Permission is granted to send this material on to individuals who you feel might benefit from it.
Websites, newspapers, radio or television must email and ask for permission to post it on their site or utilize it: docbones224@earthlink.net
NOTE: There are four articles by this author on www.medicinegarden.com, front page that deal with homeopathic remedies to have on hand in case of chemical and biological attack. The articles cover:
1. Chemical attack (nerve gas attack/Sarin, VX, etc.)
2. Plague
3. Anthrax
4. E-coli
Please download these. Everything you need to know on how to find a homeopath, buy a homeopathic kit, and the remedies you need on hand, are in these articles. They are companion articles to this PTSD series of articles.
WHAT IS SHOCK?!
Shock, Veratrum Album and Broom Snakeweed
One of the greatest, underlying problems with PTSD and trauma in general, is SHOCK. Few people truly understand the power of shock on a body--and how it can reverberate through every level of our being, from our cell structure on up through our vital force/auric field. Shock leaves no stone unturned. Shock takes no prisoners. And it is because of this, that shock needs to be addressed fully and understood to it's highest ramifications.
A little child running down a sidewalk, and falls, experiences a mild form of shock. An elderly woman who falls down the steps of her porch, does to. So does an accident victim. And the combat vet. Good news can shock a person and so can bad news. Shock, depending upon the person and their vital force orientation, suffer with it to varying degrees and intensity. There isn't a person alive who isn't susceptible to shock, although there are people, especially those who have a super-sensitized central and peripheral nervous system/brain, that become pall bearers for this mysterious occurrence. Let's define shock, first.
Shock, from a strict medical understanding, is the body's circulatory system is unable to continue to circulate blood or adequately perfuse the organs and tissue. What does this translate to so that we can understand more? The cardiovascular system, composed of the heart, arteries and veins, moves the blood and its components all around our body. As blood moves back to the heart, carrying carbon monoxide and waste in the red blood cells, it goes through the lungs. As we exhale, those waste products are released through our mouth and nose. Those same red blood cells can then pick up fresh oxygen from our inhalation, and carry it to the organs and tissue of our body. They too, need 'fresh air' in order to survive.
The red blood cells also carry nutrients or 'food' to our organs and cells. These exchanges are made in the capillaries of our body--the old air and waste is taken out, the good air and food are then utilized. This is known as perfusion. Without this very necessary 'dance' metabolically going on, our body would quickly become acidic.
Another function is that our arteries can constrict and relax because of a thin sheath of muscles allow this to occur--thanks to our autonomic nervous system. If these arteries don't contract we've all seen the consequence. How many of you have suddenly stooped over to pick up something and when you straightened up, you got very dizzy? In fact, you might have felt like fainting. Maybe you did!
The arteries never fully contract, nor do they ever fully relax. The dilation(opening/relaxing) and constriction (closing) of the arteries is an ongoing process every moment we live. If we suffer a shock, the arteries may dilate, and the volume of blood (six liters in an adult) settles downward in our body. The perfusion, which is so intrinsic to life, isn't able to go on as it did before. The heart, for example, requires CONSTANT perfusion. The brain, spinal cord and central nervous system can't go without perfusion for more than 4-6 minutes without permanent damage to these systems. The kidneys will be damaged after 45 minutes without adequate perfusion. Our muscles become permanently damaged after 2 hours. In other words, no part of our body can go without perfusion. And shock causes the loss of this vital function.
By understanding this underlying concept, you begin to grasp the power of shock and how it can either permanently injure an organ or system in our body, or kill us in a very short period of time. I strongly believe, just as we learn CPR--cardio pulmonary resuscitation--and have to take a 2-day course and get 'carded' for it, that we should also have available a one-day course on shock, the different types of shock and what to do about it--many more lives would be saved, than are presently being saved--especially at auto accidents or with the elderly.
Armed with just a minimum amount of first aid, we might be able to save a life. When the physical body is stabilized, later, with homeopathic intervention, the use of a particular flower essence or therapy, the shock that is still 'stuck' in our cells, bones, muscles, memory or vital force, can be addressed.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SHOCK
1. The person appears restless, anxious or
may feel as if some kind of impending doom is going to occur.
