 I'm a mom of 3 (now grown) boys. Generally speaking, I’m pretty good with noise.
A couple of days ago, I suddenly couldn’t tolerate noise any longer. My change of heart on noise may be me entering a new phase of life, or, more likely, it’s a temporary condition resulting from what I imagine it must feel like living inside a dentist’s drill. You see, we have had all new windows put in our house. I must admit I had not given any thought to how noisy a process this would be. My nerves were frayed. My tolerance was shot. I startled very easily. What did I do? Nothing, homeopathically speaking, that is. At first, I thought my headphones were enough of a buffer. (In hindsight, playing music to cover up the noise may have made the whole thing a little worse.) I really just needed a break from the noise. I drove to the grocery store (and back!) in silence. Unheard of for me. I basked in my newfound appreciation of silence, whenever I could find it, which was just about impossible. Homeopathically speaking, what could I have done about it? Coffea cruda would be my first stop. Coffea is an excellent remedy for oversensitiveness. When noises evoke emotions such as anger and annoyance and irritability. When noise worsens existing pain… Coffea. When noise even causes pain… Coffea. From Dr. Robin Murphy: “Coffee increases the sensibility of nerves, making them over excitable and over sensitive, special senses become over acute, emotions especially joy and pleasurable surprise, produces dangerous symptoms.” Sidebar: Who knew joy could be a problem? That was certainly news to me when I first learned that little tidbit when first learning homeopathy. Ailments from excessive joy — Coffea cruda is bold, capital letters and underlined! Back to Dr. Murphy: “Extreme sensitiveness characterizes this remedy. Hyperactivity of mind and body. Neuralgia in various parts, always with great nervous excitability and intolerance of pain, driving to despair.” I have to say, this last bit pretty much sums up how I felt. I was jumpy, annoyed and restless. I was also pretty excited about our new windows which had been a long time in the coming. However, I don’t think joy played much of a part in how I was feeling for the last couple of weeks. What would be my second homeopathic stop for intolerance to noise? Nux vomica. Nux vomica is the other all caps, bold and underlined remedy for being oversensitive to noises. It, too, would be indicated for irritability from noises. Let’s go back to Dr. Murphy again for a minute, this time about Nux vomica… Nux vomica has an “overactive mind. Nervous and excitable. Very irritable, sensitive to all impressions. Cannot bear noises, odors, light. Angry and impatient, cannot stand pain, so mad, he cries.” There’s a lot of similarity and overlap between these two remedies and how they react to noises. How to choose? Quite honestly, it’s a bit of a coin flip between Coffea and Nux vomica when it comes to noise issues. If this noise sensitivity is particularly acute during menses? Nux vomica. If it’s voices which are irking you… Nux may be more indicated than Coffea. If hearing noises in your ears is part of the problem… Nux may be a better choice. For a little more information on Coffea, check out “Stolen Sleep.” For a little more information on Nux vomica, check out “Too Much.” The windows are pretty much complete now. How is my newfound need for silence? Earlier today, I was really enjoying listening to the birds. This evening, the lone cricket is fine (so far). But in the very near future, demolition begins on our bathroom renovation. Rest assured I will have Coffea close at hand this time around (and I know exactly where to find my tube of Nux, if need be). Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits
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 I first learned about the homeopathic remedy Ammonium carbonicum when I was just beginning my adventure into the world of homeopathy. It was taught to me as part of a Banerji Protocol for menopausal symptoms: Brainfog, moodiness & irritability and abnormal menstrual bleeding. I next stumbled upon Ammonium carbonicum when I had flu-like symptoms. I remember the headache very well. It was like I had eaten ice cream too fast except time was not helping the pain to go away. I was thumbing through a book that had been sitting on the shelf, waiting for this very moment to prove its usefulness. The Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza: Surviving Influenza Pandemics Past, Present and Future with Homeopathy by Sandra J. Perko. This book has since earned a prized location on my bookshelf. Headache Symptoms: Am-c (Ammonium carbonicum): Headache with fever. Headache centered in the