Have You Ever Burned Yourself Cooking?

Not too long ago, I touched my hand on the upper heating element (broiler) in my oven while taking food out of the oven. I quickly took a dose of the homeopathic remedy Cantharis 200c. The burning sensation started to lessen within a few minutes after the Cantharis. I had done this before and knew that if I hadn’t taken Cantharis, I would have developed a large transparent bubble (blister) at the site. I repeated Cantharis later that evening when the burn sensation became worse again.
By the next morning, I hardly had any sensation, I only had a brownish mark at the burn site. If I continued having the burning sensation the next day, I would have put Cantharis in a Homeopathic Remedy Solution Bottle and taken it with 10 succussions when the burn sensation increased. Since I had a brown discoloration on my hand, I took the homeopathic remedy Calendula 30c with 10 succussions to help address the discoloration so I wouldn’t have a scar.

Burns: What are They and How Can Homeopathy Help?

You can have a burn from hot liquids (i.e., hot water, steam) or touching a hot surface (stove top, broiler (oven), fire, sun, electricity, radiation, or chemicals (i.e., cement, acids, or drain cleaners). The severity of your burn is determined by the size and depth of the burn and listed as a first-degree burn, second-degree burn, or third-degree burn. The symptoms you may have from a burn range from a feeling of minor discomfort to a life-threatening emergency, depending on the size and depth (degree) of your burn. Depending on the degree of your burn will depend on how it is treated. When you have sunburn or a small hot liquid burn, it can be treated at home; a chemical or electrical burn needs to be treated at a burn unit since they are usually deep or cover a wide area. All burns need to be treated accordingly so they do not become infected. Whether you have a first-degree burn or severe third-degree burn, you can always take homeopathic remedy(s) to help with the healing process.

The Three Types of Burns:

• First-degree Burns – What’s considered a mild burn (i.e., sunburn), which is red and can be painful and does not usually blister.
• Second-degree Burns – This burn blisters the skin and affects the top (epidermis) and lower layers (dermis) of the skin. Besides blisters, you may also have redness, swelling, and pain.
• Third-degree Burns – Affects all three skin layers: epidermis, dermis, and fat. The burn destroys your hair follicles, nerves, and sweat glands. Since the burn damages your nerve endings, you may not feel any pain in the burn area itself; however, you will feel pain adjacent to it. The burned skin may be black, white, or red with a leathery appearance. A third-degree burn can have complications such as dehydration, edema (excess fluid and swelling of the tissues), scarring and contractures, low blood pressure (hypotension), abnormal heart rate, pneumonia, infection leading to sepsis or amputation, or organ failure.

Sunburn Case Scenario

Several years ago, my family and I took a trip to the Bahamas. While we were sightseeing, I got a very red sunburn. By evening, my back and shoulders were very red and hurt. Fortunately, I did not develop any blisters. I took the homeopathic remedy Sol 30c in a Homeopathic Remedy Solution Bottle with 10 succussions several times a day when the sunburn pain increased again. I sprayed a water solution with the homeopathic remedy Hypericum 30c a couple of times a day when the nerve ending started screaming again. The next two days, my sunburn started to turn into a tan.

What are the Signs of Burns?

Burn symptoms can vary depending on the degree of the burn:

• Blisters
• Pain
• Swelling
• Red, white, or charred (black) skin
• Peeling skin

Old Burn Case Scenario

My client called me about an old chemical burn she got a year ago. She said she got the burn from a chemical she used to help a friend clean her bathroom tile. My client said the cleaner splashed on her hand while pouring it out. She stated she did not do anything about it other than run water on it to wash it off. The next day, she woke up with a blister on her hand, and she went to see a doctor. The doctor prescribed a cream to be applied to the blister, which healed the blister. A month later, the blister came back out again, and ever since, it keeps coming out, breaks open again and she needs to apply cream on it. I had her take the homeopathic remedy Causticum 200c once a day in a Homeopathic Remedy Solution Bottle with 10 succussions. By day three, the blister was closing up and starting to heal up. I had my client continue taking Causticum once a day until the blister was gone. She had to repeat Causticum again three months later when the blister started to surface again. My client hasn’t needed to repeat Causticum again for the blister, since then.

Common Homeopathic Remedies for Burns (1st, 2nd and 3rd degree):

• Apis Mellifica – Helps decrease the swelling that can occur after a burn.
• Arsenicum Album – Selected for burns that feel better when heat is applied to the site. Can have ulcers that have an offensive discharge that can be a threatening gangrene. Arsenicum can address threatened burns of infection or gangrene.
• Cantharis – The main homeopathic remedy for burns and scalds with a raw and smarting sensation. The burn feels better when a cold application is applied. You may have large blisters that can break when touched. Vesicular eruptions that can itch and burn (sunburn).
• Causticum – Selected for old burns that resist healing. The burn starts to heal and then breaks open and may bleed. It can be selected for severe pain from chemical burns.
• Carbo Animalis – Selected for scars from burns that fail to heal.
• Graphite Naturalis –Is selected for burns with eruption(s) that ooze a sticky discharge. Also, for old burn scars.
• Hypericum Solution – This solution is made with Hypericum 30c to be sprayed or applied topically on sunburns one to twice daily to soothe the skin. Hypericum Solution Recipe: Add one or more pellets of Hypericum 30c to a spray bottle with filtered water. Label the bottle as Hypericum 30c Sunburn Spray.
• Plumbum – Selected for small burn wounds that become easily inflamed and discharge pus (suppurate) and can lead to threatening gangrene.
• Sol – Selected for all types of burns, especially sunburns or burns from radiation. It is also selected for a burn that has never been well since sunburn.
• Urtica Urens – Selected for 1st-degree burns, scalds, or sunburns that have intense itching, and burns that sting and blister that are worse with cold or wet applications.

In conclusion, understanding the different degrees of burns—first, second, and third—is crucial in determining the appropriate treatment and ensuring effective healing. Proper care is essential to prevent infections and complications that might arise from improper treatment. Embracing homeopathic remedies can complement conventional methods and contribute positively to the recovery process. By recognizing the severity of a burn and opting for suitable treatments, you can promote healing and enhance their overall well-being.