2. They have a weak, rapid pulse (known as
a 'thready' pulse). Or the pulse may be very difficult to feel.
3. They will have cold and wet skin
(usually we refer to this as: cold, clammy and pale).
4. Profuse sweating (diaphoretic) is
common.
5. Paleness of the skin, and later cyanosis
(the skin turns blue--especially around the mouth and eyes), reflect the
lack of oxygen getting to the tissues of the body.
6. Breathing may be shallow, labored,
gasping, rapid or possibly irregular (and this is especially so when the
person has suffered a chest injury) are common.
7. The person's eyes are not only dull
looking (that: "nobody's home" look), the pupils are dilated
(wide open/black or dark appearing) and flatness or lusterless quality to
the eyes. The 'sparkle' is extinguished.
8. The person may become exceedingly
thirsty--especially for cold drinks. Do NOT allow them to drink water!
9. Nausea or vomiting maybe due to inures,
but can also occur as the shock deepens--so this is a red flag that the
shock is turning worse.
10. The person's blood pressure begins to
fall. This is one of the last and most serious signs of shock setting in.
11. There may be an altering or loss of consciousness in some cases of rapidly developing or severe shock. They may faint or become unconscious.
WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP A PERSON FROM GOING INTO SHOCK?
First, if possible, call 911. Or if there are two o you, have that person call 911 and you stay with the victim who is in shock. Everyone should carry a blanket or two in the trunk of their car, along with a little box that has: latex gloves, gauze dressing and roller bandages. Being a homeopath, I carry a 'black bag' in my car at all times. In it are latex gloves, a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and other items. If you carry a blanket; that will help enormously.
1. Make sure that the person's air way is open--and that means that they are able to breathe. If you have your CPR card--you know what to do and how to do, so I'm not going into it here. If you don't know, you should contact your Red Cross representative or your fire station and find out when the next CPR class is going to be held--and go! You won't be sorry. The information and techniques you learn out of this can literally, save a life--especially people who are in shock.
2. Control any obvious external bleeding with a sterile compress and direct pressure (this is why you wear gloves--with today's transmissible viruses such as HIV and AIDS--you need these gloves. Medical houses sell the 'total protection' type that EMT's and paramedics in the field use and these are the ones I suggest you buy) on the wound site. If you have a friend, get the blanket out of the car and put it over the person.
3. Elevate the person's arms and legs (providing they are not broken). This helps the blood to run back into the center of the body, especially back into the chest and brain so that the very necessary perfusion can be maintained. You can use rolled up towels to put beneath the person's ankles and wrists. Or, be creative with whatever happens to be handy. It's very important to get the blood back into the trunk of the body. You only have elevate six to twelve inches, is all, to perform this life saving technique.
4. Be sure to avoid rough handling of the victim. Stay with them, talk to them and be monitoring how their eyes look, their skin color, breathing and level of consciousness. Do NOT give the victim any food or water--no matter how much they plead with you. Usually, they get violently thirsty. Unfortunately, if you cave in to their request for water they can (a) lose consciousness immediately afterward or (b) vomit it back up. Either way, you have caused the shock to deepen and possibly, the vomit can go into their lungs and cause even worse problems than before. So, be strong and say NO to liquids or food.
If you can do this much for the victim, you've done plenty until EMT's or paramedics arrive on scene to take over for you. And you can pat yourself on the back knowing that you didn't allow shock to continue it's damage in that person.
SHOCK AND PTSD SURVIVORS
Dealing with the physicality of shock is one thing. To deal with the resulting residue that it leaves behind, like an invisible imprint upon our emotions, mind and potentially, our spirit, cannot be dealt with the same way. This is where homeopathy, flower essences and other 'tool's can play a part in dissolving it out of our cellular and vital force/auric field 'memory.'
A shock can stay with us for decades lodged in our cellular tissue, our muscles, even our bones, and especially in our brain cells, which is our memory. If you don't think so, look at any Vietnam Vet who came back from that war. In many, you still see signs of shock: anxiety and restlessness the most obvious. The less obvious would be digestive problems: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Or breathing is shallow, irregular or gasping (think of the night terrors they awaken from). They hear a sound, inhale an odor, and the adrenaline starts pumping. They can break out into a cold sweat, breathe erratically, become pale, and their level of consciousness can change.