forehead at the root of the nose. Headache with nausea. Better with pressure and in a warm room (Perko, 2005, p. 211). This description was by far the closest listed for my headache that day, though the words alone didn’t fully describe the pain I was experiencing. When I learned that Ammonium carbonicum is a homeopathic remedy made from smelling salts, that’s when the penny really dropped. If you have ever had a good whiff of ammonia, you know where that odor concentrates — right at the root of the nose — right where an ice cream headache settles in. I took one dose of homeopathic Ammonium carbonicum 200c and I was on my way back to engaging with the world. Perko’s book is formatted in such a way that even if it is you who is trying to figure out the best remedy for yourself when you’re feeling rotten, it is totally do-able. Following interesting information about influenzas throughout history (which you can marvel at later, when you’re feeling better), page 138 jumps right in with Predominating Symptoms: “Fever Predominates: High Temperature - Severe Sweating” and lists 54 short descriptions of homeopathic remedies and the types of fever symptoms they address. There are not chapters, per se, but headings: Fever, Perspiration, Chill, Respiratory symptoms, Catarrhal (mucus) symptoms, Cough, Throat, Larynx, Tongue & Mouth symptoms, Nasal, Sneezing, Eyes, Musculoskeletal, Headache & Face symptoms, and Vertigo. Each subheading is followed by dozens of 2-4 line entries of clear symptomatic descriptions of each homeopathic remedy. Following the Predominating Symptoms is the “Influenza Differential Reference” listing the previously mentioned remedies and how they each relate to the flu. Unlike most Materia Medicas, this one first lists “Influenza Keynotes” and then provides a paragraph from noted homeopaths (current and historic) and their thoughts on the homeopathic remedy in regard to its connection to influenza. The end of the book closes out with a section on “Complications of Influenza” and homeopathic remedies which may help and a special Bird Flu section. You may now be wondering how menopausal symptoms relate to a remedy for an ice cream headache. Good question. Most homeopathic remedies relate to all/most parts of the body in their individual ways.* Let’s look at Ammonium carbonicum on a very surface level and think back to the old movies and novels where we would see women of a certain age taking a little whiff of their smelling salts. We learn in Tasca’s article, (2012) Women and Hysteria in the History of Mental Health that “During the Victorian Age (1837-1901) most women carried a bottle of smelling salts in their handbag: they were inclined to swoon when their emotions were aroused, and it was believed, that, as postulated by Hipocrates [sic], the wandering womb disliked the pungent odor and would return to its place, allowing the woman to recover her consciousness.” I posit that it wasn’t the “wandering womb” that was causing the problems and nor were her problems to be considered "hysteria," but various menopausal symptoms were in play and that the smelling salts were helping to address. Menopausal Syndrome, Banerji Protocol: Menopausal symptoms, in general, including brain fog, moodiness & irritability as well as heavy menstrual bleeding: Ammonium carbonicum 200, once every 10 days. Note: this is one part of the protocol and other remedies would be employed to address further menopausal symptoms. If you are experiencing a difficult time as a result of peri-menopause, menopause or post-menopause, book an acute appointment now * Keep an eye out for an upcoming article on homeopathic “provings” which will bring a little clarity on how we know how homeopathic remedies affect individuals. You can sign up to have the latest articles delivered to your email here. Banerji, P. and Banerji, P. (2013). The Banerji protocols : a new method of treatment with homeopathic medicines. India: Pratip Banerji. Tasca, C. (2012). Women And Hysteria In The History Of Mental Health. Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, [online] 8(1), pp.110–119.  Perko, S.J. (2005).
The homeopathic treatment of influenza : surviving influenza epidemics and pandemics past, present and future with homeopathy. San Antonio, Tx: Benchmark Homeopathic Publications. |
Julia Coyte, CHomI am passionate about homeopathy and I love sharing this passion. Having a working knowledge of homeopathy shouldn't be kept a secret. If people have the ability to help themselves, their children and their friends when they have minor ailments, life just gets better for everyone. That is the purpose behind Ruminating on Remedies. Archives
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