This Story Could Save Your Life
This story and a simple, cheap homeopathic remedy could save your life. Or, at the very least, keep a surgeon from opening your abdomen to remove a horribly painful, inflamed organ.
I saved a young girl from appendicitis many years ago. This is the story of the wondrous effect the appropriate remedy can have on the stricken. Reading her story, you’ll learn how you can follow in her footsteps if this disease ever strikes you or a loved one.
“My Daughter’s In the E.R. Awaiting Surgery!”
In my early homeopathic career, I learned the usual acute remedies that can turn the sudden, painful, or even dangerous diseases around in short order. Many of you have now learned several of these remedies and how to use them for your dogs in my Vital Animal Alpha membership.
Having become known at my kids’ Waldorf school as “the homeopathic vet,” I guess I came to Mary’s mind when her eleven year old daughter fell seriously ill one weekday afternoon. Our daughters were classmates, and Mary, like most parents at our school, thought conventional medicine had its place. But that place was, at best, in putting bodies back together when they’d been rent asunder. Broken bones pinned, torn skin sutured back together, lost blood replaced in a pinch. If there was a natural way to heal something faster and safer than conventional medicine could, Mary was all over it.
Sarah is in the ER, and we’re waiting on the surgeon to get done with another patient before she goes in to get her appendix taken out. Is there anything a remedy could do to help her?”
A Girl in Pain, Lab Work Spelling Danger
Sarah had the classical pain at “McBurney’s point” that was a diagnostic clincher for appendicitis. Dr. Chas. McBurney published a paper on this disease in 1891 and outlined the point of maximal pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, illustrated here. If you suspect appendicitis in a loved one or yourself, odds are this point will be extremely painful if pressed.
Press here, expect OUCH! with appendicitis.
When there’s acute inflammation in the abdomen like Sarah’s, it’s not uncommon to see the white blood cell count rise rapidly, as Mother Nature sounds the alarm:
Danger! We’ve got a breach! Send help, stat!
Fever is part of that response as well, and Sarah was hovering around 102–103º while her white count was past the 10,500 mark and rising.
All of her symptoms, blood tests and fever agreed: Sarah had peracute inflammation of the tiny blind sac called the appendix, and surgery was the next step to take it out. And of course, she’d be slapped with a couple of weeks of antibiotics.
When I answered Mary’s phone call and asked a few questions, I knew immediately what to do. I had a 60% shot at curing this, according to the homeopathic literature I’d read and filed away in my memory banks.
But was there time to get this done before the surgeon got free to cut Sarah open?
A Remedy Recalled
It’s pretty rare that a given remedy will cure a given condition, but in appendicitis, there’s a key symptom that matches very well with a particular remedy. This symptom screams out of most appendicitis patients, and their bodily posture shows it, even if they are too young (or of another species not given to speech) to say so:
It really, really hurts when I move! Even a little bit!!”
That tell tale posture is usually lying on one side, knees drawn up towards the chest, hands over the lower abdomen, and a look of fear if movement is suggested.
The remedy bryonia fits the patient who seeks to remain very still, because every movement makes his condition much worse. That may apply to joint pain, injury, flu, or in about 60% of the cases of appendicitis.
I told Mary that if she wanted to try bryonia while they had a window before the surgeon finished his other case, it’d be worth a shot. No harm, certainly, and it just might cure her. She rushed to the nearest store to get the remedy, rushed back to Sarah in the hospital, and started giving her the sweet little pellets.
Pain Subsides, Nice. But White Count and Fever, Too?
Further luck befell mother and daughter: the surgeon had another emergency surgery come screaming in by ambulance, and he had to do a bit of triage. Sarah’s appendix could wait, the other patient could not.
After a couple of doses of bryonia 30C, 10 minutes apart, Sarah’s pain eased. After 3 doses, it was lessened enough that she could again sit up and move without pain. The amazing part of the story was the repeated blood sampling the nursing staff did. The white blood cell count dropped steadily back to normal over the next hour. As did Sarah’s fever.
If they hadn’t been measuring all this, the hospital would probably never have released Sarah without the surgeon doing an appendectomy. But when he finally got free and palpated her now nearly pain free abdomen and looked at her restored blood work, he admitted it. Mary could take Sarah home without surgery!
Keep This Free Tip. Consider Learning More.
