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IN THIS PODCAST, WE COVER:

01:08    Remedies for flu

10:16    Homeopathic medicines as prophylaxis

17:07    Signs that show whether or not a medicine is acting

21:14    Things that help the body when ill

21:59    The Antibiotic Alternative course

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

My free flu chart

Oscillococcinum

Boiron

Dr. Dale's Wellness Center: Dr. Dale’s ALL FLU [Editor's note: ALL FLU is now called Dr. Dale's COLD GUARD PLUS.]

Rhus tox 30 mixed with Bryonia 30 (Banerji protocol)

No Flu Here in India, but Boy, It’s Big Back in the US (Banerji protocol of Rhus tox 30 alternating with Bryonia 30)

Arsenicum album 30X or 30C

Gelsemium 30

Aconitum 200/Bryonia 30 (Banerji protocol) When a Cold or Flu Hits Hard … Hit Back!

The Antibiotic Alternative Info-graphic

Allergic?!

My blog, podcasts, Facebook Live events and courses

Gateway to Homeopathy: A Guided Study Group Curriculum

 

 

 

Kate:  This is the Practical Homeopathy® Podcast Episode Number 92 with Joette Calabrese.

 

Joette:  This is Joette Calabrese, and I’d like to welcome you to the Practical Homeopathy® Podcast. Women and men worldwide are taking back control of their families’ health and learning how to heal their bodies naturally, safely and effectively. So, if you’re hungry to learn more, you’ve come to the right place. Stay tuned as we give you the tools — and the inspiration you need — as I share my decades of experience and knowledge using this powerful medicine we call homeopathy.

 

 

Kate:  Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. Today, Joette and I are going to be talking about the flu. It's been going around, it's that time of the year, and we're going to talk about: how do you know it's the flu, what remedies to use, and some other things.

 

So, Joette, why don't you get us started?

 

Remedies for flu

 

Joette:  Well, one of the things that I want to mention is that when someone has a bad cold, they often think it's the flu. It may not be the flu, and sometimes it's difficult to decipher. Also, with allergies, sometimes folks get allergies, and they can't tell whether or not it's a cold, or it is allergies, et cetera.

 

One of the distinguishing factors is when someone has allergies, generally, they don't get a fever; generally, they don't have achy joints and bones. That's more related to colds and flus. We can distinguish that. We can put that aside.

 

We can also say that if no one else around you is sick with the similar symptoms, that it is more likely your allergies rather than what's going around in your community, in your home, in your church, et cetera.

 

Now, to distinguish between the cold and flu — that can be rather difficult. The flu is, for lack of a better way of describing it, a gobsmacking cold. I mean, you're really sick with the flu, generally.

 

A cold is annoying, it's uncomfortable, but you can generally push yourself through it, and get to your daily tasks. But influenza, generally speaking, really brings you down and assigns you to your bed — or at least, the sofa — for several days. So that helps a little bit.

 

Kate:  One of the things that can help you determine whether or not it's the flu or something else — or walk you through what to use for the flu versus allergies or coughs or colds — is the free flu chart. That will actually pop up on Joette’s website when you go to joettecalabrese.com. It will pop up and ask you if you want to download that free flowchart. You can just click on that and you'll have access to that. [As of this recording in February 2020. Click on this link, if the flu chart does not pop up on the main page.] That will walk you through what remedies to use in each of those situations whether it's flu or a cold.

 

That's one good resource. I know we have some other resources that we're going to talk about in a little bit.

 

Okay, so let's get started. Let's flesh out what to do if you truly do have the flu then, Joette.

 

Joette:  Okay, so there are a couple of different ways — actually, there are many different ways — to approach flu (or cold for that matter). The reason there are so many choices is because homeopathy is vast, and it's been around for over 230 years. The homeopaths in France most likely do it a little differently … homeopathic medical doctors. In fact, in France, that's usually who prescribes these medicines are the pharmacists and the medical doctors. And in Spain, they might be doing it a little differently. In India, it's different than that. In the United States, it's different.

