Homeopathy Papers Materia Medica

Homeopathy for Kids

Written by Robert Medhurst

The author presents charts for differentiating remedies for children suffering from teething, colic, reflux or insomnia

For anyone dealing with health problems in children, homeopathy offers some excellent benefits. Speed of action and ease of use where medicines such as herbs can cause compliance problems, are just two reasons for choosing homeopathics as a method of treating children’s complaints. Four of the most common problems experienced by children are teething, colic, reflux and insomnia.

COLIC

Remedy

Differentiating Symptoms

Belladonna

Colic with abdominal distension accompanied by regurgitation of liquids. Child attempts bending backwards to relieve pain. Symptoms are better for firm pressure but worse for the slightest touch.

Chamomilla Spasmodic colic pains that come and goes suddenly. Symptoms are better for being carried, and worse for touch and at night and worse for warmth.
Colocynthis Severe colic pains that are worse in the morning, better for pressure and lying face-down and better for bending double, worse for being angry or excited.
Dioscorea Colic with regurgitation or diarrhoea.
Better for bending backwards, stretching or hard pressure and worse for lying down or doubling up.

INSOMNIA

Remedy

Differentiating Symptoms

Aconite

The child tosses and turns and may be kept awake by the fear of nightmares. Symptoms are better for warmth and worse from anxiety, cold wind or cold dry weather

Belladonna Restless sleep due to nightmares or recent weaning, sees dreadful images on closing the eyes and jerks and/ or screams out during sleep. May be accompanied by bed-wetting. Better from a light covering, worse for draughts, light or noise.
Coffea Insomnia from mental overactivity and wakes from the slightest noise. Would rather play than sleep. Often wakes at 3 a.m. Symptoms are better for warmth and worse for cold, noise or
overeating.
Ignatia Insomnia from grief or worry. Sleeps light and wakes too easily from noises etc with a loud cry and tremors. Jerks limbs on going to sleep and whimpering while asleep

GASTRIC REFLUX

Remedy

Differentiating Symptoms

Carbo veg Reflux with bloating and belching that arises half an hour after eating. Accompanied by a desire for sweet or salty food, worse at night and when lying down
Nux vom Irritability and reflux with cramping stomach pains, hiccoughs, hunger, flatulence and arching of the back several hours after eating. Worse from pressure of clothes.
Phosphorus Reflux is children who are very hungry and particularly thirsty for cold drinks, but these are regurgitated as soon as they are warmed by the stomach. Better (initially) from cold food or drink and lying on the right side, worse for warm food or drink and worse from touch, weather changes or lying on the left side.
Pulsatilla Reflux with bloating, belching, flatulence and abdominal distension in children who are not thirsty. Better for standing and moving around, worse in the evening and twilight, worse in
warm stuffy rooms and rest.

TEETHING

Remedy

Differentiating Symptoms

Calc carb

Teething in plump children who may be slow to develop (including dentition) and tire easily.
Worse for cold air or warm food or drink.

Calc phos Teething in irritable and easily bored children who may also have diarrhoea and delayed dentition.
Chamomilla One of the best remedies for teething.
Child is very irritable, wants to be picked up, has diarrhoea and one red cheek, gums are red and tender and child refuses toys, food or drinks. Better for cold drinks and worse for warm food or drink.
Kreosote Teething with restlessness, irritability, constipation and inflamed, spongy gums that bleed easily. Teeth may decay easily. Better for warmth and worse for cold.

About the author

Robert Medhurst

Robert Medhurst BNat DHom DBM DRM DNutr is an Australian Naturopath & Homeopath with 40 years of clinical experience. He has written many articles and lectured on homeopathy throughout Australia and the U.S. Robert previously set up and operated 5 natural therapies practices in Sydney and Adelaide and was involved in teaching and medical research. He was formerly the Expert Advisor on Homeopathy to the Federal Government of Australia, Dept. of Health & Ageing. He specialises in homeopathy and is the author of The Business of Healing, the definitive guide for clinical practice establishment and management, as well as The Concordant Clinical Homeopathic Repertory. For more information see adelaidehillsnaturopath.com.au.

