Monday, October 21, 2019

Fall 2019 ...Causticum! and repeat of Hepar sulph



The start of the school year saw the start of the cold, cough and flu. This fall came with the typical Hepar sulph nasal and chest symptoms of last school year:
  • sneezing leading to 
  • intense sinusitis with sinus pain, then 
  • thick mucous, post nasal drainage and 
  • cough where the mucous is thick and difficult to bring up
With Hepar sulph this can start with an exposure to cold wind, similar to other remedies. It can also be the last phase of a flu which leads into a chest cold. Usually Hepar sulph will follow Aconite which is a great remedy for the first hours of a fever which comes on after an exposure to cold, dry wind. However the flu which might be the instigator this year is Causticum.

Causticum is not a typical remedy that people immediately go to for the flu or a cold. An interesting symptom that many people have described at the very start of a flu this season is a feeling of being stupid.  It feels almost like the head is totally empty. You feel as if you have a total inability to do any mental work be it math, writing or even carrying on an interesting conversation.  You feel unable to do anything. Some might feel as if they even have Alzheimers!

At this time a person might also start feeling typical flu symptoms of chilliness, sensitive skin--very similar to Gelsemium. In fact, one person did tell me that they used Gelsemium for the empty head/flu symptom and they felt better. Gelsemium is known for the tired mind. It's not surprising that more than one remedy could work for a flu, especially near the beginning. That is because homeopathy is based on "like-cures-like". A remedy that is like or similar to the best remedy will also give some relief.

But there are more Causticum symptoms particular to this cold/flu. Causticum will have
  • sinus pain due to cold air. The sinuses are so painful that 
  • the face and teeth feel the pain.
  • pain can also go up to the ear.
There is also some sense of paralysis or muscle relaxation. This could be felt as:
  • awkwardness in chewing 
  • a sense of something stuck in the throat.
  • droopy eyelids (similar to Gelsemium)
  • a general feeling of relaxation in the whole body where the patient is not inclined to exercise.
  • Constipation
Despite paralysis, the tendons can become tight. It can be tight enough in the neck to cause torticollis. This tightness makes the joints hurt and if this becomes a chronic condition, it could lead to bones spurs or ankylosing spondylitis. Notice if your back pain gets worse during this flu. Also at the end of this flu, even a couple of weeks after, the knees, hips and other joints can feel very stiff when getting back to exercise.

People are also experiencing a lot of bladder infections right now. With Causticum there is burning and cutting pains during urination. There is itching or irritation at the urethra. If your usual Cantharis remedy for burning and cutting pains is not working, try Causticum.

One companion symptom with chronic Causticum is warts. If you have warts, you may notice more warts appearing during this cold and flu.

One of the hallmarks of Causticum as a constitutional remedy is a sensitivity to injustice. A Causticum person is very upset at the idea of dogs in the humane society, refugees not receiving aid, or any person/people group (or the earth for that matter) being oppressed. They feel they need to stick up for the downtrodden to the point of being willing to be rebellious or even to break laws. The current political climate in America is rife with this, and it is no wonder that the Causticum flu has shown up this year.