VERATRUM ALBUM
One of the most under-used remedies for shock and trauma is Veratrum Album or White Hellebore. Most have been taught to look to Aconite or Arnica for shock/trauma. It's interesting that even back in the time of the Greeks, Hippocrates used this herb for evacuations and proclaimed that it was necessary in order to create cure. Well known as the remedy of choice in chronic diarrhea, it's little wonder since this herb promotes expulsion of any kind from our body. The entire herb is highly poisonous and grows in the mountainous regions of Europe.
This remedy reminds me of a combat vet who has been completely destroyed by his or her experiences in war. Their face is pale, their brow beaded with cold sweat, dark rings around their eyes, and there is eyes are dark and clouded looking,. Their features can be pinched, distorted, frowning or have a terrified look to them. Their cheeks are sunken in with possible blue or gray color around their lips or eyes. They are a prisoner of their shock and PTSD, their central nervous system 'shot' by their trauma.
The one word that I like to use for this remedy, is COLLAPSE. When you see what shock does to a person, they literally, collapse in front of you on every level; there is a taking down or dismantling that occurs because of shock. As with homeopathic law of "like cures like" if we want to stop a person from collapsing, we would use a remedy that creates collapse in a healthy person. Veratrum Album has no peer in this arena. It is also well known as the remedy to use when someone undergoes surgery and comes out 'shocky' afterwards: they are cool to the touch, perspiring heavily (cold sweat), there is blueness around their mouth and eyes, or even to their general skin cast, and they are weak. Post-operative shock can be halted with this remedy, which gives you an idea of it's power and fortifying ability to the vital force when under fire from shock symptoms.
A person who needs Veratrum Album has a highly sensitized nervous system and mind. If they experience a powerful shock or a series of shocks, their vital force takes the blows in these two major areas. Symptoms such as general weakness, collapse, exhaustion along with profuse cold sweating (especially on the brow) with a burning sensation inside them (and yet they are freezing cold), are a few keys to look for. They are always worse in humid weather, colder or cool temperatures, moving around and at night. They are highly restless and one might say, hyperactive. They just can't remain still. Their movement can sometimes be seen as a mania. It is as if they were driven by invisible demons that goaded them beyond their own boundaries and by moving, they somehow keep them at bay.
The mind of a person who needs Veratrum Album is a tortured chamber to be imprisoned within. Often, they are melancholy and they'll sit there, head hanging down, brooding in silence. They may not notice anything or any one around them. People may say this person is sullen or appear indifferent to his or her surroundings. They may sit there doing some kind of repetitive action; such as tearing a page from a magazine into little pieces, or pick away at a fiber on their clothing.
At other times, when this person comes out of their 'shell of silence' they can be hard, tough and seemingly incapable of feelings for others. One moment, they are talking and philosophizing, the next, they may break into hysterical laughter. They may appear manic; hyper busy, talkative, restless and rude. At their worst, they can be haughty, critical of others and careen between anger and violence. The picture of Veratrum Album is, for me, a grenade with the pin pulled. The only question I asked is: when will it explode? That is the feeling around someone who needs this remedy and who has suffered horribly from PTSD and shock. They can appear jealous and then suddenly become quite loving and amorous. They may kiss and hug you inappropriately or be hyper sexual at these times. And so they swing from manic behavior to sullen, withdrawn, intense silence.
And so the Veratrum Album PTSD survivor swings between two extremes of behavior. They are 'in their head' and they over-mentalize everything. They can construct 'castles in the air' with their mind and create another universe, if they wish, and it will be a place of safety for them compared to the world they are forced to live in with us. In this stage, they may also not be able to tell you the truth. They manipulate others with their lies, or with their altered reality--which seems real enough to them. It is the only place they can feel safe with their central nervous system wrecked by the shock factors of PTSD and trauma.