 

Then we also must adjust accordingly — according to the genus epidemicus. It can make a big difference. The “genus epidemicus” is a term to describe the kind of medicine that we would use — homeopathic medicine that would be useful for a very, very large aspect of the population. Because once one person gets it, and the next person gets it, and it goes around, it becomes the same medicine over and over and over again.

 

Now, I find that's true for a lot of conditions that are common. It's not just the flu and the cold in which we all respond in the same way. Hence, we all receive the same homeopathic medicine. It's the same thing for an injury; we most often use Aconitum or Arnica. It's the same thing for cramps (menstrual cramps); it's often Cimicifuga or Mag phos.

 

It is something that we can say is across the board. But in this situation, it's an epidemic; so, most everyone responds in a similar fashion. Hence, we can come up with one medicine that works across the globe often.

 

Having said that, there are also homeopathic medicines that we find are consistently valuable. I'm going to give you the medicines that I have found to be the most valuable more recently in my family, my community, my practice. It doesn't mean you can't go back and look at others that I've used in the past.

 

Kate:  Like that flowchart?

 

Joette:  Like in that flowchart, exactly. But it means that this is … I wouldn't call it necessarily updated … it's just another way to approach this, and it's a little fine tuning for the subject at hand at this time in 2020.

 

Kate:  It actually makes it easier as well. You don't have to work your way through all the symptoms. There’s just a couple of medicines that are considered effective most of the time for the flu — especially, we're going to talk about the ones this year. Correct?

 

Joette:  That's right. Now, if you try these medicines that we're going to be discussing, and you find that they just are not acting (we're going to talk about how you know), then by all means, go to the flowchart! Because you may have to be more specific and realize perhaps that you were barking down the wrong … or barking up the wrong tree. (You don’t bark down trees; you bark up trees.)

 

Kate:  And when you said, “barking,” I was thinking about cough! Was that a little play-on-words there?

Joette:  Yes. So, I like the homeopathic combination medicines. I think they're quite valuable. They make life easier. They're sold at Walmart and Wegmans or health food stores, which I think they belong in those kinds of settings. Those are the retailers we want to carry homeopathy!

 

One of the first ones I always think of is Oscillococcinum, and we'll have that written up here so you can see how it's spelled. That is manufactured by Boiron. If you go to their site — you go to Boiron (B-O-I-R-O-N) — and you purchase it, you can get a discount by putting my name into the little box — just “Joette” (J-O-E-T-T-E).

 

I don't have an affiliate program with them. This is just for listeners to get a discount, and then you'll get it in the mail.

 

Or, some people like to go to Amazon. Others buy directly from Whole Foods or, as I said, Walmart, Wegmans, et cetera. That's a good one, and you simply follow the directions on the bottle. That's one of them. Given that that is a very important medicine in France (where it's manufactured) — that is the most purchased over-the-counter medicine in all of France.

 

Kate:  That's all medicines, right?

 

Joette:  All medicines including allopathic medicines. It's number one. So, apparently, it works for the French, but it works for us, too. Personally, I've yet to find Oscillococcinum help me personally. I don't know why that is, but I know it works for many, many others.

 

It can be used prophylactically meaning, “Uh-oh! My child has got it, and I'm prone to this kind of flu or cold. So, I think I'll start taking it as well as giving it to my child.”

 

That's the first one. So, another medicine that my sons have used — I have not also used — is ALL FLU by Dr. Dale's. You go online, and you use your browser to find Dr. Dale's Wellness Center, Dr. Dale’s ALL FLU, and there it is. You have the ingredients written in front of you, haven't you, Kate? [Editor's note: ALL FLU is now called Dr. Dale's COLD GUARD PLUS.]

 

Kate:  Yes, because I actually purchased it this year. I wanted to try using it if we came down with the flu. It has Aconite, Arsenicum, Bryonia, Eupatorium, Gelsemium, Helix, Hydrogen, Influenzinum, Kreosotum, Phosphorus, Teucrium, Thuja, Veratrum and Anas Barbariae.  