So, another small homeopathic miracle. Or not so small, if it were your appendicitis or your daughter’s.
But, it’s one I’ll never forget. And now you know it as well. File that away in your own memory banks!
You may need it someday, though probably not in your animals, who, except for the horse, don’t have an appendix per se. A horse has a huge cecum that’s the analogous organ to our appendix, but their colic is usually not a bryonia type: they thrash and roll more often than stay motionless. So, you’d be looking for a different remedy.
Have your remedy kit yet? Bryonia is in most acute remedy kits, including mine that’s offered to my Alpha students.
Want to learn more?
My Vital Animal Alpha premium membership teaches you how to handle emergencies safely and effectively with homeopathy. It’s directed at dogs, but the principles and remedies apply equally to cats, horses or humans of all ages.
Included is a monthly live call with me to get your questions answered, as well as our engaged private Facebook community.
And since homeopathic remedies are species agnostic, what’s good for Bowser will be equally good for Fluff. Or Sarah. Or Buck, the Quarter Horse! As long as the remedy’s symptoms fit your patient’s symptoms, you’re likely to help with an appropriate remedy.
Have you beaten any emergencies with homeopathy? Tell us in the comments.
My papillon Jazz, is not rabies protected according to Dr Dodds who did the titer. He is 2 & 1/2 yrs old, raw fed, excellent condition. I’m not wanting to give the vaccine! He will be my agility partner and I won’t do him any harm. What should I do?
I love reading these stories and wish I could afford the homeopathic first aid home study course with homeopathic emergency kit and other goodies. But I’m on a fixed income since my retirement and just can’t afford to do it. Brings me to my question: can you tell me a few of the remedies I could buy and have on hand for various treatment situations? Thanks for any suggestions and ideas.
We spoke on email, Toni: join the Vital Animal Pack, get my free newsletter, where I’ve covered several acute remedies of late, and search out the past issues from any issue to find the archived issues. You’ll get a good start.
Thanks for being here.
My husband and I were up north deer hunting in the below zero weather. When we got back to camp he decided to start a fire with a 1lb. propane torch. When he got the fire going, he turned the torch off and set it down. The fire went out after a few minutes, and when he leaned over to grab the torch he found out that he hadn’t turned the torch completely off, meaning he literally torched his hand! I quickly had him put his hand in a bucket that was under the sink (cold water) and ran for my homeopathy kit. I gave him two doses of cantharis 30c while his hands were in the bucket of water, and he stood up, dried off his hands, and went on with his business. I gave him two more doses in the hours before going to bed and in the morning I asked him how his hand was. His response… “Why? What’s wrong with my hand?” He had totally forgotten that he burned his hand the day before!
Love it, Kathleen. So rapidly resolved a painful injury the “patient” forgets he was even injured in the first place!
I read a similar cantharis tale from a lone cook years back in Homeopathy Today. I’ll tell that one some time.
Remarkable what’s possible with homeopathy.
Two amazing recent recoveries for our family to share. The first was a relative who had 3 episodes of suffering from severe sciatica. The 1st time she used conventional medicine; they gave her drugs and physical therapy. The 2nd time she used chiropractic care; he gave her an NSAID along with adjustments 3 times a week. It took 6 weeks each time for it to stop hurting her and she was off work over a month each time. It also cost her over $300 each time for her share of co-pay expenses. She called me the 3rd time it happened. I researched her symptoms and it looked like Rhus Tox would work. She took 2 doses of 30C; it was gone in less than 6 hours and has never returned.
Another family member was having low back problems after doing too much yard work over the weekend. He knew about the sciatica results and asked us what remedy could help him. Kali Carbonicum is used for lower backache and since we had 30C on hand, we gave that to him. 2 doses and he was right as rain.
We LOVE homeopathy and this newsletter! Way to go, Doc. Another awesome publication.
OMG, Dede! You turned around sciatica in less than 6 days?? With a simple remedy anyone could buy at most any grocery store? A condition that normally takes long, agonizing weeks to get well, with lots of treatment?
That’s nothing short of amazing! No wonder you love homeopathy, and I’d guess your family loves you!
Just a caveat for readers: Dede got this result by carefully studying her relatives symptoms (at least in the sciatica case) and then reading up on remedies that could produce symptoms very similar (like I spoke about this week on Vital Animal News). Giving that similar remedy then helped the sufferer to respond quickly and appropriately to get over their own disease.
