In today’s ever-complex and changing wellness world, it always seems that there is a new trend, treatment, or topic that everyone is talking about. At Agent, we love all that is new, fresh, and disruptive but we also are a big fan of root cause medicine. We love taking things back to source - understanding our bodies and how they heal themselves, and what we can give them from nature that can help them on their way, the natural way.

Homeopathy is one of our favourite tools in our ‘back to basics’ arsenal. If you are anything like us, you might have heard the word homeopathy many, many times - and even picture the small, tiny, white homeopathic pills and pellets that you take if you embark on this journey but - how much do you actually know about homeopathy? And did you know that homeopathic injection therapy was a thing?

Today, we’re going to dig into the remarkable impact homeopathy and homeopathic injections can have on pain management and, specifically, period pains, inflammation, and cramps.

So, what is it?

Homeopathy is a complementary / alternative medicine that is used today by hundreds of millions of people worldwide as part of their health plans.

It’s based on the concept of ‘like treats like’ - and what this means is that a substance, or medicine that can cause effects / impacts and symptoms when taken in large quantities and / or doses *may* actually be able to treat those same symptoms when ingested, prescribed or taken in much much smaller quantities.

You might have heard of Arnica - one of the most common homeopathic remedies prescribed for bruising. It works on the same basis and principle.

This alternative medicine approach of homeopathy is derived from botanical minerals (a plant, or part of the plant that is well known for its helpful, therapeutic, or healing properties). This plant-based approach to healing dates back hundreds of thousands of years - even to the time of Hippocrates - who started playing around with the concept in a bid to treat what he then called ‘mania’.

Homeopathy is heavily used in Europe, with most research studies coming from there and health insurance even prescribing homeopathic remedies in France as part of people’s treatment plans.

France, we salute you!  

Pain, periods & NSAIDs

If you struggle with period pain, we feel you.

For so many women, it is debilitating - and even for those who are not bed-ridden by their period each month, the monthly cycle can be a time of discomfort, inconvenience and annoyance with cramps, shooting pains and general aches and pains that can really get in the way of your day to day living.

For decades now, pain of all kinds - including period pain - has been treated with over-the-counter prescriptions of pharma drugs like NSAIDs and Opioids - helping some, but not helping others.

NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are very often prescribed for any sorts of pain, particularly pain relating to muscles or the skeletal system (they block enzymes doing specific activities so as to reduce the follow-on resulting activity).

Equally, Opioids are often used (or abused) in pain management too. The way they work is that they interact with the central nervous system and the pain receptors in the brain and spinal cord. They cause an onset of neurotransmitter dopamine (which feels hella-good) and increase an anesthetic-like effect, thus offsetting pain stimuli.

It is not uncommon for people who truly suffer with period pains to start self-prescribing heavy pain medication in a bid to be able to make it through the debilitating symptoms.

The negative side effects of NSAIDs & Opioids are well documented in the traditional medicine world and this spurred on our journey of exploring alternative pain relief options - particularly ones that are more gentle on the body and more nourishing in the way that they support pain management - yet still delivering a real pain-relieving punch.

Cue homeopathy.

If anything is plant or botanical derived, you can already count us as a fan.

Homeopathy for period pain management

If you struggle with period pain in any form and are looking for homeopathic solutions, here are our top 5 favorite homeopathic remedies for period pain to get you going.

However, be sure to talk with a health practitioner prior to self-dosing or prescribing any homeopathic remedies (expert knowledge is always best):

 
2. Chamomilla is helpful for the more emotional side of things - particularly with the snappiness and irritability that we can experience with PMS and/or our period.

 
5. Finally, magnolia phos is one of the most tested and well-respected all-around warming, nourishing and healing support during your period - think pre, during and after.

If you want to start exploring these further, the above 5 are a great place to start - and if you are really struggling and looking for longer term pain relief for more severe pain and symptoms - then perhaps look into homeopathic injections.

Homeopathic injections? What are they?

These are pretty new on the scene globally (although have been used in places like Austria and Germany for 30 - 60 years now).  These homeopathic injections, at present, are particularly being used for more muscular skeletal challenges such as arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis and sciatica, amongst others and they are an awesome alternative as they do not come with many of the side effects found with NSAIDs and corticosteroids.

A fast-increasing body of evidence is, however, suggesting that these could be used for other types of pain management, including period pain - which is why this therapy caught our eye.

The injections do not take long, are fairly pain-free, do require time off work and they are quick acting. Most people notice pain relief and physiological changes after the second set of injections, with the pain relief going on for as long as 3 - 8 months after the injection.

Small term investment, long term gain, without the daily pain med ingestion that we all know we shouldn’t be relying on!

Win, win, win.

How do they work?

Let’s take Traumeel as an example, as it is one of the most popular anti-inflammatory homeopathic solutions that is now being injected as an alternative medicine solution.

It is made up of a combination of 14 plant-based biological and mineral extracts and it works in the body reducing inflammation by reducing toxic, inflammatory byproducts of all functioning cells by 50 - 70%. This is a huge reduction!

On top of this, Traumeel has been shown to dramatically reduce dangerous biochemical markers in the body and in terms of pain, a recent study also showed that “for select spinal pain conditions, Traumeel provided 50% symptomatic pain relief."

Another recent study, when compared against saline solution injections in a placebo trial, showed that Traumeel led to greater movement and an increased reduction in pain, tenderness and swelling over the course of 8 days and three injections.

This study, amongst other fast-growing research studies are building evidence in the homeopathic world showing that injectable homeopathic remedies potentially hold the potential to truly help those who are struggling with chronic pain disorders, which, in turn, suggest that this approach holds great power for those suffering with the pain related to your monthly cycle. 

Summary

We champion homeopathy as safe, reliable, effective and a ‘not going to break the bank’ option for health, wellbeing and pain management - particularly for periods.

We believe these natural supplements could help many thousands of people each year on their journey to vitality, healing and contentment (and to avoid the debilitating pain of your period) and we feel passionately that those who struggle with period pain understand that there are alternative, natural, solutions.  

If you want to explore taking homeopathic pellets to help with your monthly period struggles, reach out to a trusted healthcare provider. And if you want to take it to the next step? Perhaps homeopathy injections might just change your life.

By Louise Rumball / @iamlouiserumball

***THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR REGULATED BY THE FDA.  WE ARE NOT DOCTORS, THEREFORE ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST.