Homeopathic Remedies For Common Colds, Coughs and Flu

Homeopathic Remedies For Common Colds, Coughs and Flu
http://www.homeopathyforwomen.org/cold_and_flu_remedies.htm

·         Aconitum Napellus (Acon.)
A state of fear, anxiety; anguish of mind and body. Restlessness. Sudden and great sinking of strength. Complaints and tension caused by exposure to dry, cold weather. Eyes feel dry and hot, as if sand in them. Pain at root of nose. Tingling in cheeks and numbness. Gums hot and inflamed. Tongue coated white. Vomiting, with fear, heat, profuse sweat and increased urination. Bitter taste of everything except water. Intense thirst. Cough, dry, short, hacking; worse at night and after midnight. Tingling in chest after cough.

·         Allium Cepa (All-c.)
Watery and acrid nasal discharge which becomes worse in warm room. Oppressed breathing. Tickling in larynx. Eyes sensitive to light. Burning in nose, mouth, throat, bladder and skin. Sneezing, especially when entering a warm room.

·         Antimonium Tartaricum (Ant-t.)
Respiratory problems, rattling of mucus but little expectoration. Thirst for cold water but little and often. Great drowsiness.

·         Arsenicum Album (Ars.)
Influenza with thin, watery and excoriating nasal discharge. Sneezing. Photophobia. Restlessness. Intolerance of smell of food.

·         Belladonna  (Bell.)
Sudden and violent complaints and inflammations. Headaches with pains which come and go suddenly. No thirst. Redness of affected organs. Skin sore and sensitive. Eyelids red and swollen. Spasmodic hiccough.

·         Bryonia Alba (Bry.)
Excessive irritability. Dryness of all mucous membranes. Great thirst for large quantities of water. Constipation. Dry cough. Joints red and swollen. All complaints are aggravated by motion.

·         Causticum (Caust.) Dryness, rawness, hoarseness, aphonia, cough hard, and racks the whole chest. Chest feels full of mucus, feels as if only they could cough a little deeper it would raise up the mucus, must swallow the sputum raised, inability to expectorate. Cough with involuntary emissions of urine. Much better drinking cold water. Intensely sympathetic, sensitive, individuals who take a great interest in the welfare of others.

·         Chamomilla  (Cham.)
Excessive irritability and impatience specially in children. Violent earache. Diarrhea of children during dentition. Tickling cough.

·         Drosera Rotundifolia (Dros.)
Spasmodic, dry, irritating, choking cough (much like whooping-cough) with hoarseness of voice. Nose bleed. Disinclination to speak because talking creates breathing difficulties. Spasmodic, nervous and sympathetic cough, deep sounding, hoarse and barking, with pain in the hypochondrium, must hold the part with the hands. Cough with paroxysms following each other very rapidly, can scarcely breath, chokes. Harassing and titillating cough in
children which commences as soon as the head touches the pillow at night. Worse immediately on lying down, after midnight, warmth, drinking, laughing, singing, weeping.

·         Dulcamara (Dulc.)
For flu aggravated by the transition from summer to fall. This is one of the best remedies in the acute form; the eyes are suffused, the throat is sore and the cough hurts because of the muscular soreness. Brought on by damp, cold changes in the weather.

·         Euphrasia (Ephr.)
Similar to Allium in all respects with profuse bland nasal discharge and acrid, scalding tears which is reverse with Allium. An eye remedy, conjunctivitis with violent attacks of profuse secretion  stinging eyes, dust or sand in the eyes.

·         Ferrum Phosphoricum (Fer-ph.)
Headache better by cold applications. Eyes red, inflamed, with burning sensation. Face flushed; cheeks sore and hot. Ulcerated sore throat. Tonsils red and swollen. Eustachian tubes inflamed.  Congestions of lungs. Expectoration of pure blood in pneumonia. Palpitation; pulse rapid. Restlessness and sleeplessness.

·         Gelsemium (Gels.)
Acute influenza (flu) or sore throats, with weakness, limp limbs, chills, fever, headaches with double vision, and heavy, drooping eyelids. There may be a lack of thirst, even during fever. Slowly developing acute coryza days after an exposure to warm moist, relaxing weather. Frequent sneezing with fluent excoriating coryza, sore throat, difficulty of swallowing; dry, tickling cough; a feeling of hot water passing through the nostrils; relieved near the fire; general prostration.