I once had a Vietnam Veteran patient who desperately wanted to try constitutional treatment to cure himself of his mania. He'd suffered badly during the war, from the shock, and when he came home, he hid at home. Little by little, over the years, he carefully constructed this world of mental rules where if he followed them 'religiously' he wouldn't 'flip out' or 'go psycho'. He'd been in therapy almost fifteen years and was going nowhere. He also had Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He took Veratrum Album 30C. In one dose, it cleared up his IBS that he'd had for over a decade. He was amazed and grateful for homeopathy's miraculous cure of this condition.
I wasn't surprised because he was a Veratrum constitutionally. When it came time to take a more powerful dose of the remedy, he managed to sabotage himself time and again by refusing to follow instructions, until I refused to work with him--because he really didn't want to get well--he preferred this complicated intellectual world he'd built inside his head, instead. And why not? He was able to function and he chose to remain at that level of function. A homeopath can't FORCE any one to heal if they don't want to.
Veratrum Album's keynotes are many and quite obvious. This remedy is well known for it's 'excesses'--and you can read that into all levels, not just the physical one. They have excessive perspiration, diarrhea, and vomiting (projectile). They can get diarrhea from drinking cold water on a hot day. They have intense thirst (no wonder, they are always sweating out so much liquid!). They may end up with green colored urine, green vomit, green diarrhea--which is a keynote.
They are cold. Their breath feels cold. They have cold sweat. A cold face. They may say they feel their blood 'running cold' through their body. Or a cold chill that wracks them from head to toe. Their skin may turn blue or cyanotic, or even purple in color. If they touch you, their hands are icy cold. And so are their feet. One of the keys to shock is being cold, which is why you cover them with a blanket. And for Veratrum Album, one place where all this coldness is lessened, is being in a warm room or near a fire. They are always better with heat.
In the last stages, Veratrum Album turns to religion to be saved because they've been unable to save themselves with the constructs and powers of their mind. Only, in this out-of-balanced state, the person turns with a fever pitch to religion. It is their salvation even though they despair of ever being saved. They may move into constant prayer or praying and at some point, feel that they are anointed to 'save the world'. Their religious fervor and manic tendencies combined will create a person who goes around with Bible in hand, proclaiming that s/he is the only one that can save you and us, and that he is the second coming of Christ or one of the disciples that has returned to save us all.
He will also scold us for our ways and points our faults out to us and be self-righteous when doing so. Sometimes he will say he sees the world burning up and on fire--a literal hell. This haughtiness, that he is better than the rest of us, combined with zealot religious fervor, will make this person seem like the fire-breathing pulpit-pounding preacher from the 1800's. Their delusion is so deep at this point, that somewhere within them, they know that spirit/God is the only one who can save him, and so they move in that direction--but in an out-of-balance expression of it.
Another area of problems for Veratrum Album is cramping. While they are having a bowel movement, their lower legs may cramp. In women, their menstrual cramping can make them faint. And fainting is a keynote for Veratrum Album. The sciatica may act up on them and send shooting pains like electric flashes down their legs. Their feet and knees may feel heavy, as if they were stones.
The sleep of a Veratrum Album is equally disturbed. They awaken at night, trembling. Or, they will 'start' at any noise or sound--even in the soundest of sleep. Dreams or nightmares will awakened them feeling frightened and scared. These are anxious dreams, or of robbers or being hunted and being unable to escape. When they do get to sleep, it is long, uninterrupted and very deep.
They have unique cravings which help us to decide this is the remedy that can help. They love SOUR things, such as lemons, sour fruit (lemons/limes), sour drinks, salt, ice, fruit in general and sardines. They don't want warm food and prefer cold food, instead. And although they love fruit--it ends up disagreeing with them and they get stomach distension as a result. Potatoes and green vegetables also aren't on their short list of favorites, either. Interestingly, they CRAVE ice water, but it too, can give them problems after slugging down great quantities of it--they can vomit it right back up.
