EP28: Homeopathy for Scalds and Burns
8 Dec 2023 · 16 min
Podcast episode (Homeopathy at Home) by Marcus Fernandez explaining homeopathic first-aid approaches for minor scalds and burns. Covers practical first-aid steps (cooling, removing clothing, when to seek emergency care), key homeopathic remedies for burns/scalds (Arsenicum, Belladonna, Cantharis, Sol, Urtica urens, Phosphorus), and topical preparations (calendula, Hypercal, aloe vera). Advises potency/dosing for home use (6C–30C, repeat dose every ~15 minutes for several doses) and cautions to seek medical attention for severe/chemical/electrical burns.
Chapters
Welcome to the Homeopathy at Home podcast. I'm Marcus Fernandez and I'm thrilled to have you join me on this journey into the world of homeopathy. This podcast is inspired by my book, Homeopathy at Home, which aims to empower you to take charge of your health using simple, effective homeopathic remedies. Together we're going to explore how homeopathy can be the key to unlocking your body's innate healing wisdom. Whether you're dealing with everyday ailments such as coughs, colds, strains and sprains, sore throats, or just seeking to enhance your health and well being, this podcast is your guide. So let's dive in and discover the transformative power of homeopathy in your everyday life.
In situations like skulls and burns, things that can happen acutely and considering, you know, you just need to grab the remedy and give it straight away. But in many situations like that, especially when you have kids, that those remedies always need to be handy just to go and grab like arnica. Arnica sits in our house near the teas and tea and coffee pots. It's like that's the place we will go to if we need arnica. But these, all these other remedies as well are good. All these remedies I talk about every single week, what we call the Polycrest remedies. That means remedies with many uses. We use them all the time. They have such big action. So let's talk about scalds and burns, the top homeopathic remedies. So let's just look at skulls and burns. So these are damage to the skin, both of them. Burns and skulls usually caused by some form of heat and both are treated in the same way. So burn is often caused by dry heat, like an iron. People get iron burns when they're doing the ironing or from a fire, for example. And a scald is something that often is to do with wet, like steam or hot water, so that we treat them the same way. And the remedies would be the same because it depends on what the effects are. So burns can be as you know, if you have ever burnt yourself, can be very, very painful and may cause red or peeling skin can cause blistering as well. It can go into a blister, swelling, and if it's more severe, you know, go charred skin. I mean, as you know, burns can go very, very deep. And the amount of pain that you feel is not always showing how serious the burn is because the more serious the burn, often it Damages the nerve and the nerve endings and so you might sometimes not really feel it when it's a severe burn and can feel painless. But it's. But obviously for things like that you need to get urgent medical attention. So treating basic sort of burns and skulls, get the person away from the heat source to stop the burning. Remove any clothing or jewelry near the burnt area. Skin includes, including baby's nappies if it's a baby. But don't remove anything that's stuck to the skin. Okay. Where the burn is, you can cool the burn with cool or lukewarm water running for 20 or 30 minutes. Do not use ice because again that can damage the tissue if it's burned. Or ice water or any creams or greasy substances like butter. Especially if it's quite severe burning, you've got to go to the hospital or the ER or the A&E department of a hospital. They're just going to need to clean it anyway. Clean the wound. Now sometimes people go into shock after a burn, especially quite a bad burn. Make sure the person keeps warm with a blanket and make care doesn't touch the affected area. And after cooling the burn, you can sometimes cover the burn with some cling film or a clean plastic bag, especially if you're going to be going, you know, to the hospital. And if it's an acid or chemical burn, dial 999 which is in the UK, the emergency number, whatever number is in your country emergency number and carefully try to remove the chemical, any contaminating clothing and rinse the affected area with as much clean water as possible. Okay, but you need to get advice and when to get medical attention. Obviously depends how serious a burn is. It may not be possible to treat it at home. But for minor burns, keep the burn clean, don't burst any blisters if it blisters. But more serious burns require professional medical attention and you should always go to the AE or ER department for all chemical electrical burns, large or deep burns. So any burn bigger than the injured person's hand, you need to get medical attention. Burns that cause white or charred skin of any size and burns on the neck, face, hands, feet, joints of the genital area. Okay, so you need to get medical attention for that. But we're going to talk about some remedies for simple burns and skulls that you'll get in the home. Now we're going to talk about first degree burns. So this is often burns caused by dry heat or as we said, scald by moist heat such as steam or hot liquids. And this is where you damage the most outer layer of the skin. And this is classed as a first degree burn. And it'll produce redness, soreness and swelling, sometimes blistery. But that means it's then going in more to a second degree. But again, putting the cold water, water immediately, but not ice water or use lukewarm water. But also you can get these first degree burns from the sun. So as well as like burning yourself on an iron or a fire or steam from a kettle or hot drink or hot boiling water, also from the sun as well. Obviously you know you can get severe burns from the sun. So as I always say, please subscribe to the YouTube channel, let people know, share the link that all the videos are there, that all the videos that we've done now are on there. Everything from sore throats, coughs to stitis, conjunctivitis, period pain. I've covered so many areas on the top sort of rem, like top five, top six, top