Every DC knows a properly aligned spine contributes to good health, flexibility and strength.
When there is misalignment or joint degeneration, pain, stiffness and loss of mobility can follow. With chiropractic adjustments and adjunctive therapies, proper functioning can be restored over time. Yet many DCs are discovering when integrated into patient care, natural homeopathic medicines can speed healing, lessening pain and stiffness and improving overall vitality until adjustments hold.
After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of the growing field of homeopathy. You will learn which homeopathic medicines can provide the most improvement to the chiropractic patient. And you will gain a valuable skill that will improve chiropractic outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Homeopathy is a holistic system of healing that has been used around the world for more than 200 years. There have been more than 6,000 papers published on the usefulness of homeopathy in just the last 30 years. In addition, the higher the quality of a study, the better the results for homeopathy. With increasing evidence that homeopathy works, more healthcare practitioners are integrating it into practice. Currently, 250,000 physicians and more than 500 million people use it worldwide.
By adding a few homeopathic medicines to your chiropractic practice, your patients can experience faster improvement and more complete recovery. This is supported by the results of a 2009 study published in the Clinical Journal of Pain. The study highlights the marked and sustained improvement experienced by patients with low back pain treated with homeopathic medicines. It also gives attention to the reduced number of other conventional treatments and health services needed by patients treated with homeopathy. In this way, laborers with back pain can return to their jobs more swiftly and injured athletes can return to competition with less fear of re-injury; just what patients and DCs hope for.
Homeopathic principles are in alignment with chiropractic philosophy: Homeopathic medicines are all-natural with plant-based active ingredients. They do not contain artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives, and they do not interfere with other medications or lead to dependency. Easy-to-take meltaway pellets are good for adults and children and do not require food or water, making them perfect for home, work or on the go.
Introducing homeopathy into your practice
One way to begin introducing homeopathy into your practice is with topical products. These products can be applied to the skin several times a day to speed healing and lessen the need for conventional pain relievers. They are ideal for athletes to keep in gym bags and for families to keep in first aid kits. The two most-used active ingredients in gels and creams are Arnica and Calendula.
Arnica gel or cream relieves muscle pain and soreness and lessens swelling from bruises or injury. Arnica is the leading homeopathic medicine for injury and trauma (see below).
Calendula gel or cream helps heal minor burns, cuts and scrapes.
Once you’ve seen the effectiveness of topical products, you can introduce patients to single homeopathic medicines for musculoskeletal pain and injury. These pleasant-tasting medicines dissolve on the tongue, have no known side effects and can be taken by children and adults.
Homeopathic treatments have no drug interactions and can be taken along with conventional medicines when they are necessary. Homeopathic treatments often help reduce the number of doses of conventional pain relievers needed to manage pain. The top single medicines for chiropractic practice include:
Arnica
- For muscle pain, stiffness and swelling from injuries
- For acute sprains with soreness and bruising
- To reduce the trauma associated with a fracture
- To reduce postoperative pain and bruising and promote post-op healing
- Helpful for blunt trauma
Bryonia
- For muscle and joint pain worsened by the slightest motion and improved by rest
- For the patient who wishes to lie perfectly still to avoid pain
- For back pain that keeps the patient motionless in bed or a reclining chair
- For arthritis or connective tissue disease with pain on motion, worse when taking a step or being bumped
- For rheumatism and stiffness of muscles and joints
- Follows Arnica well for fracture with pain on motion
Hypericum
- For injuries to nerves and the spine with sharp shooting pain
- For injuries to areas rich in nerves (fingertips, toes, tongue, tailbone)
- For spinal fractures or back sprains with sharp pain made worse by raising the arms
Kali carbonicum
- For low back pain and weakness
- For back pain that drives the patient out of bed at night
- For back pain where the patient must rise to be able to turn over
- For sciatica (especially if right-sided)
- For back pain or sciatica associated with sleeplessness and waking, especially 2:00-4:00 a.m.
Rhus toxicodendron
- For arthritis that is better after a hot bath or shower or time in a jacuzzi
- For joint pain made worse by sitting still for long periods and improved by motion and stretching
- For arthritis that is worse in cloudy, overcast or cold, wet weather
- For back pain that worsens from sitting still (on long car rides, at the movies)
- For back pain and stiffness after muscle strains (motor vehicle accident injuries or over-lifting)
- For back or neck pain that responds well to movement or a massage with hard pressure
- For nighttime stiffness leading to restless legs and constant shifting of position
Zincum metallicum
- For restlessness of the nervous system, especially in the lower extremities
- For restless legs at night in bed, where the legs and feet are constantly moving
- For twitching and jerking in the legs
- For insomnia caused by restlessness
Once you begin to witness improvement in musculoskeletal issues, you can further support your patients’ well-being by addressing sleep issues and stress. Easy-to-use combination medicines contain several homeopathic ingredients that work together synergistically to have the greatest benefit for patients.
First-line homeopathic treatment often stops stress from becoming a chronic condition requiring stronger conventional medications associated with toxicity and side effects. Except in extreme cases, starting with homeopathic treatment can help patients deal with stress and adapt to difficult aspects of daily living. Patients often find homeopathy relieves nervous tension caused by irritability, stress and sensitivity to noise. If psychotherapy is required, homeopathy can help increase its effectiveness.
With homeopathy, patients with occasional sleep disturbances may be able to prevent their insomnia from becoming chronic, requiring heavy treatments. They often find that homeopathy reduces difficulty falling asleep and relieves waking during the night due to nervousness and worry. Since sleeping pills cause drowsiness and are often implicated in falls, homeopathy is especially welcomed by patients who drive, care for others or have a history of falls.
Final thoughts
Now that you are aware of what homeopathy can do to improve your practice, you can start recommending homeopathic medicines to your patients. You can also carry these medicines for retail sale in your office, adding to your income stream. No matter how you decide to take the next steps, your patients will be happy about your increased knowledge and their speedy recovery.
LAURI GROSSMAN, DC, CCH, RSHOM(NA), is the president of the National Center for Homeopathy. She has a private practice in New York City, where she frequently lectures in hospitals and colleges, including Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Hospital for Special Surgery, Lenox Hill and New York University. Grossman works with physicians and DCs to help them integrate homeopathy into their practices, improving outcomes and enhancing patient satisfaction. For more information, call 914-772-5522, email lauri@drlaurigrossman.com or visit drlaurigrossman.com.
