“The fireworks are too loud!”
It’s not unusual to have family members, including 4-legged ones, who find fireworks distressing. The noise may be overwhelming to fearful small children or anxious adults, or trigger former military members with PTSD memories. And as a midwife, I’ve often counseled pregnant women to ‘let their babies know’ what to expect if they are attending a fireworks event, so their unborn baby will be less alarmed by the explosive noises. (See great resources from the Pre & Perinatal Psychology field for more info how the pre-born babies are laying down memories at KarenStrange.com)
Homeopathy is wonderfully effective remedy approach for those who dread fireworks season, and is safe for everyone including infants, the elderly, pregnant women, those with PTSD, those on anxiety medications, and even pets. Look for the best match of symptoms, and it’s ok to use more than one remedy if the symptoms call for it. (New to homeopathy? Condensed intro here.)
ACONITIUM - May be over-sensitive to noise, easily startled, restless, panicked. Consider aconite when emotions are very intense and/or come on suddenly (ie. from fireworks/thunderstorms), when there is tremendous fear, and especially if there is/was fear of death. Aconite is very effective for former milary with PTSD from near death experiences. As the noise is getting ready to ramp up, a dose could be taken, and then repeated as often as needed. (Directions below.)
ARSENICUM. This is a great remedy for those individuals who are very anxious, fearful and insecure; these fear may also manifest with a controlling behavior to try and compensate. Also great for pets that can’t be left on their own as it’s too frightening for them; they need to be reassured and are quick to panic.
BACH FLOWER REMEDY “Rescue Remedy” - Outstanding for any kind of shock, intense stress, or fear (especially when they don’t know of what.) It’s also an excellent general remedy to help settle anxiousness and restlessness - REALLY great for pets!
BORAX - Excessively nervous, easily frightened, sensitive to sudden noises; they have a violent fright from the sound of a gun even at distance, with fear of thunder or fireworks.
PHOSPHORUS - This remedy is good for all noise phobias. Helpful for kids who are easily started and tend to be frightened by noises anyway, even not related to fireworks.
DOSING:
Liquid or pellet remedy may be dropped in the mouth directly, or in their water bottle (or the water bowl of a pet.)
Potency of 30c is a fine place to start.
Take 4-6 pellets or drops frequently; depending on how intense the symptoms are, every minute up to every four hours.
Once improvement is noticed, stop dosing and repeat the remedy only if symptoms return.
If there is no improvement at all by three doses, choose a different remedy or seek professional guidance.