14 Comments

    • Hi Sailaja
      Thanks for your feedback. In regard to potential remedies for growth, from my perspective the 2 most important things to consider are the reason for the growth retardation (assuming that this is the problem you’re referring to) and how, through the patient’s individual symptoms, they express this pathology physically, mentally and emotionally. Once you can individualise the expression of the disease, you can then translate these expressions into rubrics, select the 10 or so most commonly occurring remedies from these rubrics, read the provings around these and possibly associated remedies, and then determine the simillimum. In my experience, the remedies that most often come up for examination here are Baryta carb, Calc carb, Calc phos, Silica, Nat mur and Phosphorus. I hope this helps.
      Regards
      Robert

  • The article is informative.And I would like to add that the homoeo remedy passiflora incarnata is a valuable remedy for Insomnia in children.

  • Hello Doctor,
    I read with interest your excellent article on Homoeo remedies for kids.
    We in our family take only homoeo remedies for acute ailments.May I request
    you to suggesst remedies for lethargy and tendency to procrastination Sir?

    • Hi T.Madhu perkin
      Thanks for your feedback. In regard to potential remedies for lethargy and procrastination, I’ve mentioned this above but it’s worth repeating that with lethargy, procrastination or anything else you’re trying to find a remedy for, the 2 most important things to consider are the reason for the existience of these issues and how, through the patient’s individual symptoms, they express this pathology physically, mentally and emotionally. This is particulrly the case with lethargy given the sheer size of this rubric. Once you can individualise the expression of the disease, you can then translate these expressions into rubrics, select the 10 or so most commonly occurring remedies from these rubrics, read the provings around these and possibly associated remedies, and then determine the simillimum. I’m sorry I can’t give you any specific advice on remedies at this stage but I hope this helps.
      Regards
      Robert

  • hello doctor,
    i read your arlicle onhomoeopathy for kids, it is very knowledgeful.
    i will try it on my clinic to cure the kids, sir you may suggest remedies for birth asphyxia in childrens.
    thank u
    dr. kunwar shatrughan (INDIA)

    • Hi Dr Kanwar Shutraghen
      Thanks for your feedback on this article. In regard to remedies for specfific clinical conditions, the best advice I can give you is what I’ve written above to those requesting help with their own patients. However, there are several remedies that I’m aware of that are well worth considering for neonatal asphyxia as they often rise to the surface on repertorising, if in fact you have time to do this, given the acute nature of the condition. These are Ant tart, Laurocerasus, China, Opium, Camphor, Aconite or Belladonna. I hope this is of some help.
      Regards
      Robert

  • Hello Robert,

    thank-you for this very helpful article. Is it also possible for you to share with us some of the homeopathic medicines you have found to be the most useful for the successful resolution of paediatric helminth infestations?

    • Hi Donna
      Thanks for your interest in this article. In general worm infestations the remedies I see most frequently see coming up for consideration are Cina, Calc carb, Spigelia, Sulphur, Silica or Lycopodium. Note that several of these are very large remedies so the usual precautions apply. If you’d like to narrow your definition of “helminth” down to tapeworms, roundworms, pinworms etc I may be able to help further.
      Rgards
      Robert Medhurst

  • Dear Doctor,

    Our 7 month old daughter She is a very light sleeper and keeps getting up at the slightest sound. She has great difficulty falling asleep (have to keep rocking her for a long time) and once she is asleep she gets up in exactly 40 min and then she has to be rocked again. Even during the night she gets up several times and each time she has to be rocked back to sleep. She hardly falls asleep feeding. This has been the case for the last 6 months. We have started using the preparation Kindival (cypripedium pubescens, mag. carb, zinc val) for the last one week and she is doing slightly better now, but the day I do not give her medicine she is back to disturbed sleep. Can you suggest a remedy for this.
    We have used only homeo remedies for her till this point and she responds very well to them.

  • Dear Doctor
    I had given Carbo Veg 30 to my one month old son. It works in colic, but for one time. Then it comes back. He usually relax after a big burb
    kindly advise
    regards

  • Hey dr,

    my son is got pimples in his month,,there are not painful but am worries?I consulted few specialist and they said I should not worry.a
    I am worried

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