 

Joette:  That's a lot of medicines, and generally, I don't like to use combinations that have that many. But when you're at a loss, that's not a bad choice.

 

Interestingly, the reason that I wanted you to read those, Kate, is because there are some mainstays to flus. That is Aconitum, which is in there; Arsenicum album is in there.

 

Kate:  Gelsemium.

 

Joette:  Gelsemium is in there. Those are all well-known flu medicines … and Anas Barbariae. So, I find that those are mainstays. So, when in a pinch, it's not a bad choice at all. We follow the directions, which is usually you use it every three to six hours depending on the severity. It can also be used prophylactically.

 

Generally speaking, when we use any of these medicines prophylactically, it's twice daily, every day for, say, seven or 10 days until the imminent threat nearby is gone. Not the kind of threat where it's in another part of the world or even another state. But rather, your child is in school, and there are children who are falling sick. That's when you know it's definitely time to start using it prophylactically.

 

Then after that point, after you've taken it, say, twice a day for a few days (because it's right there in your child's classroom or your child hasn't gotten sick yet), I would use it more frequently for the first week. Then after that, maybe once a week.

 

Homeopathic medicines as prophylaxis

 

Kate:  So, I’ve heard — and I imagine a lot of your listeners have heard — various ways of using a homeopathic medicine prophylactically. What you said is a little bit different than what I've heard. Can you just explain it a little bit?

 

Joette:  There are many methods because there are many homeopaths, there are many practices. Again, it’s going right back to the way it's done in many parts of the world. When you're just one to protect from the flu in general, then you might use it once or twice a week, or three days in a row and then once or twice a week after that.

 

But if it's imminent — it's in your child's classroom; your child has not gotten it yet; or your child has gotten it and you haven't gotten it yet — you might want to be a little more aggressive. In that case, I would use it perhaps twice a day for a week to 10 days. Then after that, perhaps once or twice a week.

 

I know this is vague, but that's because I don't know exactly the circumstances. And it depends on how prone the family members [are] that you're treating to these kinds of conditions. The more prone they are to … if you've got a husband who catches every single cold and flu that comes your family's way, then it's time to be a little more aggressive. If it's someone in the family who rarely gets sick, but you know that this influenza that's coming around is pretty powerful and is really laying people out, then you might use it a little less frequently with them. But be on the lookout for how frequently to use it.

 

Kate:  Okay, that makes sense to me that you're saying you would use it that often — more often, like every day — if it's imminent (like it's in your household; it's in your child's classroom, things like that).

 

Joette:  There it is! Right next to you. Right next to you. Bam! There it is.

Kate:  But if it's just out there in the community, and you're not necessarily exposed every day to the virus, then you can use it a little less frequently.

 

Joette:  That's right. Now, a simpler way (or perhaps not simpler), but if you've got a kit, a homeopathy kit — and I certainly hope that you do because there's nothing worse than knowing what medicine to take and not owning it. (That's what the kit is all about is having that basic mother stock of the most important medicines.) And that is to use the Banerji protocol for viruses and flus, and that is to use Rhus tox 30 with Bryonia 30 and take them together. You can mix them in the mouth.

 

Kate:  In our Gateway book, we have it “together” on one place. Then I've also seen it in a blog: it's “alternating” you have.

 

Joette:  So, the reason that we do that — or the reason that I've done that — is because I've seen it used both ways, and I’ve used it both ways.

 

I've used it where it's “alternating.” Meaning, you’re going to take Rhus tox, say, at 9:00 in the morning. And about 9:10, you're going to take Bryonia 30. And then go back to Rhus tox about three hours later. And then 10-15 minutes later, you're going to go back to Bryonia 30. And you're going to keep doing this throughout the day.

 

This is generally when someone has gotten sick, or they’re first getting their first aspect of it. That's a great combination: alternating combination.

