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