A whitlow is a bacterial infection that often attacks the fingers and toes. It appears after the formation of pus resulting from an injury, sting or bite. It is very often considered to be a particular form of abscess. There are two types of whitlows; superficial whitlows and tendinous whitlows. A superficial whitlow is a generally benign infection that is located on the finger’s flesh or on the surrounding area. As for tendinous whitlows, they are much more complicated to treat since they are located within the finger or toe’s ligaments. Usually, a tendinous whitlow is the result of a poorly treated superficial whitlow. When treatment is inadequate, the entire limb is then under attack, a stage referred to as septicaemia. To avoid this widespread infection, it is advisable to quickly treat whitlows from the onset of the first symptoms.
Whitlow can be identified by the inflammation that affects the finger or toe. This inflammation is characterized by swelling and redness of the part that is attacked by the bacterial infection. It is followed by an agonizing pain that can cause insomnia, which is sometimes accompanied by a high fever. At this stage, the whitlow is still superficial. But once the patient begins to have trouble bending the affected finger or toe, he or she is already affected by a tendinous whitlow. In this case, the inflammation reaches deeper areas and the pain becomes more vivid.
It is advisable to give the affected person a dose of Hepar Sulphur in high dilution from the onset of the first symptoms until improvement in the condition of the affected part is noticed, taking care to renew the intakes every 12 hours. This treatment will dry and remove the pus contained in the affected finger or toe. To optimize this treatment’s effectiveness, 5 granules of Belladonna can be taken every hour in addition the Hepar Sulphur intakes. It is also possible to opt for Myristica sebifera 15 CH, of which 4 daily 5-granule doses need to be taken during 5 days.
In case of advanced infections, it is advisable to systematically take Pyrogenium 9 CH in combination with Hepar Sulphur in high dilution. Hepar Sulphur must be taken at least one hour after the administration of the first homoeopathic remedy. Homoeopathy provides many other products to treat whitlows, although it is always recommended to seek the advice of a health professional before taking any remedy. In case of antibiotic therapy, the medical treatment may be optimized by taking Tarantula cubensis.
A tendinous whitlow is a specific type of infection of which the treatment is not be neglected since it could result in septicaemia. It is recommended to immediately consult a doctor in order to be able to benefit from surgery to stop the infection’s spread. Regarding superficial and ripe whitlows, it is advisable to incise them, an operation that must be performed by a physician. In any case, if after several days of treatment, the wound shows no sign of disappearing and the finger or toe is still painful, you should consult a doctor immediately.
• Belladonna
• Hepar Sulfur Calcareum
• Myristica Sebifera
• Pyrogenium
• Tarentula Cubensis
• Furuncle
• Abscess
Good to know: The treatment of whitlows with homoeopathy helps to alleviate the pain, fever and other symptoms caused by this pathology. In addition to that, the homoeopathic remedy also destroys the bacteria responsible for the infection. It is for this reason that homoeopathy is currently one of the most effective methods of treatment.
