Sprains, Strains and Pains

Ouch.

No, seriously, OUCH‼

We’ve all experienced sprains at one point in our lives — ankles, wrists, knees, elbows. Ouch! Right? Sprains and strains can happen in an instant yet leave weeks and weeks of painful recovery.

How can something as simple as a misstep, a slight fall or an overextension of a joint cause such misery?

The Mayo Clinic defines the difference between a sprain and a strain thusly, “a sprain injures the bands of tissue that connect two bones together, while a strain involves an injury to a muscle or to the band of tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone.”

They go on to advise, “Initial treatment includes rest, ice, compression and elevation.”

That’s excellent common sense, but they missed the opportunity to add a surefire method to address sprains: homeopathy!

While I’d love to tell you that the photo for this blog post is a stock shot, it’s actually one of my team member’s ankles from right before Thanksgiving. Tracey’s story — and she’s sticking to it — is that she tripped while rushing into a busy intersection to rescue a small, wounded animal from oncoming traffic.

(What really happened? Well, let’s just say she misstepped when standing up from the sofa because her leg had fallen asleep, and she proceeded to go down in a heap on the living room floor, rolling her ankle in the process! Unfortunately, as is often the case, the truth is less heroic … and much more klutzy!)

But no matter how the injury occurred, as you can see, her sprain was a doozy. Everyone around her thought it would take months to heal fully. But guess what?

In less than two weeks, her ankle looked like this:

No pain. No swelling. No inability to bear weight. Full mobility with only a teensy spot of the old bruise. It was almost as though the injury had never happened. Athletic friends were gobsmacked, as they knew how long that type of injury can take to resolve!

How did she do it, you might ask? (And before you assume it was simply the healing power of youthful vigor, let me tell you that she’s in her sixties. So, no, that wasn’t it!)

Tracey used homeopathy!

Immediately after the injury, she utilized Arnica montana 200. Obviously, the damage was rather severe. So, meeting the severity of the injury with the frequency of the medicine, she employed Arnica several times during the first few hours and then twice a day for the next couple of days.

However, from my blog post, Royal Pains, Tracey also remembered reading about Ruta graveolens 6 or 30 for sprains (and strains). So, she added Ruta 30 to her twice-daily schedule.

Indeed, Ruta is a spectacular medicine for injury to tendons and, undoubtedly, was responsible for her swift and complete recovery.

She also had a Ruta graveolens first aid cream on hand, and now she swears by it! The pillule form of homeopathic Ruta would have certainly done great work alone. But Tracey observed that the cream also added an extra “boost” of homeopathic attention that more fully eliminated the pain. I certainly can’t argue with her results!

One important note: Following my teachings, she also saw a conventional medical doctor to get an ankle X-ray. Had the ankle (or one of the myriad foot bones) been broken, she would have needed it to be properly set before utilizing a different protocol for bone breaks. Once again, this illustrates the hand-in-glove fit of a conventional medical diagnosis with homeopathic medicines!

Wintertime, with the ice and snow, is known for slips, falls, sprains and strains. Whether out on the ski slopes or just trying to walk to the car, we must be especially mindful. (Apparently, living room sofas should als be on the “dangerous” list.) But when accidents happen, thank goodness we have homeopathy.

So, add Ruta graveolens to your homeopathy kit, most likely in the versatile 30^th potency. Then, when a friend or loved one is injured, it’s a perfect opportunity to pass on the good news of homeopathy with a medicine that will relieve their suffering.

Warmly,

P.S. As the new year gets underway, consider joining my private Mighty Members group. There, I feel free to share additional information on medicines, current events, personal discoveries and so much more. For instance, I’m making a note right now to discuss another use for Ruta graveolens that may surprise you! (Something Tracey unintentionally benefitted from as she tended to her ankle injury.)

And later this month, I will be starting a new series for my Mighties called “Joette’s Bookshelf,” in which I’ll share titles from my library — books that have shaped my thinking!

And speaking of books, discover the usages of over 150 commonly used homeopathic medicines — and the nuances between them — in A Materia Medica: Practical Homeopathy® for Busy Families. I wrote this handy guide with you in mind. It’s all plain English — easy to understand — with helpful stories from my practice for illustration.