Bothered by mosquitoes this summer? Ledum is the first choice

Joette Calabrese 14/07/2023

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Mosquito nuisance in summer? Ledum is the first choice

You know how much I like to sing! Now in summer the lines “Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy” from the musical West Side Story are among my favourites. Life is usually more carefree in summer — if only it weren't for all the little pests. That brings Ledum to mind, and I think of Ledum especially often during the summer months.

I won't beat around the bush: Ledum palustre is one of the homoeopathic remedies that should not be missing from any home medicine cabinet, preferably in the potencies 30 and 200. Further information on dosing and potency of the remedy can be found here.

Ledum for insect stings, snake bites and puncture wounds

I've written about Ledum several times, especially regarding insect stings and bites. Speaking of bites: it can be given for all animal bites, not just those from insects. See info here:

Ledum is also useful for snake bites. One of my students told me last week that she was able to successfully treat a snake bite on her dog (directly in the paw, from a 1.5-metre-long rattlesnake!) ... with homoeopathy. Her entire neighbourhood has now seen the clear proof that homoeopathy works! Now that's what I call inspiring!

Ledum as a summer remedy

Ledum has a good reputation for treating puncture wounds. And aren't animal and insect bites precisely that? So let's not forget that Ledum can always be useful when the complaints are associated with a puncture, especially in nerve-rich parts of the body (such as the hands and feet).

An example: It's summer. Who needs shoes? Allen was strolling through his garden when suddenly… OUCH! Somehow he had managed to step on a nail.

Allen consulted his Materia Medica and decided to take Ledum 200 every four hours until the puncture wound looked much better. Afterwards he took Ledum 200 once daily for three weeks. Homoeopathic literature states that Ledum can protect against tetanus.

Ledum palustre for the treatment of rheumatism

Allen also recommended that his mother Edna, who suffered from rheumatism in her lower limbs, take Ledum. Rheumatism is not a specific medical diagnosis but a general, informal term for inflammations and joint pains caused by a disease or syndrome.

Edna's pain was — forgive the pun — nerve-racking. She could no longer work in her garden or play on the swing with her grandchildren. It was summer, and she had no fun at all — only severe pain.

There is no specific protocol for Ledum in rheumatism, but it has been shown that Ledum 30 or 200 (depending on severity), taken twice daily, can eliminate the condition over time.

Allen bought his mother a pack of Ledum 200 and explained how to take the correct number of globules (as indicated on the manufacturer's pharmacy label) and let them dissolve under the tongue.

Even if you don't want to believe it, dear Edna! It may sound too simple, but that's exactly what we love about homoeopathy. It is inexpensive, easy to use and effective, without the dangerous side effects that can occur with conventional medicines.

Furthermore, homoeopathy is incredibly versatile and many paths can lead to the goal. That's why you should always consult a repertory (to find common complaints and the associated remedies) and a Materia Medica (to read up on the characteristics of each candidate remedy).

Ledum, Rhus tox and Ruta

For joint pain we often think, for example, of Rhus toxicodendron. But Ledum palustre can also be a good choice. In short: people whose joints feel better with warmth will generally consider Rhus tox. If, however, someone feels better with cold, Ledum is a good option.

We always make our decisions based on the specific symptoms present.

Another example: Ruta graveolens is known to be particularly helpful for sprains of the lower limbs, such as the ankle. But Ledum can be considered an alternative remedy, especially if the person feels the need to immerse their foot in cold water to relieve the pain.

It's so simple (cold vs. heat) — but recognising this small difference can make a big difference!

And if you still don't feel any awe for the healing powers of Ledum, you can read for yourself what the homoeopathic remedy can do for gout (here in combination with Belladonna).

Does Ledum help with Lyme borreliosis?

Especially now — in summer — the topic of Ledum is particularly relevant. After all, there are ticks and tick-borne diseases. The hot topic of every summer is borreliosis. The following blog posts may also be of interest to you:

Let me make one thing clear: it can always be useful to find out which microorganism contributed to our complaints, but that is not our highest priority. In Practical Homoeopathy® we first ask ourselves: "What are the symptoms?"

If a tick bite has triggered fibromyalgia, then of course we also use the remedy for fibromyalgia!

Now is a good time for a short reminder: we do not treat the symptoms. We do the exact opposite. We use these little gifts, which we call symptoms, to determine which homoeopathic remedies may be useful in a particular case.

Certainly fibromyalgia can be triggered by borreliosis, but it can also have other causes, such as hormonal changes, overexertion and food intolerances. It doesn't matter!

The symptoms decide

If we have taken the appropriate remedy for our symptoms — in this case fibromyalgia and fatigue due to borreliosis — and it does nothing, then we should more closely consider what other connections there might be. That's when microorganisms come into play. But we shouldn't immediately chase after a microorganism from the start — one of millions of different pathogens that exist. If we descend into that rabbit hole, we'll overlook a whole range of good homoeopathic remedies that could successfully treat the suffering in its current form.

So I'll say it again: when choosing a suitable remedy we begin with the symptoms! We do not treat the lab findings.

If a client comes to me with their blood test results, I usually say: "That's useful, but put it aside. Now tell me what is really going on with you. Oh, you have fatigue and fibromyalgia. Then we'll take this remedy for fatigue and this one here for fibromyalgia."

We choose our remedies based on what is happening in real time.

New challenges in homoeopathy

Before people began looking for alternatives to conventional medicine and discovered naturopathy and functional medicine, this dilemma didn't exist.

If a patient told their doctor they constantly felt tired, the doctor would simply say: "That's called chronic fatigue."

Or if a patient went to the doctor and said: "These joints hurt precisely here at the thumb," the doctor would reply: "Well, that's arthritis!"

The sentence "Every fibre of my body aches" was answered with "That's called fibromyalgia."

You know what I mean. Doctors simply took the description of the symptoms and formulated them into a medical term. Back then it was actually easier for me as a homoeopath.

But over the past 20 years I've noticed a marked shift. Many clients now place great value on countless lab tests, which can be useful for the naturopathic or functional paradigm, but are not necessarily useful for homoeopathy. They can be helpful. But they are not the first, second or even third view with which we look at the complaints.

So observe the symptoms carefully and learn to value the clues they provide. This is especially important for vague diagnoses such as borreliosis, chronic fatigue or adrenal insufficiency. Sometimes a name can mislead us. It is the symptoms — what is happening right now — that are all we need to begin the search for the appropriate homoeopathic remedy.

So enjoy the summer and spread the word — homoeopathy helps!

Warmly,

Yours

Source: https://joettecalabrese.com/blog/summertime-and-the-ledum-is-easy/

Joette Calabrese