Homeopathy made me super itchy

It’s week two of my homeopathic adventure and I’m finding it tough now, but no tougher than a normal week when I’ve had bad reactions to food. I have felt at times like I’m having a kind of mild to moderate reaction (probably because I am) to the treatment and I have felt a little itchy. My face has been redder and more sore than normal, but if this treatment can ultimately help to reduce my problems in the long run then I’m going to try to persevere.

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a “treatment” based on the use of highly diluted substances, which practitioners claim can cause the body to heal itself.

How did my skin feel while taking homeopathy?

I had many side effects or changes in my skin including:

• My skin has felt tingley, like it’s alive, but not ever so itchy. I’ve been able to leave it alone, to moisturise and on the whole carry on working and going about my daily routine of tennis, walking, bell ringing, working as a freelance marketer etc.
• I have been having some trouble sleeping and on occasions woken in the night feeling hot, flushed and very itchy. This is often how my reactions happen anyway; I eat the suspicious offending item, then over night the reaction takes place and I wake with swollen skin on my face, eyes, and sometimes all over my body that looks like sunburn.

Returning symptoms

This is a term used by homeopathists (is that what they’re called) to describe symptoms that return from the original condition of eczema for instance, which for me included:

• The backs of my legs, in the crease behind, and also my arms, have suddenly become dry, itchy and sore – I haven’t had eczema here since I was a small child.
• My eyelids have been sore, swollen and tight – this too is an old symptom which I used to get about ten years ago to certain foods.
• My lips have also been really itchy and I’ve started to wrinkle up my mouth in a habit I used to have as a child and grew out of. I used to get teased for making this face, and only found out later that it’s a common thing for children with allergies and is done to try to alleviate and ignore the itching a, trying hard not to scratch.
• I have been feeling a little more apathetic than normal, possibly due to a slight lack of sleep, but also it could be that my immune system is busily working away trying to rid itself of the constant stream of allergens the remedy is throwing at it. I’ve been going to bed very early some nights, just exhausted.
• I am noticing that the redness is growing, moving up my face, but I can see bits of pretty good skin showing through.

I don’t want to get too excited but it could be a mini breakthrough. So at the end of week two I’m feeling fairly positive. I’d love to hear from anyone else who has had a homeopathic remedy for eczema or allergies. What was it like? Did it work? I have a friend who claims her hay fever disappeared after she took a homeopathic remedy and has only now just returned after seven years. What’s your story? I’d love to hear how you got on.

My homeopathic experience

• Week one – Could homeopathy help me heal eczema?
• Week three – Homeopathy, for me, was a waste of time

Thinking of trying homeopathy?

If you’re interested you may be interested in reading:

• Homeopathy as Boundary Object and Distributed Therapeutic Agency. A Discussion on the Homeopathic Placebo Response – which looks at the placebo effect – if you think it’s going to work and hope it will, it sometimes does! With no scientific corroboration.
• The NHS stopped providing homeopathic treatments in 2010 – claiming it’s no better than a placebo in effectiveness.
• Check out Homeopathy UK for UK clinics and loads of information

You may also be interested in reading:

• Top 10 things that really helped my eczema skin
• Paraffin is the worst thing for eczema skin
• Can taking collagen help eczema and TSW skin?

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash