Back to School - Owen Homoeopathics

Once the school holidays are over it’s time to turn our attention to the business of “Back to School”. For many children this can be a difficult and stressful time; adapting to hot classrooms, and rigid structure after holiday freedom. It can be especially challenging when children are starting school for the first time, changing to high school or moving to a new area.

Homoeopathy has such a lot to offer the young family when dealing with the ups and downs of adjustment and change and can be very empowering for parents and kids. There are many remedies to consider but those listed below are the most commonly indicated:

Pulsatilla is an excellent remedy for transitional stages and can help us better manage times of significant change. It suits children who are weepy, timid, shy and clingy and helps them adjust to change, separate from mum and gain confidence and independence. It can also be helpful for mums who have trouble letting go of their little ones into the big world. Baryta carb is also clingy and tends to hide behind mums skirts. Ignatia can be helpful for homesickness, sadness and emotional upsets. It’s especially useful if friends have moved to another school during the holidays. Anxious, fussy kids usually relax with some Arsenicum whereas Phosphorus settles excitable fearful behavior in open impressionable children who are easily swept up in the excitement of any new experience. They are easily exhausted and can be prone to headaches and diarrhoea. Calc phos can be helpful when children are growing quickly and have the typical tummy aches, headaches, enlarged glands, growing pains, easy exhaustion and whiny, discontented disposition.

Choose from the following remedies for children who suffer low self-confidence. Gelsemium for a quiet, withdrawn child who anticipates even the simplest task with nervousness and worry. For more active anxiety with extreme fear and restlessness consider Aconite. Lycopodium suffers low confidence and is easily overwhelmed by expectations. There is a tendency to be well behaved at school but can be quite bossy at home or when in their comfort zone. They crave sweet food and are quite exhausted at the end of the school day. The child who needs Calc carb tends at times to be quite slow and plodding, requiring time to finish their work, manage change and adapt to new situations. When they are pushed they can be very stubborn. Fears include the dark and monsters and they can be prone to nightmares.

Some situations can be addressed readily using your first aid kit but at other times it is necessary to enlist the help of a professional Homoeopath. This is especially the case when the problem emerges several weeks after school begins. In this situation it is often more difficult to determine the underlying issues and choose an appropriate remedy without assistance. For instance, sometimes kids are suffering from and are being treated for ailments such as recurring colds, when actually there is a deeper psychological issue undermining their health.

Consider making up a mini kit of remedies for your child to carry in their bag. Many children are very good at choosing suitable remedies and you can help them with this by including a remedy guide or small reference sheet.

The following remedies may be useful: Arnica (accidents, bruising, trauma, shock), Hypericum (cuts, grazes, crushed fingers and toes), Apis (bee stings), Ledum (puncture wounds and mozzie bites), Arsenicum (tummy ache), Ignatia (emotional upsets), Ipecac (vomiting), plus any individual remedies suited to your child.