So, will all sciatica cases get well with rhus tox? NO. The patient who’s in a “rhus tox sort of sciatica,” with symptoms similar to what rhus tox produces, will. Others’ sciatica might have quite different symptoms and need a different remedy to get well.
Will you hurt anything by trying rhus tox on a sciatica sufferer? No, at least if you’re careful. If you haven’t gotten a significant betterment after 2-3 doses, you’d better stop giving it and search your materia medica for a better fitting remedy. Continuing to use a remedy that’s not curing could cause problems.
Okay, teaching over. Hats off to Dede and her use of homeopathy to help sufferers get quickly over their suffering!
We were all impressed at how quickly the sciatica resolved and that it hasn’t come back after several months. Homeopathy is so amazing! If it hadn’t been the correct remedy, how soon can another remedy be given? I’m especially thinking of people or animals who are suffering or it’s an acute/urgent situation. Anything complex I’d use a homeopathic practitioner.
Hey Dede,
If someone’s in that much pain and you’d not seen any lessening in a day, two at the outside, I’d move on. This is a bit dicey, in that it’s not acute disease per se, you were on the third recurrence, so just be very cautious. Chronic disease is best done with a trained practitioner.
It sounds like you found the simillimum for this person, though, especially with months of respite after a rapid resolution. Amazing indeed.
Last year about this time (8/6/2014) I was expecting a wonderful litter of 9, very large for my terrier breed. As it happened, the dam needed a C-section and it was recommended that I use a facility near to my repro vet who could not do the section as it was an emergency. The whole process was a nightmare and I ended up losing 6 of the 9 puppies (5 during the c-section and 1 the day after). I believe they gave her too much anaesthesia, although they would never admit it. I was losing one of the 3 remaining puppies who was limp in the whelping box. Her heart had stopped and I got her going but she couldn’t breathe and was gasping for air, but not able to breathe. I gave her 3 doses of Carbo Vegetabilis 30C and she never had an episode again. She is now just over a year and a holy terror (as she should be). I am thankful to Homeopathy most every day.
A “holy terrier!” As she should be, thanks to the remedy known as the “corpse reviver.”
Nice work, Susan. She got well from the remedy and never looked back.
Dr. Falconer
I’m curios. I had exactly the same symptoms as Sarah but the doctors think in my case it is Crohn’s. Do you think that bryonia could help if I have a sudden flare up of inflammation with those specific symptoms?
Thank you for this amazing blog and fountain of information!
Kind regards,
Karin
Hi Karin,
If it’s crystal clear that a flare up puts you in a very “stay still at all costs!” place, yes, bryonia would likely help in acute flare ups of your more chronic disease.
You’ll know within minutes of the first dose if it’s going to work for you.
Thank you Dr. Falconer! I appreciate your feedback.
My family and I were on vacation in Colorado recently. We went hiking in the mountains one day where my daughter (age 20) injured her foot. She was hiking downhill when she stepped on a rock that rolled her ankle inward. She said she heard three loud “pops” when it happened and then her foot began throbbing in pain. I knew exactly which homeopathic remedy would work best in this situation but my kit of vials was in a backpack with my husband who had hiked ahead of us, too far out of reach.
At this point of the hike we were just past halfway down the mountain and her foot was beginning to swell quickly. With the help of a hiking stick and my shoulder, she hobbled the rest of the way down the mountain where we were finally reunited with my homeopathic kit. I gave her four pellets of Arnica 30c right away and decided to have her see a doctor when we arrived home the next day if her pain worsened.
I continued dosing her with Arnica 4 times per day for the following two days and cut back to 1-2 doses per day thereafter. Every day she took Arnica her pain lessened and within six days of the original dosing she was running on it, completely pain free. Gotta love good ol’ homeopathy!
Wow, Rachel! One remedy, the commonest for injury, took her all the way from hobbling lame to running on her foot in 6 days! That’s amazing, and not even in the same universe as what would be expected with drugs and crutches, etc.
Love it, indeed.
