SWINE FLU
Due to the current reports of an approaching SWINE FLU epidemic, we have been inundated with questions. Here is some information, advice and a few suggestions for homoeopathic remedies which have been traditionally used to treat the acute phase of flu and to speed up recovery.
For more in depth information about this epidemic we refer everyone to the NHS Choices web page.
The symptoms of H1N1 swine flu are similar to many other flu viruses. Fever and coughing are two of the most common symptoms but they can also include headache, chills, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue as well as throat irritation. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea may also occur. Remedies for the acute stage would be determined in the usual homeopathic manner of selecting the best matched remedy for the symptoms being experienced. The elderly and vulnerable are more at risk of complications.
It is important for those more at risk to seek professional help from their GP, homeopath or health practitioner now. Constitutional treatment is the best way for anyone to strengthen the immune system and Helios would recommend consulting a homoeopath.
At present we do not have a nosode, i.e. a remedy made from the disease material. However, there are remedies which have been traditionally used successfully for over 100 years to treat all stages of flu. These are listed below and are safe for everyone from babies to the elderly.
There has been no 'genus epidemicus' as yet, but we have had recent positive feedback from a homeopath in the U.K. that she has successfully used Sambucus to treat a number of cases.
Our advice regarding Swine flu is that your best protection against disease comes from looking after your health generally and taking simple common-sense preventative measures. There are a number of vitamin and mineral supplements and herbal remedies that will help to boost the immune system. More information on these products can be found on our on our WINTER ALERT page.
Most patients previously reported to have swine flu recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines. To reduce the risk of catching or spreading swine flu it is good practice to follow respiratory and hand hygiene advice, such as:
* Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing; using a tissue when possible
* Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
* Maintaining good basic hygiene; for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people
* Cleaning hard surfaces (eg, door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product
* Making sure children follow this advice
THE ACUTE STAGE
AGE - Arsenicum-iodatum/Gelsemium/Eupatorium 30 - A combination remedy - this has historically been used as a prophylactic, although no trials have been carried out to date. It is used as soon as any symptoms develop or after contact - one 3 times a day until symptoms improve.
Aconite 30 - Sudden onset from cold winds or getting chilled. Fever and chill, restlessness and anxiety, good at the first stage of cold or flu.
Belladonna 30 - The No. 1 remedy for sudden fevers. Patient is burning, red and hot. Eyes may be glassy and the pupils dilated. Thirsty for refreshing drinks. Inflamed sore throat, throbbing headache, better lying down, worse touch, jarring or movement.
Bryonia 30 - Keynote: any movement causes pain - wants to be still. Painful dry cough. Headache and pains, better from pressure and worse movement. Irritable and thirsty for cold drinks.
Camphora 30 - Icy coldness - yet doesn’t want covers on - but is sensitive to cold - wants cold drinks. A state of sudden collapse, wants carers present during the hot stage of fever. Anxious.
Eupatorium perfoliatum 30 - intense aching in back, limbs and especially bones - which feel broken. Sore skin and muscles, shivering, chills. Thirst for cold water but may vomit food, drink and bile. Headache with nausea, sore chest with cough.
Nux Vomica 30 - Extreme chilliness - shivery, cannot get warm despite heat. May have fever but feels freezing inside. Aching limbs and gastric problems - nausea. Better from sleep, hot drinks, strong pressure and being left alone.
Gelsemium 30 - Aching, tiredness and weakness felt especially in muscles and limbs. Drowsy, dull, apathetic, dizzy and trembling. Heavy eyelids with bruising headache from the neck to head and forehead. Chill and heat. No thirst.
AFTER INFLUENZA
Tuberculinum Aviare 200 - Practitioners use this remedy for clearing up symptoms after flu, especially when the lungs have been affected, Coughs are irritating, incessant and tickling. There is great debility and weight loss and lack of appetite. This remedy braces up the whole organism, reduces coughs and brings back the appetite. 3 doses in 12 hours. One of the following may also be needed:
China - continued debility and chilliness - anaemic and weak with desire to stretch and move. Worse on alternate days.
Kali Phosphoricum - General weakness with spasm - the slightest labour seems like a heavy task.
Phosphoric Acid - Chronic fatigue after flu. Better from warmth, sleep. Feels apathetic, dull, settled despair, indifferent to everything. Low continued fevers. The above can be taken either in a 6C potency 3 times a day or a 30 potency twice a day.
