Snakebite Survival Guide: First-aid & homeopathy basics

Snakebite Survival Guide
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First-aid & homeopathy basics by Douglas Falkner, MD, MHom


What should you do if a poisonous snake sinks its fangs into you or a loved one? Popular culture is rife with notions about lancing and sucking venom from the wound or applying tourniquets to ”contain” the venom. These interventions are controversial and may even be dangerous, so here we’ll stick to the essential actions you need to take to support the snakebite victim, minimize further damage, and maximize a positive outcome.

Assess the situation
Try to identify the type of snake involved, or remember its markings and shape for later identification. If antivenom is needed, knowing the type of snake can be of great help since different antivenoms are used for different snakebites. Avoid approaching or handling the snake, however, even if it’s dead, for risk of becoming a victim yourself.

Rattlesnakes, coral snakes, copperheads, and water moccasins are the main venomous species in the U.S. All significant bites will leave fang marks, from one to four depending on the angle of the bite and the depth of penetration. The larger the snake and the smaller the victim, the more dangerous the bite tends to be. Bites on the head, neck, and upper trunk are more dangerous than those on the extremities.

The more pain and the more rapid and extensive the swelling, the more serious the bite reaction is and the more venom that was likely injected. Snake venom can destroy ­tissue, damage organs, and disrupt blood clotting; in the worst cases, it can lead to loss of limbs, damaged organs, or death. Any evidence of spontaneous bleeding, changes in mental ­status, signs of shock, widespread bruising, cold sweats, fast
or slow heart rates, breathing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, ­general weakness, paralysis, or seizures points to very serious poisoning and requires emergency care. (A snakebite with ­little or no reaction other than pain at the puncture site is not likely to represent a significant poisoning.)

First things first
Any bite from a venomous snake should be considered a medical emergency because life-threatening symptoms can develop quickly. Here is what you need to do while calling 911 and/or transporting the victim to the nearest hospital emergency room:

Remain calm so that you can be of better assistance.
Immobilize and loosely splint an extremity that was ­bitten. Keep the victim still and quiet to lower their metabolism and reduce the rate of the venom’s spread throughout the body.
Position the person so the bite is at or below heart level.
Remove jewelry and loosen anything tight before any ­significant swelling occurs.
Clean the wound gently, and cover with a clean dressing.
Do not apply ice or tourniquets; do not attempt to cut the wound to remove the poisons.
Avoid any stimulants or alcohol that could increase metabolism or interfere with further evaluation or treatment.



Go-to remedies
Homeopathic remedies can be an important adjunct or even a curative intervention in the treatment of the snakebite victim. This should be attempted only while getting as quickly as possible to the nearest emergency medical facility. Even so, the well-meaning lay person can often work the kind of homeopathic miracle that we saw in the story of Bob, our canine friend, in the previous article.

The principle of individualization—matching the unique symptoms of the individual to the indications for the remedy—applies as much to snakebites as to any other condition treated with homeopathy. Here are some remedies to consider for snakebite injuries, using either a 30c or 200c potency.

Aconite. Useful at the initial stages, when the person has great fear of death, with anxiety or panic and restlessness.

Lachesis. May help the individual who has prostration, restlessness, painful swelling, bruising, and possibly bleeding; the person typically cannot bear anything tight around them (e.g., tight necklines or waistbands) and may be loquacious.

Cedron. Known in herbal and homeopathic medicine for its “powers of antidoting snakebites.”

Ledum. Useful for puncture wounds, especially when the wound feels cold and is relieved from cold applications. The person may have muscle twitches or spasms near the area of the bite.

Echinacea. Indicated for dullness, weakness, exhaustion, and marked drowsiness; the wound may be infected, septic-looking, and painful.

Arsenicum album. May help chilly, anxious, restless people, who fear death and desire company. They may have burning pains that are relieved by heat.

Hypericum perforatum. Indicated for neuralgic, shooting pain around wounds of nerve-rich areas, such as fingers and toes.

Carbo vegetabilis. Useful for bite reactions that have ­progressed into shock, coldness, blue discolorations, weak pulse, clammy sweat, and collapse.

Giving the remedy
In the early stages after a snakebite, repeat the best-selected remedy as often as every few minutes. Look for any signs of response, either in the person’s general improved comfort level or well-being, or local changes in pain, swelling, or the rate at which the reaction is progressing. If after a dose or two, you observe no improvement or an actual worsening of symptoms, move on to the next best remedy option.

Once improvement is clearly under way, stick with the remedy that is working, but repeat it less frequently (e.g., perhaps take it every 3 hours instead of every 5 minutes); if progress halts or symptoms start to return, repeat it more frequently. Only change to a different remedy when you observe no further effect of the remedy being given or when new symptoms appear—as with any condition under homeopathic care. If you have access to a variety of potencies of a remedy that has worked but now is not working as well, try giving a higher potency before changing to a completely different remedy. If you only have one potency available of a remedy that has worked but is now not working as well, try putting it in water and stirring or shaking (succumbing) it to increase its potency slightly; this higher potency may be just what is needed for the remedy to continue to be effective in helping that individual.

Good homeopathic sense
Naturally, there are other remedies outside this list that may be useful in snakebites, and they may perform as well or better, depending on the circumstances. As in all homeopathic treatment, the individual symptoms are our guide. While there is no consensus as to any specific group of remedies to have on hand, the arsenal of remedies above will likely provide effective treatment for many snakebites. When the appropriately chosen homeopathic remedy is administered early and ­judiciously in such a ­potentially life-threatening ­circumstance, the need for antivenom or ­surgical intervention, once at the hospital, may be minimized or even avoided entirely.