a child whose teething pains seem entirely out of properties, making them extremely hard to please. The child is cross and will want one thing then another, sometimes hurling things away in their frustration. They will not be put down and will scream if you dare attempt to do so. Their teething is often accompanied by sour-smelling diarrhoea.
Chamomilla will help soothe the pain, calm the nerves, and give you the chance to get the kettle on.
Chamomilla is not only a teething remedy though, as it comes in extremely handy for many of the irritable phases of childhood. We'll see it again when we look at the fever remedy ABC, as the C stands for Chamomilla.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. Please get in touch for more information, or for tickets, please click on the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/homeopathic-healing-for-babies-and-children-tickets
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #4
Calendula
Calendula, more commonly known as the humble Marigold, is a deceptively powerful header of cuts and wounds. It can be used internally as a homeopathic remedy and externally as a cream or tincture to promote healing of straightforward injuries. It contains organic iodine, and therefore is the homeopathic antiseptic. Calendula's healing powers are so strong that you need to ensure that the wound is totally clean before applying it, as otherwise, dirt can be locked in.
Think of Calendula if your child has any of the following: cuts or wounds, first degree burns or nappy rash. Give it in a cream form for eczema, and it might well come in handy for mums who've had episiotomies or tears, or who have cracked nipples.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies, tinctures and creams.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. For tickets, please click on the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/homeopathic-healing-for-babies-and-children
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #3
Arsenicum
When I was taught this remedy for the first time, I was advised to have a sick bowl handy when administering it to a patient with a dicky tummy, as it is the first remedy to think of for food poisoning. It is also a primary remedy for every parent's nightmare diarrhoea and vomitting.
Arsenicum, however, has a very wise sphere of action, healing fevers, allergic reactions, respiratory problems and flu.
The typical presentation of a child requiring Arsenicum goes like this:
The child wakes suddenly in the small hours with a fever accompanied by a headache, breathing problems or an upset tummy. They'll be anxious, restless and very needy as they'll be scared of being alone in the dark. They'll also be extremely fussy. As symptoms progress, a child needing Arsenicum will have burning pains and burning discharges, but will be extremely chilly and want to be kept warm.
If any of this sounds familiar, Arsenicum could really help your child bounce back quickly without the need for pharmaceuticals.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. Please get in touch for more information.
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #2
Arnica
This simple mountain daisy is the number one first aid remedy for healing after injuries. It is the first remedy to think of when there has been any kind of trauma, as it acts quickly to reduce swelling, pain and bruising as well as easing the feeling of shock that usually goes hand in hand with injuries.
As a parent it is an incredibly useful remedy to have at home to ease the pain of bumps and bruises, nosebleeds, vaccinations, dental visits, nosebleeds, overexertion, sprains and strains.
Give the remedy internally and also as a cream.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. Please get in touch for more information.
Top Ten kids' homeopathic remedies to have at home #1
Apis (Honey Bee)
Think of this remedy if your child has or gets any of the following:
- Allergic reactions
- Hives
- Insect bites
Kids needing Apis will develop symptoms similar to those produced by a bee sting, with swelling (in a particular area or throughout the body), redness, burning and stinging pains. Apis 30c is an extremely handy remedy to have in the house or on you when you're out and about.
Next week we’ll look at Arnica – the bump and bruise saviour.
Go to helios.co.uk for excellent quality homeopathic remedies.
Fellow homeopath, Vanessa Gabbett and I will be running an information session on these Top Ten remedies for home prescribing on 9th July at the Havelock Centre, Southsea. Please get in touch to find out more.
Homeopathy for Hay Fever
As wonderful as it is to see the sun, the pollen that it comes hand in hand with is such a big problem for many. Homeopathy treats like with like, so hay fever patients whose symptoms come in April take a daily dose of homeopathically prepared tree pollen (birch, the main culprit, is pictured here) at this point in the hay fever season, followed by other kinds of pollen as the season progresses. This pharmaceutical-free approach brings relief without drowsiness or other side-effects. Get in touch for more information.
