Lycopodium, Aconite, Hepar sulph

Brrrr! It's cold!

There are a couple of illnesses going around right now. There is a stomach thing, a cough thing and Strep throat.  It starts with the cold:

ACONITE.....
When you get sick right after being out in the cold (especially cold wind), chances are you need Aconite. Aconite symptoms are:
Severe headache with fever
Sore throat, burning sensation, tonsillitis (enlarged, inflamed tonsils)
Increased thirst
Early stages of croup (loud unproductive cough)
in kids, one cheek will be red, the other pale
there may be anxiousness or fear with the fever, but not always
If you take Aconite within the first day of being sick, the homeopathic remedy has a good chance of turning things around.

If you let the sickness develop too long before taking Aconite, you may need Hepar sulph.
HEPAR SULPH follows many remedies and Aconite is one of them. When you have thick, stuck mucous or exudate (white spots) on the tonsils, Hepar sulph is a good choice.
The sore throat will come and go with Hepar sulph and the sore throat pain will shoot to the ear when you swallow. Sometimes it feels like there is a splinter in your throat when you swallow.

The third star remedy right now is LYCOPODIUM
I haven't talked about Lycopodium in a couple of years. What I've seen are a couple of very typical Lycopodium symptoms: lots of abdominal gas and bloating and increased appetite.
Sinus: right sided sinus inflammation, blocked sinuses worse at night, thick mucous
Resp: chronic, dry, tickling cough. Pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma

I've seen people with just the abdominal symptoms of Lycopodium, just the respiratory symptoms and just strep throat after having had a cough.  If there are any gastrointestinal symptoms, I would try the Lycopodium first.  If everything starts right after being out in the cold and the symptoms come on quickly, try the Aconite.  Use Hepar sulph when things go on too long (over a week or two) and the mucous seems really stuck.

Spider bite time February/March 2017

Taking a detour from talking about the flu, I'll write today about a very common thing happening now with already two patients coming to see me for this: spider bites!

Now, you will read all kinds of information from spider loving people that spiders do not bite. however, when you see two little bite marks right next to each other, it's hard not to believe it's from a spider. Still, whether the bite is from a flea, spider or mosquito, the homeopathic treatment will be the same.

Most bites look like this:

There is a clear central pore which looks like an injection site. You will not see this in eczema or in contact dermatitis. Many spider lovers will try to convince you it's one of these. Of course, it could be a flea or mosquito bite. But there are not mosquitos in the northwest right now. I've seen spiders at my house and the two patients do have cats.

The homeopathic remedy is always chosen based on the symptoms. Here they are listed:

better with cold applications

Ledum: number one remedy for insect bites. The area is cool but cold or ice applications feel good. The area may be red, bruised, and feel boggy.

Apis: Similar in look to Ledum and feels better with cold applications. However Apis type infections are bigger with more swelling and looks a bit more like hives. Usually there is an allergic component to the reaction.

Lachesis: the area can feel like it is burning or have an icy coldness to it and there is marked swelling as with Apis. It feels like the bite will burst. Sensitive to heat, touch or pressure.

Sulfur: also markedly swollen and warm and worse with heat. Itchy.

Advanced infections (I decided to spare you the picture of this, but feel free to google it!)

Rhus tox: swelling, pitting, purplish. Drains pus. Feels better with heat application

Hepar sulph: boils that turn into cellulitis which is very painful. Very sensitive to touch. Usually later stage when a different remedy was indicated at first but then the infection became worse.

If the lesion is not a bite but is a MRSA infection, a bleach/water application or bleach bath (1/2 cup of bleach added to a full tub of water) will usually do the trick. However see a doctor if you suspect MRSA or if you were bitten by a brown recluse spider. Just take the above homeopathics in addition to seeing the doctor.

Bryonia, dryonia --the horrible 2016-2017 flu

I think I've finally figured it out! The homeopathic remedy for this years flu.

