A Healing Path with Classical Homeopathy

Homeopathy has been used successfully in treating flu for over 100 years in all stages of the disease.  Homeopathic remedies are safe for everyone.

Symptoms of the flu are sore throat, sudden fever, body aches, coughing, and respiratory congestion.  Sometimes there may be vomiting and diarrhea.  Colds are different in that they usually come on more gradually and have little or no fever and less body aches.  But some colds can look a lot like the flu.

The flu is only a real danger in persons of compromised immunity.  The flu does not usually kill people, but severe secondary complications can.  The problem today is that most of us have compromised immune systems.  This is because of many reasons.  We are exposed to many toxins.  Most of us have been vaccinated and our parents have been vaccinated.  Ill effects of vaccinations mix with hereditary predispositions and create immune system problems.  This is why there is a growing number of auto-immune disorders.  Another reason for compromised immunity is that we do not allow ourselves or our children to get sick.  Overuse of antibiotics compromises the immune system and robs children of the opportunity to fight off illness of their own volition.  WE ARE IN A WEAKENED STATE. THAT IS THE DANGER FROM THE FLU.

But what advise do government officials and conventional medicine have to offer us?  Wash your hands.  Well you can wash your hands until the cows come home but germs are everywhere.  Where is the role of the immune system.  Why is nobody talking about why some people get sick and others don’t?  Even in the worst epidemics, there are those who do not get sick.  They are not susceptible because their immune system is strong.  The best way to protect yourself from illness is to increase vitality and boost the immune system.  The absolute best way to do this is to seek homeopathic constitutional care.  Homeopathy can work deeply to remove hereditary susceptibility to disease.  It can raise your vitality.  Not only will you be more prepared to fight off an acute illness, you will feel better in your whole person.

Homeopathy is very successful at treating the flu, should you come down with it.  When you are armed with homeopathy, the fear dissipates.  The right remedy at any stage of the disease, weather in the first 24 hours or if complications develop, can safely bring a person back to health.  Conventional medicine can only offer antibiotics and respirators.   Many people are having serious complications from the swine flu and are filling the ICU’s at our local hospitals.  It is a serious matter, but fear is powerful and can be seen as a disease in itself.  With homeopathic options, the flu is not so fearful.

Anas barbae is a remedy made from the liver of a duck.  Ducks carry every flu virus we have ever had in their liver.   Boiron, a French homeopathic company, markets this remedy as ‘Oscillolcoccinum’(ah-sil-al seye-num).  The main indication for the remedy is a sore throat and feeling of oncoming sickness.  It is most effective in the first 24-48 hours.  I have seen, over and over, the effectiveness of this remedy if it is taken at the first sign of flu symptoms.  Most often people complain that they feel they are getting sick and have a sore throat.  After one dose of this remedy and a good night’s sleep, they are fine the next day.  Everyone should have this remedy on hand during flu season.  It is a high potency remedy, so one dose is usually all that is needed.

Some homeopaths recommend taking the remedy ‘Influenzium’, a homeopathic remedy made from the most common seasonal flu viruses, once a month during the flu season to prevent the flu.  This is kind of like a homeopathic flu vaccination.  There have been no ill effects reported about using this method.

But this does nothing to increase overall vitality.  As a Classical Homeopath, I do not recommend this method because it does not follow the original laws set forth by Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, specifically ‘like cures like’, the law of similars.  Because the body has not yet been exposed or has any symptoms, the homeopathic remedy is not ‘similar’ to the state of the patient.  There is no harm to the method.  But taking into account that the reason we have gotten ourselves into this hysteria over the flu is because our whole culture is so immune compromised, I ethically have to recommend other options.

When you have been exposed to the flu or you start coming down with symptoms, then the remedy is acting on the law of similars.  Whenever you take an indicated homeopathic remedy, meaning it fit’s the picture of your symptoms, you are raising your vitality.  A homeopathic remedy taken without symptoms does not have this benefit.  Because my overall goal as a homeopath is to raise my patients’ level of health, I have to recommend only taking remedies when symptoms call for them.

On the other hand, ‘Influenzium’ once a month during flu season might be a great option for the elderly, pregnant women, and others with severely lowered immunity.  Also if someone is very scared of getting the flu, then there is a symptom:  ‘fear of the flu’.  In this case, ‘Influenzium’ as a prophylactic might be a great choice.

To use homeopathy for flu or cold symptoms, find the best remedy by matching symptoms.

Administering a remedy:  take one to two doses, 15 minutes to three hours apart, depending on severity of symptoms, and wait for improvement or change.  If there is no movement or change, move on to a different remedy.  If a new symptom picture appears, find a new remedy based on similar symptoms.

There are many  homeopathic remedies for the flu.  If there are complications from the flu, please seek medical or professional homeopathic care.

Common Flu Remedies:

1st Stage Remedies:
Oscillolcoccinum (Anas barbae) - main remedy to try to prevent the flu after exposure, or on first symptoms.  Most effective in first 24-48 hours.  Main symptoms indication is ‘sore throat’.  It will also be effective in colds that look like the flu and start with a sore throat.

Aconite - sudden onset of fever or illness with great anxiety and fear.  Feels like they will die, better fresh air, worse warm room, evening or night, useful in any situation of intense fear or fright

Belladonna - sudden onset of high fever, common remedy for children with high fever, red face, and dilated pupils, dry mucus membranes and burning heat, skin hot to touch, better warm room, worse noise, light, movement

Ferrum Phosphoricum - symptoms come on slow, general feeling like the body is coming down with something, but there are no actual symptoms yet, or for oncoming fever without other symptoms.

2nd Stage Remedies:
Gelsemium - main flu remedy, genius epidemicus for 1918 flu, slower onset fever, chills, body aches, feels as if run over by a truck, great fatigue, heaviness, aching muscles, not thirsty

Arsenicum album - Indian homeopaths calling this remedy genus epidemicus for swine flu, extremely restless, oversensitive, anxious and weak, fear of death, chilly, does not want to be alone, burning pains, thirsty, but only for sips at a time.

Baptisia - looks drowsy and drunk, flu with high fever and feeling of being bruised all over, flu comes on suddenly, worse excitement, noise, touch, movement

Eupatorium perfoliatum - flu with extreme body pains, the bones feel broken, deep pain in the bones, bursting headache with sore eyes, thirsty for ice cold water, chills running up and down the back

Bryonia - slow onset, infrequent thirst for large quantities, throbbing headache, body pains, worse from any motion, pains better pressure, business worries

Rhus toxicodendron - extreme restlessness, cannot find a comfortable position, wants to move all the time, aching and stiffness in joints, intense fever

Ipecacuanha - coughs lead to vomiting, dry spasmodic cough with choking or gagging feeling, also indicated for nausea not relieved by vomiting

Complications from the flu:
(pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections)
Seek medical or professional homeopathic advice