There are some questions parents may ask: When is the popular Chamomilla the most appropriate remedy? But first, what is homoeopathy? And what exactly is teething, anyway?
What is homoeopathy?
Homoeopathy is a form of holistic medicine thats different from modern medicine because it works on the whole entanglement of symptoms and on the susceptibility to the problem. It does this by stimulating the bodys innate healing ability.
As a medicine, homoeopathy has stood the test of time. The remedies used in modern homoeopathic practice have survived for centuries without change in the way they are used or made. Chamomilla is one of the remedies first made 200 years ago.
What is a remedy?
A homoeopathic medicine is called a remedy. Remedies are made in homoeopathic pharmacies from a vast assortment of substances including herbs and minerals. Chamomilla is made from the herb chamomile, which has been used as a tea since the 1st century AD. Used as a remedy, the herb can treat the emotional, mental and physical symptoms of teething.
Some remedies, including Chamomilla, are used so often in the home situation that parents keep them in a first aid kit to use for immediate problems, especially in the middle of the night. Others, such as Saccharum, are available only after consultation with a professional homoeopath. Homoeopathic remedies can be used alongside basic practical measures to ease teething symptoms and bring the baby back to balance.
Another way remedies are available is in homoeopathic teething formulas that can be bought from healthfood shops and pharmacies. They contain a collection of teething remedies, always including Chamomilla. These formulas can be very effective and serve as a wonderful introduction to homoeopathy. They are designed for blanket coverage of teething problems and give temporary relief from the pain, discomfort and irritability caused by teething.
When a formula is sold over the counter, of course its not intended to have the same impact as an individually chosen remedy. The careful choice of one remedy gives more lasting results. It also provides the opportunity to learn about the remedies individually and is worth the effort in the long term.
What is teething?
Throughout human history, there have been references to teething causing a wide variety of childhood symptoms. Teething difficulties are mentioned as early as 1200BC in the Homeric hymns and also in 1000BC in the prayers of early Indian literature. Eighteenth and nineteenth century treatments for teething were varied and included doses of mercury salts, leeches, opium, lancing of the gums, purgatives and emetics. In 1839, there were 5016 deaths in England and Wales attributed to teething. With our modern understanding of health we can see its likely the babies died from dehydration and other problems associated with the harshness of the times.
Mrs. Winslows Soothing Syrup, first marketed in 1849, was an extremely popular teething mixture that contained a generous level of alcohol and morphine sulfate and could cause coma, addiction or death from overdose. It was removed from the market in the 1930s.
Understandably, there was a widespread fear of the role of teething in childhood illness, which has disappeared with increasing knowledge of medicine and disease.
Modern medical opinion varies about what teething entails, with some research finding that teething itself rarely causes symptoms. Bearing that in mind, its in the nature of homoeopathy to treat the whole child, so it works on the tooth pain at the same time as the other symptoms, regardless of whether teething exists. However, parents, grandparents and nurses clearly associate teething with symptoms, borne out by several studies. Other recent research has connected the possible presence of the herpes virus with teething symptoms.
Nowadays, teething is used to explain lots of problems in babies up to about two and a half years. Homoeopaths believe some babies find the experience painful and others go through it without an ordeal because each has a different susceptibility to teething problems. Any restless baby with red cheeks, a runny nose, lots of saliva, looseness of bowels, irritability and sleeplessness might be said to be suffering from teething. However, there isnt one typical symptom cluster that reliably predicts the imminent arrival of a tooth.
Some babies will have some of these symptoms every time they are teething without going on to produce an illness. However, such symptoms can also be part of the first stage of some health problems. Consequently, if your baby develops a fever, vomiting, convulsions, diarrhoea or loss of appetite its wise to have the baby checked by a health professional.
When is Chamomilla the right remedy?
The individual way a baby reacts during teething is the key to knowing which remedy to use. Most important is the way the child wants to be held; for example, a baby who needs Chamomilla demands to be carried around and will cry angrily, hit and kick if put down. If the baby is reacting in this way and the following symptoms are present, Chamomilla is the best choice of remedy:
* The baby quietens when the parents walk up and down but even after a while of walking and being held the baby may still start to cry, with the parents being worn out.
* The baby demands food, toys and drinks but when offered them throws them across the room.
* The baby seems to be abnormally sensitive to pain and doesnt like being looked at.
* During sleep the baby tosses and turns, and cries out loud, generally crying more at night, especially around 9pm to 10pm.
* The gums are sore so the baby keeps her mouth open. She dribbles and keeps her fingers in her mouth. While in this state she is prone to having loose, greenish stools and her face is flushed on one side.
Cina
Cina is a remedy that most resembles Chamomilla because the baby needing Cina is also irritable and capricious and wants to be held. However, the Cina baby will seem to want to be held, but when picked up is still unhappy. Caressing or hugging the baby will make her stiffen her body or throw her head backwards so you almost drop her. Despite the best efforts, quietening her seems out of the question. You cant seem to do anything to please the Cina baby, whereas the Chamomilla child will at least settle for a while when carried. The Cina child may have loose stools but not greenish as in Chamomilla. She may look paler during teething than she normally does.
Arsenicum
The baby needing Arsenicum will also want to be carried, but the difference is that they like being walked around briskly and will quieten down when you do it. Arsenicum babies are those whose parents soon figure out that a ride in the car at 1am may be the only thing that will put them back to sleep. They can be angry, just like Chamomilla and Cina, but are worse in the middle of the night between midnight and 2am. The baby who needs Arsenicum may have a loose stool, which is burning and gives them nappy rash. If they have a runny nose it will burn the skin around their nose.
