What a beautiful time of the year!  Summer is here, family vacations are abound, and hours of fun are spent outdoors.  Yet, summertime has such a great capacity to impact our health, too.  Heat exhaustion is a common condition that can easily happen for residents of Austin.  As temperatures spike and humidity thickens, it’s important you take heed to the important warning signs of heat exhaustion.

First of all, here are some of the common symptoms for heat exhaustion:

• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle Cramps
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Nausea and/or Vomiting
• Fainting

A person experiencing heat exhaustion may have cool and moist skin; a fast, yet weak pulse rate; and their breathing may be quick, yet shallow.  The elderly, people with high blood pressure, and people who work outside are at a greater susceptibility for heat exhaustion.

What can you do to prevent heat exhaustion this summer?  First of all, stay hydrated!  Try your best to drink half your weight in ounces of water per day.  In other words, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking 100 ounces of water, or 12.5 cups (8 fluid ounces equals one cup) each day.  That may seem like a lot, but it may surprise you how fast your body loses water while in the heat.  

Also consider the cooling effects of water in other ways than just drinking it.

• Fill buckets or basins with cool water and soak your feet.
• Wear wet towels and bandannas on your shoulders or head
• Use a spray bottle filled with cold water for refreshing spritzes throughout the day 
• Take cool showers or baths

If you or someone you know begins exhibiting symptoms of heat exhaustion, as indicated above, follow these steps:

• Call 9-1-1 if it is a medical emergency or the condition worsens to heat stroke.
• Drink cool, non-alcoholic beverages
• Rest
• Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
• Get into an air-conditioned environment
• Wear dry, light-weight clothing

Additionally, homeopathic remedies can be very helpful if someone is experiencing heat exhaustion.  After taking doses of certain homeopathic remedies the person may feel better, or even feel back to normal, within minutes!  Here is a brief list of a few of them and their corresponding indications.

• Belladonna: Severe, throbbing headache with a red, flushed face.  Worse from being suddenly jarred.  Usually a headache that affects the right side.  Is also worse from the light of a room and/or noise.  The face may feel hot and be flushed, but the body is chilled.

• Carbo Vegetablis: Great weakness and collapse after exposure to the sun.  Fainting from heat exhaustion.  Skin feels cold and clammy.  The person has great nausea.  

• Cuprum Metallicum: Severe cramps in the abdomen or legs.  Face looks pale and the person feels very weak. 

These are just a few of the homeopathic remedies that may help people who are experiencing heat exhaustion.  Please contact me for more information.

Be sure you stay safe while you go out to have all your fun this summer!  Keep this article with you and enjoy!

Sincerely,
Noel

This is the fifth and final blog I've written in a series about homeopathy and musculoskeletal disorders.  My previous articles were on rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative arthritis, gout, and finally tendinitis and bursitis.  

This blog will cover the topic of back pain, sciatica, and how homeopathy can help people experiencing it.  I’ll first document the nature of back pain and suggest lifestyle changes one can implement to relieve their pain.  I will also describe the etiology and signs of sciatica.  Then I’ll cover how homeopathy works with people experiencing this condition.  This will be followed by recommendations of a few homeopathic remedies that may help.

Back pain can occur in the upper back, mid-back, and low back.  It affects approximately 80% of Americans at some point in their lives.  This staggering number also makes back pain one of the leading causes of absenteeism from work and disability claims.  What makes back pain so common in our culture?

There are several risk factors associated with having low back pain that are common circumstances in our culture.  Some risk factors you can do something about include:

• Infrequent or inadequate exercise
• Sedentary lifestyle (less than 30 minutes of activity daily)
• The nature of your job (that involves long periods of sitting, heavy lifting, repetitive motions, bending and twisting motions, or constant vibration that occurs with using heavy machinery).
• Smoking (believe it or not, smoking increases the risk for low back pain)
• Being overweight (as a result from poor physical condition, weak back and abdominal muscles, and minimal flexibility)
• Poor posture
• Stress (chronic stress induces chronic tensing of muscles)
• Taking medications chronically that may weaken bones, such as corticosteroids

What can you do about low back pain?  For starters, get active!  Begin getting at least 30 minutes of moderate, light-intensity activity on a daily basis.  This could include brisk walking, stair climbing versus taking elevators, playing sports at a moderate intensity, etc.  Implementing routine strengthening and stretching exercises related to your low back and abdominal muscles will also help.  If you are overweight, implement healthy dietary changes to lose weight and sustain it.  This is easier said than done, so please contact me for more information.  In addition to homeopathy services, I offer personal health coaching to help you maintain healthy lifestyle changes in weight, nutrition, physical activity, and stress management.

