Holiday remedies

 I wanted to share some advice about how to help minor complaints both while abroad and on holiday in the UK.

Digestive problems can blight even the best planned holiday, with tummy bugs being the most common travel-associated illness, according to the NHS Choices website.

While simple measures such as not drinking tap water can reduce the risk of stomach complaints, homeopathic remedies can be used to help holidaymakers get back on track.

Other common holiday complaints include sunburn, insect bites, jet lag and travel sickness.

Many people are looking for a more natural way to help their ailments. Homeopathic medicines are non-toxic, so they are safe to use in people of all ages.

Homeopathic medicine is holistic and while treatment by a professional homeopath is recommended, over-the-counter remedies can be used in minor ailments.

Homeopathic medicine works in a different way to conventional medicine, with each remedy having its own specific characteristics. Useful remedies to take on holiday include:

Arsenicum - the number one food poisoning remedy. There is much vomiting and diarrhoea, the patient is chilly, restless and anxious.

Belladonna – useful in sunburn where the burn is throbbing, you can feel heat coming off the body, and the patient may have a headache.

Cocculus – useful in travel sickness and jet lag, where there is nausea, vertigo (i.e. a ‘dizzy’ sensation as if you’re head is spinning), an empty feeling and you feel better lying still.

Ledum - useful in puncture wounds and insect bites, where the area is swollen blue and cold, but better for cold.

Arnica - the number one remedy for bruising but also useful in jet lag where there is an exhausted “bruised” feeling.

Note: patients are advised to consult their GPs before travelling abroad.

 

Happy holidays to everyone!