Homeopathic medicine, treatment and remedies for Sciatica

• Aconitum Napellus 
  Common Name: Monkshood
  Symptoms: Monkshood is mainly given to restless individuals (both physically and mentally), who don't want to be touched and have anxiety. Other symptoms that indicate a need for this drug are:
  • Stiffness in back along with pain
  • Tingling sensation along with numbness in the back; the person feels that their back is bruised
  • Shooting pain in legs and arms

Symptoms worsen on lying down on the affected side, in the evening and night, and in dry and cold winds while they improve when the person spends time in open air.

• Ammonium Muriaticum
  Common Name: Sal ammoniac
  Symptoms: Symptoms that call for treatment with this remedy include:
  • A bruising type of pain in the tailbone on sitting
  • Back pain on sitting; the person feels as if their back is held tightly from both sides

All complaints get better in open air.

• Belladonna 
  Common Name: Deadly nightshade
  Symptoms: Belladonna acts on every part of the nervous system. It is indicated for congestion, pain and twitching that occur due to inflammation. Symptoms associated with sciatica that may be treated using this remedy are:
  • Intense painful pressure on the back
  • Lumbago (Pain in the muscles and joints of the lower back) accompanied by pain in the hips and thighs
  • Shooting pain in extremities

Symptoms worsen in the afternoon, on lying down, and on touching the affected site. Symptoms improve when the person sits in a semi-erect position.

• Chamomilla
  Common Name: German chamomile
  Symptoms: Chamomilla is well suited for irritable and sensitive patients who experience the following symptoms:
  • Unbearable pain in the hips and loins
  • Lumbago

Symptoms aggravate at night, when the person gets angry or goes out in open air and they improve in warm and humid weather.

• Colchicum Autumnale
  Common Name: Meadow saffron
  Symptoms: Colchicum affects the muscles and bones, specifically the periosteum (a dense layer of tissue that envelops the bones), and synovial membranes of joints. Symptoms that call for treatment with this remedy are:
  • Pain in the lower back
  • Back pain that gets better on applying pressure on the affected site and on taking sufficient rest
  • Weakness and tingling in limbs

Symptoms worsen from dawn till dusk, on moving the affected limb, lack of sleep, and with mental exertion, whereas they get better on stooping.

• Gnaphalium Polycephalum 
  Common Name: Cud-weed, old bals
  Symptoms: Gnaphalium polycephalum is highly beneficial for sciatica patients, especially those who also experience numbness along with pain in the affected part. Other symptoms that call for treatment with this remedy are:
  • Chronic pain in lower back, which subsides on getting sufficient rest
  • Lumbago with heaviness in the pelvic area

• Natrium Sulphuricum 
  Common Name: Sulphate of sodium, Glauber's salt
  Symptoms: This is a remedy primarily acts on the liver and nervous system. Symptoms that indicate a need for this remedy are: 
  • Piercing pain between the shoulder blades
  • Itching in the back on undressing
  • Spinal meningitis with opisthotonos (spasm of the muscles causing backward arching of the head, neck and spine)
  • Pain in the hip joint and limbs

Symptoms worsen on lying on the left side, and in humid conditions. The person gets temporary relief in dry weather and on applying pressure on the affected area. Symptoms also improve on changing positions.

• Phytolacca Decandra 
  Common Name: Poke-root
  Symptoms: This remedy helps alleviate the following symptoms:
  • Lower back pain 
  • Radiating pain in spine that travel up and down into the sacrum (a triangular bone at the base of the lower back) 
  • Stiffness in back on getting up in the morning, especially in humid weather
  • Pain in the backside of thighs

Symptoms worsen on exposure to cold and rainy weather, on moving about and on lying on the right side. Symptoms improve in dry weather, on applying warmth on the affected area and after taking sufficient rest.

• Plumbum Metallicum 
  Common Name: Lead   
  Symptoms: Symptoms that can be relieved with this remedy are:
  • Spinal cord sclerosis
  • Lightning-like pains in the back; the person gets temporary relief on applying pressure on the affected site
  • Numbness and tingling sensations in extremeties
  • Paralysis of legs

Symptoms worsen at night and on moving, and get better with on applying pressure on the affected area and with physical exertion.

