Colds can be left to cure on their own. In fact it’s an opportunity to “clean house” and as long as the loved-one experiences colds infrequently, it’s an opportunity to gain better health on many levels. My clients often report that their children have made physical, emotional and mental leaps after a completed cold. I have noted this in my own children. Unless there is a strong justification for treating colds I generally don’t treat them homeopathically. Instead, I resortto enforced rest, good bone stocks, plenty of water, raw garlic, raw milk and homeopathic cell salts.
Influenza is another concern. It, too, can be left to cure itself, however for many people the flu is a more trying illness and has the potential for greater discomfort and/or danger. Sometimes the flu can be cured with the use of one well-chosen remedy. Other times one following another is a better course. In any event, when there is an epidemic, the community at large begins to represent an entity as a whole and often a remedy that is useful to one member is the best suited for the whole. In other words, if one finds Gelsemium curative during a flu epidemic for one member of the family, it is likely it will be curative for the others. This includes neighbors and friends, too; watch for similar symptoms. In fact, the curative flu remedy can be used prophylactically for those not yet affected. Give a dose of the chosen remedy to those who might contract the flu 1x/week until the threat is eliminated.
Nine Leading Remedies for Colds and Influenza
1.) Aconitum
2.) Oscillococcinum
3.) Gelsemium
4.) Bryonia
Indicated by cold that has moved into the chest
5.) Nux vomica
6.) Rhus tox
7.) Eupatorium
8.) Arsenicum
9.) Belladonna
Fever is not always a cause for a remedy. In fact it is often better left to complete itself because it is a valuable cure. Fever “cooks off” a viral or bacterial infection more effectively than any external means. When we reduce a fever via medications it keeps the body from healing properly. The body has the additional burden of processing the unnatural drug. Although advised by medical doctors for years, aspirin is a particularly dangerous drug when given during fever. It is only recently that doctors have shied away from this practice. Now Ibuprofen is prescribed, and again we are learning of the toll this practice takes on our families.
Throughout history, homeopathy has maintained the same position: let a fever run its course, augment the nutrition and fluids and make the person comfortable. This is a rather sweeping statement and circumstances will determine the strength of this guideline. Yet there are occasions when it may be valuable to treat fever. When a high fever, of approximately 103-106° continues for days without interruption, the concern generally is not for fever but for dehydration. To minimize dehydration, coat the palms of the hands and bottoms of feet with olive oil and insist on fluids. Homemade popsicles are considered fluids and are more accepted by children. Dehydration can be dangerous, and if it goes too far, may require immediate hospitalization for treatment with an IV. In any case, long lasting high fevers should be treated homeopathically as well as painful or spasmodic coughs with accompanying fevers.
If you give the chosen remedy and the patient falls asleep, consider this a good sign. The best healing is done during sleep. If in the morning the fever and its accompanying symptoms are gone, you have chosen the correct remedy. If the same symptoms return, repeat the same remedy. If this does not result in increased health then it is time to try another remedy. A useful sign is to see vitality returned to a languid sufferer and peace restored to an agitated one. When a crying child who is clinging and feverish stops crying yet the fever and clinging remain, consider this a move in the right direction. Do not repeat the remedy until a positive direction ceases. The mental or psychological presentations are often our most accurate indications of pathology.
Homeopathy requires the art of observation and hones skills of interpretation. Finding the right remedy is a crucial step in healing someone, but what to do next can be perplexing if these rules are not adhered to.
Three Leading Remedies for Fever
1.) Belladonna
2.) Nux vomica
3.) Pulsatilla