Although I tend to be a bit clumsy, I had a pretty good week regarding injuries, and it reached all the way to Saturday before I had anything to test it on. Saturday morning, I woke up with moderate to severe mid and low back pain, a flare-up from an old car accident injury. After waking up, I took the three pellets and went on about prepping my morning routine (prioritizing the things I could do without eating or drinking for the first fifteen minutes, as instructed). They tasted mildly sweet and took a while to dissolve under the tongue. I caught myself absentmindedly rolling it around in my mouth, and I crunched one of them before I realized it.
After fifteen minutes, I ate breakfast, took my vitamins, and brushed my teeth. Next, I grabbed the dry brush. Although I could tell the bristles were relatively soft when placed against the skin, the short, quick brushing motions felt sharp against my tender flesh, and as I started on my left arm, I noticed a small, pale purple, already yellowing bruise on my forearm that was the result of some odd bump or bruise I managed to acquire at some point (likely from the mini golf we went to yesterday for my partners birthday). The brush felt good against certain parts of my back, and I paid special attention to my mid and lower back, where the pain was centered. Carefully brushing from just above the navel to the heart and from just below the navel downwards. I made my way across my body with the dry brush, but I had a hard time on most of the rest of me, as the abrasiveness was hard to ignore. When I started the tops of my feet and began the short strokes upwards, I found a small bruise around my knee, another careless bump I couldn’t recall having before. This one looked a little fresh and was still a rich purple color.
By the time I had done my stretching, I had already noticed improvements in the back pain, and with the completion of the dry brushing exercise, I noted that my back pain had diminished greatly.
By the following day, I noticed that the two minor bruises and my back pain had improved dramatically. While the yellowing bruise was already indistinguishable from uninjured skin, the bruise on my knee had become yellowed, and the diameter had shrunk.
Arnica is one of those homeopathic remedies I hear people talk about a lot, especially in my aerial silks and yoga classes, but I hadn’t given much credit. Thinking back on it, it was because, at some point, I’d heard that one should not take arnica internally. While I understand that homeopathic remedies are diluted considerably, thus making certain remedies safe that otherwise would not be, it all seemed suspicious and a little scary. Having seen this remedy recommended for the course and included in the course kit at the beginning of the semester, I was surprised and began reevaluating my stance. To add to my shift in perspective, even throughout this semester, I have spoken with others in the field who swear by these arnica pills, and they’re people whom I respect for their knowledge and understanding of natural healing. This assignment helped me find the bravery to explore this remedy with new eyes, and I’m glad I did. After doing some research, I’ve found that side effects of taking arnica orally include dizziness, vomiting, tremors, and heart irregularities. Additionally, this herb (Arnica montana, also called “leopard’s bane”) is a “low therapeutic margin” herb, meaning it is toxic enough to be fatal if taken in large doses.
Although this herb has been touted since the 1500s for its excellent healing potential and has been used for bruises, sprains, aches, wounds, and more, it has a narrow “therapeutic margin” (meaning it has a small range of dosing for health purposes) when taken internally and should be used with care. Thankfully these homeopathic pellets are already diluted to safe ranges as long as you adhere to the instructions on the packaging.