By Nanette Basic, B.A., Hom

The cold weather is upon us and with that comes the cold and flu season.

Symptoms of a Cold include:

• A fever less than 100 degrees farenheit or 38 degrees celcius
• Slight aches and pains
• Mild fatigue and exhaustion
• Stuffy nose
• Hacking cough
• Sneezing
• Sore throat

Symptoms of a Flu include:

• A fever more than 100.5 degrees farenheit or 38 degrees celcius
• Aches and pains are usually severe
• Fatigue and exhaustion can last up to 2 weeks
• Headaches
• Severe coughs
• Nausea with or without vomiting

Dosage

The remedies can either be taken in 12C or 30C potency.

Mild symptoms: One dose every 1-3 hours until symptoms improve.

Moderate symptoms: One dose every hour until symptoms improve.

Severe symptoms: Repeat every 10 minutes until symptoms improve.

The fundamental principle of Homeopathy is “Like cures Like”. This means one can treat individuals with medicines that are capable of producing in a healthy person similar symptoms to those experienced in a sick person. For example, drinking coffee can CAUSE insomnia, but used in the homeopathic form, coffea is often used to TREAT insomnia. Therefore, look at the remedies that closest match your symptoms.

Remedies for Colds

Aconite: Sudden onset of cold after exposure to dry, cold winds. Sudden fever. Intense thirst for cold drinks. Worse at night. Sensitive to light. Better with motion and open air.

Camphor: Icy coldness of the body. Greyish pallor. Burning heat in the throat, sore and feels torn up. Icy cold mouth and tongue. Wants to be uncovered even though they feel cold.

Ferrum Phos: Beginning of cold accompanied by fever. Early stage of infection/inflammation. Flushed cheeks. Nose bleeds. Inflamed, swollen tonsils. First stage of ear infection.

Belladonna: Sudden onset of cold or fever. Flushed face, skin is hot and dry to touch. Red face and throat. Restlessness, sensitivity to light. High fever with delirium. Glassy pupils. Thirsty for cold drinks. Strawberry looking tongue.

Bryonia: Want to be left alone and still. Worse with slightest movement and in warm rooms. Great thirst for cold drinks. Cough is hard and dry, accompanied by chest pains and headache. Dry mouth and lips. Watery discharge and stuffy nose.

Allium Cepa: Sneezing accompanied by bland discharge of eyes and nose. Nasal discharge makes upper lip and nose sore. Better in open air. Coughing hurts larynx. Extreme hunger and thirst.

Pulsatilla: Thick, creamy yellow-green discharges. Better in open air. Fever without thirst. Weepy and craves sympathy. Symptoms are constantly changing.

Kali Bichromicum: Sticky, stringy, ropey, long nasal discharge which is difficult to get out. Throat is red and swollen. Sputum is thick and excessive.

Mercurius: Colds begin with creeping chilliness. Much sneezing with raw nostrils. Saliva accumulates because it hurts to swallow. Tongue swollen with indentations of teeth. Excessive perspiration with strong odours.

Remedies for Flu

Arsenicum: Burning pains relieved by heat. Thin, watery discharge that irritates the nostrils and upper lip. Better with warmth. Worse at night. Tongue pale, doughy with imprint of teeth. Dislikes the smell or even the sight of food.

Nux Vomica: Intense horrible chills. Headaches accompanied by sore scalp and even the “hair hurts”. Runny nose during the day but stops at night. Nausea with vomiting. Very irritable. Sensitive to noise and odours. Back of tongue is coated with white.

Eupatorium Perfoliatum: Obstructed, violent sneezing, with aching of the bones. Extreme fatigue. Violent, loose cough. Bitter taste in mouth. Tongue is white.

Gelsemium: Warm, moist weather often brings on the slow onset of this flu. Feel sluggish, chilly, dull headache, a heavy feeling in eyes and limbs. Want to be alone. Dull, dizzy, drowsy. Sneezing with watery discharge. No thirst. Tongue coated yellow and trembling.

Phosphorus: Weak. Colds that go to the chest, accompanied by a dry, tight cough. Thirsty for cold drinks but may vomit as soon as the water hits the stomach. Laryngitis with or without pain and may lose their voice completely.

Remedies for Cough

Spongia: Wake up from sleep with a suffocating feeling. Difficulty breathing. Anxious. Loud cough, worse from talking.

Rumex Crispus: Cough occurs when going outside. Dry, short bursts of coughing or a constant hack.