Homeopathic First Aid for Life's Traumas

By Carrie Stearns, P.D. Hom.

Homeopathy is a dynamic healing modality that can be very effective in the treatment of life's little and big traumas. Many people are introduced to homeopathy after some commonplace injury, like a fall off their bike, leads them to discover that the remedy Arnica Montana greatly eases their discomfort and supports a rapid healing process. Arnica is ideal for dealing with symptoms of shock and also helps to reduce swelling and bruising. Often, in common acute traumas, homeopathy works so quickly and effectively that people become lifelong believers in its healing power.

How is it that these tiny tablets suffused with plant, animal or mineral essence promote healing? The fundamental principle of homeopathy is to work with the body using a substance with qualities similar to the symptoms of the illness or injury. This principle arises directly from Hippocrates' theory of similars, which the founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, experimented with over 200 years ago. Hahnemann, a passionate doctor and chemist, was determined to find a way to use natural substances to support healing. From Hippocrates' theory, he developed what he called "the law of similars," which states, "That which causes a set of symptoms to appear could also, in a small enough dose, bring about a cure." Simply put, "Like cures like." Using the remedy Arnica as an example of this law, if you ingested it in its crude form, it would cause a feeling of being bruised and in shock, as if you'd been injured. Used homeopathically in minute doses, it rapidly cures those very symptoms.

There are many other examples of everyday traumas that can be effectively treated with homeopathy. Puncture wounds and bug bites can be treated using the remedy Ledum Pasture. The plant remedy Cantharis offers excellent first aid for burns to the skin. Symphytum (also known as Boneset) aids in the healing of broken bones. Injuries to tissues rich in nerves (fingers and toes, for example) can be healed using the remedy Hypericum. These are all important remedies to have in a basic home first-aid kit!

Homeopathy is also very effective in the treatment of the larger traumas of life, such as car accidents, catastrophic events, drug abuse, and exposure to violence or sexual abuse. Specific homeopathic remedies, if used right after a trauma, help the body to release from the trauma's effects without setting up a lasting response pattern. The remedy Aconite can be very helpful following a trauma.

Trauma, big and small, is a part of the human experience for a majority of people. Most do not have the benefit of using a homeopathic remedy — or any therapeutic treatment — immediately following a traumatic event. This doesn't have to be a problem. Homeopathy effectively addresses trauma no matter how long ago in the past it has occurred.

Today, the truth of trauma's effects on people is finally beginning to be understood more fully. The idea, in particular, that it's a purely physical experience is being replaced with the knowledge that it impacts body, mind and soul. Each of these holds aspects of trauma and contributes to setting up patterns for how we engage in life. According to neurologist Dr. Robert Scaer in The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency, there is a "cumulative experience of life's 'little traumas' that shape[s] virtually every aspect of our existence — our personality, choice of mates, profession, clothes ... and, most specifically, our state of mental health and disease." Scaer spent much of his career treating people recovering from car accidents or dealing with chronic pain. He found that many chronic illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, endocrine disorders, autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia, were actually by-products of trauma. He also discovered that simply treating these illnesses with medications addressing physical symptoms was not effective in bringing about any kind of significant healing. Tracing patterns of somatic responses back to places of trauma, he saw that healing could only begin when the traumatic event(s) were brought into the treatment picture.

In keeping with Dr. Saer's work, homeopathy is a powerful healing modality for trauma because it works with the body and treats all symptoms as connected. As a homeopathic practitioner, I have the great privilege of witnessing dynamic healing in action for my clients' traumas, large and small.

Carrie Stearns, P.D. Hom., practices classical homeopathy at the Padma Center for Natural Therapies in Ithaca. She will offer a class on homeopathic first aid at GreenStar on Sept. 21 at 7 pm. Carrie holds a practitioner diploma from the School of Homeopathy, Devon, England. She is available for consults at her office as well as remotely via Skype. To learn more about her practice, visit her online at 
carriestearnshomeopath.blogspot.com.