Homeopathy Delaware

Viruses hijack a living host in order to replicate. In doing so, they may mutate. So, it is not surprising that there is a new strain of flu this season. It happens.

Although this news may cause anxiety for the allopathic community, the homeopathic medical community remains undaunted.

Why? Because, to choose a homeopathic medicine to heal any child or adult suffering from flu symptoms, you don’t need to know what strain of flu is circulating or if they have or have not had an immunization.

What you do need to know, and observe, are the characteristic symptoms of the ill individual. Although we know that the picture of flu is one of fever with body aches and often with respiratory symptoms, this is a general picture – we need to know characteristics peculiar to the sick person.

Use this partial list to help you to determine characteristic symptoms and to then choose the best homeopathic medicine.

~ Concomitants – symptoms that are occurring at the same time. EG.- fever with chill, fever with perspiration, or fever with headache with dizziness …

~ Location – EG. – left throat pain extending to left ear, or bronchial mucous and wheezing, or headache at the base of skull extending upward to the top of head …

~ Etiology – factors which may have led to illness. Description of onset illness – slow, sudden and other.

~ Modalities – factors making the person feel better or worse. EG. – time of day; temperature (room, covers, fresh air); rest / motion; position; external stimuli (touch, pressure, jarring, light noise, company); urination; sweat / discharges; drinking / eating …

~ Sensations – burning, bursting, pulsating, shooting, tingling, aching, heaviness …

~ Emotions – any that are different since becoming ill. EG. – worry, irritability, fear, sadness …

~ Strength – energy level.

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES FOR FLU – PARTIAL LIST

BRYONIA

Onset – Cold wind, chill. Hurt feelings. Slow general onset but can have sudden onset high fever.

Symptoms – Burning dry heat, continued fever. Body aches of a rheumatic type. Bursting headache. Dizziness. Eyelids sore, red, swollen. Little nasal discharge. Infrequent thirst for cold drinks. Chest mucous / cough.

Worse – having to move, 9 PM. Better – lying still / quiet, pressure for headache.

Mood – Grumpy, wants to lie still, not talk.

ARSENICUM

Onset – Getting chilled, overheated, over exertion.

Symptoms – Burning pains relieved by heat, e.g. burning throat better hot drinks. Very Cold / chilly with high fever. Body aches. Thirst for constant small sips. Weakness. Great fatigue with anxious restlessness. May have wheezing.

Worse – 1-3 AM, cold drinks, cold air. Better – Warmth, hot drink and food. Lying down. Company close by.

Mood – Restless, anxious, fastidious, irritable. Fear being alone – want company but just nearby.

GELSEMIUM

Onset – Emotions, fear, shock. Mild winters, damp humid weather. Slow onset.

Symptoms – Chills up and down spine. Continued fever with burning heat. Perspiration. Weakness, lethargy, dullness, drowsiness, stupor. Muscular soreness. Dull head and eye pain. Trembling, clumsy, uncoordinated. Little thirst.

Worse – Around 10 AM. Over excitement. Lying with head low. Better – Lying propped up, sweating, urinating.

Mood – Drowsy, dull, indifferent. Body feels so very heavy. Too tired to talk, wants to be left alone and lie in bed.

Arnica, Baptisia, Eupatorium perf, Phosphorus, Rhus tox are other well-known but less frequently used flu medicines, each with their own particular symptom picture. Consult National Center for Homeopathy (https://homeopathycenter.org) for Materia Medica information about each medicine to determine if the patient would benefit. Also, see U Tube reference, below.

DOSAGE The sooner a person with flu symptoms is treated with homeopathy, the better and faster the recovery. With homeopathic medicine use there is much greater likelihood of being free of secondary respiratory infection.

~ Give a dose of the chosen medicine in a 30c potency, one pellet on the tongue (or a crushed pellet) and observe the person.

~ An improvement in their energy, even subtle, often in minutes, is the first sign to look for. Improvement of other symptoms will follow.

~ The remedy need only be repeated if there is a return of symptoms.

