29 Dec 2023 · 21 min
A Homeopathy at Home podcast episode (EP31) by Marcus Fernandez focused on recognising and treating infant colic with homeopathic remedies. The host defines colic using NHS criteria (crying patterns, physical signs) then gives a remedy-by-remedy guide describing characteristic signs, modalities (what makes symptoms better or worse), and typical stool/vomit features for many remedies (Thuja, Chamomilla, Colocynthis, Dyscaria, Ipecac, Lycopodium, Mag Phos, Nux Vomica). Practical acute dosing guidance is provided (6C or 30C, one dose hourly for 3–4 doses, or every 30 minutes in severe pain) and listeners are advised to seek medical care if concerns persist.
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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.
Thanks. I wish I knew this when my children were babies. I'm telling you now, if you want to show what homeopathy can do, give it to kids who've got colic. And watch the parents because they get the first night's sleep. Their life changes because it just can be so all consuming and it's so hard because the babies look like they're in so much pain. But this is when homeopathy can be so, so, so effective. With it. Let's get into colic, the top homeopathic remedies for babies. So what is colic? Well, you know, all babies cry. So people that have got kids, you know, you would have had colic with your children and having to deal with it, which can be really, really difficult. I can remember my son had a colleague who was very, very young, probably a month old, couple of months old, and he had this colic. And I remember it's always in the middle of the night. These things always seem to be in the middle of night, about 2 o' clock in the morning. And I'd run a mother and baby clinic for many, many years. And I always wondered why people gave me cards or little presents after their children are being treated and because they can get a first night's sleep, you know, for a long time, or just the relief that something could help their child. I remember being with my little boy and holding my arms and in such pain, such agony. And all you want to do as a parent is help your child. You just want the pain to go away. You give anything for your pain to go away. And I remember just popping a remedy. Cameron Miller, because that was the remedy that he needed. And I remember just feeling his whole body as I held him in my arms. He just relaxed and he just let out this little Sigh. And I remember thinking, wow, homeopathy is amazing. Even though I had years of experience of treating other people's children, it still is amazing to see the instant that that remedy touched his tongue, he just relaxed and stop crying. So this is why it's so crucial that we know about these remedies. So all babies cry, but the baby may have colic if they cry more for three hours a day, three days a week, or for at least a week, but are otherwise healthy. And they may cry more in the afternoon and the evening. So all this is coming from the NHS website. It may be colic. If they're crying, it's hard to soothe or settle the baby. They clench their fists, tension in the fist, they go red in the face. They bring their knees up to their tummy or arch their back and their tummy rumbles, or they're very windy. And it can start when a baby's a few weeks old and it usually stops by the time they get to three or four months old. But if you are concerned about anything with your baby or child, always seek medical advice just to check things out and see if everything's okay. So as always, say, check out us on YouTube. If you're on YouTube, subscribe, spread the word. There's so many videos on there now about all different acute conditions. So please subscribe to the YouTube channel or spread the link to people to sign up and subscribe, because you then get notified when new videos are released. And also check us out on the website chhomeopathy.com, the center for Homeopathic Education. So let's look at some homeopathic remedies for colic. So the first remedy I'm going to talk about is a remedy called a thusa. Now, you might not get this over the counter, you can get it from a homeopathic pharmacy. But this is a really good remedy for babies who don't seem to be able to tolerate milk very well, either breast milk or formula. And this is as well, babies that seem quite weak, they can't difficult to hold their head up and they want to feed all the time. They're very, very hungry, but it never seems to satisfy. And then often after they've been fed, they will then bring most of it back up again and they'll vomit it all back up again. So after they're fed, often this is when the colic starts and they'll start the beef fed with the colic and then they'll maybe projectile vomit. The thing of the things that they do projectile Vomit. All the feed will come back up again or come up in large curds. And often then they get really distressed and they're crying a lot with the colic squirming around. The thumbs can be clenched and the eyes can turn downwards and they have a red face. Okay. And they may have trouble settling this baby because they want to feed again because they've vomited all the food back up, the feedback up and they sometimes will fall asleep or they can be really difficult because they want this very, very hungry all of the time. So as well, they