Summer is a great time for hikes and picnics, or just having fun in the back yard, but it’s a good idea to be prepared for the occasional mishap. Here are some of our favourite tips and tricks for summer first aid.
For insect bites and stings:
Homeopathic Apis pellets address the pain from bee stings, and Apis often works for other stings too. Many health food stores carry this in a 30CH potency.
Bee stings can also be soothed by using Apis gel, also available in many health food stores. Baking soda mixed into a paste with a little water and applied to the sting can also be soothing for bee stings, as they are acidic. One the other hand wasp stings are alkaline, so applying vinegar works better for those.
A cold pack on top of the baking soda or vinegar will cool the sting.
To remove a tick:
Use a set of fine tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skin surface as possible. Pull straight out, gently and steadily. Be patient, this takes time. Do not twist or bend the tick. If any mouthparts remain at the site of the bite, don’t dig them out: your body will expel them. Rinse the wound with hydrogen peroxide or colloidal silver.
Take good care not to squeeze, crush or puncture the body of the tick because its infectious fluids can enter the wound. Likewise don’t use a lighted match, gasoline, nail polish or any other noxious substances, as they irritate ticks and may cause them to inject more of those fluids into you.
If you develop a round red rash at the site of the bite, seek antibiotic treatment within 72 hours, to reduce the chance of getting Lyme disease: a chronic lifelong condition.
Take a photo of the rash to show your doctor, and keep the tick to test whether it is carrying infectious diseases.
For cuts and scrapes: Calendula cream promotes the regrowth of healthy skin. It helps make a good scab over a cut or scrape. Just be careful to remove any dirt in the wound that could get trapped under the scab and cause infection. For this reason a deep puncture wound should not be treated with calendula. Rinse the wound well before you apply the calendula cream.
If a cut is in a flexible place such as a knuckle, where a scab would break, mix the calendula cream with vitamin E, in about equal parts. Put that mix on a band aid over the cut before bed and leave it there overnight. This creates more flexible tissue. For vitamin E, just pierce a capsule and squeeze a little out onto the band aid. You can always swallow the rest!
As a bonus, Calendula can also help slow bleeding, so it can help with shaving cuts.
To clean a wound: Hydrogen peroxide stings a bit, but not for long. Rinse the wound well with it. Its bubbly action helps expel grit and dirt.
Liquid colloidal silver has antiseptic properties, which work against minor infections, such as torn cuticles, scratched mosquito bites that are threatening to become infected, or other breaks in the skin.
For bruises and bumps and general “owies”, Arnica cream or Traumacare cream are great to have on hand. Some kiddies call Traumacare “magic cream”. We don’t go that far, but we do find it very good.
Homeopathic Arnica can also be taken as an oral remedy. The 30CH potency is a good one for home first aid, and is available in many health food stores. Anytime there is “pain due to trauma” it is almost invariably helpful. It is said that, if someone hurt themselves at Buckingham Palace, the Queen would fetch the Arnica for them herself!
Homeopathic Arnica is not evidence-based medicine, but it works really well. We use it when we have hurt ourselves such as bashing an ankle, falling, or anything that triggers bruising. It often also helps when you ache from overdoing it.
For a sore achy body, after gardening or a long hike, you can also enjoy an Epsom salts bath. The magnesium in Epsom salts is absorbed into your body, while the heat of the bath relaxes your muscles. Use 1- 4 cups of Epsom salts in a nice hot bath, and tuck into a warm bed after.
For sprains and strains, have a flexible ice pack in the freezer. In a pinch, a bag of frozen peas will do. Ice should be applied first, for up to 48 hours. Don’t ice for more than 20 minutes at a time, and wrap it in a cloth so you don’t damage the skin. After a day or two, apply alternating hot and cold to improve circulation to the area for better healing.
For an obstinate sliver or splinter that isn’t coming out easily, put a drop or two of olive or other oil on bandaid over it. This usually lubricates the splinter enough to pop it out easily in a day or two. Just check it’s not starting to show signs of getting infected. If so, you can also apply topical antibiotic cream, or colloidal silver along with the oil.
If there is something in your eye that is irritating it, close that eye and hold the opposite nostril closed with a finger, then blow the nostril on affected side. This shifts the fluid of the eye down towards the tear duct in the inner corner, taking the irritant with it.
Another method is to lift the eye lid away from the eye, and pull it out then down before letting it settle over the eyeball again.
For burns whether from contact with a hot surface, steam, or too much sun, homeopathic Cantharis brings swift relief. 30CH is a good first aid strength.
Aloe vera gel is a nice soother for sunburns.
For a burned tongue, apply honey to bring relief. Just hold ½ a spoonful of honey in your mouth.
For travel sickness keep Cocculus Indicus 30CH in the car, as it helps most travel sickness sufferers.
For all homeopathic remedies, take them when your symptoms are present. If symptoms reduce or disappear, don’t take the remedy again until the symptoms return or increase.
The label that tells you to take 5 pellets three times a day isn’t specific to your needs. Sometimes one dose is all you need, sometimes you may need a few doses. Let your system tell you how much is just the right amount.
We have noted the first aid items you may want for your first aid kit in purple, so you can spot them easily for your shopping list.
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