Sunburns and Homeopathy
March 3, 2008
Handling sunburns and sunstroke
Vikas Sharma
Today we find ourselves being cautious and protective of everything around us, including disease-carrying mosquitoes, too much sun, drinking enough “good” water and avoiding exercise because of the heat. There are some effective and natural ways to eliminate the worries of summer-time. Homoeopathy is one of the safest forms of first aid available, especially in acute situations.
It uses a unique approach to health and healing by addressing both the symptoms of the problem and the person concerned.
Sunburn can be very painful and even harmful to the skin. The immediate risk connected to sunburn depends on the depth of the burn (presence of blisters or not) and its size. It is naturally more complicated in a child and an elderly persons. Besides the local care and homoeopathic treatment, the patient must be well rehydrated. In the case of first-degree sun burns where the skin is red, take apis melifica 30c every three hours. And when blisters appear (second degree burns) use cantharis 30 c a dose every hour. Consult a doctor if the sunburn is widespread and if there are general signs like fever, vomiting, and headaches. Avoid sunburns at all costs.
Indeed, the skin keeps the memory of what it underwent. Remember the first cause of melanoma (skin cancer) is the sunburn in early childhood. The symptoms of sunstroke are fever with headache and vomiting. Sunstroke is particularly dangerous in very young children. For them it is necessary to avoid a direct exposure to the sun. It is much better to stay in the shade. Also keep in mind the risk of dehydration, which can be fatal.
Homoeopathic medicine glonoine is the best remedy to counter the effects of heat, whether the trouble arises from the direct rays of the sun, from hot weather, or from working in the intense heat of a furnace, as in the case of foundry men and machinists. For glonoine to be used the indications are a sudden severe headache, difficulty in breathing, palpitation, nausea, vomiting, collapse and high fever.
In an acute case a dose of glonoine 30c can be taken every hour. Along with homoeopathic medicines the patient should be given enough water to be rehydrate he should remain in a cool place.
Words of caution: These medicines are no s
Safety tips for summer-time
Slow down. Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
Dress for summer: Lightweight, light-coloured clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.
Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
Drink plenty of water or other nonalcoholic fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty. Those who have epilepsy or heart, kidney or liver problems, are on fluid restrictive diets, or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids.
Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician. Persons on salt restrictive diets should consult a physician before increasing their salt intake.
Spend more time in cool places. Proper cooling arrangements markedly reduce the danger from heat.
Don’t get too much exposed to sun. If you get sunburn it will make body cooling very difficult.
Pigmentation and Homeopathy
March 1, 2008
Protecting our skin from sun
Dr.Vikas Sharma
Come summer, and sun begins to take its toll on Indians, their skin to be precise. As the temperatures soar to 44`B0C in the season, several people complain of skin-related disorders, all caused due to exposure to sun. While an exposure to sun harms people across all age groups, those with highly photosensitive skin and children are most susceptible to skin damage during summers.
The strong rays of the sun are undoubtedly damaging to human skin while its ultra-violet radiation is all the more harmful to us. Cases of dryness of the skin, spotting or pigmentation, itching, more non-painful acne on the face are common ailments people have been complaining about after an exposure to sun. Patients particularly complain of freckles, skin pigmentation, sun tanning, appearance of reddish elevated patches on the exposed parts and lip pigmentation. Photodermatitis is the most often noticed outcome. Photodermatitis is an abnormal skin response to ultraviolet (UV) rays, particularly sunlight. It can be acute or chronic. Signs and symptoms of photodermatitis are itchy bumps, blisters, or raised areas. Lesions that resemble eczema, hyperpigmentation, darkened discoloration compared to one’s normal skin tone, outbreaks in areas of the skin exposed to sunlight, pain, redness and swelling.
Who is most at risk? (1) Skin type may influence the likelihood of a photodermatitis reaction. Those with fair to light skin, or those with red or blond hair, and green or blue eyes tend to be most sensitive regardless of their racial or ethnic background. This is categorised as the skin type I. (2) Exposure to UV rays for 30 minutes to several hours increases the risk of photodermatitis. (3) Exposure to UV rays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. also increases the risk of photodermatitis since 50% of UV radiation is emitted during this time.