·         Hepar Sulphuris Calcareum (Hep.)
Cough when exposed to dry and cold wind. Croupy cough, with loose, rattling phlegm in windpipe. Rattling, choking cough, worse after midnight. Severe laryngeal catarrh, with roughness and pain in the upper part of throat. Cannot bear to be uncovered, least exposure of cold excites cough (Rumex). Anxious, hoarse, wheezing respiration. Worse cold, dry weather. Better  in warm, moist weather. Suits thin, irritable, impatient, chilly, oversensitive individuals.

·         Hyoscyamus (Hyos.)
Dry spasmodic cough, especially at night when lying down, relieved by sitting up, from itching in the throat, as if uvula were too long. Suited to hysterical females and young girls.

·         Ignatia (Ign.) Dry spasmodic cough in the evening, feels as if there is fumes or dust in the throat pit. The longer they cough the more irritation
they feel. Suited to nervous, young people or women with hysterical tendencies. Cough due to emotional difficulties such as grief, unrequited love, and sadness.

·         Ipecac (Ip.)
Nausea and vomiting due to any reason. Diarrhea with grass-green stool. Sleep with eyes half open. Suffocating and wheezing cough.

·         Kali Bichronicum (Kali-bi.)
Thick, ropey, sticky secretions. Loss of smell. Loose cough, with rattling in chest. Cough with thick, heavy expectoration of bluish, yellow, or white lumpy mucus. Cough with expectoration of tough, stringy, mucus which adheres to the parts and can be drawn out in long strings. Catarrhal laryngitis, coughs have a brassy sound. Suits far, light-haired persons, or fat, chubby, short-necked children disposed to croupy affections.

·         Kali Carbonica (Kali-C.) Cough, wheezing, asthmatic, must lean forward with head on knees. Cough with cutting or stitching in chest with respiration and between the breath (Bryonia, stitching on breath only). Sputum of small, white, round lumps that fly from the mouth when coughing or hawking. Edema, above the eyes, morning, disappearing during day, constipation. Suits conservative, rigid, possibly dogmatic individuals, who dislike change. Never quiet or contented, desires to be with people but treats them outrageously.

·         Lachesis Mutus (Lach.)
Left sided sore throat.  Other complaints related with throat and respiratory system.

·         Lycopodium (Lyco.)
Aggravated on the right side. Symptoms go from right to left.  Aggravated 4 to 8 pm., afternoon,  in morning on waking, on fasting. Ameliorated in evening and in open air. Ear infection (Otitis media) aggravated on the right side. Sinusitis which is aggravated on the right side. Complete stoppage of nose, breathes with open mouth and protrudes the tongue; frontal sinuses involved.  Obstruction is aggravated at night. Snuffles of infants. Pharyngitis and Tonsillitis. Aggravated or starts on right side, ameliorated by warm drinks. Cough is a chronic, dry tickling cough. Bronchitis, pneumonia, aggravated on the right side.

·         Mercurius Vivus - Mercurius Hydrargyrum (Merc.-v)
Yellow, bloody discharge from ears. Sneezing in sunshine. Swelling of nasal bones. Intense thirst for cold drinks.

·         Mercurius Sublimatus Corrosivus (Merc. Cor)
Inflammation and soreness of eyes. Red, swollen and painful throat.

·         Mercurius Solubilus (Merc.)
Ear infections either chronic or acute. Nose has chronic coryza with offensive, greenish discharge. Sneezing ameliorated by lying. Cough is aggravated at night, by warmth of bed, lying on right side. Mouth ulcers or canker sores. Throat  INFLAMMATION, acute or chronic. Pharyngitis, tonsillitis. Swelling of glands. Diarrhea with strong urging. Stool is offensive, greenish, bloody, slimy.

·         Nux Vomica (Nux-v.)
Initial stage, caused by dry cold weather or by sitting on cold steps or in cold places.  Headache in sunshine and on waking in the morning. Right sided complaints. Sneezing, nose stuffed up at night and in open air but fluent in a warm room and during day, with scraping rawness in the throat. Dullness or oppression in the frontal sinuses and watering of the eyes.

