Homeopathy for Brown Recluse Bite
Jul 08, 2020
A female patient contacted our office on 5/11/20 via email, stating she had been bit by brown recluse spider on April 25th while gardening. She thought it was just a scratch initially, as if she had poked herself on a branch, so she cleaned it. It scabbed over and appeared to heal until May 4th when it started to itch and she accidentally scratched off the scab. It was incredibly itchy, started to swell and get very red. Then the red area grew in size and she developed a large bump on her ankle. She had no fever, pain nor heat sensation at the site. On 5/11 there was mild itching. The lesion was weeping a yellowish fluid mixed with occasional blood. There had been a burning and electric sensation in her leg and ankle off and on, which appeared to be subsiding. Her ankle swelling seemed to be improving. She described the lesion as a bumpy region that oozed yellow fluids without a bad smell. She applied a gauze pad as needed. The picture to the left shows the lesion on 5/11/20.
She further complained of significant pain in all her joints which started on April 27th- 28th. Initially, she attributed the pain to a food reaction, but in retrospect she reflected it was likely caused by the bite. She consulted her doctor on Friday, May 8 and received a tetanus shot. He gave her an antibiotic ointment (Gentamicin Sulfate) and wanted to prescribe an oral antibiotic, which she declined. The lesion was unchanged over the weekend.
On 5/12/20 we had a tele-consult to discuss her above history. This patient had been seen previously at Oriental Health Solutions, and we had determined that she was not able to take herbs. Therefore, she needed to be treated with a homeopathic regimen. I chose three homeopathic remedies and one topical herbal tincture. She showed quick and consistent improvement after starting the remedies. The lesion was completely healed as of 6/1/20.
This picture was taken 5/16/20, 4 days after starting the homeopathics and herbal tincture.
Lesion on 5/23/20
Lesion on 6/1/20
All photos are published with the patient’s permission.
