Illness and disease can strike any time – but it has an uncanny ability to surface when you least want it to – like when you are on holiday or traveling on business.
Obviously this is not very convenient, especially when you are away from familiar surroundings and a doctor or health practitioner you feel comfortable with.
A small health or first aid kit is a practical solution to this dilemma. A homeopathic first aid kit is a safe alternative to carrying a medicine chest along with you and it can help not only for unexpected illnesses along the way but also alleviate symptoms of jet lag and unpleasant side effects of traveling.
Homeopathy is not the same as herbalism. Homeopathic remedies are substances that have been diluted until only the essence or ‘energy signature’ remains. This may be taken in the form of tiny pills or drops.
The following remedies will prove useful additions to your first aid kit. The 30C potency is the best for this purpose. It is considered low in homeopathic terms, but will be powerful enough to tackle your symptoms.
When deciding which homeopathic remedy to use, always be mindful that your symptoms should match the homeopathic remedy below as closely as possible, for it to be effective. Here’s our list:
Arnica Montana (Leopard’s Bane)
If you are hiking, trip and fall, or if you’re in a car accident and have suffered whiplash, think of Arnica. Or, if you are out tramping around all day and come back to your hotel with sore aching muscles, think of Arnica, too. This remedy deals with the soft tissue of our bodies (skin and muscles). It can also reduce shock and slow or halt bleeding. This is also a great remedy for sprains and strains. One dose should prove effective to reduce swelling irrespective of where it occurs.
Arsenicum Album (Arsenic)
Never leave home without this remedy, especially if going to a foreign country where sanitation is poor. Drinking bad water or eating food that is not properly refrigerated or heated, can cause a nasty case of “Montezuma’s Revenge” which means nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some cases of food poisoning are accompanied by fever. Arsenicum is perfect to deal with all these symptoms – but to be sure – see a doctor if the symptoms persist.
Aconitum Napellus (Monkshood)
Crossing to many time zones can be major cause of stress and misery when traveling, and make you vulnerable to a whole range of viruses. With cold or flu, there is an onset period of about 24 hours before you get the first symptoms. It is during this period that you feel tired, muddled, or just ‘blah’ for no apparent reason. This is the time to take aconite. It will stop the symptoms in their tracks and you will be able to enjoy your stay. Aconite is a wonderful ‘back-up’ remedy for shock, as well.
Gelsemium Sempervirens (Yellow Jasmine)
Jet leg makes you feel like a sack of potatoes at the other end of your journey. You feel that you can’t move a muscle? All you want to do is sit and vegetate? Gelsemium is great for a person with a nervous system that is stressed out due to jet lag or traveling, in general. Or, if you have a fear of flying, a dose taken 30 minutes before take-off will help you to relax and enjoy the experience instead of being tense and white knuckled.
Pulsatilla Nigricans (Pasque Flower)
Most of us have heard infants on board a plane shrieking shrilly through the cabin as the plane either ascends or descends. The reason for this is that the child’s ears are not adjusting to the change in altitude and cabin pressure, and until they equalize, the child is in pain. Pulsatilla is an excellent remedy to help with this condition. If the child is sensitive, active and is emotionally changeable moment to moment, this may be the appropriate remedy.
Rhus Toxicodendron (Poison Ivy)
Long flights and cramped chairs with no legroom inevitably leave you feeling stiff. There is usually some middle or lower back stiffness as well. Rhus tox can fix you up in a hurry of you are the sort of person who feels better for moving around.
Borax (Borate of Sodium)
For those travelers who get frightened when the plane drops due to an air packet, or begins the descent to land, this remedy may be of help. If you experience dread of downward motion, and then get nausea, trembling or weakness as a result, Borax can take away these symptoms.
Cocculus (Indian Cockle)
This is a boon to those travelers who experience motion sickness, be it in a car, plane or boat. The person experiences nausea, headache, vertigo, vomiting, and an ’empty’ or weak sensation in their stomach. This is often accompanied by a powerful aversion to food, or the smell of food, in some cases causing the throat to constrict to prevent swallowing. Cocculus will help you avoid all these nasty symptoms.
Nux Vomica (Poison nut)
While traveling, your digestion is likely to take a beating largely due to the fact that your are eating differently. Especially in a foreign country you like to try a little of this and that, and it eventually catches up with you. Nux Vomica is also a great remedy to have on hand for over-indulgence, indigestion and heartburn. If you feel swollen and bloated, have a sour taste in your mouth, belching and you feel like there’s s stone in your stomach, take Nux Vomica.
Dr. Raaj Swetta is Doctor of Homeopathic Medicine and a Fellow of the British Institute of Homoeopathy. He is currently completing his PhD at the American State University.