·         Phosphorus (Phos) Dry cough, arising from tickling in the throat and chest, excited by reading aloud, talking, laughing, drinking (Bryonia., Drosera, Pulsatilla). Dry tickling in the evening, with tightness across the chest. Trembling of the whole body with the cough. Sputum frothy, bloody, rust colored, purulent, white and tough, cold mucus, tasting sour, salty or sweet. Cannot lay on left side or with head low, pains in the chest compel them to sit up. Desire for cold water and cold food. Suits tall, slender individuals, who are open, bright, sympathetic, suggestible, and lively in the beginning of an illness but become slow, tired and apathetic as the disease
advances. Worse physical and mental exertion, twilight, change of weather, in evening, lying on left or painful side, during thunderstorm. Better lying on the right side, cold food, cold open air, sleep.

·         Phytolacca Decandra (Phyt.)
Dark redness of throat with swollen tonsils.

·         Podophyllum (Podo.)
Profuse, painless, watery, gushing diarrhea.

·         Pulsatilla Nigra  (Puls.)
Mouth is dry but no thirst. Taste of mouth keeps changing. Secretions from eyes, nose and mouth are all thick. Measles. "Ripe cold" in which the discharges are green and bland, not in the least excoriating; bad smell in the nose, as of old catarrh. Secretions from eyes, nose and mouth are all thick. Measles.

·         Rumex Crispus (Rumex)
Conditions are aggravated by cold, open air, undressing or uncovering, or change of temperature. Violent sneezing, aggravated in evening, night. Throat has a scraping, raw feeling, aggravated by open air.

·         Spongia Tosta (Spong.)
Dry, hacking, croupy, barking cough, day and night, exhausting the person. Worst at midnight. Better with hot drinks. From exposure to dry cold winds. This remedy is indicated when a cough is loud, harsh, dry, and sounds like barking or sawing wood. The person may wake up feeling suffocated, as if the throat is plugged or the breathing passages are dry. Problems are usually made worse from being in a room that is too warm, or from lying down with the head too low. Talking aggravates the cough, and so does exposure to cold air and smoke. Sitting up usually helps, and drinking something warm or eating small amounts brings some relief. This
remedy is often helpful during croup and asthma.

·         Stannum Loose cough, with heavy, green, sweet or salty sputum. Sensation of great weakness and emptiness in the chest, worse from talking, laughing, reading aloud, singing. so weak they can hardly talk. Sad, despondent, feels like crying all the time, but cry makes her worse.

·         Sulphur (Sulph) Night cough, suffocating at night, wants the doors and windows open. Congestion of blood to the head and chest with burning chest, head, face and soles of the feet at night, must stick them out from under the covers. Worse bathing.

·         Veratrum Album (Verat.)
Extreme coldness, blueness and weakness. Pale face. Painful diarrhea followed by great weakness.

Effect of Bar Code Scanners, X-rays, Microwave Ovens and Cell Phones on Homeopathic Remedies

Do NOT store your remedies near your microwave, near your cell phone or in a purse with your phone, etc.

Manufacturers and homeopaths are often overly cautious about what damages the subtle energy of homeopathic remedies.  This is because research into what does and doesn't affect remedies has been limited. As a result, they have frequently recommended that they shouldn't be scanned or x-rayed at airports.

Fortunately, recent research shows that airport x-rays and red barcode scanners don't have any effect on remedies.

Other things such as the emissions from mobile phones and microwave ovens do, however.  See the full article below.

Tadpole Research: Homeopathic Remedies Harmed by Mobile (Cell) Phones and Microwave Ovens
http://homeopathyplus.com.au/tadpole-research/

Would you believe it? Not only have tadpoles shown skeptical scientists that homeopathy really does work, they have also given us information on how to keep our remedies safe.

Researchers in two different countries have recently tested homeopathically prepared thyroxine, a hormone that influences body metabolism and energy, on tadpoles that were being artificially stimulated by chemical thyroxine.

Those that had a dose of potentized thyroxine added to their water did not grow as fast as those that received a placebo dose of just plain water. In other words, the potentized thyroxine cancelled out the stimulating effects of the chemical thyroxine.

Those who have experienced the effects of homeopathic remedies will not be surprised by this result. In spite of homeopathic remedies appearing to be nothing more than water, alcohol and sugar molecules when viewed under a microscope, their energetic nature can have health-changing effects when prescribed according to the ‘like treats like’ action of homeopathy.

These experiments were repeated six times with similar results over two countries.

The really interesting part for those of us who use homeopathy, is that the scientists also decided to check the effect of different electromagnetic fields had on the remedies.

