How long would you like to be sick with flu? The answer is probably not at all, no one likes having a flu. Or cold, or sore throat, or cough. We feel interrupted in our busy lives by the illness, we have so many better things to do. On the other hand, having a runny nose or a flu once in a while is part of our life cycle, not to be annoyed with but rather viewed as a message to receive and process.
Have you been naughty or nice? Have you been eating your vegetables, exercising and spending time with your supportive friends and family, or have you been working 60 hours every week, living on coffee and fast food?
If you have overextended yourself, your health will catch up with you and make you take a long break. If you had plenty of sunshine and rest in summer, good food and regular physical activities, your nose might run for a day or two but not many other symptoms will appear when the weather changes to colder temperatures.
How we address our illnesses is often as important as the illness itself. Treat it naturally, with soup, tea, and natural homeopathic remedies, and your health improves. Immune system gets training, some toxins are cleared, and a much needed break gives you time to think about Gym membership that is about to expire.
Treat your acute illness with harsh chemicals and you might get a short term relief, but your microbiome balance (the balance of microorganisms that live on and inside the human body) will be disrupted. Imbalance of the microbiome predisposes us to chronic diseases and has to be avoided as much as possible. (1) Read more about human microbiome
Homeopathic remedies have been used by millions of people for hundreds of years to address colds, flu and upper respiratory conditions. Homeopathy has proved to be very effective in epidemics like 1918 flu pandemics (2), for shortening flu course (3), cold symptoms in children (4) and many other flu related conditions.
What homeopathic remedies should you try if you get a flu? If you have just started to feel unwell with flu-like symptoms, try Oscillococcinum.
Oscillococcinum – first line of defense.
As soon as you feel a little bit under the weather, a little scratchy throat, a little itching in the nose or a bit of head heaviness, take a dose of Oscillococcinum. If you took 2-3 doses and that did not help, you might have missed the beginning of flu and/or you need a different remedy.
If you already have a full blown flu with runny nose or cough or sore throat, try to find a specific homeopathic remedy that matches your current symptoms the best.
Here are a couple of my favorite homeopathic remedies for flu and colds:
Gelsemium – gradual onset of flu.
If the flu came on gradually with low fever and is accompanied by weakness, try Gelsemium. Droopy and heavy eyelids, feeling dull and sleepy. Pain on the back of the head. Muscle aches, chills running up and down the spine. No thirst.
Aconitum Napellus – sudden onset of flu.
If the flu came on suddenly with high fever, especially after exposure to cold, dry wind or fright, try Aconitum Napellus. Fever and heat alternate with chills. Severe headache, ears bright red, flushes of heat in the face. Very thirsty for cold drinks.
If you have prepared a steak, give it to your friends and family. Have some chicken broth, eat light foods, vegetables, drink ginger tea with lemon and honey. It is very important to get plenty of rest to give your body the best chance to recover. Reading a boring book, napping or thinking about future vacation are all helpful during flu. When you feel better after taking a dose of the remedy, try not to run errands right away, wait for at least one more day to resume your usual activities.
If you have tried 3-6 doses of the best matching homeopathic remedy and you do not see expected results, call your practitioner for more specific remedy suggestions.
Have a wonderful healthy cold season!
REFERENCES:
- Acute and chronic illness: similarities, differences and challenges.Murrow EJ, Oglesby FM. Orthop Nurs. 1996 Sep-Oct;15(5):47-51. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8954463
- William Osler. The Principles and Practice of Medicine. 8th ed. New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1912, 96Wade Hampton Frost. The epidemiology of influenza. Public Health Reports 1919; 34 (33): 1823-1836
- Vickers AJ, Smith C, Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes (Cochrane Review) The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2005.
- “A randomized controlled trial of a homeopathic syrup in the treatment of cold symptoms in young children”. Jennifer Jacobs, James A. Taylor; http://www.complementarytherapiesinmedicine.com/article/S0965-2299(16)30277-1/references