nine remedies for you to use. So please subscribe to the YouTube channel, then you'll know when a video is released, a new video. You'll get the notification straight away. And also check us out che the center for Homeopathic Education, if you want to find out about any courses that we run, because we run courses from beginners level all the way to practitioner level and beyond, as well as postgraduate. So let's look at some of the homeopathic remedies for skulls and burns. So the first remedy, arsenicum. So with arsenicum they will have burns with marked pain, anxiety and restlessness. Remember, this is the key notes for arsenicum. It's the anxiety and the restlessness. They just need to move around. The skin is going to be red, swollen burning. It can be burning very sensitive to touch. So these are quite deep burn. They're quite horrible burns. These can be. And when I say horrible. Painful, very painful, very burning. They can feel very chilly after they've burned themselves, feel very chilly and feel exhausted. Okay, feel tight again. These are key notes for arsenicum. Worse for cold application, which is unusual around midnight and worse around touch. So if the burn's going to feel worse, it's often around that time where d around midnight. But better for warm, dry applications. They want some warmth to it. It might be mild warmth, but they want warmth and they want warmth generally anyway because they feel chilly and they're thirsty for small sips. Okay. They don't glug water, they're thirsty for cold sips. So remember, with arsenicum, it's the pain with anxiety and restlessness. Okay. And also the chilliness as well. But the worse for cold application. It's going to make it feel worse. Next remedy is belladonna. So this is really good for things like sunburn or burns with a dry, hot, bright red sk. And again with belladonna, you know the classic it's burning pain, throbbing as well. It will throb this throbbing with the pain and it radiates heat. They may have throbbing and pulsating headache at the same time as the burn, which again is another keynote of belladonna. Or they can have if they've got sunburn, they can also have a throbbing headache from being exposed to the sun. And again, this can get worse. Especially the burn can get worse around late afternoon and continues into the night, particularly sunburn. So it can start to really come after 3pm often. That's a keynote. Again, modality for bell. Worse for touch, worse for being heated, worse for any jarring. So you slightly touch. Oh, watch my. Oh, watch it. It's very sensitive to that touch jarring anyway. Or being heated. Can crave lemons or lemonade can be a keynote for belladonna. But they are really thirsty for cold water and they will glug it. Okay. Arsenicum will be small steps. This is actually they're feeling really hot and they will really drink water. But they can have this craving for lemons or lemonade. Big keynote for belladonna. Okay. So again, if you have a burn, it could be sunburn with dry, hot, bright red skin. Then think of belladonna. Next remedy, cantharis. This is probably the most common remedy used in scalds and burns. So here the symptoms are intense, rapid, extremely painful and there's a cutting, smarting, raw burning pain with cantharis. This is probably one of the most common remedies I use in these situations. First remedy you reach for in the remedy kit. The skin can be red and hot, can sometimes have a little blister, but it burns as if it's on fire. Real intensity to cantharis. And they can have small little vesicles that coalesce to form a larger blister with a burning pain. Again with smarting and sometimes a bit of swelling as well. Cantharis is better for cold applications. In fact, it's better that as soon as it starts to get, say you put a cold flannel on or something, as soon as it starts getting warm or the water, you put your hand in water so it gets a little bit warm. Then the pain really Comes back. So they really need it to be cold. Worse for touch, worse for movement. And again, this can be really good for severe sunburn as well as scalds and burns. So again, great remedy. Very intense, smart raw burning pain with cantharis. But remember, they're really better for cold application. As soon as you remove it or it gets warm, then the pain really comes back. Next remedy is Sol. Now we talked about this when we did holidays homeopathy in holidays. This is really good for the sun. As you can tell by the name. Can be used before or during or when you return after being in the strong sun. But they have a real sensitivity to the sun. They really burn easily or affected by the sun. So they can get itchy red skin. Red blotches from sunlight get painful eyes, photophobia from sunlight, blurry vision and headache. And the headache, especially if they have sunshine on a bare head. Okay, people have lost their hair or even like babies, not much hair there. It can really affect it. Especially the top of the head, very painful. Have quite a violent pain in the top of the head, the vertex, Better for pressure, better for cold application. But never often been well since being sunburned or sun stroke. So while somebody may have come out of the sun and they're feeling the effects of the sun or sunburn, but also they have never been well since that time. Also good for radiation burns. When people have radiotherapy, it's often can be also good for that as well. So again, another great remedy, particularly for ill effects, burns from the sun. Okay, next remedies Urtica urine. So this is good for simple scald especially or steam from hot water. So you see here the picture of the kettle. People have been burned by the steam from the kettle or whilst they're cooking or any situation like that. And with urtica urines there's intense itching, burning, stinging pain. Remember this remedy is made from the nettle. So imagine a stinging nettle, how it burns and it stings. No blistering with Urticurians, just redness or red raised blotches. Okay, again, think of a nettle sting. Burning, stinging pain. Every time they move, so they move. Oh, they really feel it. Okay, this burning stinging pain, worse for touch, worse for water, worse for cool bathing. And the burn can be worse after sleep. So they've slept and they wake up. It really is burning