Summer camps and summer vacations are just around the corner, and whether you're packing your kids off to sleep-away camp for a few weeks or you're planning a family trip, here’s a list of remedies you’ll want to have on hand to deal with summer incidents!
 
Aconite: This remedy is used best when a cold or cough comes on suddenly, especially after getting a chill. It’s also a good remedy for fear or fright, like after a nightmare, especially when sleeping away from home for the first time! 

Arnica: The preeminent remedy for injuries, falls, bruises, strains, and sprains… no remedy kit should be without this one! Depending on the severity of the injury, one dose 1-5 times a day, for a day or two, should usually be enough to get kids up and running again. I’ve had so many moms describe to me with wonderment how they felt the first time they used Arnica for an injury and watched the “huge red bump” go down before their eyes within minutes. You can also find it in a cream for topical use; use both if you can. We have a terrific one WHP Be gone™

Apis: This is the first remedy to think of for stings or bites—whether it be wasp, bee, mosquito, black fly, red ants, etc. If the area is red, hot, and itchy (and feels better from cold), Apis is the one for you. Apis is one of those remedies you will want to think of when going on a hike or sitting around a campfire in the evening when the bugs come out, if you are the one they love to bite. One or two doses after the bites are usually enough to get the itching and burning feeling better.

Arsenicum Album:  Especially when you’re away from home, an upset stomach can ruin the day. Whether it be from bad food, anxiety, or a virus, Arsenicum is most often the one likely to help, especially since it is impractical to send 10 diarrhea remedies with specific instructions along to camp with kids! If the diarrhea is relatively mild, 1-3 doses in the first 12 hours should help enormously if it’s the right remedy (if it’s the “wrong” remedy, nothing bad will happen, there just won’t be much improvement!) Make sure to hydrate!

Belladonna: This is a good choice at the first sign of fever with red, hot skin. Also, it can be used with a sunburn and in this case is taken every hour for three doses to really get the heat out and promote skin healing.

Calendula spray/ointment: A must for any first aid kit it is to be applied topically to scrapes/cuts. Ensure the area is thoroughly cleaned before applying. Helps promote quick healing of minor abrasions. We have a great topical Calendula ointment called WHP Be gone™ Lil’ Cuts & Scrapes!

Gelsemium: The first remedy to think of for summer colds (especially if the symptoms are vague and do not indicate a clear remedy), where the person is chilly, has little thirst and also very low energy.

Hypericum: For injuries to nerve-rich areas, like a stubbed toe, a finger slammed in the door, a fall on the tailbone with characteristic “nerve” pain—shooting, sharp and tingling, try Hypericum. Ouch!

Ignatia: I always sent Ignatia in my kids’ sleep-away camp remedy kits (maybe it was just wishful thinking that they would miss me a bit….), but if homesickness strikes, this should stop any crying and sighing, and missing home in a flash. One dose should do it.

Ledum: This is a good remedy to think of with a puncture wound such as stepping on something sharp. It’s also used for insect bites, especially if Apis doesn’t help or is not indicated, as Ledum’s bites feel cool to the touch (vs Apis, which feels hot).  I have also found Ledum to be particularly effective with large bruises (like poking your thigh into the corner of a desk), when Arnica doesn’t help. Finally, it is often the best remedy to use with a black eye (best if used immediately after a baseball or an elbow makes contact with the eye socket!)

Rhus-tox: This remedy has two very useful acute indications: one is with poison ivy. Be sure to have it handy when going on a hike or gardening. If you do get poison ivy, this is the most common remedy to help with the intense itching, but it needs to be administered frequently (like every hour for multiple doses). Second, Rhus-tox is a very useful remedy with strains or sprains, especially when the joint is stiff in the morning and feels better after movement. Use it following Arnica, when that remedy no longer provides any benefit.

Ruta: Easily confused with Rhus-tox for use in sprains, this one seems to have more affinity for tendons but if unsure, try Rhus-tox first and if no results after a day or so, change to Ruta.

Silicea:  This remedy can sometimes be effective in encouraging splinters to be expelled. Give it a try: one dose every 12 hours for 3 doses.
 
As with any medical condition, consult your physician if you have concerns about the severity of your illness, as it may initially require a medical diagnosis and/or intervention and monitoring.

About Dr. Lisa Samet:

Dr. Lisa Samet N.D. provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a regular column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine. Dr. Samet graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998 and has been practicing in Montreal since then. She was born and raised in New York.

Dr. Samet has chosen to focus on homeopathy because in her experience it is the deepest healing modality available in that it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but can actually stimulate the body to start to heal itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long distance using Zoom, Skype, or Facetime. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet. You can follow her on Facebook as well.