Every time she scrolled through Instagram this summer, Beth got a little more annoyed. Apart from the fascination everyone seemed to have with photographing their plate of food, photos of freshly manicured feet in front of a swimming pool were everywhere on social media!
"Okay, okay," Beth grumbled to herself. "I get it! You're all enjoying your holiday! Or whatever."
It's not that Beth was a gloomy person or that she disliked holiday photos. Rather, Beth had to hide her feet because of her unsightly bunions. The constant reminder of well-shaped, healthy feet irritated Beth endlessly.
A hallux valgus is painful
Her deformed bunions were not only embarrassing for Beth, they also caused her pain because of the misshapen metatarsophalangeal joint. She couldn't wear the same pretty shoes as her friends. In her bulky, comfortable shoes she looked like an old woman. And in fact Beth resembled her grandmother a lot because she wore the same shoes!
The hallux valgus, also known as a bunion, seemed to run in the family.
In a hallux valgus a bony bump forms on the side of the big toe (sometimes this also occurs on the little toe). The bump is caused when the upper part of the toe shifts inward towards the other toes, displacing the joint and causing it to protrude outwards.
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Complications include swelling, redness, pain, corns and restricted movement.
All in all, a bunion is no fun.
Homeopathy for bunions
Fortunately Beth had a friend who shared "the good news about homeopathy" with her. She explained to Beth that a bunion is a chronic condition that doesn’t resolve quickly even with homeopathy. Indeed, it can take a very long time for a hallux valgus to improve. Conventional surgical treatment usually involves a months-long recovery period – and even then there is no guarantee of cure.
So Beth thought she could at least give homeopathy a try. After all, she had nothing to lose besides her bunion.
Silicea, Rhus tox or Hypericum?
As with most conditions, it is advisable to obtain a conventional diagnosis. Pain in the big toe can, for example, be caused by a bunion, gout or arthritis. In cases diagnosed as hallux valgus I have, in my practice, achieved good results with Silicea 200. The remedy is taken twice daily. Further information on dosage and potency can be found here.
Let’s assume there are acute symptoms, such as joint pain that is worse at the start of movement or flares up repeatedly with overuse. In that case we can assume that Rhus toxicodendron 30 is the remedy of choice, taken twice daily until a marked improvement occurs. Rhus tox is especially indicated when there is known arthritis in the affected joint or elsewhere in the body.
As I have already mentioned, bunions can cause severe pain. Mild pain is tolerable. But when the pain is significant – burning, stabbing pain in the joint with a sensation of "over-acidity" or a "crunching" feeling – Hypericum perforatum 200 may be indicated. This remedy is also taken twice daily until the severe pain subsides.
Beth had only just started her treatment protocol with Silicea 200, but she could already notice an initial improvement. And the blisters that regularly appeared because of the bunion are also subsiding. All of this are very good signs!
She is not yet ready to post her own omnipresent "feet-by-the-pool photo". But Beth is hopeful that – thanks to her friend – next summer she will be able to annoy everyone with fantastic holiday photos!
See why it's so important to spread the good news? You never know who you might help!
Warm regards,
Yours
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