 

But I've also used them mixed together where now — “Uh-oh” — the person feels the achiness has already established itself. “My gosh! Every bone in my body is in pain.” That's Rhus tox.

 

The Bryonia picture has already begun. The person is starting to feel it in their chest and coughing. That's when I would use it mixed together and take it every few hours.

 

Kate:  Is that the predominant protocol that the Banerjis used for the flu?

 

Joette:  The flu method that I have in my notes after having worked in the Banerji Homeopathic Research Foundation clinic for over about a year and a half was to alternate them. BUT, I've also observed the doctors at the clinic mixing them as well.

 

So, I believe that the alternating is the actual protocol, but sometimes when we're working with someone, not unlike what I just described — “Uh-oh” — both those symptoms that are so prominent in those two specific medicines are already presenting in a very heavy way, then we can also mix them together and take them accordingly.

 

Kate:  Are there other protocols that the Banerjis or you have come up with for the flu?

 

Joette:  Yes. Another one that I like to use is plain old, Arsenicum album in a 30 (30X or 30C). I like this as a prophylactic, particularly if we have someone who fits the picture of Arsenicum album. So, I want you to go to your materia medica and read that. But even if you don't fit it, it can also be useful for a prophylactic as well — particularly if there's any gut issues (not necessarily with the flu, but perhaps the person has a queasy stomach or they can't eat this or that), or they have a sinus-y issue in their lives. These are their chronic low-level conditions. This medicine is most likely going to act for that particular person.

 

So, Arsenicum album 30C or 30X as a prophylactic — maybe once a day for a week; maybe twice a day for a week and then back off and take it only once or twice a week from that time forward. That's, again, as a prophylactic, because we know that the flu is imminent.

 

If, however, the person has already been exposed or someone in the family's got it, we can do this the same way as what we were just talking about with the combination flu medicine, as well as the Rhus tox/Bryonia combination. We're going to use them all in the same fashion — prophylactically and as needed. So, Arsenicum album is also great then once the person gets the flu, and then we're going to use it every three to 12 hours, depending on the severity of the conditions.

 

Kate:  Are there certain remedies that you have found effective for this strain of the flu virus that's going around this year? When I say, “flu,” again, we're talking about influenza, not necessarily the stomach flu. Although you can have those symptoms with the influenza, but we're specifically right now addressing influenza.

 

Joette:   Well, in the last month or so (and this is the end of January 2020, in which we're recording this), but in the last month or so, I find that Gelsemium has been very valuable because fatigue has been so grand. So, Gelsemium 30, every few hours, has been very helpful.

 

My son got something, and it helped him a great deal. He also got a cough, so we used Aconitum and Bryonia. You can refer back to Aconitum and Bryonia on my blog, an Aconitum/Bryonia combination (which is a Banerji protocol as well). We used Aconitum 200/Bryonia 30 every few hours.

 

So, we were using both of those, but I believe Gelsemium was the one that really made the biggest difference, particularly with his heavy fatigue. Then we used it long after he was much improved — but for the fatigue. Then we stayed with Gelsemium, and it cleared it up in a few days instead of several weeks.

 

Signs that show whether or not a medicine is acting

 

Kate:  You've given us some options to use for the flu. How do we know then, when we come down with something and we're taking these medicines, how do we flesh out if this medicine is working or not?

 

Joette:  Well, the first thing you're looking for is a shift. What does that mean? It sounds rather vague. But one of the ways that we know something is acting is if the person falls asleep, because that's where we heal. So, if the person falls asleep, then we have to make the assumption, “Well, the medicine must be working because they're not in pain. They're not crying because their legs or their back is achy, or they're not coughing so much that it's disrupting the ability to fall asleep, or they're not crying (if it's a child, et cetera, et cetera). They're not moaning (if it's your husband). They're asleep!

 

Now, when they wake up, they may feel somewhat improved. But oftentimes, it's not that quick. You may need to do this every several hours for a couple of days. But at some point, you'll see that when you give the medicine, there's that sleepiness. It's almost a delicious sleep.