Sciatica is a form of back pain that refers to a narrowing of the spinal canal, which compresses the spinal cord and sciatic spinal nerve roots together.  This extremely painful condition is brought on by some form of trauma, degeneration (arthritis or bone spurs), or rupture (herniated disc) in the back.

Signs and symptoms of sciatica include:

• Severe, sharp pain that radiates from the sciatic nerve down the leg and to the foot
• Pains may be intermittent (off and on) or continuous
• Numbness and tingling of the skin supplied by the affected nerve.
• Low back pain
• Inability to stand or sit on account of the pain
• Radiating pain may go down the legs and in the buttocks, thighs, or calves.
• Weakness in legs

Homeopathic treatment is very effective at helping people experiencing sciatica.  Its role will be to assist in increasing muscle tone, improving general health, and decreasing inflammation of muscles and nerves.  Because homeopaths view health as a condition of the entire individual, rather than in terms of isolated symptoms from specific locations of the body, sciatic pain is just one aspect a homeopath will need to know in order to help you.  That said, below is a list of homeopathic remedies and their indications for various aspects of sciatica and back pain.  For comprehensive and individualized care, please contact me.

Belladonna: Sudden onset of severe low back pain or sciatica.  Pain is so severe that it prevents any movement.  Pain is worse from motion, being jarred, misstepping, from the direct pressure of laying on it, and from long sitting.  Generally affects the right side more than the left.

Calcarea Carbonica: Low back pain from the slightest exertion, especially lifting.  Back feels weak; person easily slumps in the chair.  Worse from the cold, damp weather; from lifting; exerting; or ascending (stairs).

Kali Carbonicum: Low back pain that drives them out of bed at night.  Worse at night, often at 2 or 3 am; also from the cold or drafts.  Usually affects the right side.  Pains that extend into the buttocks or into the sole of the foot.

Nux Vomica: Severe sciatica down either leg with great sensitivity and is often accompanied with anger.  Worse in the morning that worsens the longer they stay in bed; from the cold; from turning in the bed.  Better from heat.

Tellurium: Severe pains that travel down the sacrum and into the sciatic nerve and thigh.  Worse from coughing; laughing; sneezing; when pressing during stool; anything that induces the valsalva maneuver (forcible exhalation against a closed airway).

In this fifth and final blog on homeopathy and musculoskeletal disorders, I covered the topic of back pain and sciatica.  I covered important lifestyle changes one can make to relieve low back pain, I described the etiology and symptoms for sciatica, and suggested several homeopathic remedies that may help people who experience this condition.

Thanks for reading!
Noel 

This article marks the fourth entry in a series I’ve written on musculoskeletal disorders and how homeopathy can help people experiencing them.  Recently, I’ve written articles on Homeopathy and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Degenerative Arthritis, and Gout.  This article will cover the topics of tendinitis and bursitis.  In it, I will define these conditions, discuss they’re etiology (where they come from), describe basic signs and symptoms of them, and then suggest homeopathic remedies that may help people experiencing these two conditions.

Bursitis is defined as inflammation of the bursae, which are fluid-filled sacs found between muscles and tendons.  A bursa sac’s function is to reduce friction between surfaces of the body, and aid in facilitating movement.  

Bursa sacs are typically found in areas of the body where large joints are located, such as the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.  These sacs of fluid can become inflamed, infected, or traumatized from overuse of the joint, continued or excessive friction of the joint, and from having systemic diseases such as gout and rheumatoid arthritis, which can lead to an infection of the bursa sac.

Tendinitis is simply defined as an inflammation of a tendon.  Tendons are connective tissues between muscles and bones in the body.  Tendons, muscles, and bones all work together to create movement in your body.  
Tendinitis usually occurs after prolonged use of using the tendon inappropriately.  Usually, tendinitis is accompanied by bursitis in the joint.  The joints typically affected by tendinitis are the shoulder, elbow (“tennis elbow”), wrist, and knee (“housemaid’s knee”), but can happen in any tendon in the body.

