January 7, 2020
The other day one of my younger mom friends sparked this blog by asking me what I would advise her to keep around as kind of an alternative first aid kit. After sharing a fairly long list of things that I find critical, we decided it would probably be a useful kind of list to share here.
I will tell you some of what we use these things for, but as always, standard disclaimers about medical advice and speaking to your provider apply. Also, getting proper training in administering the various interventions is critical.
I broke this down into categories of use.
Minor Boo-Boos (abrasions, swelling, soreness, and burns)
Arnica is my go-to for trauma. When my son was learning how to walk, he fell face first into one of those wrought-iron magazine stands. In the time that it took me to run upstairs for the ice pack and get back downstairs, he sprouted a golf ball-sized goose egg at the edge of his eye socket. I was able to apply arnica ointment to all but the very inside part of the goose egg. The next day the swelling was gone entirely, and the only bruising was where I was unable to get the gel due to proximity of his eyeball. I keep arnica in the forms of gel/cream and homeopathic pellets in 30C and 200C.
Calendula is one of the best herbs for treating minor skin stuff – burns, abrasions, eczema (sometimes). I keep it around in both cream and dried-flower forms. It’s one of the ingredients in my own personal chapstick recipe, and in a pinch I could make a strong tea and poultice using it.
Tea Tree Essential Oil is antifungal and antibacterial. It’s basically the woo-person’s hydrogen peroxide. It can also dry pimples.
Lavender Essential Oil is very soothing for minor skin irritations. I like to put it in the bath with a good quantity of almond oil.
Aloe Plants are essential for burns. You simply cut a leaf off and squeeze the gel out. It’s amazing. It’s perfectly happy being grown in a pot in a window.
Comfrey Plants require a yard because comfrey roots pretty deep. I keep comfrey growing in my yard because it’s basically human spackle. You can pack a clean wound with a comfrey-leaf or -root tea poultice (you make a strong tea, soak a piece of muslin cloth in it, and bind the wound). Comfrey is also one of the ingredients in my aforementioned chapstick. Unless you are an experienced herbalist, you should not ingest or recommend ingesting comfrey leaves.
Epsom Salts are fantastic in the bath for aches and pains, for mild detoxing, and a little bit of magnesium absorption.
Arnica flower
Cruds (viruses, internal infections)
Enzyme Defense (formerly known as Virastop) from Enzymedica is one of the few that I will recommend by brand. My son has been a viral-regression kind of kid, so we like to make sure that we address viruses just as soon as we are aware of what we are dealing with. The particular combination of enzymes breaks down the outer shell of the virus and allows the immune system (or other antiviral that you have on board) to be more effective.
Calcium Lactate for fevers. If you follow Covenant Integrative Wellness on Facebook, you already know this. Dr. McGowin did a Monday Minute on this protocol in the fall of 2019. Turns out the reason a body spikes a fever is that it needs calcium to fully mount an immune response and the easiest way is to get it from the bones. The fever leaches out the calcium. So by providing calcium lactate when a fever presents, we give the body what it needs, and it no longer is required to leach from the bones. I have personally run the fever protocol when my son spiked a 102 temperature one day, and it works.
Peppermint Essential Oil is usually my first go-to for plugged-up sinuses, simply to sniff from the bottle. Peppermint is also analgesic (can help pain, I like it on my temples for headaches) and is another method for reducing a fever when applied up the spine, to the big toes, or in the belly button. It’s more of a suppression, whereas calcium lactate is more of a “the body has what it needs so it can reduce the fever.”
Eucaylptus Essential Oil is good when peppermint alone isn’t enough to loosen up congestion. You can dilute eucalyptus into a little bit of almond oil and rub on the chest and big toes.
Oregano Essential Oil is incredibly antipathogenic. If I see mucus starting to show signs of infection, I will do oregano in the diffuser and on big toes. Oregano is also tremendously antifungal.
Vitamin C – At the first signs of an impending upper respiratory infection, I do a gram (1,000 mg) of Vitamin C (buffered) an hour until I start having watery diarrhea (this is what “to bowel tolerance” means), and I do that until I no longer feel those signs of illness.
Vitamin D – Also at the first signs of an impending upper respiratory infection, I do what is affectionately referred to as the Vitamin D Hammer. I’ve heard the dosing described several ways, but basically it’s a megadose of Vitamin D once a day for three days. The dosing is based on body weight, and you should Google to ensure you are doing what is correct for your weight. In my house it’s 50,000 iu for a 165-pound body.
Elderberries – I keep them around in dried form because I make my own tincture and syrup from scratch. You can purchase pre-made elderberry syrup (watch the expiration instructions) and elderberry throat drops. There are some really interesting studies popping up that are showing elderberry actually unwinds the flu virus at a cellular level.