 

Then you might also find that the person feels a sense of well-being. Not like they want to go for a run, but rather, instead of that tremendous angst that can sometimes accompany a cold or flu, they feel, “Oh, all right, okay, I still feel sick. The fatigue is still great. My chest feels compromised. I don't know. I just feel … I don't know.”

 

Most people don't even know enough to report it. But if they start smiling, or they can laugh a little bit, or they can look at you with soft eyes instead of with anguish, then you know that's likely a movement towards improvement.

 

Kate:  I think that is so important, and we need to catch that. Because, remember, homeopathy is gentle, and we're not looking for, necessarily, the fever to go away or the cough to 100% go away. Although we would like that, you might still have the fever; you might still have the cough. But like you said, the person might smile or converse with you instead of laying in bed not wanting to talk and just rolling in pain. They will have that softness in their face and the willingness to talk now and to maybe even joke a little bit. That is an important thing to look for.

 

Joette:  Well, it’s because homeopathy touches us on a very deep level. It’s more that … We're not treating symptoms, we're using symptoms. So, we're not suppressing the cold or the flu or the fever or the pain. That's what allopathic medicines do.

 

Instead, what we're doing is stimulating the body's natural ability to make the correction. In making the correction, there is often a sense of restful sleep or a sense of well-being. Or the person's posture relaxes, and they become more comfortable. Or their language improves, or something that you notice there's a little bit of a difference. Or they're not as worried about the illness. Or they're just as sick, but it's not as bothersome, and they can start talking about their plans in the next couple of days, et cetera. So, that's what we're looking for. That gives you important information.

 

What information is it? That the medicine was correct.

 

If you don't see a change after several doses — and I mean a couple of days’ worth, every few hours, two days, you should start seeing certain conditions softening.

 

Now, a cold or flu can still last for days with homeopathy, but instead of weeks, however. Meanwhile, the person can get on with their lives. They may still have a little sniffle. They may still feel a little fatigued here and there. But what you're doing is stimulating the body's natural ability to make the correction each time you give a dose.

 

You don't want to give the doses too close together. The first few doses, it's okay. But after a while, you really want to keep them several hours apart or only as needed.

 

So, when you see the person is getting a little perky, and they're feeling a little bit better, and then, bam, they start not feeling so well again — there's your cue. That's when you administer it again. If you note that the last time you administered it was, say, six hours ago, now you know approximately every six hours, that person needs the medicine. You continue using this method until the person is very much better.

 

Things that help the body when ill

 

Kate:  Joette, we talked about homeopathic medicines for the flu. What else can we do to support our bodies when we're sick?

 

Joette:  Well, many times, mothers contact me and say, “He hasn't eaten.” Well, that's exactly correct. One should not necessarily eat.

 

Now, if you have an appetite (that's pretty unusual). If you have an appetite, then, of course, eat. But generally speaking, people who are sick with a cold or flu do not eat. That's normal and natural, and it's the way it should be, and we should not worry about it.

 

Instead, we want to keep the person hydrated. Good homemade bone stock is a good idea. Making homemade lemonade is a good idea. These are all opportunities to keep the person hydrated. That's very important. Forget the food but add the fluids and keep them flowing!

 

The Antibiotic Alternative course

 

Kate:  Okay, and let's not forget that another great resource is “The Antibiotic Alternative” course that you have. Can you talk about that for just a minute? Because I think that's another tool that we can have in our tool chest to help.

 

Joette:  Well, with colds or flus, it's only a secondary infection that would come about that would bring forth a bacterial infection, so antibiotics are going to be useless in a cold or flu. Over-the-counter drugs can prolong the suffering of the flu in the long run. It might reduce the symptoms at the moment, but it can prolong suffering. So, there's not an awful lot that allopathy has to offer.

 

So, this online course that I put out a couple of years ago (that I presented a few years ago) is still very available on the website should you be interested. And it talks about the subsequent infections that can follow. Such as an ear infection — they can be bacterial. Strep throat — that is bacterial. Conjunctivitis can be bacterial.