Tendinitis and Bursitis have similar signs and symptoms:

• Tenderness and pain when moving the affected part
• Joint movement is limited (flexion and extension)
• Fluid accumulation and swelling (edema) of the joint

Homeopathic treatment for people experiencing bursitis and tendinitis usually needs to be accompanied by changes in the exciting cause of the pain itself: incorrect training for sports movements, improper use or form during weight lifting, excessive use beyond comfort, etc.  Otherwise, homeopathic treatment will do little to relieve the pain.  In addition to proper mechanics in the body, adjunct therapies such as osteopathy, rolfing, and/or chiropractic can help aid in recovery for more chronic cases.

Homeopathy is very effective for people experiencing acute (short-term, sudden onset) tendinitis and bursitis, as well as chronic (long-standing).  There are several homeopathic remedies that may be useful for these situations.  They are listed below:

Bryonia: Pain accompanying the inflammation that is sharp or stitching, in nature.  Every slight motion causes pain.  Feels better from applying pressure to the joint and from heat.

Phytolacca: Pain and inflammation that exists at the site of attachment for the tendon to the bone.  This pain feels worse from heat, and better from cold applications.

Rhus Toxicodendron: Pain and stiffness that arises from overuse.  The pain is better from continued motion, from hot bathing, or from heat.  When the person gets moving, they feel compelled to keep moving and desire stretching the joint.  Affects the left sided joints of the body more than the right.

Please note this list is not comprehensive.  For specific and individualized care, please contact me for further information.

In this article I described the nature of bursitis and tendinitis, their etiology, their signs and symptoms, and homeopathic remedies that can help people experiencing these conditions.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,
Noel Peterson

Noel Peterson is classical homeopathic practitioner located in Austin, Texas.  He specializes his practice in helping men, women, and children find sustainable relief from their pains, illnesses, and conditions using a method of healing that works safely, gently, and reliably.

Making a change in how you eat can be likened to a major life saving operation in that it takes careful consideration, preparation, and action.  Like an operation, it can truly be one of the most important and life-altering decisions you make in your life.  So, how do you eat healthy? 

I’d like to outline a 3-step process you can adopt to adequately prepare you to make healthy eating a sustainable lifestyle habit.  Then, a list of 10 tips is offered to assist you with what to eat, when you’re ready!

The first step is to recognize that a change is needed.  If knowledge is power and awareness is wisdom, both will help point you in the direction of change with great velocity!  How do you know if a change is needed?  It usually has to do with your body’s signals.  Ask yourself, are you low in energy?  Do you wake up feeling drowsy, sluggish, or irritable?  Do you experience the effects related to obesity, such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, or other chronic conditions?  If so, it could be your body’s signal telling you it’s time to make a change.

The second step is to tip the scales in the direction of change.  Maybe you’re aware a change is needed, but you’re not sure what steps to take, or changing just seems too difficult.  One thing you can do to tip the scales in the direction of change is to list the benefits and consequences of eating healthy.  For example, one benefit of changing could be to help you lose weight.  A possible consequence of it could be the perception that healthy foods don’t taste good.  

Additionally, consider the benefits and consequences of not making a change.  For example, one potential benefit of not changing could be that you get to stay within your comfort zones and continue to eat what you always have.  Conversely, one consequence of not changing could be the fact that you’ll never lose the weight you’d like.  Such an analysis helps you weigh both the pros and cons of changing, as well as not changing.  This strategy will help you become more aware of the barriers that may be holding you back and how you can begin overcoming them.

The third step is to prepare for change and create a plan of action.  Here, you know it’s time to change but you need to have the appropriate plan before taking action.  This may mean you need to arm yourself with correct information about what eating healthy involves. You can visit the websites www.thenutritionsource.org or www.mypyramid.gov for great educational resources on eating healthy.

