Homeopathy and sports
Remedies heal injuries and enhance performance
By Frank j. King Jr., ND, DC

When you think “sports nutritionals,” you (and your athlete patients) may first think about traditional dietary supplements. But don’t shortchange your patients. Homeopathy can enhance their performance and help heal their injuries faster.

Homeopathic remedies are exceptional at correcting and preventing specific sports injuries, including strains, sprains, tendonitis, musculoskeletal inflammations, and bone fractures.

A number of remedies also focus on enhancing athletic performance, including increasing oxygen uptake, improving strength, improving speed, and preventing potential injury.

Some homeopathic remedies are very specific and act on the underlying causes quickly. That is because homeopathy (like chiropractic) does not treat symptoms. Rather, it activates the body to heal.

Like chiropractic, homeopathy activates the body’s inner abilities to heal and restore. Together chiropractic and homeopathy empower the chiropractor to correct interferences throughout the whole nervous system.

Here are some of the FDA-accepted claims that can be made about some of the common homeopathic ingredients for sports injuries and performance enhancement. These ingredients can be used individually or in combinations for a synergistic effect.

• Aesculus hippocastanum. Provides a powerful influence on generally weak spines, with aching between shoulder blades, or for lack of muscular strength in the back and legs. It is also used for relief of tired, sore, and swollen soles.

• Arnica Montana. A great muscular tonic. It relieves soreness after overexertion and relieves sprains, strains, and bruises.

• Baryta carbonica. Prevents painful soles when walking and prevents pain in joints and burning pains in lower limbs. This is a powerful remedy for weakness, pains in joints, cramping, tension in legs, and burning pains.

• Baryta muriatica. Effectively acts on muscles and joints and prevents stiffness. This is useful for weakness in the morning, especially weakness of the legs.

• Bellis perennis. For relief of muscular soreness. This is an excellent remedy for sprains and bruises.

• Bryonia alba. Relieves aching in every muscle; painful stiffness in nape of neck, in small of back, and the knees. It also helps relieve red, swollen, and hot joints.

• Calcarea carbonica. Relieves weakness in the back, pain between shoulder blades, cramps in calves, swelling of joints (especially knees), and tearing in muscles.

• Calcarea phosphorica. One of the most important tissue remedies, especially great for bones. It is effective for stiffness, pain in joints, and bones.

• Cimicifuga racemosa. Provides action on the cerebrospinal and muscular system. It is used for relief of stiffness and contraction in the neck and back. It is also good for pain in lumbar and sacral region, down the thighs, and through the hips.

• Formicum acidum. An arthritic medicine, used for muscles that feel strained and torn from their attachments. It is effective for weakness of lower extremities and pain in the hips.

• Gnaphalium polycephalum. Provides relief of cramps in the calves and feet when in bed.

• Hypericum perforatum. Great remedy for injuries to nerves. It relieves cramps in calves and pain in the toes and fingers. It also relieves the bruised feeling in joints and calms muscles that jerk and twitch.

• Kali carbonicum. Provides great relief of stiffness in the neck, as well as tension, tearing, and pulling in the muscles and joints of the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. It relieves pulling pains in hip joints, legs, feet, and toes.

• Kali phosphoricum. For relief of weak, tired, and painful legs and back. It relieves drawing pain in back and limbs.

• Lacticum acidum. Helps prevent excess lactic acid buildup.

• Magnesia phosphorica. For relief of general muscular weakness. It also relieves cramping muscles, with radiating pains.

• Natrum phosphoricum. For conditions arising from an excess of lactic acid. It is used for weariness in the back, aches in the wrists and finger-joints, and soreness in hamstrings.

• Oxalicum acidum. Centers its action on pains that start from the spine and extend through extremities. It relieves numbness, weakness, and tingling and relieves backache and muscular prostration.

• Quebracho. Useful to improve heart and lung function.

• Rhus toxicodendron. Relieves swelling, stiffness, and paralyzed sensations in joints from sprains, over-lifting, or over-stretching. It also gives relief from morning stiffness and pain.

• Ruta graveolens. Relieves bruised feeling in the spine and limbs.

• Sarcolacticum acidum. Relieves the acid (not ordinary lactic acid) that is formed in muscle tissue during muscle exhaustion. It relieves stiffness of thighs and calves and relieves cramping in calves.

• Sepia. For relief of restlessness in all limbs.

• Symphytum officinale. Provides relief to injuries to sinews, tendons, and the periosteum. It also acts on joints and neuralgia of the knee as well as wounds penetrating to the perineum and bones.

• Thuja occidentalis. For muscular twitchings, weakness, trembling, and cracking in joints and pain in heels.

• Zincum metallicum. For tissues that are worn out faster than they are repaired. It also relieves pain in the back.

• Zincum oxydatum. For relief of tension in muscles and painful sensation during movement.

If all these ingredients seem inhibiting or overwhelming, fear not. Now there are new contemporary methods using homeopathic combination products that turn this once complex healing art into a fast and easy to use system for the high volume chiropractor with no previous experience with homeopathy.

Homeopathy equips you to help the greatest number of people overcome a greater diversity of problems than any other healing art. Homeopathy equips you with the ability to enjoy benefits of a high volume practice with the greater rewards of a broad-spectrum practice.

Frank J. King Jr., ND, DC, is a nationally recognized researcher, author, and lecturer on homeopathy. He is the founder and director of King Bio Homeopathics, a registered homeopathic manufacturing company. He can be contacted through his Web site at www.kingbio.com or at 800-543-3245.