The modalities--things that make a Veratrum Album's symptoms better or worse are:
BETTER:
1. heat of any type, blanket, sunlight, fire
2. Being held--when they want contact.
3. Consuming hot drinks.
4. Lying down
5. Consuming meat and milk
WORSE:
1. With exertion
2. Cold drinks
3. Fright from pain
4. Wet, cold weather or humid, chilly weather
5. At night
6. Before and after menses
7. From touch or pressure
8. If pride is injured by another (they hate being criticized)
9. Change of weather
Veratrum Album could, in my opinion, be of great help to a number of combat veterans or people who have suffered severe traumatization of some sort. The shock has not worn off with time; it has simply become entrenched and goes deeper and deeper with time. This is one of the key remedies to halt the total destruction of shock if left untended.
FLOWER ESSENCE: Broom Snakeweed
BROOM SNAKEWEED (Escoba de la Vibora, Gutierrezia spp. Compositae)
This powerful flower essence may be of use as an adjunct to homeopathic treatment of a person who has a lot of fears and the fears have turned inward on them. Many women who have been abused in a marriage can use this flower essence. Children who have suffered abuse, trauma or PTSD where it has turned them into a cowering 'coward' who runs away at the first sign of confrontation or trouble, do well with it, also.
Fear is our greatest inhibitor of looking at our own internal demons and also stops us from evolving and growing as a consequence. This flower essence has the power to work directly with our fears--no matter what they are--and help us 'stand our ground'. That can mean standing our ground within ourselves and not necessarily some external event that is scaring us to death or immobilizing us with fear until we're paralyzed by it. Broom Snakeweed can dissolve the paralyzing effect of the fear and help us meet it squarely--eyeball to eyeball--and stand our ground with it.
The most amazing thing happens when we are able to stand our ground and face our fears: eventually, the fears dissolve. They may lessen to a high degree or disappear totally with time. Broom Snakeweed helps this occur much more swiftly, thereby alleviating our pain of confrontation.
NICKNAME: Confrontation of Fears Essence
PLANE OF EXPRESSION: Emotional and Mental
PRIMARY CHAKRA: Solar Plexus (yellow)
NEGATIVE QUALITIES: If there was ever a remedy for someone who has been abused or traumatized by shock or PTSD, this is it. This is for anyone who is afraid of CONFRONTATION of any kind. Inability to confront may turn the person into a passive-aggressive individual, instead. Excellent for PA's (passive-aggressive) personality types who manipulate others to do his or her bidding.
POSITIVE QUALITIES: Broom Snakeweed allows a person to stand up and confront their abuser or fear. It helps people who get fearful before a confrontation (internally or externally) to do it without that gut-wrenching fear stopping them. Excellent for people who are worried foremost, of what others may think of them--and they're able to stand up and speak clearly for themselves, consequences be damned. It turns a "mouse" into a "lion" -- without aggression. This essence imbues a person with their own, inner Truth and allows them to speak it without fear of recrimination or judgment.
NOTE: This remedy is excellent once the woman leaves the abuser and she is at a safe house or shelter. Do NOT give to her if she's in the abusive home where her abuser could, if provoked by her fearless stance, turn on her and injure her badly or possibly kill her or her children.
This remedy can help to lessen the degree of fear response and if the homeopath knows that the patient is retracing old fear/anger, the flower essence should be utilized during this time period.
COMMENTARY: I could write forty pages on the events that surrounding us getting this essence made. Suffice to say, we had to confront our fears face-to-face. Sometimes, in field work, the essence I'm retrieving will "speak" to me in many synchronistic ways, and Broom Snakeweed was certainly one of them. The most interesting facet of this confrontation was, that as it was "going down" there were nine buzzards circling above us. Since I have buzzard medicine, I knew it was the Cosmos telling me symbolically that everything would turn out fine--and it did. It was a miraculous afternoon getting this essence!
The Native Americans gather this plant and use it as a "bath tea" to reduce the pain and swelling of their arthritis, in lieu of having to take aspirin. They will take a cup of the plant, boil it for half an hour, strain off it off and pour it into bath water. By soaking in it, pain goes away. It's an old herbal remedy from the Southwest. They will also drink a cup of the tea while taking the bath.
I've used this essence from time to time when I had to face my peer group (to give a talk) or experienced internal fears (butterflies). A couple of drops made the fear go away and made it very easy to talk to those people--without fear, without anger--just straight across the board in a mature, adult fashion done with calm deliberateness and an inner feeling of solidity.