can look rather sad rather than angry. They can look quite sad and you'll feel sorry for them. They look like quite in a sad place. But this Ethusa is a great remedy for this, especially with the milk. This intolerance for milk and also colic after being fed. Great remedy, Ethusa. Next remedy is chamomilla. So this is one of the most common remedies for colic in babies. I just mentioned about. I use that in my son. This is one of the number one remedies that you find. Chamomilla, Colocynthus and Magfos are the big ones. So this is where the baby's very oversensitive to the pain, so very agitated, very irritable and nothing pleases them. You're trying everything. It's like trying to soothe them, trying to please them and it's just nothing that is in a total state. The pain is unendurable and intolerable and they become very angry with the pain. Now, again, a lot when you're treating babies, you're going to have to go a lot on what you can see and what you can observe because they can't tell you how they feel. But we know from the remedy chamomile, how people feel in adults and they often say it's unendurable, the pain and intolerable. And if you check out like the teething videos we've done and period pain we talked about in the videos, Cameron Miller comes up. So they have a very angry cry. So you hear them really angry and they're screaming and they're shrieking. And often the legs will be drawn up to the tummy. Okay. There's a line about the drawing up to the tummy and with crying, but a lot of restlessness and they won't be able to sleep either, sleeplessness. So they're going to get in a real state. The whole nervous system gets in a real state. And then if you feel the tummy can feel a little Bit hot. It can feel swollen from wind or from gas. And often when you see the nappies, often you can have diarrhea with grass, green stools with bits of white in there which looks like chopped up eggs. And it can smell a bit like rotten eggs as well. And it looks like chopped up spinach and eggs. Egg white, but quite offensive. They're better for being carried on the shoulder. But the thing with Callum Miller, they like to be walked around quite fast. Okay. So it's like they are on the shoulder and they like to be. Or fast rocking. They like the movement, the fast movement. And if you just start with them on there, that won't pacify them. You have to be moving around or rocking them quite fast. Better for cold applications. On the tummy, they may feel better if you put something like quite cool on the tummy, like a flannel. Worse for touch. Okay. If you touch them, they're worse. Like the tummy being looked at. It's like you look at this, they go even more of a state when they're looking at you. So oversensitive. Can be worse around 9:00pm this is a keynote from Cameron Miller. Or 9:00pm to midnight. And they can be worse for heat as well. Okay. So it is a lot better for cool. Okay, so chamomile, one of the top remedies in colic you'll find with babies. The next one is colocynthis. So here there's tremendous anger and indignation with severe colic and extremely irritable. And again we'll pull the knees up to the chest due to the pain and cry out again and scream with the pain. And with colocynthesis they wriggle and they twist and they turn with a distorted face because they're in pain. It's like distorted face, very restless. And the pains with colocynthesis is cutting griping pains which comes in waves. And again the cry can sound really loud. They have a really light cry and sounds again angry and cross. So you can see it's quite similar to camomile in that respect. I think the colic may come on soon after the feed. You'll be like a thus there and it's relieved by pressure. If you put them over your shoulder and the pressure on the abdomen from your shoulder or laying them on the abdomen, they're a lot better. The colic benefit pressure and if you're getting the nappies, the bowel movements, they'll look like jelly like and sour smell to it looks like jelly again. So the better for bending doubles. If you bend them forward and I say you're winding them, they may be better for that. Again, better pressing on something hard like the shoulder, you feel better for that. And they get relief from that. Better for warmth. Okay. So you put something warm on that's opposite to Cameron Miller, which was better for cold and bending the head forward. So again, when you're. Maybe when you're trying to win them and the head forward and the better after a stool. So if they have a bowel movement often, this can relieve the colic. The worst from feeding. So we said just after the feeding. And the pain is worse for slightest touch. Okay. Around the tummy. Worse around 4pm, worse lying on the back. Okay. So this can look like chamomilla, but it doesn't try to double up and they toss around more. They're trying to move and twist and turn a lot more. And there's more wind and gas with copper synthesis. And you can also like a remedy called magfos. But magfos gets relief, much more relief from the warmth. Okay. Even though colocynthesis does get some, they get a lot more. That's one of the keynotes of Mag Phos, which we're going to talk about in a moment. Great remedy, Colocynthes. So you may try chamomile. It looks like chamomilla, but it might have slightly different modalities. And that's the