Use homeopathic cures to avoid holiday nightmares (From Worcester News)

Use homeopathic cures to avoid holiday nightmares

10:45am Wednesday 13th May 2009 in

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THERE is nothing like a violent bout of sickness to turn an overseas paradise into the proverbial holiday from hell.

On my last trip to foreign climes – a Nile cruise in March – I spent what seemed like an eternity hugging an Egyptian toilet.

If you have ever had the misfortune to visit an Egyptian toilet, let alone hold onto one, you will know what a wretched experience it is and, if you haven’t, I will spare you the grisly details.

Suffice to say, my straw cowboy hat served an unorthodox and unexpected use (several times) and, no, being as sick as a dog will never deter the army of street sellers perstering you to buy a three-dayold English newspaper or tacky figurines of the God Anubis, even if you manage to projectile vomit in their general direction.

By the end of the holiday I felt like drowning myself in the Nile and my girlfriend felt like holding my head under the water.

Travelling abroad seems more perilous than ever following the outbreak of swine flu from a source in Mexico.

It would be tempting to holiday in Scotland this summer if there hadn’t been confirmed cases of swine flu north of the border.

Mercifully, there are remedies for the traveller that may help control some of the maladies you experience on holiday, aside from the more conventional medicines you might find in hand luggage, such as painkillers and antihistamines.

Liz Norman, a homeopath from Sunnyside Close, Kempsey, near Worcester, is nothing if not well prepared, taking a small remedy kit with her on family holidays.

Her husband David, aged 47, started being sick through the night on a trip to Euro Disney in Paris because of suspected food poisoning.

Mrs Norman gave him a dose of arsenicum, recommended for food poisoning and any illness where there is vomiting and diarrhoea.

He was sick four times and able to eat a full breakfast the next morning.

Mrs Norman, 44, said: “It had an affect within 40 minutes. If it had not been for that he would have been completely laid up the next day. I also worry about going to the doctor abroad – you don’t know what level of treatment you might or might not get.

“Homeopathy won’t stop you getting sick but it may help speed your recovery. If you are unlucky enough to become ill on holiday – always seek medical intervention if you are worried – it is safe to take homeopathic remedies alongside conventional medicines.”

When her husband suffered jet lag on a business trip to the Far East two years ago he experienced flulike symptoms. He now takes cocculus and arnica, a homeopathic remedy recommended to him by his wife and has encountered no problems since, she said.

Fear of flying is a common phobia and there are even homeopathic remedies for this, although they have to be worked out in close consultation with a homeopath.

Mrs Norman, a mum of three, has benefited from homeopathic remedies herself when she was stung by a jellyfish in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt last Easter.

She said: “It feels a bit like a bee sting but it stuns you more. I came out of the water and I had a swelling the size of a tennis ball. It was so swollen and burning hot. I took two doses of apis and it went away soon after the second dose.”

Her nine-year-old son Max is prone to ear infections when he swims in a pool on holiday but she says a few doses of belladonna usually clear this up within a day.

WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY?

HOMEOPATHY was developed more than 250 years ago by Samuel Hahnemann.

The principle of homeopathy is that if a substance can produce symptoms in a healthy person then it can also work (once prepared and diluted) and relieve the symptoms of someone who is sick. This is based on the idea of ‘like cures like’. For example, when you chop an onion you may get a runny nose and streaming eyes. The homeopathic remedy is allium cepia, which is derived from onions and would be used to treat these symptoms.

It is often prescribed for hayfever or colds. Homeopaths say more people are choosing homeopathy because they are worried about the side effects of conventional drugs.

Homeopathic remedies are drawn from the plant, mineral and animal worlds. Homeopathy treats the whole person, not just a symptom or disease. Homeopaths say it therefore has the potential to help people with a wide range of physical, psychological and emotional problems.

LIZ NORMAN’STRAVEL REMEDIES

For upset tummy – arsenicum

Take this for food poisoning and any illness where there is vomiting and diarrhoea. The patient may feel tired, cold and anxious. Take a dose of 30c after every episode until the symptoms improve, then repeat if they return.

Podophyllum

For diarrhoea without vomiting where the stools are painless, yellow and watery and there is gurgling in the stomach. Take a dose of 30c after every episode and repeat until it subsides. Only repeat if it returns.

Nux vomica

This is the number one remedy for hangovers and for over-indulgent holiday makers eating too much rich food and drinking too much booze.

Take a single dose of 30c. If one is not enough then repeat half an hour later and so on for up to four doses – stop once you feel better.

For constipation – lycopodium Often people get constipated when they travel away from home and a couple of daily doses of lycopodium 30c should have them back to normal.

For bites and stings – ledum

Take this to reduce the irritation from mosquito or other insect bites where there is a puncture wound.

Take a 30c single dose. See if it reduces itching and if not repeat in 20 to 30 minutes and so on for up to four doses.

Apis

Take this to relive the stinging and burning from stings from bees, wasps and jelly fish. Take a 30c single dose and see if it reduces the burning and stinging. If not, repeat in 20 to 30 minutes and so on for up to four doses.

For seasickness/travel sickness/ jet lag – tabaccum

This is the number one remedy for seasickness where the patient is better for fresh air and cold water on their face. Take a dose of 30c, wait 30 minutes to see if the symptoms subside and if not repeat in 20 to 30 minutes and so on for up to four doses.

Cocculus

This is the number one remedy for car sickness and jet lag. Take a dose of 30c, wait 30 minutes to see if the symptoms subside and, if not, repeat in 20 to 30 minutes and so on for up to four doses. If there is a bruised feeling after a long flight, alternate doses of cocculus and arnica.

For Sunstroke – glonoine

For violent, throbbing sun headaches with dizziness and hot sweaty skin. If the skin is hot and dry it is better to take belladonna. This does not replace commonsense measures of taking care, not being exposed to the sun, drinking bottled water and limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.

For earache – belladonna

For throbbing, burning pain in the infected ear take 30c of belladonna, wait 20 minutes and if it hasn’t improved repeat the remedy for up to four doses. My son Max always gets ear infections when he swims in a pool he is not used to on holiday and a few doses of belladonna usually clears this up within a day.