By Nicole Maxwell, NMD
Homeopathy
is a safe, gentle, and natural system of healing that works with your body to
relieve symptoms, restore itself, and improve your overall health. Homeopathic
remedies are extremely safe to use, even with very small children and pets.
They have none of the side effects of many traditional medications, are very
affordable, are made from natural substances, and are FDA regulated. Great for
the home medicine kit!
Generally
speaking, coughing is perfectly normal. A cough can help to keep
your throat clear from phlegm and
other irritants. However, sustained coughing can also be symptomatic of a
number of conditions, such as a viral or bacterial infection. Homeopathic
medicines are often effective in treating the acute symptoms of coughs, though
professional care is usually necessary to achieve a deeper level of cure of
chronic respiratory problems.
Below are
several remedy choices. A person does not need to have all the symptoms in a remedy
profile for it to be the right fit.
Dosing:
Boise
Natural Health Clinic and most health food stores carry 6c and 30c potencies. If you have
the option, start with 6c.
Acutely ill
patients need more frequent repetitions whether the remedy is high or low
potency. Don’t be afraid to repeat or change remedies frequently in this
situation. “Frequently” means every few minutes in urgent
situations and perhaps every 3 to 4 hours in less urgent situations. The
frequency should taper off as the patient recovers.
Homeopathic
remedies come in small pellets and can be taken in water as well as dry under
the tongue. The most common way to take them in water is to simply put a dose
into a drinking glass of water. Acutely ill
patients may sip or take a teaspoonful as frequently as needed, usually stirred
before each dose. The pellets do not need to be completely dissolved first. This is
an effective way to give patients relief while also stretching the supply of
the remedy.
ACONITUM: These patients wake from sleep with a dry, hoarse, croupy cough,
which tends to be worse at night and after midnight. They are apt to develop a
cold or cough during dry cold weather. Along with their dry cough, they will
have a dry mouth and shortness of breath. They are usually very thirsty. The
cough is worse from being cold, drinking cold water, from tobacco smoke, lying
on either side, and at night, especially after midnight. This remedy is very
commonly given for the initial stages of croup, bronchitis, pleurisy, and
pneumonia. These patients are often restless and anxious.
BRYONIA: When a common cold starts with a nasal discharge and then moves
down into the chest, Bryonia is often given, especially when the cough is dry
and worse by motion or breathing in. It is painful to move and to inspire, so
these patients tend to hold their chest as they breathe in order to limit the
motion of the chest. The cough is also aggravated by warm rooms and during or
after eating. These patients tend to be sensitive to drafts and are always
catching cold. They may feel some tickling in the larynx which irritates the
cough.
PHOSPHORUS: These patients have a dry hard cough, sometimes with a persistent
tickle felt behind the sternum. The cough is aggravated by lying down,
especially on the left side, and they are wakened at night and need to sit up
to cough. They are also aggravated by talking, moving, going from a warm room
to cold air, or from strong odors. To decrease pain from coughing, they usually
hold their chest. The tightness in their chest is relieved by the warmth of a
bed. They crave ice drinks. Their illness exhausts them, and they sometimes
have an empty, all-gone feeling or burning in the chest. Their nasal discharge
may have some blood streaked in it, and they may become hoarse. This medicine
is commonly given in more serious respiratory conditions like pneumonia.
PULSATILLA: This remedy is related to some characteristic cough symptoms, but
it is more commonly prescribed based on a patients’s general characteristics.
The cough symptoms are aggravated in a warm room or warm weather, by lying down
to sleep, and at night. Walking in the cool air provides some relief. Also, the
patient must sit up in bed to breathe better. Typically, she has a dry cough
during the day, and a productive cough with yellow or greenish expectoration at
night and upon waking. The key general characteristics of Pulsatilla patients
are that they are affectionate, moody, weepy, indecisive, and always seek to
please others. They crave affection and sympathy and cannot get enough of it.
RUMEX: The most distinctive characteristic of patients who need this
remedy is that their cough is extremely sensitive to cold air. They may even
place a blanket or towel over their head to avoid breathing cold air. They
experience a tickling in the throat and an irritation below the larynx that is
aggravated by touching or pressing the pit of the throat. They have a dry cough
and usually become hoarse. They are aggravated in the night and by motion and
feel better in warmth.
SPONGIA: This remedy is one of the primary medicines for a dry, barking,
croupy cough. The air passages are dry, the sputum is absent, and the voice is
hoarse. The coughing can be exacerbated by cold air, warm rooms, tobacco smoke,
talking, lying with the head low, drinking cold fluids, or eating sweets. Warm
food or drinks, even in small doses, provide some relief, as does sitting up
and leaning forward. This remedy is considered a second stage croup remedy,
after Aconitum and before Hepar and Kali bic.
To get help
with selecting the correct remedy for you and additional supportive therapies
call Boise Natural Health Clinic to schedule an appointment at 208-338-0405.
Sources:
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