that area. It's really aggravated by sleep. You can get it as a gel or combined with calendula. Very, very soothing. And it's similar to Cantharis. So you need to look at Cantharis and compare it, okay, compare it with Cantharis. But you're then down to two remnants out of nearly 3,000 remedies in the materia, Medicare. But you just choose one of those, one of those remedies. Just look at the modalities, look at the sensations. Shiny sunburn with sting, burning pain. So again, a big sunburn remedy. And again, don't underestimate sunburn. It can be really, really bad with for people, especially if they've fallen asleep of the sun or they suddenly get in the sunshine, especially in the tropics where people aren't used to that sort of intensity of the sun there. So it's always good to have these remedies around because it can be incredibly painful and also can ruin people's holidays. It can really ruin people's holidays. I've had patients and clients, you know, who've had, especially when they've fallen asleep in the sun and they're really, really, really bad and it's just ruin the holiday because they can't do anything and they, they don't concentrate in the sun and, you know, can be quite painful and quite an issue for them. So the other remedy is phosphorus as well. Now, phosphorus is particularly an affinity for people have to have had an electric burn. So this may be a really good remedy to have because I would say, oh, if you've had an electric burn or we seek medical attention, but take this whilst you're on the way to get medical help. So often when an electric burn occurs, the damaged area may look small on the surface, but there may be more extensive damage underneath the skin. Okay. From the electrical shock or burn and always get it examined by a healthcare professional because of that reason. But you can take phosphorus, it's a big remedy for electric shock and people have had electric shock but also from electric burn. So please don't forget phosphorus, but always get medical help after an electric burn. So let's look at some topical applications you can do. So I think with all the topical applications use, which we're going to talk about now, like in sort of bathing it with water with a tincture in it. For example, we're talking about calendula or a gel. So calendula is, as you know, one fantastic remedies to use for healing. Good to use it in tincture, especially if it's warmed rather than the cool diluted in warm water and it promotes healing and reduces inflammation, stops and clears infection. So good to have it in the first aid box. Now this is how you use it, you get the tincture, take 10 or 15 drops and put it in a small glass of boiled or sterile water. Okay? Boiled or sterile water. So, because you're going to be bathing the wound with it. So always dilute the tincture in water, in a large amount of water, but often it's been boiled as well because it's sterile. And then you can bathe the affected area. If it sting, dilute it even more, add some more water to it. But it's a solution. You never put it neat onto a burn, always use it in a water solution. You can use also calendula gel, which prevents scarring as the wound heals. Or you can also use aloe vera gel, which is. Aloe vera is better known as the burn plant. So try to use gel or these water solutions rather than use cream. Okay, so calendula, fantastic. Next thing I also could suggest is to use Hypercal. So Hypercal is a combination between hyperin paricum and calendula. So the calendula part really good for the healing. The hypericum part is good for the pain. So you can apply a sterile dressing soaked in a solution of Hypercal and the solutions made Some say from 5 mil or 20 drops of tincture of the tincture. The combination of Hypercal is say 200, half a pint of water of cooled, previously boiled water, just like what we talked about with the calendula. Keep the dressing moist and disturb it as little as possible, renewing it every 12 hours or so until the skin is healed. And you can also apply a calendula ointment around the edges, edge of it as well, or calendula gel. So again, just two topical things that you could use. You should always have this in your kit or have this at home. Calendula tincture or a Hypercal. You can get it from any of the homeopathic pharmacies or over the counter health food stores. But remember, you've got to dilute it in water. You do not put it on neat onto any wound. So the question I always get asked is, how do I prescribe these remedies? Again, use the 6C 30C of the homeopathic remedy that you've got in your kit or at home. These are remedies you can buy over the counter health food stores or homeopathic pharmacies and take one dose every 15 minutes, okay? For three or four doses or until the symptoms improve and you will feel it straight away or the person you're giving to will feel the effect straight away and you're looking again. Always remember you're looking for the keynotes of the remedy. As we talked about in these remedies with like Cantharis, you know that raw burning pain, arsenicum, not only the burning pain, but they've got anxiety and restlessness. So we're always looking at the characteristic symptoms of the remedy. You don't need every single thing of that remedy in order to prescribe. We're looking for a three legged stool, which means looking for the three major keynotes, characteristic symptoms of that remedy. But if symptoms persist, seek a qualified practitioner. Okay, you need to get help. If it persists, it doesn't seem to be resolving itself and that's it. So thank you for listening. Talk to some some of the top remedies I think you should know. The scalds and burns, basic things that you'll see at home and in everyday life. Please try it out. Please use it. There is other remedies I've just given you what I think the top ones that you should know about, but go to those ones first and you'll find that will deal with 9 out of 10 of skulls and burns that you will. Again, we haven't talked about deeper burns. That's not the place I think to talk about that. This is really for home prescribing. So please again subscribe to the YouTube channel. Check us out on our website, www.cthomeopathy.com and I look forward to seeing you next time.
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