Healthy, travel with homeopathy

Healthy, travel with homeopathy: don't let jet lag, motion sickness, diarrhea, or sunburn ruin your next trip. Pack these simple, effective homeopathic remedies...

Dana Ullman is a world renowned homeopathic educator and writer. Here is some useful tips he offered in the summer of 2001.

TRAVEL CAN BE STRESSFUL, wreaking havoc on your mind and body. During my more than 25 years of teaching people about homeopathy, I've recommended to countless travelers the remedies they should pack to prevent or treat this havoc. Tailored homeopathic remedies --made from minute preparations of natural substances that in larger amounts would cause the same symptoms you're trying to cure--are fast-acting, and rather than masking the symptoms, they stimulate your body to heal itself.
If you know you won't be near a store that sells homeopathic medicine, you can create your own traveling remedy kit in advance. For each of the following ailments, look for the primary symptoms that most closely match the ones you tend to get, and buy a vial of the corresponding medicine. Be forewarned: Building your kit may take a little trial and error. Note that some homeopaths believe luggage X-rays weaken the potency of homeopathic remedies, so if you're traveling by air, put the vials in your pocket instead of a bag.

Jet Lag

Telltale jet lag symptoms like fatigue and an erratic appetite occur when you travel across time zones. The brain cells that control your circadian rhythms are exposed to daylight and darkness at different times than they are accustomed to, and your inner clock (which tells you when it's time to eat and sleep) gets out of sync with real time.

FIND YOUR REMEDY:

If your symptoms include fatigue and foggy thinking, your best remedy is Arnica montana.

If your symptoms include feeling so tired that you have a difficult time keeping your eyes open, or your arm and leg muscles tend to feel weak, your best remedy is Gelsemium.

If your symptoms include nausea and dizziness, your best remedy is Cocculus.

RECOMMENDED DOSAGE:

Take the appropriate remedy in the 6, 12, or 3 [degrees] C potency every two hours after your arrival for intense symptoms and every four hours for mild ones. Take it until symptoms abate.

To prevent jet lag, use Arnica in the 6, 12, or 3 [degrees] C potency just prior to boarding your plane and then once every four hours during your flight. If you still develop jet lag symptoms, continue taking Arnica every four hours during the first day at your destination. If Arnica doesn't work, try one of the other two remedies on your next flight. Again take the 6, 12, or 3 [degrees] C potency before boarding and then every four hours during the flight.

Motion Sickness

An estimated one-third to one-half of airline passengers experience some degree of motion sickness--dizziness, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting --during a turbulent flight. Some people get motion sickness when their inner ear (which maintains balance) senses movement but their eyes tell them that they're standing still.

FIND YOUR REMEDY:

If your symptoms include dizziness, severe nausea brought on by the sight or smell of food (particularly if it makes you want to lie down), vomiting, dry throat, and lightheadedness, and if these symptoms worsen in cold temperatures, your best remedy is Cocculus.

If your symptoms include violent vomiting, cold and pale skin, profuse sweating, and chills (often accompanied by a dazed feeling), and if these symptoms worsen in warm temperatures and improve when you breathe fresh air, your best remedy is Tabacum.

If your symptoms include feelings of anxiety or increased nausea when the vehicle you're traveling in moves downward, your best remedy is Borax.

RECOMMENDED DOSAGE:

Take the 6, 12, or 3 [degrees] C potency every 30 minutes for intense symptoms and every two to four hours for milder ones. Take it until symptoms abate.

To prevent motion sickness, try the 6, 12, or 3 [degrees] C potency of the remedy that best matches the symptoms you tend to get. Take it one hour before departure and every two hours while you're traveling. For boat trips, take one dose of the appropriate remedy before departure and then one every four hours until you've adapted to the motion.

Traveler's Diarrhea

Acute diarrhea is an important defense mechanism that enables your body to expel foreign bacteria and parasites quickly. But if left untreated, it can lead to severe dehydration. Homeopathic medicines can help destroy these microorganisms, taking the burden off your body so it can heal itself.

FIND YOUR REMEDY:

If your symptoms include a burning sensation during elimination of your stools, chills, sweating, anxiety about being alone, extreme thirst for sips of warm drinks, and restlessness during the night, and if these symptoms worsen after midnight, your best remedy is Arsenicum.

If your symptoms include gurgling sounds from your intestinal tract, a weak feeling in your anal sphincter, forceful expulsion of stools that smell bad, headache, gagging, retching, cramps in your feet and legs, and extreme thirst and craving for cold beverages, your best remedy is Podophyllum.

If your symptoms include a constant urge to eliminate, retching while going to the bathroom, blood in your stool, fever and chills, profuse sweating, bad breath, drooling while sleeping, mental and physical sluggishness, and an extreme thirst and craving for cold beverages, your best remedy is Mercurius.