• Rhus Toxicodendron 
  Common Name: Poison-ivy
  Symptoms: This remedy is usually recommended in case of rheumatic pain, and affections of the skin and mucous membrane. Other symptoms that indicate a need for this remedy are:
  • Pain and stiffness in the lumbar region that get better on sitting, moving about or on lying on a hard surface
  • Stiffness of extremities

Symptoms worsen at night, in cold and rainy weather, and when the patient lies on their back or on the right side. Symptoms improve in dry and warm weather, on walking or stretching limbs, and on applying warmth on the affected area.

• Ruta Graveolens 
  Common Name: Rue, bitterwort
  Symptoms: This remedy helps manage the following symptoms: 
  • Pain in the back that reduces on applying pressure on the affected site
  • Lumbago that aggravates in early morning
  • Pain in thigh on stretching the affected leg

Symptoms worsen in cold weather and on lying down.

• Tellurium Metallicum
  Common Name: The metal tellurium
  Symptoms: Tellurium metallicum is mainly indicated for symptoms associated with the eye, ear and spine. Patients who benefit from this remedy have the following symptoms:: 
  • Sensitive backbone
  • Pain in the sacrum
  • Sciatica, which worsens on coughing and straining and on lying on the right side
  • Contracture of tendons in the back of the knee joint

Symptoms worsen at night, in cold weather, with friction or on touching the affected area.

Homeopathy is a holistic mode of treatment. It focusses on improving the overall health of the individual rather than just working on symptomatic management. Also, homeopathic remedies are administered in highly diluted doses and their action can get easily affected by several dietary and lifestyle factors. Thus, homeopathic doctors suggest their patients include the following changes in their everyday life:

Do’s: 

• Engage in recreational activities.
• Include some physical activities like brisk walking and light labour in your daily routine.
• Consume nutritious food and drinks.
• Keep your surroundings clean.

Don’ts: 

• Avoid coffee, Chinese and other herbal teas, stimulants and alcohol that is prepared with vegetable substances or spices.
• Avoid all kinds of strong-smelling water and perfumes.
• Avoid spicy food, sauces, cakes, chocolates, crude medicinal vegetables for soups and dishes made of herbs, roots and stalks of plants that possess medicinal properties.
• Avoid consumption of onions, old cheese, celery, and meat, which may be stale or possess medicinal qualities. 
• Do not consume meat such as the flesh and fat of ducks or geese.
• Avoid all excess in food and the use of excess sugar, salt and stimulant beverages.
• Stay away from strong-scented flowers and avoid tooth powders and essences.
• Avoid tight-fitting or uncomfortable clothes. 
• Avoid a sedentary lifestyle.

Homeopathy has been successful in the treatment of nerve-related pains, including acute and chronic sciatica. 

In a single-blind placebo study, 35 patients with sciatica were treated with individualised medicines and then followed up for a month after their recovery. All patients experienced some relief from symptoms indicating that homeopathic medicines work more than just placebos.

An observational study published in the Clinical Journal of Pain indicated the efficiency of homeopathic medicine in the treatment of pain. For the study, 129 adults with chronic low back pain, who were treated by 48 different homeopathic physicians, were followed up for 2 years. All patients showed a marked reduction in the use of conventional medicines and an improvement in their health and quality of life.

It is globally accepted that homeopathic remedies rarely cause adverse effects, though patients who take homeoapthic treatment often experience an aggravation of symptoms before a desirable effect is seen. 

In an explorative study done in Norway, seven homeopathic physicians were interviewed to ask their views on these temporary adverse effects of homeopathic medicines and whether these should be considered as side effects. It was noted that there was a disagreement among the participants whether homeopathic remedies produced side effects, but they agreed on the fact that if an incorrect remedy was administered, it may cause disruptive or suppressive reactions in the patient. This was not identified as adverse effects, but as a possibility to prescribe a new remedy.

Homeopathic remedies are made using extremely diluted natural substances and thus are said to be safe to use for infants, pregnant and lactating women and adults. However, it is best that you refer to a physician before taking any medicine on your own.

Sciatica refers to a pain in the lower back that radiates down the leg along the sciatic nerve. Conventional treatment of sciatica involves painkillers, physiotherapy and surgery. Along with pain reduction, homeopathic treatment of sciatica aims at improving overall health of the person and preventing relapse of the disease. Homeopathic medications are potentised and prescribed in minute doses. They have an excellent tolerability profile with negligible side effects. Sciatica can be easily managed using homeopathic remedies, when the medicines are taken under the guidance and supervision of a qualified homeopathic practitioner.