It has been tough. People have had sinus inflammation, severe headache, cough, even pneumonia. Pretty much every symptom in the respiratory tract. Antibiotic herbs or even antibiotics have not helped the sinuses or cough. It's definitely been viral. Even the pneumonia has been viral only. I have resorted to using lomatium--the most potent anti-viral herbal tincture we have--for treating this flu (and it has worked). But the homeopathic for this flu eluded me.

We tried Belladonna because of the intense headache and quick sinus inflammation. I tried Gelsemium because although some of the symptoms (especially in the nose) come on suddenly, most of the other symptoms develop over a series of days, starting with having a chill. We have been using Droseraplex (a combination of homeopathics including Drosera, Belladonna and others) for the cough and headache together, but it has only helped reduce symptoms during the virus (especially the cough) rather than stimulate a very speedy recovery. Speedy recovery is what we want when using homeopathics.

I had this flu and it was bad. Then I felt like I was getting it again. Took lomatium.  Then a few weeks later felt like I was getting it again. It started with feeling chilled--like not being able to let any cold air touch my body. I don't like having to have a space heater next to me all the time. It makes me feel like a wimp. I especially felt cold after getting hot and sweaty, such as when I left the gym the previous 2 mornings after a workout.  Then I got pain in the sinus which leads to a frontal headache. I did NOT want to get this flu again.

I also realized that my nose had been VERY dry and I had woken up in the night with a dry throat. Heating houses in winter dries the air. Dry mucous membranes do not defend the body against invaders as they should. I got out the humidifier. Then I realised the remedy: BRYONIA.

Bryonia-dryonia. That is what Dr. Will Taylor, M.D. and homeopathic doctor and professor, used to say so that we remembered the state of the mucous membranes when Bryonia is indicated: dry.  My nose was so dry even a saline rinse with a neti pot did not help. I considered putting vaseline or some herbal salve in there. But luckily I remembered about Bryonia.  Here are the list of symptoms that seems to match this particular flu:

Nose: dry, painful. Cold air moving into the nose and sinuses hurts. Nose and sinus can also feel burning and inflamed.
Head: severe headache. This seems to be the hallmark of this flu. The headache, which at first is in the frontal sinus and then extends to the rest of the head, brings you to tears.
Ears: shooting pain in the ears
Eyes: eyes are sore, moving them hurts
Body: chilled. Worse with cold drafts, person wants to be wrapped up and laying in bed. Chill can be felt as achy pains or sharp pains and most of the pain is in the muscles. The chill and ache was so bad at first that I considered Eupatorium. It had even pushed me into buying a hot tub last month (which I had been looking at doing for awhile) and spending more than twice as much as I thought I would to do it! Bryonia can also treat swollen inflammations with sharp pains, such as those that come from gout, but I haven't seen this during this flu.
Respiratory: cough. Dry cough which is painful, breathing deep produces cough so the patient tries to only breath lightly. Holding the chest may diminish the pain. Pleurisy, pneumonia, bronchitis.
Gastrointestinal: constipation from dryness in the intestines. Stools can be hard, dark or black tinged, and there can be rumbling and abdominal pain. There has not been much vomiting with this one.

Here's a pic from Portland to help you remember a little about Bryonia and see how well we fare in snow. The below freezing temps dries out the air. Then imagine pushing a bus, getting hot and sweaty, then standing out in the cold and getting a chill. Perfect environment for a Bryonia flu!

I just ordered this supplement to better treat this flu.

It has the typical cough homeopathics: Drosera, Spongia, and the flu inflammation/pain remedy Belladonna, but also has Bryonia, which the Droseraplex did not have. It will be in tomorrow and we will start using it. Then I'll post and update. For now, I am taking Bryonia 30x and immediately after the first dose, my nose was became more moist and the sinus pain diminished greatly. You can usually find Bryonia at your local health food shop but this combination remedy pictured here is only available at doctor's offices.

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