When you’re convinced it’s time to change and you’re ready to create a realistic eating plan, consider these 10 tips on various components of healthy eating:

1.    Limit the intake of processed foods that contain ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and/or partially hydrogenated oils.
2.    Use 100% whole grains rather than white flour or white pasta.
3.    Eliminate white sugar as much as possible.
4.    Eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and fill ½ your plate with them at each meal.
5.    Use olive oil instead of butter
6.    Choose lean meats like chicken, turkey, or fish, versus red meat
7.    Shop the periphery of the grocery store and avoid shopping when you’re hungry
8.    Eat until you are 80% full
9.    Drink at least 8 cups of water per day
10. Eat slowly and savor each bite.

When you can adequately prepare yourself for change, and then adopt these tips; you are well on your way to making healthy eating a sustainable lifestyle habit.  Congratulations!

In my practice I carefully consider your lifestyle habits, especially regarding your nutrition.  Please contact me to get started on your own homeopathic treatments or to learn more about me and my practice.

Thanks for reading and be well!
Noel

This blog will cover the condition of gout.  Gout will be identified through a listing of its signs and symptoms, and etiology.  Then, lifestyle recommendations will be offered to help combat the effects of gout.  Lastly, homeopathic remedies will be suggested, with their corresponding indications, which may help people experiencing gout.

Gout is one form of an arthritic inflammation wherein deposits of uric acid form hard nodules in tissues.  This is a result of an overproduction of uric acid in the blood or decreased excretion of it through urination.  The most common site for gout is in the first metatarsal of the big toe, but it can also affect the joints of the feet, ankles, and knees.

Gout can either be acute (affecting one joint) or chronic (long-standing, recurring episodes of pain and inflammation that may affect more than one joint).  This condition is present more in men than women, and generally appears after age 30.  For women, gout appears more often after menopause.  It is uncommon in children.  

Gout is thought to be caused by an inherited abnormality to properly metabolize foods that contain purines.  Purines are found in certain meat and meat products like anchovies, sardines, liver, beef kidneys, meat extracts, herring, mackerel, scallops, game meats, and gravies made from any of these.  Excessive weight gain may also contribute to gout susceptibility. 

Because gout is a deficiency of uric acid metabolism, close monitoring of one’s dietary habits is paramount.  It is generally recommended to avoid high fat foods (salad dressings, ice cream, and fried foods), eat a vegetarian diet, avoid alcohol, drink plenty of water (at least 8 cups daily) and partake in healthy lifestyle habits of proper nutrition for an optimal weight loss regimen (no more than 2 lbs of weight loss per week).

Signs and symptoms of gout include:

• Excruciating pain (crushing, throbbing, etc.) in the joints of the big toe, knees, feet, and/or ankles.
• The affected joint feels warm and appears red.
• Pain increases gradually, peaks after a few hours, then decreases gradually.
• Pain may be accompanied by low fever, chills, headache, and/or nausea.
• Usually occurs with kidney-related dysfunctions or renal calculi (kidney stones).

Homeopathy may be a long-term solution for people experiencing gout.  Homeopathic treatment is individualized to each person’s unique symptom expression.  In general, a homeopath views health as a condition of the entire individual rather than in terms of isolated symptoms from specific locations of the body.  That said, a homeopath will seek to understand, in detail, your physical symptoms along with your mental/emotional disposition and character.  Upon such an analysis, a homeopathic remedy will be selected that seeks to initiate the inherent healing response of your body.  This healing response will act simultaneously in all levels of your being: mentally, emotionally, and physically.  In this way, people who experience gout can be helped through homeopathic treatment.

Below is a brief list of homeopathic remedies, and their corresponding indications, for people experiencing gout.  

Benzoic Acid: Very helpful for arthritis, gout, and the deformity of joints.  The person feels relieved when discharging sediment through the urine.  Affects especially the knees, ankles, toes, and hands.  Marked cracking of the joints upon motion.

Colchicum: This is one of the most important homeopathic remedies for people experiencing gout.  The joint becomes hot, red, swollen, and exquisitely sensitive to being touched or moved.  Worse at night, from the slightest motion, and from cold, damp weather.

Ledum: Pains that feel better from the cold (soaking, compresses, weather, etc.).  Useful for acute gout of the knee or ankle.  Worse at night in bed, and from heat.  Ascending pains (first affects the toes, then knees, later hips, and hands).

Berberis: Gouty pain as if a nail was in the ball of the foot upon standing.  Gout that occurs in the knee, especially the left one.  Pain that comes on from arising from a seat.