Oscillocillium is probably the most well-known of the homeopathic pellet treatments because it really does help influenza if you start it really early. I’ve actually had MDs recommend it to me. I generally give one tube of remedy every four hours the first day then slow down frequency as long as symptoms stay away.
Bone Broth is soothing, healthy, and full of immune-boosting properties. Everyone should drink a cup a day unless they have histamine sensitivities.
Calendula flower
Tummy Issues
It’s pretty rare for a child on the autism spectrum to NOT have some sort of gastrointestinal involvement. It could be anything – constipation, diarrhea, too much/not enough stomach acid.
Castor Oil (both capsules and not) – It’s much easier to get down a child in a capsule than not. Castor oil is not my top-of-the-list laxative because it’s so . . . dramatically effective. That said, oftentimes a nice castor-oil pack on the liver (or uterus for us perimenopausal mamas) helps soothe cramping when nothing else will.
Activated Charcoal (encapsulated) is one of my go-to remedies for dietary infractions, as it pulls everything out. You should not administer activated charcoal within at least two (and some folks say four) hours of administering medications or supplements because the AC will pull it all right out. Don’t be alarmed that post-AC bowel movements turn black.
Bentonite Clay (encapsulated) is activated charcoal light. This is my go-to for diarrhea. Same rules as AC for timing around medications, but you won’t have black poop. This is personally my favorite binder.
Magnesium Citrate is my go-to for constipation. Its much less . . . dramatic than Castor oil (causes way less cramping). I like to dose it at bedtime and plan to stay near the toilet most of the next morning.
Nox Vomica in 30C and 200C doses is homeopathy for over indulging, heartburn, vomiting, etc.
Miscellaneous Multitaskers
Apis in 30c and 200c for swelling and allergic reaction. I handed my sister in law the apis from my purse one day when she was given a salad with jalapeño peppers (to which she is allergic). It stopped the throat itch and swelling sensation in minutes.
Rescue Remedy – I keep this flower remedy in my purse for when we feel a meltdown starting. Sometimes Rescue Remedy with a quiet room will stave it off.
Cell Salts – This is a new one for us, but it’s a good all-around support for nervous tension, fatigue, headaches, and colds.
Apple Cider Vinegar / Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice to alkalize the body and help digestion.
Baking Soda to neutralize the body’s pH. You can add ¼ tsp of baking soda to eight ounces of warm water.
Colloidal Silver is hands down the best over-the-counter antibiotic available. I have used it for bladder infections, upper-respiratory infections, skin stuff . . . It’s second only to breastmilk for sties and eye sores.
D-Hist is is a robust herbal antihistamine and can be kept on hand for unexpected allergy flares.
A well-rounded, living, probiotic – I debated including this because, in truth, I think we should all be using a well rounded living probiotic every day anyway. I have used both Liovi and Flourish brands in the last few years, and both are miles beyond the freeze-dried and encapsulated probiotic pills in effectiveness. I include them in the first-aid kit because they will help restore the gut after antibiotic use and will help repopulate the gut after a bout of stomach bug.
All first-aid kits should include a good assortment of Band-Aids and a package of menstrual pads. (I will never forget my little brother cutting his legs up pretty good falling off his bike and my mom slapping a pad on it until they could get to the doctor.)
And, lastly, I wholeheartedly recommend getting a basic homeopathy kit that comes with a materia medica.
~ JuicyFruit
For more by JuicyFruit, click here.
Oh.. I would also add D-Mannose for UTI/urinary tract health
Yes, it may be effective, but be careful with its use if you’re diabetic, as it’s a sugar.
Well, there’s nothing on here that is likely to be harmful, except, possibly, colloidal silver which can, in excess, cause argyrosis (Dr. Barnes, of museum fame, created a whole population of people with changed skin color due to his product, Argyrol, for viral infections) and excessive doses of vitamin D which, like vitamins A, E, and K is absorbed in the fat, and can accumulate. The B vitamins make pretty yellow urine, as they’re water soluble. Vitamin C, Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulfate), aloe are well established treatments, and seem to be effective. Fever and calcium loss seem to be a fringe belief, so I would caution people about taking excess Calcium, especially the “Hammer” as it can disrupt what is normally a homeostatic balance between kidneys, bone, parathyroid, etc. Regarding “essential oils” (they’re from the essence, not necessary to one’s wellbeing), and homeopathy – the jury is out, but the science is rather sketchy. However, they’re unlikely to cause any harm, except to one’s finances.
The “Hammer” is vitamin D, not calcium. Thanks for highlighting the need to read carefully and not rely on any single person’s judgment alone. 😉
Most of the things on this list are likely to cause much less harm to your finances than just about any prescription drug, but thanks for your concern.