The treatment
Today we find ourselves being cautious and protective of everything around us. There are some effective and natural ways to eliminate the worries of summer time. Homoeopathy is one of the safest forms of the first-aid available. It uses a unique approach to health and healing by addressing both the symptoms of the problem and the person concerned. It also has a unique ability to treat chronic as well as acute skin disorders very effectively. Homoeopathic medicines do not suppress these skin conditions but try to treat them from its source, thereby annihilating the disease in totality
Burning sensation on the skin is one of the first symptoms of sun-induced skin disorders and should be attended to at the earliest, lest it manifests into other skin disorders. The initial reddening of the skin might further lead to pigmentation and stay until one takes medication. Homoeopathic medicine Belladonna is very beneficial for treating the initial stages when burning starts. 30 c potency of Belladonna can be used internally three-four times a day when such sun-induced skin disorder starts till a substantial relief has occurred.
If blisters form, then homoeopathic medicine Cantharis 30 c should be used. Sulphur is a very important homoeopathic medicine when skin disorder results from an exposure to sun. It is also very helpful in chronic skin disorders like eczema, psoriasis, etc, which aggravate in summers. But for Sulphur to be used in acute and chronic cases of photodermatitis, an evaluation by a professional homoeopath is a must.
Chilblains and Homeopathy
January 19, 2008
Treating chilblains with Homeopathy
Even the thought of winter for some evokes horrid memories of swollen, painful, itchy fingers and toes. With winters hitting its peak at this time of the year, chilblains and frostbite have already started affecting those prone to it. Timely adequate measures and homeopathic treatment can save them from re-living those horrid memories of frost bitten toes and fingers.
Frostbite and chilblains are injuries due to cold, causing structural and functional disturbances of small blood vessels, nerves and skin. Chilblain is a condition with long-lasting symptoms from mild cold injury. It is an inflammatory disease of the skin of the arms and legs and is triggered by prolonged exposure to cold. The disorder is characterized by painful, itchy skin lesions on the lower legs, hands, toes, feet, ears and the face. The lesions usually last two to three weeks.
Psoriasis its winter aggravation and Homeopathy
December 22, 2007
Winters is not a good season for those who suffer from skin ailments, as some skin disorders tend to increase or get triggered during the cold weather. One such skin disorder is Psoriasis. Quite a few of the Patients who suffer from psoriasis have this tendency to develop flare-ups (increase in their symptoms) in winters.
FOOD ALLERGIES AND HOMEOPATHY
October 16, 2007
Homeopathy For Food Allergy
Ever heard of someone developing a life-threatening allergic reaction from a tiny part of a peanut? Ever heard of someone having an asthma attack just after taking a spoon of cooked mushrooms? Or severe attack of migraine triggered by black pepper. These may sound strange, but are true!
SKIN PROBLEMS AND HOMEOPATHY
October 16, 2007
THE WONDER OF HOMEOPATHY
OF the little that we know about the body’s vast healing responses, Hahnemann’s views make the most it. One of his most important teachings concerns the danger of suppressing the visible symptoms of an illness. He used the example of an itching red rash on the skin. Better to have the disease on the surface of the body, he taught, because from the surface it can exit outwards.
PSORIASIS AND ITS HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT
August 29, 2007
PSORIASIS AND ITS HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT
Is psoriasis really curable? Can its recurrence be permanently stopped? Why use homoeopathy for psoriasis? How is it so that a disease which is termed incurable by the orthodox system of medicine can be cured with homoeopathy? These intriguing questions are very commonly faced by homoeopaths all over the world, dealing in skin disorders.
allergy treatment by homeopathy
August 3, 2007
Treat your autumn allergy with homeopathy
Do you find yourself having a runny itchy nose, watery eyes and severe sneezing episodes at this time of the year? If so, you may be suffering from allergic rhinitis and also you are among the estimated 25 per cent of the Indians affected by one or the other form of allergies. Come September and October, many suffer from these dreadful seasonal ?autumn allergy? attacks also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis. Pollens seem to be the main cause. The other main causative factor in this region is the paddy threshing dust. In rural areas this is a very common trigger during these months.
Skin Fungus Problems and Homeopathy
July 26, 2007
Rains ; fungal ,viral fever ,gastric infections
Wet weather is much awaited season but it brings with it, its share of miseries too; Skin disorders, viral fevers, Respiratory problems and gastroenteritis are always on a big rise during this weather. A major percent of all the viral fevers are reported mainly during this weather. Fungal infection on skin like ?ring worm? and ?athletes foot? are very common.
Hair falling and Homeopathy
July 12, 2007
Actually, it’s totally normal to lose some hair each day. Most people lose about 50 to 100 hairs every day - and it’s a good thing, because we’d all look like huge hairballs if we didn’t! Normally, when hair falls out, new hairs start forming in the same place as the old ones. But when someone really has hair loss, the hairs don’t grow back. Or they do grow, but there aren’t enough of them to take the place of what’s already fallen out.