For centuries it has been known that coffee, mint and camphor can sometimes antidote homeopathic remedies in sensitive people. Polluting electromagnetic radiation, however, is a relatively new phenomenon and we are still unsure of its full effects.

So, our tadpole researchers looked to see if the potentized thryoxine, when exposed to radiation from mobile (cell) phones, airport X-rays, red light barcode scanners, and microwave ovens, still had an effect on the tadpoles.

The results? Apparently it’s safe for your remedies be x-rayed at the airport, and scanned by red-light barcode scanners. The potentized thyroxine still worked after being exposed to them.

The radiation from a mobile phone, however, even when 25 cm away, destroyed the energetic nature of the potentized throxine – it could no longer slow the tadpoles rate of growth. This is information is obviously important for those of us who would like to carry remedies in our bags with a mobile phone – they can be damaged.

Early model microwave ovens with their high leakage rates also cancelled out any effects from the remedy. Unfortunately, the study did not look at the effects of more modern ovens.

So, we can all be grateful to those little tadpoles. While we are not sure why they had to be stimulated with chemical thyroxine to prove that potentized thryoxine could ‘unstimulate’ them, they have clearly provided us with other valuable information such as- don’t, under any circumstance, cook your remedy in the microwave!

Reference:

Weber S, Endler PC, Welles SU et al. The effect of homeopathically prepared thyroxine on highland frogs. Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 3, July 2008, Page 165

 

Homeopathic Treatment of Fibromyalgia

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/fibromyalgia-homeopathy_b_781144.html

The Huffingtonpost just published Dana Ullman's article on homeopathy and fibromyalgia.  Fibromyalgia is an increasing common syndrome, and good research published in leading conventional medical journals has confirmed the efficacy of homeopathic treatment of this ailment.  This article also verifies that there is much more research on homeopathy than most people realize.  Please consider spreading this good news with others who may benefit from it.

Article: How to Judge the Response To The First Intake Of A Remedy

http://www.drluc.com/lecture-four.html

Lecture 4 for the Public: “How to Judge the Response To The First Intake Of A Remedy” (and the Consequent Doses)
by Dr. Luc De Schepper

A correct interpretation to the first response of the patient to his first remedy dose is essential for the future success of the case. Even when the homeopath has selected the right remedy on the first consultation, the most difficult work is still to be done: “How to judge the response? Was it a good response indicating a true cure has started, or was it rather an improvement of a local problem, possible notifying a suppression of the symptoms, which only guarantees a worsening of the future natural disease?” This is the topic of this lesson: I want to empower the patient to first of all know what to expect and not to take some fantasy answers for a fact, and secondly, it will empower the patient to assist his homeopath more efficiently towards the cure of his illness.

The answer to this question remains the same, if your practitioner uses the 4th (dry doses), the 5th or 6th edition of the Organon. The previous lectures already have shown the great advantages of the watery doses, but the issue here is to know if the first step has been made towards cure rather than suppression or palliation (suppressing symptoms where a cure is possible).

After the first dose, the patient has to ask himself the following questions?

• Was there an improvement according to A253: “The very beginning of improvement is indicated by a sense of greater ease, composure, mental freedom, and higher spirits?” And I would add: “A sense of well being and a better sleep, often more sleep required? Or as a first sign we may see a change in the topic of dreams: going from nightmares with killing to a dream with festivities, traveling, meeting people, connecting to dead people?” If so, then the remedy was chosen well (dose, potency included) and even if the chief complaint might not be improved at all (especially when of physical nature) the cure is set into movement. The test dose (see lesson 3) will determine the repetition of your remedy, so it is truly individually tailored to you the patient.
• Here is the true question the patient (and the homeopath) needs to ask himself: “Did the picture, once the action of this first dose has ceased, come back unaltered or unchanged?” What exactly does this mean? Homeopaths and patients must ask themselves this question because if you can answer yes to this question, then you have initiated your cure with the right remedy, dose and potency. When I say “unchanged” this means not that nothing changed: the chief complaint, let’s say a chronic headache might have decreased in intensity and frequency, but with “unchanged” we mean no other symptoms have been added to the chief complaint. We will discuss further what “other symptoms” mean. The first thing we can see here, as mentioned in lesson 3, is that the advanced 5th and 6th edition prescriber already assesses this answer on the third day where the 4th edition prescriber (dry doses) will do so only after 3 or 4 weeks! Much can go wrong in 4 weeks, not much can go wrong in three days! Correcting a situation the third day or the 4th week makes all the difference in the world.
• Did the picture remain the same with an aggravation of the existing symptoms? This is called a similar aggravation which leads to unnecessary suffering. A 4th edition prescriber wants to see this aggravation as it confirms the choice of his remedy but Hahnemann limited and did away completely with this similar aggravation in the 5th and 6th edition of the Organon. The watery doses allow the homeopath to choose very carefully the minimum dose and the potency which is now tailored to each patient. If there is any similar aggravation it is very minimal and again discovered the third day with the advanced methods, and only later in the 4th edition method. Of course even if the 4th edition prescriber hears about the aggravation, he will say, “great we are going to cure the case.” Curing maybe but it will be a tough road and absolutely not necessary! What if the child wants to kill his father to marry his mother (true case)? So we aggravate him and he might just do it! This is one of the reasons to prescribe with the advanced watery methods: “you don’t have to get worse before you get better!”

