Cold & Damp

I live in a desert. I live in a desert for a reason. I like that nice, dry weather, usually with a big, blue sky filled with a sun that has meaning!

Soon, I’m headed to other climes and I must admit, even though I am really looking forward to the trip, I am not looking forward to the cold and damp. The last time I was in this weather in the winter, I would get so cold it took a long time soaking in a deep, hot bath to warm up. Literally. Chilled to the bone is a real thing.

Back in the day, I didn’t even know about homeopathy, let alone use it. So, this time, I’m doing a little prep work of what remedies to have along with me.

Previously, I wrote about frost bite and the remedies that can help with that. I’ll bring that remedy with me, but that’s very different to the deep-seated cold of damp weather.

Three remedies stand out in my search: Dulcamara, Nux moschata, and Rhus tox. These are not the only remedies, just the 3 that keep popping up most clearly and therefore, a good place to start (and the 3 remedies I am going to be sure to bring with me!) Calc carb showed up quite often, but it didn’t really have any distinguishing features, but I’ll leave it in anyway, just cuz.

Homeopathic Dulcamara has a strong keynote aggravation from damp weather. “Any condition which has this feature may find its remedy in Dulcamara” (Robin Murphy). Most Dulcamara complaints are related to the mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyelids, lungs, stomach, intestines).

Symptoms unique to Dulcamara in the cold and damp:

1. Hoarseness
2. A sensation of having an enlarged head
3. Paralysis of the tongue
4. A cold sensation in the occiput

A few symptoms where Dulcamara is your best bet (though, Calc carb, Nux moschata and Rhus tox are still indicated, but not as clearly):

• Diarrhea as a result of the cold and damp
• Coughing from the damp cold
• Ailments as a result of being or living in the cold and damp
• Chills from the cold, damp weather

Homeopathic Nux moschata is what would be called a dry remedy. (It’s made from nutmeg, so that kind of makes sense to me.) A very dry remed actually; so, it’s no surprise that the person who could benefit from it would not fare well in the cold and damp.

Three symptoms that appear in the cold and damp and are unique to Nux moschata:

1. A headache felt in the temples
2. Pain and tension in the neck
3. Pain in the middle of the back, the thoracic area — essentially from the base of the neck to the bottom of the ribs

If you experience any of these symptoms as a result of being in the cold and damp, Nux moschata is most likely the remedy for you.

Homeopathic Rhus tox is a remedy that is known for feeling better from heat — generally, the hotter the better! So, it would make sense that a person needing Rhus tox would feel worse in the cold and damp.

Specific to Rhus tox as a result of the cold & damp:

• A numb sensation in the joints
• Sciatica
• Headache that can be described as a “tearing” pain (well, Calc carb is more highly indicated, actually, but my other 2 main remedies aren’t included - just these two)
• As if the blood were cold (also consider Aconite or Arsenicum)

A few other rubrics to consider that don’t fit nicely into my (mostly) neatly segregated remedies:

• Rheumatism after cold weather: Rhus tox & Dulcamara
• Back pain from cold weather: Rhus tox, Calc carb & Dulcamara
• Asthma symptoms from the cold & wet: Dulcamara, Nat sulph & Arsenicum album
• Female pains from the cold & damp: Calc phos
• Sore thighs in the cold, damp weather: Calc phos

Here’s to sitting by a blazing fire, sipping something hot and lovely!
​
Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits
 ​