~ If symptoms do not improve, look for another similar remedy. If symptoms change, look for another remedy.

~ Often, even if the medicine is not the most similar to their symptoms, it will be close enough to stimulate the person’s vital force to make more prominent the symptoms you need to use in choosing the next best medicine. It is not necessary for the ill person to have all the symptoms listed for the remedy you choose.

CONTACT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL

~ If an infant under 4 months has any rise in temperature.

~ If a person has a fever for more than 3 days.

~ If a person refuses to drink, keeps vomiting, becomes dehydrated.

~ If a rash appears and / or if the fever is accompanied by swollen lymph nodes or stiff neck.

~ If a fever is approaching 104 and the person is not responding to homeopathic medicines, sponged lukewarm water, fluids.

Fever is our body’s natural healing response for ridding itself of an infection. It is important to allow the self-healing process of a fever to run its course and not suppress it with over-the-counter drugs unless absolutely necessary.

The best-chosen homeopathic remedy will gently stimulate an ill person’s immune system, allowing their temperature to drop as needed while continuing to step up leukocytes to fight the infection.

Be sure to rest, push fluids, wear light clothing using covers as needed, eat light easily digested food as desired.

CASE

An 8-year-old girl and her family were staying with grandparents over Christmas. The child arrived in the evening and had a tummy ache on going to sleep. She was OK in the morning but by noon she did not want to play with the other 2 girls.

She was found sitting off by herself in a quiet room reading a book. On questioning, she complained of neck stiffness and headache on the left side with dizziness. She was pale. She had no thirst or appetite.

Within the hour she developed rosy cheeks and a worse headache. Grandmother felt her forehead which was abnormally warm. She had an oral temperature of 101.7. Belladonna 12c, a homeopathic medicine for sudden onset fever, was given. By 4pm her fever was 102.7 and she did not feel better. She was given Belladonna 30c. It was not yet clear that she had flu.

The next AM she did not want food or drink, was worried she would infect everyone when told she probably had flu, did not want to move out the recliner chair where she finally found a position she wanted to remain in. She refused to take homeopathic medicine pellets, Tylenol from her mother, and fluids.

She was very hot inside and cold outside so that unzipping her pajamas even an inch or two caused her to be cold. She told Grandma she did not want company or talking but wanted to have someone nearby. Her fever had climbed to 103. Arsenicum 200c was put in water which she took a sip of with a straw. She had no sore throat, no nasal mucous, no cough but did have a bit of throat mucous. Arsenicum did not help her feel better.

Observation and Questioning: She did not want to move out of her chair. She was weak and needed support going to bathroom.

She would not drink on her own.

She said her head felt like it was going to explode because of the heat and headache. She was still dizzy, the room moved when she turned her head. She wanted to stay still and not move her head but because of the heat in her head and face she had to turn her head side to side due to how fast it heated up by her cheek resting on the chair.

She was curled up in the chair like a pretzel but did not want anyone to disturb her by tucking a pillow under her head and neck. She wanted to remain still in the position she had chosen.

She said she had pain in her wrist that moved to her arm and then to her leg.

She was still worried about having the flu, especially very upset that she would not be able to hug her teenage male cousins whom she adores.

Her fever was close to 104.

Bryonia 30c was given along with forcing fluids (sips of organic coconut water, for electrolytes, every few minutes), changing to light clothing with a cover, along with applying cold washcloths to her forehead.

In 2 hours, her fever was 103. She slept well. The next AM she was doing well. No vertigo, no headache, no body aches, no mucous had developed. She had good thirst for OJ, ate a light breakfast.

Her fever was still 101.5 but did not rise above that. It was where her body needed to keep it to stimulate her immune system to produce leukocytes. The following day she had no fever, good energy and was getting her appetite back.

REFER TO

~ The National Center for Homeopathy (https://homeopathycenter.org)

~ Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines by Cummings and Ullman

~ Dr. Larry Malerba. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCs83f9QVvg – a very helpful presentation.