What can homeopathy do for sunburns?
Of course it is best to avoid a sun burn in the first place but if you are at all like me sometimes that does not happen…so of course homeopathy can come to the rescue. The right homeopathic remedy can stop the pain of the burn and help the skin to heal nearly over night. Read below for some of the top remedies to help reduce the pain of a sunburn and promote a healthy healing. Remember homeopathy is specific so the symptoms must match. You will notice with each remedy there are subtle differences and it is those differences that distinguish the different remedies. I have listed them in what I have seen to be the most common but remember we are all different and all have different symptoms. When I get sunburned it stings and itches more than burns but when my good friend burns she feels hot burning pains. We both may be together in the sun and both get sun burned and yet both take a different homeopathic remedy.
Urtica urens
Consider Urtica urens first for a sunburn that stings and itches. This burn can be a 1st or 2nd degree burn and the pain will be stinging, and will be worse for touch. The warmer the patient becomes, the more intense the itching. Urtica urens is good for both burns and scalds.
Cantharis
Cantharis is one of the first remedies to consider for an extremely painful burn with blisters. The injury will feel better from ice or cold air or other cold applications. The blisters may be fairly large and filled with water.
Complaints needing Cantharis are rapid and intense and feature an irritation and sensitivity that leave the person in a nearly manic state of restlessness.
Apis mellifera
A burn needing Apis may form large blisters filled with water and appear ready to burst. Even if the skin does not blister, it will be very swollen and will appear shiny and red. The affected area will be very tender and sensitive to touch. This painful burn will feel better from ice and other cold applications. Likewise, the pain will be worse in a warm room or exposed to any type of heat. These pains may be quick and sharp like the sting of a bee.
Belladonna
Consider Belladonna first when a burn is accompanied by a high fever. Burns needing Belladonna will be intensely painful and dry, with no blisters and no discharge. The injured area will be smooth, shiny and scarlet red. The burn will give off heat that radiates, leaving a hot sensation on the examiner’s hand. The area may be deeper red in color, and the pain may be throbbing. The pain of the burn may become worse when lying down.
Complaints needing Belladonna are characterized by sudden, intense and very painful symptoms that come on quickly and may also disappear quickly. The pains are usually described as “throbbing” and are worsened by drafts of air and jarring movements. The person’s face will often be red and hot, with dilated pupils, but the hands and feet tend to be cold.
Arsenicum album
Burns requiring Arsenicum album are typically serious. The skin may appear blackened. The injury will be dry with intense burning pain like fire. It may also itch, and the pain will be relieved by warm applications. The burn may ulcerate and peel in large scales.
People who need Arsenicum album are anxious, uncertain of recovery and afraid of dying. They have a great desire for company and reassurance, both of which will ease the suffering. The anxiety is accompanied by great restlessness, which may drive the person from place to place.
Causticum
Causticum will be useful for serious burns, or for a person who has never been well since sustaining a serious burn. A burn needing Causticum will have a burning, sore, raw pains. If a feeling of rawness remains after a burn has healed, Causticum will help.