Eat and drink too much? Homeopathy to the rescue!Well, it's that time of year again. I've been trying to take off a few pounds myself, but I know that during the holiday season, "holding steady" is about the best I can hope for. It's so hard to resist those goodies, especially if you're on vacation or if you've had a bit too much to drink! And of course, after that yummy holiday party comes that bloated feeling. That's when homeopathy can come to the rescue. Probably the most useful remedy for such situations is Nux Vomica. You've heard me mention this useful remedy before. Not only was Nux Vomica the remedy that rescued my family from the flu last year, but it's also the remedy par excellence for overindulgence in food and drink. Have a hangover or stomach ache? Nux Vomica could be just the right thing! I'll take this opportunity to give you a direct look into the homeopathic literature. You may find that the old-fashioned writing can be rather charming. In the Boericke materia medica, one of the old standbys from the early 1900s, Nux Vomica is described as "the remedy for many of the conditions incident to modern life. The typical Nux patient is rather thin, spare, quick, active, nervous, and irritable. He does a good deal of mental work; has mental strains and leads a sedentary life, found in prolonged office work, over study, and close application to business, with its cares and anxieties. This indoor life and mental strain seeks stimulants, coffee, wine, possibly in excess; or again, he hopes to quiet his excitement, by indulging in the sedative effects of tobacco... These things are associated with other indulgences; at table, he takes preferably rich and stimulating food; wine and women play their part to make him forget the close application of the day. Late hours are a consequence; a thick head, dyspepsia, and irritable temper are the next day's inheritance... These conditions produce an irritable, nervous system, hypersensitive and over impressionable, which Nux will do much to soothe and calm. Especially adapted to digestive disturbances, portal (liver) congestion." Under Nux Vomica's stomach symptoms, Boericke provides the following: "Sour taste, and nausea in the morning, after eating. Weight and pain in the stomach; worse, eating, some time after. Flatulence and pyrosis (bad breath). Sour, bitter eructations. Nausea and vomiting, with much retching. Ravenous hunger, especially about a day before an attack of dyspepsia. Region of stomach very sensitive to pressure. Epigastrium (the region in the middle of the abdomen just below the rib cage) bloated, with pressure as of a stone, several hours after eating. Desire for stimulants. Loves fats and tolerates them well. (PULSATILLA opposite.) Dyspepsia from drinking strong coffee. Difficult belching of gas. Wants to vomit, but cannot." Note the mention of the remedy Pulsatilla. This remedy, which is in many ways a kind of complement or opposite to Nux Vomica, can also be indicated in situations of overindulgence. However, unlike Nux Vomica, Pulsatilla is much worse from fats. A Pulsatilla patient also feels better from being outside (whereas a Nux Vomica patient will want to be warm and snug under the covers). Another important differentiating symptom is emotional: Pulsatilla patients tend to be clingy and needy, whereas a Nux Vomica patient will be irritable and will want to be left alone. Have some great holiday meals, and bring along some Nux Vomica and Pulsatilla, just in case! |
