I recently bumped into my friend Jessica – I have known her from years ago as an avid tennis player. In conversation she told me that not only she, but also some of her friends had been plagued for some time by severe pain in the foot. The diagnosis of plantar fasciitis had already been made.
She immediately asked me whether my homeopathic pellets would help with musculoskeletal problems, after all the problem was rather mechanical in origin. I answered in the affirmative at once, because we all know that homeopathy is capable of healing the entire spectrum of human ailments and does not stop at "mechanical" conditions or even injuries.
Plantar fasciitis, colloquially often referred to as a "heel spur", is one of the common causes of heel pain in adults. The plantar fascia stretches the longitudinal arch of the foot and runs from the heel to the toes. It is a tough, broad band of connective tissue that helps the inner side of the foot maintain its natural arch. If problems occur at this critical spot, severe pain and the associated symptoms can develop very quickly.
Typical for this condition are the pains that usually occur in the morning and on the first weight-bearing after prolonged sitting, which tend to improve with continued movement (here is the famous hint – my students should be bursting with ideas at this point).
Usually the foot pain worsens again towards the evening. Common causes include prolonged standing or walking on hard surfaces or a sudden increase in physical activity. Overweight can also be a contributing factor.
Conservative treatment options include rest, stretching exercises and cold applications, as well as corticosteroid injections, orthotic insoles, splints and, if all else fails, surgery. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which include aspirin and ibuprofen, are usually prescribed at the start of treatment.
We all know that treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can have serious side effects. (If you are not yet familiar with them, I recommend you find out before taking the medicines). You need not ask your doctor, because most conventional physicians will not take your concerns seriously. It is best to read the package leaflet (even if you have to put on your reading glasses for it) or look it up on the appropriate websites. It is worth doing.
If you are sensible and value your health, you will by then refuse such a treatment.
The homeopathic approach to treating plantar fasciitis is, as with any other chronic musculoskeletal condition (e.g. arthritis), always holistic.
For many years I almost routinely prescribed Rhus tox, Ruta and Arnica montana in these cases. Since I became familiar with the Banerji Protocols, I have slightly changed my strategy, because the treatment successes of this method developed by Indian doctors are noticeably more consistent and sustainable.
According to the Banerji Protocol, Symphytum officinale C200 and Rhus toxicodendron C30 are administered together twice daily until an improvement in symptoms occurs.
Since I started working with this method my sustainable treatment successes have increased significantly. In fact they are so consistent that I now also recommend this approach to chiropractors. The therapists who took up my recommendations and treated their patients according to the Banerji method report the same. In addition, they have found that their own chiropractic work has a more lasting effect on patients who have been treated homeopathically.
The homeopathic remedies are discontinued as soon as an improvement in symptoms occurs.
If you cannot obtain a suitable combination remedy from your pharmacy, simply buy the remedies individually and take both at the same time.
In some cases a different remedy may be indicated: if the prominent symptoms manifest as foot cramps and neuralgic pains in the sole and/or the arch of the foot contracts while walking because it is so painful, then I recommend Causticum C30, taken twice daily until the symptoms improve.
I quickly jotted down the whole protocol on my business card for Jessica and asked her to give me a brief update as soon as her 'treatment' was finished.
Many months later Jessica contacted me by email. She could hardly believe that she had taken the pellets for only one week and had been pain-free ever since. Why she hadn't contacted me earlier? She had been thoroughly sceptical, initially thinking her recovery was a fluke. Only when the pain had not returned even months later did she pluck up the courage to send me the good news.
She was able to treat herself – entirely without drugs that usually bring a whole raft of new problems. And the most important thing of all: Jessica's feet did not let her down in sport. She was able to play the tennis tournaments that meant so much to her and even won the trophy. Completely without 'doping'.
A treatment could hardly have gone more satisfactorily!
-------------------------------------------------
This article was published on www.joettecalabrese.com
Photo: © Shutterstock - Sportsman feeling pain in his foot. Sitting and touching his foot_BlueSkyImage
Category: Cases
Remedies: Rhus tox, Ruta, Arnica montana, Symphytum officinale, Rhus toxicodendron, Causticum