one where it's better. You know, something hard like the shoulder. Next remedy, dyscaria. So this is where the pains are unbearable. Sharp cutting, twisting, griping and grinding. That the pains dart about. Okay, all over the place. Again, the baby won't be here to tell you this, but this is from when adults have these sort of pains. They describe it. It goes all over the place and it twists. Sharp cutting. But the keynote for this remedy is the baby bends or arches the back backwards, as you can see here. Now the baby's trying to arch the way back. Okay. And they get relief from that. It's better when they bend and arch backwards. Excessive wind with the colic. Lot of wing, a lot of gas built up. Better stretching backwards. Better sitting upright. Better if they sort of move around. Okay. It's like they're trying to undo it. Worse bending forward, Worse lying down. Okay. But the keynote for this remedy. Got a small remedy for the colic, but it's the bending and arching backwards. This is one of the big, big keywords for this remedy. Next remedy, ipecac. Now, we covered ipecac when we did morning sickness. So there's often there's nausea and vomiting with this remedy. So with ipecac they're very hard to please, never settle, don't know what they need. So it's not like Cameron Miller, which is hard to please. Not that extent, not that intense. But they just fractures, you know, they don't know what they want, they don't know what they need. And then they can sort of work themselves up and become frantic and they can shove their fists in the mouth, trying to bite the mouth. So they're just trying to get some kind of relief from the pain. Again, bit like chamomile can be frantic. And this is good for babies that posit a lot. So you know, it's like they bring back some of their feed. So this is where you know your people are walking around and that's all over the shoulder. So often ipecat they tend to do that. But the keynote with this remedy is that if they get any type of pain colic, the baby will stiffen out during the paroxysm of pain and the body will be straight and rigid. Okay, so not trying to twist or turn or pull the knees up, they're trying to straighten out and be rigid. So they're not bringing the knees up like magfast and not arching backwards like dyskorea. It's just straight and stiff. And the stools are green like green as grass. The look green as grass or fermented like foamy, frothy with white mucus and slimy. So remember chamomile, it looks like chopped up egg and spinach and it's green a little bit like that with ipecac. Well, this is a really good remedy. If pethidine was used during labor and the babies had colic. Okay, so this is a really good remedy. If the mother's pethidine was used in labor and then the child has colic, it's a good remedy to think of with ipecat. But remember, this is a different type. They're rigid with the pain. Just try to straighten out the pain. Not trying to double up or pull the knees up or anything like that. Next remedy. Great. Picture this lycopodium. So this is for babies with a bloated looking abdomen full of wind and fermentation. That's the keynote of lycopodium. They ferment really, really bloated tummy and they may grunt and they may wiggles if they've got trapped wind and may seem relieved if they do burp or release it so they're better for that release. Again, look at the picture here of the baby always seems really hungry and will feed quite, you know, quite ferociously. But they'll stop long after because it's almost like they're filled up. So again, another little keynote for Lycopodium. They can feel very full after a little bit of feeding. Okay, so this fed a little bit and it's almost like the fall, but it's because of the gas and the bloating they're feeling. And immediately after feeding, the abdomen is bloated and full. And the keynote for lycopodium worse between 4 and 8pm Remember this from other videos. This is their worst time, between 4 and 8pm and better for belching. Okay? Better if that wind comes out or better if it comes out the other end with flatulence. And you may notice this if the colic is worse, if the mother eats things like cabbage or beans or windy foods, it can also have an effect on the baby as well. So Lycopodium, big, big fermentation, full of gas, full of bloating. And they'll grunt and they'll wriggle, but they feel so much that you see them a lot better when it comes out. Okay? Okay. Magfos. This is like the third of the triad I talked about. Chamomilla, codocentis, magfos. So this is colic with burping of gas, which brings no relief. And it's an antispasmodic remedy. Sudden waves of pain come and then they go just as quick. And they can seem anxious and fearful and restless with the pain. Okay. Not angry like those other remedies. This is more anxious and fearful because they're waiting for the wave of pain to come. It's like they're anticipating again and they get scared with it. Better warm application. This is the keynote for MAGFOs. Better for warm application. So that could be a warm, again, warm funnel, little warm water bottle or massage like the photo of the picture here, a massage on the stomach with some warm oil. Okay? So the light pressure on the tummy, on the belly, or from like if they lie in the tummy or if you massage them. But again, if you also have them on your