Detox your body post labour using homeopathy
However complicated or simple your labour has been, most mothers will want more than anything to be able to be utterly present during the first hours and days of their child's birth. The following remedies will help you detox following anaesthetic, pain relief and syntometrine, allowing you to be very much in the moment.
Take the most suitable of the remedies below in the 30th potency every 3 hours till symptoms shift.
Chamomilla
This remedy applies if you've had pethadine or morphine and have been left feeling irritable and sleepless.
Nux Vomica
This remedy also applies if you're feeling snappy and unable to sleep, and is suited to clear the after effects of any pharmaceuticals you've been given.
Opium (pictured here)
Take this remedy if your anaesthetic, pethadine or morphine has left you feeling like a space cadet and very sleepy.
Phosphorus
This remedy applies especially post anaesthetic when you're very sleepy and spacey, and may also be feeling nauseous or even be vomitting.
Secale
This remedy is specifically to clear the after effects of using Syntometrine, which is the drug used to deliver the placenta.
My thanks to Miranda Castro, whose excellent book "Homeopathy for Mother and Baby" was very helpful in writing this blog entry.
All the remedies I've mentioned here are available from www.helios.co.uk, as are many more to deal with all aspects of pregnancy and labour.
If the symptoms mentioned above linger, please get in touch. Many thanks for reading.
Homeopathy to ease your child's trip to the dentist
Below are some tips to help take the fear and the pain from your child's next trip to the dentist. Please note that the following advice applies equally to adults.
Aconite
Give Aconite 30 to your child if they begin to panic or feel very scared in the waiting room. Having some Bach Flower Rescue Remedy handy would be a great idea too, and works brilliantly alongside the Aconite.
Argentum Nitrate
This is a big anxiety remedy, and would apply to children who begin to dread their visit to the dentist the day before. Give Argentum Nitrate 30 twice the day before the appointment and then once on the morning of the visit.
Arnica
Give a dose of Arnica 30 before any appointment which you know will involve some intervention, however slight, as Arnica will minimise the impact in terms of both bruising and bleeding. Give Arnica 30 every 2 hours afterwards for the rest of the day, and three doses spread over the day for as long as symptoms are still felt.
Calendula
Add a few drops of Calendula tincture to a cup of cooled, boiled water and use this as a mouthwash to help promote healing after dental work.
Hypericum
This is the first remedy to think of when there has been damage to the nerves, resulting in shootings pains. If your child has had to have an injection to the gum, this will be the remedy to think of. Give Hypericum 30 hourly while these strong shooting pains are felt, and reduce the frequency as the pain subsides.
I hope this has been of some use. All the homeopathic remedies mentioned here are available from www.helios.co.uk. Feel free to get in touch for further information.
Manage your child's food poisoning using homeopathy
A bout of food poisoning can end up in vomiting or diarrhoea, or - if you're really lucky - both! The symptoms are usually short-lived, but as they can be rather nasty, the following remedies can come in very handy. Choose the most appropriate remedy from the list below and give it in the 30th potency every 2-4 hours until symptoms lessen. If the symptoms persist, seek professional help.
Arsenicum
This is the first remedy to think of for food poisoning. It is said to be wise to have a sick bowl handy when you give Arsenicum, as this remedy will help the body to expel what it definitely doesn't want inside it. The child may have burning diarrhoea or vomiting, and are likely to be at their worst around midnight. They will be chilly, restless, anxious and needy. They'll be thirsty, but only for sips of water.
Pulsatilla (pictured here)
This remedy will suit the child whose symptoms come on after eating too much rich food such as ice cream. The child will become very burpy and thirstless. Pulsatilla characteristically suits the child who is clingy, tearful and demanding when ill.
Nux Vomica
The child needing Nux Vomica will be bloated and gassy and will sometimes feel they want to be sick but cannot. Nux Vomica also suits the child who feels better for having opened their bowels, but then has diarrhoea again immediately after they eat or once they get up in the morning. They'll be chilly and irritable, and their symptoms may come on from food poisoning or from overeating.