 

So, I give you methods and specific techniques and recipes — formulaic methods — so that you can use these homeopathic medicines instead of having to go to antibiotics and other, even viral, medications as well.

 

Kate:  I think “The Antibiotic Alternative,” I've heard you say, is a great place to start. If you're looking for a course to take, and you're not sure where to start — which course —and you don't have any, say, allergies in your family that would point you toward the “Allergic?!” course, “The Antibiotic Alternative” is a great starting point. Is that correct?

 

Joette:  I think it's a good starting point. But I would say even before that, start with the free blog. Hang out on the blog. It's free! I've been publishing that for 10 years now every single week. I've never missed a single week, and I give a lot of great information for free.

 

The next one is the idea of joining a study group — some of which you run, Kate, which is great. That's up all on my front page, and that's called the “Gateway to Homeopathy.”

 

There you'll meet other like-minded mothers and grandmothers so that you can learn right along with them. That's a fabulous way, and it's very inexpensive.

 

But if you're looking for a real course where I give case studies and carry you through step-by-step what to use for urinary tract infections, otitis media, conjunctivitis, et cetera, that might indeed be the one that's for you.

 

Kate:  Don't forget, for those of you who don't know this yet, Joette does a Facebook Live every Monday night. In fact, this week, again, we're in the last week of January of 2020, you addressed the virus and influenza on your Facebook Live. So, make sure you tune in and listen to those Monday Night Lives, or you can actually listen to those anytime on your Facebook page, Joette Calabrese. or Joette's YouTube Channel

 

Joette:  That's right.

 

Kate:  Don't forget, there is a ton of information if you go on to Joette's website or just Google: Joette Calabrese flu. You'll find a lot of blogs that she's written and other podcasts that we've done, et cetera.

 

Joette:  The freedom that this gives us, knowing what medicines to own and how to use them instead of fearing that you don't know what to do is a comfort that's beyond explanation. As a mother, I know when I was raising my children, it was something that gave me such comfort. I know what to do if they have a head injury. I know what to do if they get a cold. I know what to do if my husband gets the flu. I know what to do if my father, my mother, anybody in my family … I felt as though I could take care of them because I prepared myself.

 

Something that a client of mine just said to me the other day, and I think this was so profound, she said, “Being a mom has become a lost art.” I think that's true!

 

I think that we've lost track of what our focus should be in life. That we've gotten … excuse me for those — and I don't mean to criticize anyone who has a booming career or even a partial career — but I think careerism has replaced being a mom at home: knowing how to cook, knowing how to keep a tidy house, keeping her family healthy, knowing what medicines to use, taking care of her husband, and keeping their lives, the family's life, organized and well-structured.

 

It's a beautiful art. It's a womanly art. It's something that mothers and grandmothers need to get back to. Many of my followers are already there. So, I'm commending you. Those of you who are on the fence wondering which way to go — one way or the other — I'm going to try to pull you this way. Because I think it's very important for women to focus on the family as the primary goal and purpose in their lives.

 

Joette:  As I hope you know by now, on my blog, podcasts and Facebook Live, I offer as many protocols for simple conditions as I can — for free, without affiliates or advertising. But let me be clear. When it comes to more complex conditions, it’s key that you learn how to use these medicines properly. I want you to be well-trained. So, I save discussions of the more involved methods for my courses in which I walk students through each method with step-by-step training.

 

I hope listening to this podcast has inspired you to follow in their footsteps. With the proper training, you, too, can nurture and protect the health of your family and loved ones with Practical Homeopathy®.

 

Kate:  You just listened to a podcast from PracticalHomeopathy.com where nationally certified homeopath, public speaker, and author, Joette Calabrese shares her passion for helping families stay strong through homeopathy. Joette’s podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Blueberry, Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn and iHeartRadio.

 

Thank you for listening to this podcast with Joette Calabrese. To learn more and find out if homeopathy is a good fit for your health strategy, visit PracticalHomeopathy.com.