Coughs, colds and influenza - how Homeopathy can help

Coughs and Colds, Viruses and Flu

We all suffer from coughs and colds at one time or another. Sometimes the symptoms are mild and sometimes they knock us off of our feet for several days. Homeopathy can help to shorten the duration and severity of your cold symptoms, as well as improve how you feel during the process.

What is Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine that is safe and effective. It can be taken alongside conventional medicine, has little or no side effects and stimulates your body's own immune and defence system to fight of infections such as viruses, coughs, colds and other illnesses. Homeopathy can come in several forms but the most common form is tiny pillules. These are very easy to take for all ages and situations.

Remedies that may be helpful

Below is a list of commonly used remedies for coughs and colds. To choose a remedy, remember that the sick person does not need to have all of the symptoms listed for a particular remedy, but most of the symptoms the person has should be listed.

Aconite: sudden onset, often after exposure to cold weather or dry, cold wind; the very beginning of illness, within the first 24 hours; fearfulness, high fever, restlessness, sensitivity to light, thirst; watery runny nose, sneezing, headache; early stages of croup.

Allium cepa: clear, burning nasal discharge that burns the skin and upper lip; eyes red and burning with profuse bland tearing; tickling in larynx, painful dry cough; thirst.

Arsenicum: profuse watery nasal discharge that burns the skin, nose feels stopped up; irritation and tickling in the nose, frequent and violent sneezing; nasal discharge may be thick and yellow; dull throbbing frontal headache; cough from tickle in larynx or from deep in chest, may be loose or dry; burning chest pain; chilly, anxious, restless, and fearful.

Belladonna: sudden onset; high fever, dry flushed hot face, enlarged pupils, “strawberry tongue”; mentally dull but unusually sensitive to light, odors, noise, etc.; anxious; throat raw and sore; headache and/or earache with throbbing pain; painful barking and short cough, producing a little thin mucus.

Bryonia: when the cold has moved into chest; dry, painful, spasmodic cough, worse with deep breathing, eating, drinking, in warm rooms and during the day; better from the open air or a swallow of warm water; pain worse with any movement, so person may hold painful area to prevent movement, lie on painful side, put pressure on painful area, lie perfectly still with shallow, painting respirations; thirsty, irritable, wants to be left alone; looks sick, tired and heavy; dusky, dark skin color.

Chamomilla: often used for earache; very irritable and sensitive, child wants to be carried; severe pain; one cheek red and hot, the other cool and pale; thirsty.

Eupatorium perforliatum: deep ache of back and limbs, bursting headache, eyeballs sore; afraid to move because of pain; very thirsty, then chills and fever; vomiting may follow thirst; great weakness.

Euphrasia: bland watery discharge from the nose and copious burning tears (opposite of Allium cepa); nasal discharge worse in the morning, in open air, and lying down; loose shallow cough, worse during the day; may cough up large amounts of mucus formed in the upper airways.

Ferrum phosphoricum: beginning stages of all inflammatory problems; gradual onset; pale with red cheeks; red burning eyes; hoarse, restless sleepless, weak, tired, thirsty, apathetic; better from cold applications.