You can obtain these remedies from www.helios.co.uk. Thanks for reading and feel free to get in touch for any further help.
Manage your child's conjunctivitis with homeopathy
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctivae, which are the membranes covering the eyes. The inflammation can be due to a bacterial infection or can be an allergic response. In either case, following the advice below can bring quick, pharmaceutical-free results for your child.
Euphrasia eye bath
This plant's common name is "Eyebright" (pictured above) and not surprisingly, it is used homeopathically and herbally for many eye complaints. Your child will find the following very soothing: put 10 drops of Euphrasia tincture into half a pint of water and bathe your child's eye 4 times daily.
Breast milk
If young breastfed babies have sticky eyes, use breastmilk to bathe the eyes.
Additionally, select the most suitable homeopathic remedy from the list below, and give it to your child three times daily in the 30th potency for 3 days or until the symptoms clear, whichever comes first.
Euphrasia
Use this same remedy internally too if your child's conjunctivitis is characterised by red eyes and hot tears, sometimes with a runny nose too. This conjunctivitis is likely to be an allergic reaction.
Pulsatilla
Give this remedy if there is a lot of thick, yellow or white discharge which glues the child's lids together during the night. The eye symptoms may come hand in hand with a cold, and your child may well be very needy and clingy with their illness.
Apis
Consider this remedy when your child's eyes sting or burn, and when the eyes and eyelids are swollen and red. The child will want to have cool applications on their eyes to make them feel better.
Belladonna
Give Belladonna at the onset of symptoms, when the child had pink or red eyes which they say feel hot, their pupils are dilated and they are hypersensitive to light.
Please consider seeing a professional homeopath if your child gets repeated bouts of conjunctivitis to address the underlying susceptibility.
You can find all the homeopathic remedies mentioned above at www.helios.co.uk. I hope this was helpful, but if you need any further advice, don't hesitate to get in touch.
Easing your child's vaccination with homeopathy
The controversial subject of vaccinations is one that every parent has to face early on in their child's life. The purpose of this blog entry is not to discuss the pros and cons of vaccination. I would simply like to make practical homeopathic suggestions to help parents deal with the after effects of the injections. So if your child is due a vaccination, you might like to arm yourself with the following remedies to make the process less painful and stressful for you and your child.
Arnica
Give Arnica 30 just before and after the injection, then again every three hours for the rest of the day. Arnica is for the bruising and trauma in general.
Ledum
Ledum is the number one remedy for puncture wounds, so if the site of your child's injection becomes inflamed, give Ledum 30 three times daily until the swelling goes down.
Aconite
Give your child a dose of Aconite 30 if they are very upset by the injection and the Arnica hasn't calmed them sufficiently.
Aconite/Belladonna
Consider giving these remedies in the 30th potency every three hours if your baby gets a fever post vaccination. Other remedies that may help your child's fever are described in a another of my blog entries.
All the above remedies are available from www.helios.co.uk. Feel free to get in touch for any further help and thanks for reading.
Using homeopathy to manage your child's cradle cap
Cradle cap is extremely common. It can range from white, flaky patches on the top of the scalp, to thick, yellow scales, which can be very smelly. It is caused by an overproduction of sebum by the glands in the hair follicles.
Cradle cap isn't pretty, but do tread carefully with it, as it can be the precursor to eczema, which is a far harder issue to manage. In practice there are many examples of babies whose cradle cap was treated with steroid creams, which suppress the eruptions, leading to the baby then developing eczema.
If your baby has cradle cap, try the following techniques:
Rub almond or olive oil generously on to your baby's scalp at night. This will soften the scales, which can then be removed the following morning with gentle shampooing or combing.
Avoid picking off the crusts.
If the cradle cap seems to be irritating or itchy for your child, apply calendula cream.
Consider consulting a professional homeopath if your baby's cradle cap is severe or persistent.
Many thanks for reading, and please feel free to get in touch for further advice. Visit the Blog pages of my website www.southseahomeopathy.com for tips on using homeopathy to manage many other childhood conditions.