Causticum: Gout with a deformity of the toes.  Calcification and advanced deterioration of the joints.

These are just a few of the many homeopathic remedies that can help people experiencing gout.  Please note this list is not comprehensive.  For your best results, please contact me.

In this article I outlined the definition of gout; its signs, symptoms, and etiology.  Healthy lifestyle recommendations were added, specifically related to the diet.  Lastly, homeopathic remedies were offered, with their corresponding indications for people experiencing gout.

Thank you very much for your time in reading!  Please contact me to get started on your own homeopathy treatments or to learn more about my practice.

Sincerely,
Noel Peterson

Disclaimer: This blog is intended for educational purposes only and is not meant to treat, prevent, or cure disease.  For questions about your health, please see a medical doctor.

This article will cover a chronic joint condition: degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis).  Signs and symptoms will be discussed and a variety of homeopathic remedies will be listed that may help people experiencing this condition.  Because homeopathy is individualized to each person, various indications will be offered for each homeopathic remedy mentioned.

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that results from the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints.  It is the most common form of arthritis and arises from normal wear and tear on the joints.  It usually impacts the larger, weight-bearing joints of the body, such as the knees and hips, but can also affect the wrists, fingers, and spine, for example.

Osteoarthritis usually develops very slowly over time.  Its exact cause is unknown, but is generally associated with the aging process.  People who are obese, are diabetic, or have had mechanical injuries to joints are at a greater susceptibility for having osteoarthritis.  

Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

• Joint soreness, aching, and/or stiffness
• Joints are worse in the morning, and/or changes in weather
• Edema (fluid accumulation)
• Dull pain
• Joint deformity
• Crepitation (clicking or crackling) of the joint upon movement
• Decreased range of motion
• Joint instability
• Increased pain while joint is in use

Earlier detection of osteoarthritis will help aid the patient with a greater chance of having longer-term health of the joints.  Avoiding injuries or re-injuries to joints will also help prevent future osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is believed to be incurable.  That said, the first course of action for relief would be to live at a healthy weight, if obesity is a factor.  This is especially the case if the legs or spine is impacted by the osteoarthritis.  Additionally, homeopathic remedies can be helpful for people experiencing osteoarthritis.  In general, degeneration of the joint is slowed and inflammation is held at bay.

In homeopathy, treatment is individualized to the person experiencing the signs and symptoms.  Rather than treat each case the same, unique expressions of symptoms are considered, both mentally/emotionally, as well as physically.  In homeopathy, health is viewed as a condition of the entire individual, rather than in terms of specific symptoms from isolated locations of the body.

Below is a list of homeopathic remedies that may be helpful for people experiencing osteoarthritis.  Their indications are listed next to the corresponding homeopathic remedy.  

Calcarea Carbonica: This is the main remedy for people experiencing degenerative joints, osteophytes (bone spurs), and calcifications.  Worse in the cold, damp weather and/or exertion.

Calcarea Flourica: One of the main remedies for people experiencing exostosis (formation of new bone on the surface of the bone), calcifications, and spinal curvature.  The person is generally worse from the heat, but the joints feel worse from cold.  

Calcarea Phosphorica: A good remedy for people experiencing degeneration in joints of the spine.  Worse from drafts, the wind, and changes in weather.  

Natrum Sulphuricum: Degenerative arthritis, especially affecting the left hip.  Worse in the damp weather, in the morning, or ascending stairs.

Kali Carbonicum: Degenerative arthritis with aching or stitching pains.  The person feels stiff and tight all over the body.  Worse at night, especially 2-3 AM; in the cold and damp weather; and from drafts of air.

Bellis Perennis: Post-traumatic arthritis (“Railway spine”).  Worse from the cold, especially from a sudden chill, or from getting wet.  Better from heat and rubbing.

These homeopathic remedies are typically the most frequently used for people experiencing osteoarthritis.  This list is not comprehensive, though.  Please contact me for further information and to receive the most proper care.

In this article, I outlined the definition of osteoarthritis and its signs and symptoms.  A brief list of homeopathic remedies were listed with their specific indications for use.  Thank you for your time in reading this article!

Sincerely,
Noel

Disclaimer: This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not aimed at treating, diagnosing, or curing disease.  If you have questions about your health, please consult a physician.