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As a first time parent I had little idea of anything beyond conventional medicine. It was only when my baby developed eczema and then several bouts of tonsillitis that I discovered homeopathy and, through that, tissue salts and herbal remedies. These days with three young children, I keep conventional medicine as a back-up for any serious illnesses and use a range of homeopathic and herbal remedies at home for all the small hurts and minor ailments that inevitably afflict families with children.The indispensible contents of my First Aid Kit are:Arnica pills these homeopathic pills are a brilliant remedy for bumps and bruises. They are soft lactose pills that dissolve easily in even a babys mouth. Homeopathic remedies are totally safe for children and this one really works to minimise bruising and soothe tears and shock. Try it on yourself if you havent experienced homeopathic medicine before.N.B. If you are unlucky enough to have a more serious fall or accident, these can be taken to help contain bruising while waiting for medical help. The only time they shouldnt be used is before an operation keep them for afterwards to speed healing.Arnica cream to rub on localised bruises.Hypericum and Calendula cream for small cuts and grazes. Antiseptic and soothing.A homeopathic antihistamine complex. My daughter reacts badly to bee stings, her whole foot and ankle swelling up. To help dissuade the body from building up antibodies and thus increasing the allergic response next time, I treat her with homeopathic Apis pills every half hour the first day, reducing to three times a day for the next few weeks. The antihistamine complex contains apis as well as histamine in homeopathic form and helps keep swelling down too.Tissue Salts are biochemic remedies containing minute quantities of the trace minerals that the body needs for balanced well-being. Also completely safe they dissolve easily under the tongue and kids usually like taking them. The most used one in our family is the Cough and Cold combination. At the first sniffle or cough I give them to my kids three times a day or more often. They have the effect of boosting the immune system, giving the body what it needs to fight off the virus.Another much used tissue salt here is No.10 Nat Phos. This is an acidity regulator, so helps the digestive system. Its main attraction for mothers is that it has the effect of calming down sugar crazed monsters after birthday parties or other binges, eventually restoring the children you know and love.Another homeopathic combination that I swear by is Levisticum Radix by Weleda. This is to treat ear infections. More than once I have used it to great effect when one or other recalcitrant toddler has refused antibiotics so vigorously that they were emptied all over us, rather than into her. We put her onto these drops, taken with a little water, which she accepted and when we returned to the GP a couple of days later to check on the infection he was amazed to find it improving substantially already. We continued with the drops for another few days and found we had done without the antibiotics altogether and cured the infection.One more useful remedy is Euphrasia for sore, itchy eyes or any redness. My son is allergic to horses and gets red, weepy eyes when he has been around them. Bathing his eyes with drops containing Euphrasia or taking the pills both help soothe them.As a basic guide homeopathic remedies and Tissue Salts should be taken three times a day, unless otherwise directed, in a clean mouth at least twenty minutes away from having had food or drink. They should be tipped into the cap of the bottle and thence into the mouth, without touching them with your hands, as some of the effective part could be lost on your fingers. I find in practise that children often do get their fingers on them and eat before twenty minutes is up and they still have a useful effect but those are the optimum conditions.Copyright 2006 Kit Heathcock