Coughs, Colds & Flu – My top Remedies.

How we experience any illness is highly individual, as are the reasons we are doing it. That’s one of the many reasons I love Homeopathy, because this system of Medicine understands that we are all different & therefore we all need a personal, bespoke approach to support us to Health & Wellbeing. We all may be experiencing some set of symptoms consistent with a Flu but we will all need different remedies or different potencies or a different order of remedies.

I get asked about how to address this type of illness a lot & especially every Autumn as we head into the colder, darker months. (You may want to read the other part of this Blog to understand why). So I am sharing some of the remedies that I experience regularly for my own family & my Clients. This is by no means an exhaustive list & I would love to hear from you about any success stories you’ve had with any remedies, please add them in the comments.

Drosera –

Hard, dry, irritating cough with difficulty breathing, hoarseness – worse lying down & worse pm. Rotten taste or food tastes bitter.

Dryness in nose & blood on blowing. Fever with nausea & chilliness. Sore throat – rough, scraping or tickling. Dizziness with falling or leaning to the left side. Beating or hammering headaches with nausea & dizziness

Drosera is very helpful in Whooping cough & I have had 3 Clients only this week report that their child’s cough was halted immediately by 2 or 3 doses of Drosera. This is a remedy in the Ainsworth & Helios kits or order from your nearest Homeopathic Pharmacy or Practitioner.

Kali-Sulph –

Sticky, yellow discharges from the nose or chest. Inflammation & pains that move around. Catarrh, difficulty breathing, croupy Hoarseness. Deep bronchial cough which is worse in a overly warm environment. Easy sweating, nausea. Loss of or diminished smell & taste. Sore gums & a rotten taste in the mouth. Rattling in the chest.Lying down can aggravate symptoms

Can go well with Pulsatilla which also has thick, yellowish discharges worse for overheated rooms & better fresh air. Pulsatilla tends to be thirstless whereas Kali-sulph is very thirsty. This is another remedy you may need to order rather than buy over the counter.

Kali-bich –

Long, strings of green, sticky, ropey mucus, Sinusitis. pains in very particular small spots that move from place to place. Crusty scabs in nose & pains at the root of the nose. Indifferent, avoids company. Dizziness or vertigo on standing & can have nausea. Sinus Headaches. Better heat, Motion & pressure. Worse cold, damp, open air, after sleep, Sitting up.

Pulsatilla –

Weepy, clingy, sorry for themselves, better lots of hugs, kisses, cuddles, rubbing & TLC. Thirstless. Better fresh air & worse over heated,, stuffy rooms. Thick bland discharges, yellow/greenish & smell of catarrh. Cough can be loose during day & dry at night. Symptoms can be very changeable & contradictory. Heavy head, watery eyes or styes or eye infections with the cold. Loss of smell, dry throat & shortness of breath. Can be cold during a fever & doesn’t like heat.

Gelsemium –

Classic Flu Symptoms – heavy, droopy eyes, Sleepy & lethargic, needs to lean on something, be supported. Dizzy & faint. Difficulty speaking, can sound drunk. Chills, aches & pains in the joints & up the back. Trembling. Better lying still, brain is often active & engaged & yet they cannot engage the body. Dry cough with burning in chest on coughing. Hoarseness, tonsillitis, pain on swallowing. Sneezing & thin, hot, watery nasal discharge. Better urination, sweating & lying with the head held up.

Bryonia –

Usually very dry – the cough is dry & therefore painful, people may need to hold the chest to keep it still while coughing. Worse for any movement including breathing. Again to stop Movement, better for pressure on the chest or tight clothing. Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Asthma, Pleurisy. Very irritable & worse for company. May ask for things & then reject them – difficult patients! Thirsty. Loose stools, sore behind the eyeballs. Dry lips & mouth. Fever with chills & hot head & red face. Joint pains.

Ipecac –

Constant, violent coughing with gasping for breath, hoarseness & sometimes retching or vomiting. Wheezing& bubbling in lungs, Asthma, Whooping Cough. Restless sleep. Thirstless. Sweaty hands & feet. Fever with short chill & then long periods of Heat. Worse for warmth, damp, vomiting & lying down. Better open air, rest, pressure, closing eyes, cold drinks.

Ant-tart –

Lots of accumulation of mucus on the lungs – rattling & suffocative breathing yet the cough is not productive. Parents often feel if they could just cough hard enough for their child it would clear the mucus they can hear. Can cough until they vomit. Very drowsy & yawn a lot, (air hunger). Must sit up to cough or breathe. Cold, clammy sweat & pale. Better belching, bringing up mucus, sitting up, vomiting (nb Ipecac is not better from vomiting). Worse warm room, cold dampness, motion, milk, morning. Great on going support for respiratory system eg Asthma or post chest infection or pneumonia & also in Acutes.

ABC – Aconite/Belladonna/Chamomilla –

Must have in cases of fever or inflammation with redness, heat & throbbing sensations, irritability or deliriousness – can be used alone or in tandem with other remedies if needed. Will never take a fever away because a fever is a healthy response, but it will support more efficient management & a quicker process so that the fever can do it’s job. All my Clients with young kids get this & say they wouldn’t be without it. nb. Studies link the use of paracetemol based meds including Calpol with an increased likelihood of the development of respiratory illnesses. Often just supporting the fever process will negate the need for any further remedies.

Arsenicum-album –

Restless, fearful, anxious patients who are afraid to be alone. & of illness & death. Cold, craving heat & sweaty. Very weak. Shortness of breath. Asthmatic breathing. Difficult breathing – can be bluish from it. Pale with sunken eyes. Redness or infection of eyes. Burning pains. Clean tongue with red edges. Swollen sore throat. Nausea from thought of food. Loose stools & gastric upsets. Thirsty for sips. Dry alternating with loose cough. Sneezing. Nose is blocked or running with thin watery discharge that burns. Congestive headache with vertigo. Worse at night in bed, early hours of morning, cold, cold drinks or food. Better dry heat, food, motion – walking about, sweating, open air.

Belladonna –

Inflammation anywhere with heat, redness & throbbing pains. Right sided sore throats or Tonsillitis. Must drink in order to swallow food. Swollen glands. Fever with glassy eyes (dilated pupils) & delirium, may be violent with striking or biting. Internal coldness & external heat. Very red cheeks & face with heat. Hard to swallow. Tickling, short dry cough or barking cough. Whooping cough. Throbbing headaches. Worse for heat of sun, drafts, light, jarring (sudden knocks to the body), lying down, noise. Better for light covering, rest in bed, standing, leaning the head against something.

These days I am supporting many ‘Never been well since Flu’ Clients – this is not something that it is straightforward to address effectively as a Home Prescriber since there are many factors involved. It may be that something else is taking all the potential healing energy away from fully recovering that Flu & until we address that & release energy, the body is stuck. It may be that there are simply not enough tools available in the form of nutrition…..Mostly it takes the skills of a highly trained professional Practitioner who can use remedies in many different ways or who perceives what is at the root of an unresolved dis-ease. Almost any remedy may be indicated depending of the individual expressions of the person but there are a handful of remedies that seem to come up regularly – amongst them Arsenicum-album, which is unsurprising given the levels of anxiety in society. Carcinosen & Gelsemium can also be indicated. If you are experiencing any decline in your Health since a Flu, Cold or Illness please book a call with me to find out how I can help.