shoulder, there's pressure there. They feel better for that. So they are better for heat, better for warmth, better for rubbing, better for pressure. It can be better also for bending double. Okay. Worse at night. So this is the kids who get it at night, the babies. Worse can be worse for milk. Again, they can get the pain from after feeding. Worse for touch. Now that's light touch. So the worse for light touch, but better for hard touch or hard rubbing or hard pressure. So this is similar to colocynthis. So they might bring the knees up, but not so much in the need of bending forward. So they may bring the knees up, but they don't want to necessarily try to bend forward or in that position. And magfos is much more better for heat. Okay. And better for that warmth magfos. But again, it's also good if chamomilla doesn't work, especially if it's better for heat. Because remember, chamomile is worse for heat and they're nowhere near as angry or irritable. So again, that's that triad of remedies. Chamomilla, colocynthes, magfos. Okay, and then we've got nux vomica. So this is colic when children often from constipation. So it's like they can't go or they feel different or a small amount comes out and they'll have griping, cramping, spasm, pain. And again the baby will cry a lot. It will draw its feet up and kicks them out in anger. So nux vomicant does have anger. Remember that as other remedies we've nux vomicant, we've done it for other videos. He does get angry, but they kick him out in angry or can also arch backwards. So remember the other remedy discovery can arch backwards. Same with nux vomica. Maybe indicated if the mother is breastfeeding as a diet that's too rich or too stimulating, such as caffeine or spicy food. So we're going to be careful if they are being breastfed or what is the mother taking, eating or drinking. I've seen this with mothers who drink chamomile tea and they're drinking herbal tea because they don't want to drink coffee or normal tea, but they drink a lot of it and then it almost produces a chamomilla baby. You know, the children goes into a chamomile state. So you've got to be careful around that extreme sensitivity, irritability and anger with nux vomica. But they have colic with cold hands and cold feet. So this is again some little keynotes. Cold hands and cold feet. And they are better for passing storm or passing wind. Okay. Better for if they go and, you know, have a bowel movement. So much better. Or from passing wind from both ends. Okay. And better for Warmth, because often it can be quite chilly as well with Nux Vomica. So. So they're your top remedies for colic. There's lots of remedies for colic, but I've just given you the ones I think you need to know, especially those three triad remedies I talked about. Colocynthes, Chamomilla and Magfos. So again, if you're treating a child, you can use a 6C or 30C of the homeopathic remedy. You can also get the remedy from over the counter or from homeopathic pharmacies in very soft tablets which dissolve straight away on the tongue of the baby and take one dose every hour for three or four doses. Now again, in acute situation, it's really cute. You could do it once every half an hour if you think and see if they're reading an acute in a lot of pain, do once, just adjust it accordingly to the pain that the child is in or for three or four doses or until the symptoms improve. And you will see if it will improve. You'll see it within five or ten minutes. It will improve. I mean, I give the example of my son, that was a few seconds, but you'll see it quite quickly if it is the right remedy. And again, you're looking for the keynotes of the remedy or the three legged stool, looking for these major characteristic symptoms that match the remedy. Okay, we're looking for three. You don't need all of it, but you need some three major keynotes. And we've talked about some of the keynotes. What makes it better, what makes it worse? Okay? Especially with babies, you're observing what they're trying to do. They're trying to lift the knees up. Are they better if they're on the shoulder? That means it's better for pressure. This is what you gotta be like, a little detective and find out exactly what are the characteristic symptoms. But if symptoms persist, seek a qualified practitioner. Okay. Because they may need more chronic treatment. So again, check us out on The CHE website, chehhomeopathy.com, we have lots of courses there from beginners all the way to practitioner and to postgraduate level. And subscribe to the YouTube channel because you'll see plenty of videos on there and you will be first alerted if there's a new video on there. And I'll see you next time. Bye bye.
Thank you so much for joining me today on the Homeopathy at Home podcast. I hope you found today's episode enlightening, empowering and made you feel that you can become a competent home prescriber. Before we wrap up, I just wanted to invite you to explore my latest book, Homeopathy at Home, published by Hay House and Penguin Random House, where you'll find even more insights into homeopathy's transformative power. So for more resources updates, please look.
In the show notes below.
And until next time, keep embracing homeopathy. Use it in your daily life. That's how you learn homeopathy, by using it. Until next time, take care.
Thank you.