What if the picture of your disease comes back changed after the first visit?
There are different options and each one is followed by a different action to be taken.

• First option: the patient comes back after the first dose of the remedy with new symptoms, which he had never before! One word of caution here: often the patient has a defective memory about previous symptoms, so make sure to check with other family members. But if they are truly new symptoms, creating much discomfort, then the remedy is wrong and the case needs to be retaken! There are exceptions: if you see discharges from any opening in the body or rashes appear after the remedy and you never had such symptoms, it is a sign of cure as the disease is pushed outwards (exteriorization). So never suppress these symptoms with creams or suppositories as you will work against the good work of the remedy and Nature!
• There are one or two new symptoms but in a low degree of intensity while the other symptoms are getting some relief and the A253 symptoms (see before in this text) are present. The homeopath must immediately check if these new symptoms, are belonging to the remedy he has given. We call these symptoms accessory symptoms. What to do with these accessory symptoms is explained further!
• Old symptoms are returning: symptoms that were present before can now reappear again simply because they were suspended by later and stronger symptoms. This is A38, where a stronger disease suspends the weaker one (not cure it): see lesson 1 and 2. Always ask yourself: “Did I ever have these symptoms in the past?” If so, you are on your way to cure and the remedy should not be changed! There is only one possibility that the dose and/or potency have to be adjusted (not a change in remedy): when the returning symptoms are too strong and too frequent. Here again the watery solutions are easily adjusted and this is not the case with the dry doses again!

The problem of accessory symptoms. They can take two forms.

• The first one: A253 is followed and only one or two symptoms belonging to the remedy are present in a low intensity while many of the original symptoms have improved: this is called a close simile (almost the simillimum) and in that case nothing needs to be changed as it will not impede the cure! (A163). So this will happen: suppose you had initially 10 symptoms and after the first prescription, 5 improve and one new symptom, belonging to the prescribed remedy appears, then you are on the right track! No changes needed!
• The second option is called the distant simile and a total different matter. It means maybe 2 of the ten initial symptoms improve (and the two might even include your chief complaint) but now 5 new symptoms belonging to your remedy appear: your case must be retaken as the wrong remedy was prescribed. If such remedy is repeated, your initial disease will now be replaced entirely with a disease made up of symptoms of the prescribed remedy, symptoms you never had! So in other words you got a worse disease! Do not think this is not possible, I have seen it enough!

What else can you see after the first prescription (and the next ones)?

·         If mental symptoms are now replaced by emotional ones and later emotional by physical ones. Let’s take a case of an autistic child I saw. Before he always said no to everything (contradictory) now he readily agrees to doing things and behaving better towards his sister. Before he runs away when someone wants to take a picture of him, now he likes it. He is friendly, walks now the dog (before indifferent), etc…All this while his eczema comes more out! This is a shift from the emotional plane towards the physical plane and counts as the direction of cure. He is on his way to a cure because all the rules we need to observe in homeopathy are followed. On the other hand, if a physical symptom disappears (for instance eczema) and now the child exhibits emotional or mental symptoms: wrong remedy!! Needs to be stopped and case must be retaken!

·         I hope this lesson helps you understanding your case follow up of that of your loved one. In the next lesson I will explain what information is important to communicate to your homeopath and what is not important. I also will touch on the integration of other modalities (psychology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, allopathy, vitamins) with homeopathy. A special approach will be taken in account for the ASD children.