This story isn’t really about an emergency, but it sure was painful. I do work with my hands, and I had accidentally crushed three of my fingertips, resulting in terrible and instant swelling and pain. X-ray revealed that the distal bone of two fingers had been smashed to bits. I took a 1M dose (sorry I don’t recall whether I repeated doses or not) of a remedy called “Ouch!” which contains Arnica, Hypericum, and Rhus Tox, which dramatically reduced the swelling and pain. Later that day, or perhaps the next day, I took Symphytum – it was either 200C or 30C (again, I don’t recall how many doses, but I do remember repeating this one – maybe 3 times/day for a few days). Result = all healed up in record time!
Nice, Mary. Hypericum alone would have done this, and would be my first choice over a combo. But you got great results, and likely amazed the surgeon, so hats off to you!
Just one little comment: I get goosebumps everytime I read your stories and it’s a good feeling. Thank you thank you thank you.
This information as suggested has been downloaded on my memory stick 🙂
Great story, Dr. Falconer, and Susan, your story is awesome, too! My story involves my dear friend and house sitter, who takes care of my dogs when I’m away. She’s an older person, almost 80, and a diabetic. However, she’s full of life and has great vitality. She loves dressing up and dancing at polka tests for 4-6 hours a day on as many weekends as she can attend these dances in WI.
Anyway, I had some friends over and she was experiencing the awful after effects of a diabetic crash. Her symptoms seemed a match to Nux Vomica. In addition to feeling like she was hung over, she was bent over, ashen-faced, and had no energy. I gave her the Nux Vomica 30C and within one minute of taking the remedy, she stood up straight, had pink cheeks, a sparkle in her eyes and started talking to us as if she had never experienced the after effects of the crash. It was amazing and miraculous and exciting. We all saw it so there were multiple witnesses.
I have a second story involving the same person. She was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, which is where bone grows in the canal of the spine and squeezes the nerve bundles running down the spine. She was experiencing terrible pain from the resultant sciatica and was slated for a spine operation. I immediately jumped in and asked her to try a homeopathic remedy before submitting to the operation since doing that type of surgery on a diabetic can often leave them worse off when they started. I had learned that the remedy Hekla Lava removes bone from places it shouldn’t be and redirects it to the proper places in the body. So I recommended she try it. She started feeling relief from her sciatica within a couple of days and when she went back for a pre-op check, they found that she didn’t need the operation. The bone had removed itself from where it shouldn’t be inside her spinal column and deposited itself in the place it was supposed to be in the first place. She has never forgotten how this suggestion and this remedy saved her from the knife. Now she lends out her homeopathy books and recommends remedies to her friends in need.
Homeopathy rocks!!!
Very cool, Elle. Nice prescribing.
How much did she get & how often? Does one get this at the pharmacy?
This was in reference to the reply regarding Sciatica.
Actually I didn’t recommend the remedy for the sciatica symptoms but for the spinal stenosis. It followed that when the excess bone removed itself from inside the spinal column, the pressure was relieved on the nerves involved in sciatica.
If you’ve been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, you might want to try Heckla Lava 30C. I usually go with my intuition when it comes to dosage and how often. If you take Dr Falconer’s course, you’ll start to get the hang of it.
yes, homeopathy is just the best!
I used to raise a few pigs every year. One year a wild turnkey flock flew over head and one of them dropped some poop mid flight. A pig gobbled that down (no pun intended) and got sick. I can’t remember the name of the disease, but the pig broke out into a rash and got a fever. Yes, I took his temperature and it was pretty high. I ran to the house, called the vet, and grabbed Belladonna 30c and a piece of bread. The pig took the pellets wrapped in the bread.
In 20 minutes his fever broke. In 30 minutes the vet arrived. I told him what I had done. Boy was he ever mad, and on the verge of calling animal control on me for animal abuse because he didn’t know what homeopathic Belladonna was. He was sure I’d given the pig Foxglove.
I fell and broke my hand and wrist in multiple places. I was 59 at the time, so not a spring chicken. Luckily I did not require pins, however, the trauma was still significant. As soon as I was released from the Emergency Room, I began using several remedies to heal bone and reduce pain and inflammation. Symphytum 200 c, Calcarea Carb 12x and Rhus Tox 30x for the joint pain and one more remedy combo for General Pain that had Bryonia, Hypericum, Mag Phos, Kali Phos and Arnica at a 3x. I was told by 3 separate MD’s I would require a 12 week recovery. At 5 weeks I was pronounced healed and released, even surpassing all expectations for Physical Therapy. I only needed prescription pain medication until my cast was put in place and only to sleep.