Strains & Sprains seem to be synonymous with springtime. If it's not spring cleaning then it's yard cleanup, or perhaps your porcine pal found a way out of the yard that didn't seem to exist last fall and you've done yourself in chasing him back home. For us Northerners, spring fever probably hits us with a bigger mallet come nice weather. After months on end of snow, ice and below zero weather, we not only can't wait to get out into the warm, green world again, but I think that we probably stay out much longer than we know we should. It would make sense that we would be in pretty good shape after 5 months or so of digging ourselves out of snowdrifts, but for some reason it doesn't seem to prepare us for spring - on the physical level, at least. In any case there is some help for those of us who 'over do' in our enthusiasm to relish the long awaited season change. There is help for our aching bodies.

Rhus toxicodendron 30C is made from Poison Ivy. Even though it is a wonderful remedy for problems ruling the skin, it is probably THE BEST remedy for that aching back you get from over lifting or over exerting. Known as the 'Rusty Hinge' remedy, Rhus tox.'s backache is worse from first movement, but better from continued motion. Compare it to the rusty hinge that is hard to get moving, but once freed up can move quite easily. That is a good scenario for Rhus tox. You find these symptoms especially true when treating Arthritis. When first waking in the morning or after a nap, trying to get up and move is a pretty painful experience. But, once up and about, movement becomes much easier. Sometimes all it takes to seize up is just being a couch potato for a half hour show or so. Go for those pretzels and a drink at commercial time and your eyes bug out for a few seconds as you try to get off that sofa or out of the lazy boy. You can tell those of us who are approaching this remedy picture when you see us starting to get up before the commercial comes on so that we can get back in time and not miss anything! Rhus tox. is also wonderful for left sided sciatica. Highly effective for the back that is thrown out by overlifting an object and twisting at the same time - you know, like when trying to pick up your 100 pound pig and swing him into the car. Personal experience here can attest to the wonderful effects that Rhus can offer to that kind of back injury. And you'll like this one too, it is easy to remember...Rhus tox is worse from cold and damp, and better from heat and hot applications - like the member of the family you hear groaning in the shower in the morning as steam seeps out from beneath the bathroom door. Hot showers is a Rhus tox's favorite thing to do, and why? It frees up those frozen, rusty joints.

For our animal friends such as Pot Bellied Pigs and St. Bernards, one of the kindest things that we can do for them is to not let them become overweight. Carrying extra weight puts stress on the joints and over exerts them then on a daily basis - like every time they stand up or walk. Then as they launch themselves onto the sofa, or tries to beat the other to the kitchen to investigate that promising sound of a rustling bag, they hurt themselves because the joints can't support the extra weight. This is also the reason that arthritis can set in at relatively early age. Let's face it - it can come about too soon for many of us anyway, why give it an invitation to arrive at the party early? The key signs to look for in your companion animal's behavior pointing to Rhus tox. is: trouble getting up or wincing in pain upon getting up after sleep, Or, they may get up apparently okay, but you notice them limping or walking stiff legged for a few feet or a few minutes before getting back to a normal gait. You also may notice that this only happens in cold, damp weather like spring or fall. Rhus tox can also appear after getting wet while being overheated. So, watch yourself and your friend if you have over played and then are subjected to a cold rain or swim before you've cooled down. And one last word on Rhus tox. is that it is probably the best shingles remedy that I have ever found.

Now, pot bellied pigs - like their larger cousins - love to root. Hey, it's a natural thing to do, right? My pal Harry Swinedell has been trying to find out about his family roots lately, I think, based on the rooting that's been going on in my front yard. With this in mind, common sense tells us that before it gets dark and we go prancing through our pigs' yard to find that comet in the night sky - check as to where those rooted holes are, otherwise a sprained ankle will most likely be in store! However, a sprained ankle can be dealt with quite nicely with homeopathy. Of course, the very first remedy you would give a dose or two of to a traumatized joint would be Arnica and ice packs. This will help alleviate some of the pain, swelling and bruising. Then you would follow it up with Rhus tox - IF it is worse from first movement and better from heat. However, if you find that Arnica has helped the pain a lot, but not the lameness, or that Rhus tox worked initially, but now doesn't seem to do the trick....Ruta graveolens 30C is the remedy to go to. Made from the garden herb Rue, it has an affinity for the tendons, ligaments and soft tissue, called periosteum, that cover the bones. So, you will find Ruta a keynote remedy for problems such as strains, tennis elbow, dislocations, occupational injuries and trauma related to repetitive movement. It covers the sprains we talked about, and also, bruised tendons and periosteum, as well as eye strain. It will have a sensation of stiffness and of bone bruises, too. Keep in mind that Ruta & Rhus are very close remedies. They both are better by heat and motion, and worse by resting, lying down and dampness. The differentiation that I will look for is that if there is a lot of pain involved with that sprained joint, then I use Rhus tox. first, but if it is lameness more from weakness than pain, then I'd go to Ruta. An old joint injury that never seems to heal quite all of the way, leaving one slightly limping, will most likely disappear quickly with a few doses of Ruta grav.

Please remember to check with a health professional when dealing with severe joint injuries to rule out a possible fracture. One indication that you are dealing with a broken bone is the sudden onset of nausea shortly after the injury occurs. There is no replacement for a surgeon in instances like these. They can fix our broken bones and put us back together...but by all means, take Arnica on the way to the hospital! Should you find that a fracture has been incurred, take Arnica 30C 3-5 times daily for 2 or 3 days, then follow it with Symphytum 30C, also known as Comfrey. The Indians referred to this herb as Knitbone because of the way it would knit bones back together. Symphytum is remarkable in it's fast action. It has been proven that by taking it 1-2 times daily for 2-3 weeks you can cut the healing time by 50-75%.

Now that Spring is finally here, the last thing you want, should you find yourself with a limp AND a cast, is a few extra weeks of mending time. With Arnica & Symphytum you will amaze your doctors and be out of that cast possibly 2-3 weeks earlier. Just don't recuperate in your back yard gardening - or sod fixing - and do your back in, too. Our pigs are much better suited to being turf masters, and I don't know about yours, mine make fine roto-tillers, too!

© Colleen Nicholson 1996