COMMON COLD/INFLUENZA REMEDIES
A-B
THE ACONITE NAPELLUS (ACON) COLD
The main indication for this remedy, ACONITE, is that the person is feeling anxious and fearful.
Step 1. Visible signs: This remedy can be used in the early stages of a cold, if the symptoms are intense and come on suddenly. The cold may be caused by exposure to cold and wind, or a stressful or traumatic experience that may have happened prior to the start of the illness. Symptoms include a dry stuffy nose with a hot thin discharge, tension in the chest, a scratchy throat, and choking cough. The person often feels thirsty, chilly, anxious, and agitated.
Step 2. The temperament: This person has fear and anxiety of mind, with great nervous excitability. They are afraid to go out, or to be in a crowd, and often think they are so ill that they will die!
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: To the person needing Aconite music is unbearable and makes them sad. They are restless, easily startled and anxious. Everything needs to be done in great haste and they need to change position often. Symptoms are much better during the day than at night.
Summary: For any illness needing Aconite, the following symptoms apply. There is great fear and anxiety. The cold or illness has come on quickly, often after a traumatic event. If children are over reacting to an illness…seeming to be over the top and hysterical, this is often the remedy that can be used to calm them down.
THE ALLIUM CEPA COLD
Step 1. Visible signs: The eyes are watery and stinging, similar to the feeling one gets when one cuts up an onion. The cough is a hoarse, harsh, dry, ringing, constantly tickling and spasmodic, with much sneezing. The rawness of the throat quickly extends into the chest. There is tearing in the larynx as if it was torn with a hook, which causes the patient to hold and grasp the larynx during a fit of coughing. Usually the trouble begins on the left side; the left eye and left nostril are affected first, and then it spreads over to the other side. The tickling in the larynx and the cough is caused from inhaling cold air, and the tearing pain in the larynx is worse in the warm room and worse in the evening. The nose is runny with a clear irritating discharge that burns the nostrils and upper lip. It usually runs when the person is indoors, and stops in open air.
Some homoeopaths swear by Allium Cepa for a cold. In particular it should do well after exposure to cold, damp winds.
Step 2. The temperament: The person often feels confused, with fullness in the head.
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: Some people hear noises in the ears. Experience a loss of appetite, feel hot and are thirsty. Often there are severe pains in the abdomen with wind colic and offensive intestinal gas.
THE ARSENICUM ALBUM COLD
Step 1. Visible signs: This is a remedy that is helpful for a person who has frequent colds, sore throats, and chest problems—with burning pain and feelings of weakness, restlessness, and anxiety. Their head may feel hot, while the rest of the body is cold, and problems can be worse near midnight. The nose often feels stopped up and the patient may sneeze repeatedly without relief. White, thick, burning mucus may be produced. Breathing is rather like an asthmatic. Bending forward assists in clearing the breath which is worse when lying down for fear of suffocation.. Often they may feel the need to get out of bed at night, especially after twelve o'clock.
Arsenicum Album is the usual remedy required to stop a chill in the early stages. When there is sneezing from every change in the weather, and the person is always chilly, suffering from draughts which are worse in cold damp weather. The cold begins in the nose and goes down to the throat which is burning and red. The discharge from the nose is thin and watery and there is frontal headache. The patient is restless, anxious, somewhat distressed and thirsty for small sips of warm water. (The anxiousness is different from the fear shown in Aconite).
Step 2. The temperament: There is a feeling of helplessness. The person is anxious, irritable and sensitive. They are mentally restless, but physically too weak to move and find that they cannot rest in any place, wanting to be moved from one bed to another. They usually think it useless to take medicine
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: There may be discharge from one nostril, while the other is obstructed. The cough produces soreness of the chest, aching in the back part of the head, tearing pain in the temples and top of head. Burning thirst, without special desire to drink. Cannot bear the smell or sight of food.
BAPTISTA COLD/INFLUENZA
Step 1. Visible signs: Every part of the body feels sick and bruised. Great pain in the head. They are very tired and want to lie down, but at the same time they are feel agitated and cannot relax. They have muscular soreness and feel weak and tremulous. There is a besotted look in the eyes which are bleary. The head aches, the throat is sore and there are pains and soreness all over the body. Commonly this flu or cold is also accompanied by a stomach upset and includes digestive complaints.
Step 2. The temperament: Because they are feeling so ill they do not want to talk or think. Their spirits are low and they experience a wild, wandering feeling.
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: Baptista Flu is similar to the symptoms of Gelsemium, however the person needing this remedy feels worse. They can hardly keep their eyes open because of the pain. They may suffer from Vertigo, with a weak feeling of whole body, especially of lower limbs, with weak knees and the flu is often accompanied by stomach upsets.
THE BARYTA CARBONICA COLD
Step 1. Visible signs: Indicated for people who frequently catch colds from getting chilled. A runny nose and swollen upper lip, swollen lymph nodes or glands, tonsils, and adenoids are typical symptoms.
Step 2. The temperament: Memory deficient, forgetful, inattentive, cannot be taught, slow learner.
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: They often have offensive foot odour with sore toes and soles of feet. Throat affections with swollen glands. They are very sensitive to the cold.
THE BELLADONNA COLD
Step 1. Visible signs: The Belladonna cold, or illness comes on suddenly, like the Aconite cold yet without the fear. There is fever, the head is hot and painful, the face flushed, the eyes wild and staring, with pupils dilated. The pulse full, and there is restlessness. The symptoms may include a hot dry feeling in the nose with watery discharge, and a nagging tickle in the throat. The cough is hard or nagging cough, with a bright red sore throat, and a throbbing pain in the head or ears is often experienced.
Step 2. The temperament: By nature the patient is usually jovial and entertaining when well, but often violent and delirious when sick and can experience hallucinations due to the high temperatures.
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: Children can experience convulsions during teething or with fevers. They may be sensitive to light and either drowsy or delirious with the fever. Often the abdomen is tender.
THE BRYONIA COLD/INFLUENZA
Step 1. Visible signs: The typical Bryonia influenza is slower to develop than the Belladonna or Aconite cold and usually develops over a period of six to twelve hours. They give the impression of being rather dull, heavy, slightly congested, with a rather puffy face. (NOTE: similar to the remedy Gelsemium). Although they feel very heavy in the head, they do not have the sleepy appearance that you find in Gelsemium, nor yet the besotted look of the Baptisia patient - something between the two.
Step 2. The temperament: Definitely dull and do not want to be disturbed - but if they are disturbed they are very irritable. They do not want to speak, and do not want to be spoken to. They do not want to answer because speaking annoys them, not because they are too tired to do so.
Step 3. Extra Symptoms: As a rule, people with the Bryonia Cold/influenzas feel very depressed; they are despondent and are worried about their condition. In adults they worry about their impending illness and often express anxiety about their business which they often talk about and may even dream about.
Bryonia patients are AGGRAVATED by motion. When the patients are restless, find out if MOVING eases their symptoms. If it DOES NOT, they are probably Bryonia cases. If it DOES then you will need to consider one of the other drugs - possibly Baptisia or one of the restless drugs, such as Rhus tox.
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