You do realize that most of the conditions mentioned would be treated with non-prescription medications, right? So, comparing the cost of “alternative” medications with prescription drugs is a straw man argument, right? If one has a serious bacterial infection (MRSA, meningitis, pyelonephritis, pneumonia, etc.) using a “natural” remedy alone could be seriously harmful. Viral infections don’t need antibiotics (some are treated with anti-virals).
Natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe, as arsenic, tobacco, radium, thallium, etc. are all natural.
🙂 🙂 🙂 Been to a doctor lately? Virtually NOTHING is “treated with non-prescription medications” alone these days, besides which many of these suggestions will help PREVENT further costly problems in the future.
Comparing the cost is the OPPOSITE of a straw man argument. It goes right to the heart and soul of the issue. Why do you think pharmaceutical companies are targeting “natural” and “alternative” health solutions? If you don’t need their expensive products, that makes a huge dent in their profit potential.
If you go to a physician, much less a non-physician provider, you will likely get a prescription medication, granted. However, the article detailed what one might stock in a home “alternative” medicine kit. You would likely not see a medical person for those conditions detailed above, so the “head to head” comparison is valid. The cost of “alternative” medications is not insignificant.
By the time someone who is ill (not worried well) goes to a medical person, they have usually tried one or more non-prescription medications, and often need something stronger, hence a prescription strength whatever. Additionally, many patients have the expectation that if they perceive the illness or injury is severe enough to require medical attention, they NEED (and indeed expect and demand) a prescription. Press-Ganey is not the friend of good medical care.
Much of what you say is true, however I have seen many people take children to emergency rooms and emergent care offices simply because they did not feel competent to handle minor issues such as fever. Giving them non-toxic ways to do so increases confidence and is likely to cut healthcare costs in both the short and long term.
Vitamin D is closely involved with calcium and phosphorus metabolism.
Yes, it is. But Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption, which means that if anything the likely net effect would be a short-term LOWERING of the calcium level in the blood in the absence of calcium supplementation, rather than causing an “excess.”
The jury is not out on homeopathy. The science is unusual, because it doesn’t fit the chemical model. But most people who say there are no studies, just don’t read those journals.
This is fantastic!! Thank you for putting together such a useful resource!
Absolutely appreciate this concise and useful post! Thank you.
If Pinterest won’t print/pin it then its exactly what people need.
The consistent focus of this site on external chemical (albeit “natural”), electronic stimulation, etc. “solutions” to the “problem” of Autism is disheartening. The danger of this approach is an imposed normality on a child who’s processing is not neuro typical “normal”. Therefore, any first aid list to nurture or comfort a spectrum child begins with support for their authenticity, even if such authentic expression is “abnormal”, assuming of course it is not dangerous.
Dude, you have utterly and completely missed the point of this article. Again it appears to be YOU who is focused on that subject.
THIS article is about MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH with natural means. Does it contain the word “autism”? Yes, because the author has a child with autism. The entire post, however, is meant for EVERYONE. Did you really miss the boo-boos and fevers????? Do you really think those are specific to AUTISM?
So, please, get your head out of your butt and stop trying to “correct” that which does not need correcting.
So I tried to pin this via the Pinterest button at the end of the article and I was told that it would not allow me to pin it
“Sorry! We blocked this link because it may lead to inappropriate content.”
Unreal…..
Thank you for posting this article!
Yep, Pinterest is completely deleting our existence because we supposedly promote “self harm.” *eyes rolled back in my head*
I was told you shouldn’t combine essential oils and homeopathy. Can anyone enlighten me?
Essential oils usually have strong smells, and traditionally strong smells are known to be able to interfere with the action of homeopathic remedies. HOWEVER, a well-chosen remedy in an acute situation is unlikely to be antidoted easily. If you leave some time in between the EOs and the remedies, you will probably be all right.
What action of homeopathic remedies is that?
Oh, thanks for asking, Len. The action of a homeopathic remedy can be just about anything if it is a remedy well chosen for the individual based upon their symptoms. A dose of remedy is a tiny energetic push to the body in the direction of healing and homeostasis.
Thank you…
Essential oils aren’t necessary; the “essential” part derives from essence.
Not sure why you felt the need to clarify something that no one is confused about.
Even if you Google “Are essential oils necessary?” there is literally no discussion on the subject.
You’d be surprised (apparently) as LOTS of people think essential oils means they need to utilize them. FWIW, high blood pressure that is without an apparent cause is sometimes known as “essential hypertension”; it certainly isn’t essential, and may be a harbinger of more serious problems.
And lots of people rely on “Dr. Google” to the exclusion of other, more reliable, advice.
Well, not on this website. No one here has ever asked about it or implied that they thought it.
And, ironically, “Dr. Google” would serve you well in this regard (as well as myriad others, of course) as virtually every site that comes up immediately defines essential oils and would disabuse even the most clueless person of that idea.
Great post! I use everything in here!