What I like most about this remedy is that it doesn't bring up anger to use it as a bludgeon against someone else. Rather, Broom Snakeweed harnesses the anger, melds it, molds it into a STRENGTH that you can use in the most positive of ways. This is an excellent remedy for children who are being bullied by other kids at school, or for a person who works with a condescending boss who doesn't respect you, for example.
There are times in everyone's life that we must "pay the piper", regardless of personal cost to us, and speak our TRUTH. This essence that will help you do it with your own morals, values and principles well in place--in a balanced way. And Truth is far mightier than any sword of abuse.
SYMBOLIC: To look at this bush, which is scattered all across the Southwest, one would think it was a weed. To me, it is silent testament and a reminder that none of us ever need to be afraid of speaking our truth that comes from our heart and soul and not allowing our internal demons and fears stop us from living our Truth. In the Spring, our deserts, valleys and canyons are fragrant with this wonderful, light smelling flower that bathes slopes in a blanket of bright yellow. Let each one of us wear our blanket of Truth, no longer afraid of reaction, abuse or our own fears in any form from others.
Flower essence COMPARISON: Petrified Sequoia Tree, which imbues us with a Zen-like acceptance of ourselves, mind-body-wise, Colville (Yellow) Columbine, which connects the heart-mind and to integrate the two so completely that standing in our Truth is no longer plagued by fear, and Shasta Daisy, which helps us trust our own intuitive, higher Knowing despite the chaos, shouting or commotion going on around us. Corn Plant, which helps eradicate the darkness (our fears/anxieties/paranoia,etc.) and puts in it place, calm, peacefulness and feeling centered and stable.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES COMPARISON: Sulphur, who speaks eloquently without ever fearing what others might think or respond to his or her Truth, Rhus Toxicodendron (Rhus Tox.), whose Knowing is connected with the ceremonial or symbolic aspects of our lives and is unafraid to embrace, live, or speak of them, and Apis Mellifica, who sets great store by themselves, the "king" or "queen" of their own domain and remains unafraid to speak up.
1. Kent Associates, MacRepertory 3.9, Fairfax, CA, 1995
2. Geddes, N. and Lockie, A., MD, The Complete Guide to Homeopathy: The Principles and Practice of Treatment, Dorling Kindersley, New York, NY, 1995
3. Jouanny, J., MD, The Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Laboratoires Boiron, Boiron, France, 1984.
4. Morrison, R., MD, Desktop Guide To Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms, Hahnemann Clinic Publishing, Albany, CA, 1993.
5. Murphy, R., ND, Lotus Materia Medica, Lotus Star Academy, Pagosa Springs, CO, 1995.
SOURCES:
To order flower essences can be done two
ways. If for some reason the below addresses don't work, then go to:
www.medicinegarden.com point/click on GIFT
SHOP (all the flower/gem essences are arranged in alphabetical order by
name....you may need to scroll through several pages to find each one, but
then there is an order blank for them, too, so order from there).
Those who do not wish to order them on the internet, may fax or phone: 1-928-634-9298. We take Visa/Mastercard. If faxing, please supplying your: name, address, phone number, card number and expiration date.
TO ORDER FLOWER ESSENCES ONLINE:
Broom Snakeweed
http://dtshop.net/giftshop/ne-shop.tam?uu=222054
Petrified Sequoia
http://dtshop.net/giftshop/ne-shop.tam?uu=222067
Colville's Columbine (yellow()
http://dtshop.net/giftshop/ne-shop.tam?uu=222054
Shasta Daisy
http://www.medicinegarden.com/NE/shasta_daisy.html
Corn Plant
www.medicinegarden.com and then go to "gift shop"
or
Write for a catalog:
Blue Turtle Publishing
PO Box 2513
Cottonwood, AZ 86326
PTSD Part 1 of 7
PTSD Part 2 of 7
PTSD Part 3 of 7
PTSD Part 4 of 7
PTSD Part 5 of 7
PTSD Part 6 of 7
PTSD Part 7 of 7