Naturopathic Quick Summer Tips for the 3 Bs - Burns, Barf, & Bites

Dr. P’s Quick Tips for Tackling  The Bs of Summer : Burns, Bites, and Barf.

We are at the peak of summer and as we are enjoying vacations and getting outside more, comes the risks of adventures and fun. My quick survivor’s naturopathic guide will help you to deal with those little emergencies to make you and your little ones more comfortable!

Traumas
1. Arnica is a homeopathic remedy for any kind of physical trauma. I prefer the cream, but you can buy the oral homeopathic also. It heals bruises and swellings very quickly. If an ankle is sprained or a bone is fractured this remedy will help with the pain and swelling. Great for those who have overdone it with sports activities and have muscle aches and pains.
2. Calc phosh and calc fluor are two cell salts that are great at speeding up the healing of a bone fractures.
3. Cryoderm: heat or cold applications that contain arnica and other natural anti-inflammatories that are applied topically. Some injuries are better treated with heat, some are better with cold. Cryoderm offers both. These remedies are free of chemicals such as parabens. Cryoderm can be great for bug bites too!

Sunburn and Heat exhaustion
1. Coconut water provides natural electrolytes so have a case on hand especially if you plan to be exerting yourself in the heat. Headaches are more often a sign of dehydration. Try iced tea with liquid stevia as a great way to keep kids hydrated
2. Sunscreens made by Badger, Sunology, or any other sunscreen with SPF less than 30 and which contain zinc instead of chemicals such as PABA, are healthier for the body. Visit www.ewg.sunscreens for more information. When it comes to getting a sunburn, all physicians stress prevention. Limit direct exposure to the sun, especially during the peak hours of 10 am to 2 pm. But if you find yourself with a burn anyway-use Urtica Urens homeopathic: 30c every 30 minutes until pain subsides. (Urtica is also great for HIVES). Aloe gel can be helpful, just make sure it is pure without alcohol, as it can be more drying for burns. Avoid essential oils! If pain is too much you may use baby Tylenol.

Insect Bites & Stings

Prevention is key. I suggest taking Brewer’s yeast or vitamin B-6 to keep mosquitos away. REMEMBER essential oils SHOULD NEVER BE INGESTED AND DILUTED EVEN WHEN USING THEM TOPICALLY. My favorite natural bug repellant is Citronella, available in most outdoor stores.

1. Repel lemon and Eucalyptus
2. Burt’s Bees Insect repellent

To soothe mosquito bites, turn to the old standby calamine lotion. To treat bee stings, begin by washing the sting area…removing the stinger…and applying a cold pack or ice to reduce swelling. To reduce itching and block an allergic reaction, you can take an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl). For severe allergic reactions, use an EpiPen, if you have one available, and seek medical attention. Homeopathic remedies include

1. Apis Mellifica 30c – burning and itching at sight.
2. Ledum – for poisonous bites from snakes or spiders that turn purplish

Food Poisoining/Travelers Diarrhea

1.Probiotics – Probiotics are great to have kids use to prevent diarrhea or food poisoning.  Any full spectrum probiotic with 45 billion or more CFUs is recommended daily starting 5 days before vacation, throughout, and 5 days after. I recommend Therbiotic Complete or Flora defense by Xymogen.

2.Berberine or Oregano Oil – Safe to take 50mg (for kids older than 6 ) as a preventive measure.  Once symptoms of food poisoning or stomach aches begin, just double up the dose of both these oils and probiotics and to help eliminate any bad bugs. These oils don’t taste the best but are naturally strong antibiotics and anti-parasitics. Keep hydrated with whatever you can grab, coconut, pedialyte, Gatorade, bone/chicken broth. Dehydration will be what lands you in the hospital.

3. Activated charcoal – put 1 capsules in applesauce up to twice per day to help decrease diarrhea and absorb toxins. This is also essential to have for any kind of poisoinings.

Biocidin – 2 pumps every couple hours should do the trick for food poisoning along with 50-100 billion CFU probiotic. 1 pump every couple hours for kids between the ages of 3-6.

Skin Lesions: Boils and Scrapes
1.Manuka Honey is a fantastic wound healer and anti-biotic. Apply twice daily until better to wounds, scrapes and boils. Hydrogen peroxide is an antimicrobial and great for cleaning wounds before applying honey.

Motion Sickness
Bach flower Remedy & Ginger Candies is something to have on hand in the car, AWLAYS!

Ginger is the greatest remedy for this. Candied organic tastes great and keeps well. Homemade ginger-ale is simple to make: boil 2 cups of fresh ginger in one gallon of water for one hour, cool serve with Perrier, then add stevia or lemon and lime. Keeps well in fridge for one week.

Poison Ivy

If you have a rash from poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac, first wash the area thoroughly with soap (you can use old fashions lye soap or poison ivy–specific soap such as Tecnu) Then use calamine lotion along with the homeopathic remedy Rhus toxicodendron.