Mag phos
If the symptoms are all jumbled together and youre not sure whether your baby has colic or is teething, the remedy needed is Mag phos. The crampy type of tummy pain will make him draw his legs up and the parent will discover the pains are greatly relieved by the warmth of a hand and the firm pressure of rubbing his belly. Arsenicum babies also like warmth but you can differentiate between the two remedies because Arsenicum is restless and Mag phos will seem too tired to move, other than to raise his legs up. The Mag phos baby may also have cracks in the corners of his mouth.
Mercurius
A baby who needs Mercurius is sweaty, smelly and very thirsty even though their mouth is moist. There will be redness of the gums, a constant inclination to swallow, flabby tongue, ulcers in the mouth, bad breath and such copious drooling of saliva that there will be a pool of saliva on the pillow. During teething they will be anxious, hurried, restless and have trouble sitting still. Becoming both easily chilled and easily overheated is a characteristic of Mercurius.
Nux vomica
Nux vomica will help a baby who is irritable, stroppy, quarrelsome and oversensitive, mentally and physically, to open air, cold air, drafts, being strapped into her car seat, tight elastic on pants, noise, smell and music. Some of them will even raise an objection if the adults are having a conversation; it seems to be too much noise for her and she certainly will object to having the radio on in the car. Because Nux vomica babies are impatient, headstrong and self-willed, they really seem to know what they want and they want it right now. They get the hiccups and burps during teething. An uninterrupted nap will do them the world of good if they could only stay asleep long enough. If your baby is one of those little ones who wakes too early then cant go back to sleep again, coupled with hypersensitivity, she will be sure to respond to Nux vomica.
Pulsatilla
The remedies Pulsatilla and Chamomilla are very different because a child needing Pulsatilla is gentler and will weep and whine easily rather than scream and will want to be carried slowly and gently. Changing, shifting symptoms and mood swings from one minute to the next will confuse the parents. The baby wants sympathy and attention, becoming clingy and weepy. After a cry, he will seem to freshen up and be in a better mood. If he has a runny nose it will be bland, thick, a dirty yellow or green and will not burn the skin. The time of day when this baby is at his worst is in the afternoon between 3pm and 5pm. These babies love to be carried outside in the fresh air. The Pulsatilla baby is not very thirsty, even though his mouth and lips are dry. He may have a bloated tummy and his stool will be changeable.
All the previous remedies can be given by parents at home and are found in homoeopathic first aid kits. As well as these, there are several indispensable teething remedies, which may be prescribed only after a consultation with a professional homoeopath. These include the following:
Calc carb
These babies get their teeth later than the average and then have much difficulty with them coming through. These babies gain weight easily and are normally contented, but while cutting teeth can be very stubborn. Calc carb babies quieten quickly when picked up. Parents will notice they seem to be happier to just sit in their pram than to have their feet on the ground. They sweat easily on the head, especially during sleep. Old textbooks of homoeopathy say that one-third of children require this remedy, though modern-day homoeopaths have noticed the need for the remedy is decreasing.
Kali carb
These babies also want to be carried and love to be rocked. They feel better when you carry them with their tummy over your shoulder. Their teething troubles are worse from 2am to 4am. The Kali carb babys face looks puffy and he seems to be weakened by the teething. The baby tends to be jumpy and easily startled by unexpected touch or noise, more than other babies.
Saccharum
As with Kali carb, the babies who need Saccharum love to be rocked. After sweets these babies are a handful and kick and hit. They demand food immediately on waking and the transformation after having something to eat is remarkable. Their Kali carb face looks pale like Cina. The babys first response when the parent tries to carry him will be to push away, but if the parent persists the baby will give in to the cuddle or rocking, which is what he really wants. Saccharum is a remedy needed more and more by children according to modern homoeopathy.
Practical points
* Parents naturally hesitate before giving their baby any treatment but can feel reassured to know that the exceedingly small doses used in homoeopathic medicine make them safe.
* A remedy can be given as a dose of two pills or five drops in a strength of 30c once every four hours. If you have given more than six doses and it hasnt helped, try a different remedy.
* A blissful and common response to a well-chosen remedy is that the child is finally able to give in to sleepiness and have a nap.
* If dribble is causing a rash, try using pawpaw ointment as a barrier on the chin.
* Massage your babys gums with your finger. Some enjoy the pressure in the same way they like to chew on things. Once the baby is old enough for chewing chunky food, you can try letting her gnaw on celery sticks, raw apple rings and dried bananas. The bananas taste great but make such a mess you will probably decide to use them just before bathtime or even while sitting in the bath.
* If you cant avoid going out when its cold and windy put a scarf and beanie on the baby.
l Both parents of a teething baby need time out. Ask for help.
* After using a teething formula or different individual remedies at home without success, consult a professional homoeopath. Your baby may need one of the less common remedies not available for home use.
* If you have a friend who says they have gone through bottles of Chamomilla, chances are they are overusing the remedy. Remind them its still a medicine. No matter how gentle homoeopathy is, there are still cautions that apply.
* Dont use chamomile tea at the same time as Chamomilla or a teething formula. Its a double dose. In homoeopathy less is better. If you find your baby responds to chamomile tea, just use the tea; theres no need to use a remedy as well.
* Local anaesthetic gel may be washed away too quickly by saliva.
* Any child with recurring teething problems will benefit from having a checkup with a chiropractor or ostoeopath.
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