What is Croup anyway?

One of the most frightening respiratory infections for [...]]]> Homeopathy Trio

The cold, wet factor is back in Vancouver with a vengeance and along with it comes colds, coughs and croup. As a parent, I’m grateful for the quick relief remedies often provide and I’ve converted many a parent on homeopathy’s benefits for croup alone!

What is Croup anyway?

One of the most frightening respiratory infections for parents and children alike, croup causes an unusual barking cough and wheezing due to an inflammation and swelling of the vocal chords. Because it typically develops during sleep, the child wakes up coughing and struggling to breathe at night, much to the shock of a parent. If this happens to you, remember to stay calm and reassure your child before all else.

If you don’t have remedies on hand, you may have heard of these tricks: turn on a hot shower and allow your child to breathe the steam in the bathroom; or take your bundle out into the cold night air. While these may help in the moment, be sure to try out the remedies below anyway. Not only do they put an end to the attack within minutes, but also they also help prevent attacks recurring the next night and the night after that, a common problem.

Remedy Trio:

In the world of homeopathy and croup, you need only remember 3 remedies in the emergency for lasting results: Aconite, Spongia and Hepar sulph.

Aconite is your first choice. Aconite works for those attacks that appear out of the blue with little or no forewarning. Typically the croup comes on before midnight and is scary enough to frighten both the child and the parent! Many children won’t need any additional remedies after a dose or two of Aconite.

Spongia is for that dry barking cough, which sounds almost like a saw going through wood or a dry seal’s bark. It is the second remedy to be given after Aconite or use it first if there was already a dry cough developing. Spongia is your second choice if Aconite does not seem to be working or holding.

Hepar sulph is the opposite of Spongia: loose and rattling! Give it as your third choice, for instance if the cough is loosening up, which can typically occur towards morning. Hepar sulph is a great cough remedy which is useful later, not usually the first day.

Since the 30c potency is most popular, I would recommend giving 3-5 pills in the moment, repeating every 15 minutes if necessary or every time the child awakens up to 3-4 times that night. In homeopathy, less is better, so stop as symptoms improve.

Some children have a susceptibility to croup, meaning that each time the toddler gets a cold,  he or she develops croup. If this is often, constitutional remedies will help your child, but require the expert advice of a homeopath. For more information on homeopathy and constitutional treatment, check out the Treatment FAQ page under Homeopathy on my website at www.vancouverhomeopath.com.

Finally, for those who would like to buy a good book on homeopathy for remedies at home, there are many on the market. My personal favorites are by Panos and Heimlich: Homeopathic Medicine at Home for its charts and stories.  If you’re looking for something on just kids, I also like the book Homeopathy for Children by Feldman and Pinto for it’s practical, easy to use style.

With all the excitement and questions about H1N1, I couldn’t  help but put in my two cents.  Not that I’m going to add to the debate over vaccines–in fact, I’d like to step over that debate altogether, since I find many people are looking for complementary ways of dealing with the flu, whether it’s the seasonal flu [...]]]> H1N1 and Homeopathy

With all the excitement and questions about H1N1, I couldn’t  help but put in my two cents.  Not that I’m going to add to the debate over vaccines–in fact, I’d like to step over that debate altogether, since I find many people are looking for complementary ways of dealing with the flu, whether it’s the seasonal flu or H1N1. Even Health Canada recommends using anti-virals only for “moderate to severe” symptoms and for patients “at great risk for complications.” So what if you do get the flu and you don’t fit either category?

Homeopathic remedies have traditionally worked well for the flu–and not only for the seasonal flu, but in fact, it was used in the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 with exceptional results, with death rates somewhere around 1%, depending on the source you read.  For more information about this history, Sandro Perko has written a riveting, well documented book, The Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza, although the section on homeopathic remedies is daunting for the average person not at ease with homeopathic terminology.  

I like to keep it simple, so I’m recommending 3 remedies to have on hand: Oscillococcinum, Gelsemium and Bryonia:

1. Oscillococcinum: This remedy gets an A+ for easy to use, since you don’t need to have clear symptoms to choose it. It is also the number 1 over the counter flu medication in France. If you’ve been exposed to the flu or at the first sign of symptoms, such as fever, chills and aching, take Oscillo every 6 hours for 3 doses.

2. Gelsemium: This was the number 1 remedy during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 and was used as the only remedy in many cases because symptoms of exhaustion were so pronounced. For those of you familiar with homeopathy, you will know that you must choose the remedy according to symptoms of the flu and this may be different, depending on the person and the type of flu. Choose Gelsemium if symptoms begin slowly and include marked weakness, with chills running up the back, coughing, aching and headaches at the back of the head.

3. Bryonia: is another plant based remedy for the flu. Choose Bryonia instead when aching is the foremost symptom. Since moving hurts, the sick person wants to be left alone and lie still. If there is a cough, it’s dry and hurts the chest. 

For either Gelsemium or Bryonia, take 3-5 pills of a 30c potency 4-6 hours apart 3 -4 times, then use as needed (stop when symptoms improve). 

There are dozens more remedies for the flu, but if you’re just starting out, these are great ones to have at home…just in case.

If you already have a first aid kit with dozens more remedies, I’d recommend Miranda Castro’s article, Oh Fluey, which has simple clear guidelines to choosing many more flu remedies. Also keep in mind that recommendations may change as more and more homeopaths treat the flu, since often one or two remedies stand out in an epidemic. To stay in the loop, check out the National Centre for Homeopathy flu forum.

Health Canada on H1N1 http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/index-eng.php

Articles I’ve written on the flu: Homeopathic Ammunition to Fight the Flu ; Flu Fighters