by Dana Ullman

A growing number of professional athletes and weekend warriors are spelling relief h-o-m-e-o-p-a-t-h-y. Founded on a reputation for helping people suffering from chronic diseases, natural homeopathic medicines also are becoming recognized for their effectiveness in treating common sports injuries.

Using them is considered easier than conventional drugs in addressing acute injuries, because applying homeopathic solutions doesn’t require a high degree of individualized remedies. When two people have sprained ankles, for instance, they can each be helped along in their healing by a similar homeopathic remedy, but two people suffering from arthritis will generally require different remedies that are individualized according to each person’s pattern of symptoms.

Note that homeopaths recommend that homeopathic medicine be taken in conjunction with, not as a replacement for, conventional first-aid measures.

Form of Doses

Homeopathic medicines are available as single remedies or as formulas of two or more remedies mixed together. Single remedies are recommended for injuries when all symptoms point to one homeopathic medicine and it is better to use a stronger dose or higher potency not available in mixed formulas.

The use of several remedies in a formula provides a broad-spectrum effect not available in a single remedy. Because injuries sometimes involve muscle, nerve and bone tissues, it sometimes makes sense to use formulas to help heal the various tissues involved.

Frequency of Use

When taking homeopathic medicines, experts generally recommend taking as few doses as possible, but as many as required to reduce symptoms. At first, in the face of a great amount of pain and discomfort, this may necessitate taking the appropriate remedy every hour. Usually, after four doses the frequency can be cut to every other hour; as the intensity of pain diminishes, dosing every four hours is common. If no improvement is noticeable after one or two days, it is generally recommended that the patient stop taking any further doses.

Although most homeopathic remedies come in pill form for internal consumption, some are available in external applications; such ointments, gels and sprays provide similar effectiveness.

Dana Ullman has a master’s degree in public health and is the founder of Homeopathic Educational Services. His books include The Homeopathic Revolution, Homeopathy A-Z, Homeopathic Medicines for Children and Infants and Discovering Homeopathy. For more information, visit Homeopathic.com.