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Homeopathy and Epidemic Diseases

In this country, we rarely hear of epidemics such as cholera and typhoid, but we are still confronted by the infectious diseases of whooping cough, chicken pox, Hib and flu. Elsewhere in the world, the story is different. Whatever the scenario, the management of epidemic infectious diseases is a complex issue. It involves both treatment and prevention.

In this article I will look at how Homeopathy has been effective in the treatment of epidemic diseases, both in the past and during more recent times. The cases I share from my own clinic include one of a young boy who had been very sick with the varicella (chicken pox) virus, and several of people who had been unwell with the flu.

Historical records show how medical doctors over the last 200 years have used homeopathy to successfully treat scourges such as cholera, typhus, smallpox, and scarlet fever. Homeopathy is still used today for the same epidemics in developing countries such as India. Much of the developed world, however, remains ignorant of its potential in this area.

Information on the effectiveness of homeopathy in the 1917 flu pandemic can also be read at the link found at the bottom of the flu stories. It is information you may like to keep to hand in the face of the looming Bird Flu threat.

Next month, drawing from Swinburne University research, I will discuss how homeopathy could go one step further to provide safe and inexpensive protection against the same epidemic diseases it is able to treat.

The Case of the Runaway Chicken Pox

Four-year-old Kade was carried into my clinic by a worried mother. Six days ago, he had complained of having a headache and feeling sick. His mother had taken his temperature only to find he had a fever. The following morning she noticed a spotty rash on Kade's body that changed to little blisters as the day progressed. A doctor had diagnosed chicken pox and advised Kade's mother to let him rest at home and to give him plenty to drink during the fever. Since then, Kade had been tired and drowsy, not wanting to eat.

By the time Kade's mother brought him in to see me, she was feeling concerned. Although Kade had had chicken pox for almost week now there was no sign of him getting better. He was still lethargic and sleepy and only seemed happy if he could be cuddled by her. She was having to carry him from place to place as he was "too tired" to move himself and he would rapidly fall asleep wherever she put him.

Kade was even unable to attend to his own toileting. Whenever he had to "wee" his mother would carry him to the bathroom and support his body as he stood before the toilet. At this point he would plead with her to hold his penis to direct the flow of urine as he was "too tired" and unable to do it for himself.

Kade's mother said that he was bothered if family members tried to talk to him but equally, he disliked being alone. Though unwell, he would join the family at mealtimes, sitting drowsily at the meal table, unable to eat anything.

As I examined Kade, much of what his mother said was confirmed. Kade was indifferent and apathetic, not wanting to play with the toys in my clinic. His limbs trembled as he moved and he became irritable and upset as I asked him questions. On taking his temperature, Kade became distressed at being touched. With a lot of effort, his mother and I eventually got a reading of 39.6C - a considerable temperature seeing it should have been back to normal at this stage of his illness. His skin was dry and hot. Taking his pulse or examining his tongue and throat was impossible. Once left alone, Kade returned to an indifferent and apathetic state.

An interesting feature of Kade's illness was the appearance and size of his chicken-pox eruptions. Most chicken-pox "poxes" appear as little blisters that break and dry to a yellow crust over a few days. Kade's were very different. They were scattered across his body in varying stages of development. While some blisters were still present, many others had enlarged to the size of a pea. They had yellow, fluffy, pustular heads that looked just like smallpox eruptions!

Treatment

I made a prescription of homeopathic Antimonium tartaricum, a remedy that corresponded to the complex of symptoms Kade was experiencing. It covered his: desire for company yet distressed if looked at or touched; dry fever with profound weakness and lethargy; wanting to be carried; indifference and overwhelming sleepiness; and, trembling on the slightest movement. It also included the symptom of smallpox-like eruptions (in fact, this remedy has been used to successfully treat small-pox in the past). Antimonium tartaricum and no other remedy can only relieve this particular complex of symptoms. I advised Kade's mother to give a dose every two hours until improvement. I also asked her to contact me later that day. His symptoms were not consistent with a child coping normally with chicken pox. I wanted to make sure Kade received further treatment if he remained unchanged or worsened.

Kade's mother phoned back before giving him a second dose. She said that within the two hours of taking the homeopathic remedy, his fever had dropped and he had started playing with his sister! It had been almost a week since he had been fever-free or interested in playing so it was a substantial change. Such a pronounced response to a remedy is often seen in children as their vitality, or ability to rebound back to health, is strong. With increasing age, however, this vitality weakens and several doses may be needed to achieve the same improvement over a longer period.

Kade needed another two doses of Antimonium tartaricum over the next 24 hours. He remained active and his heightened irritability from being looked at or touched settled. His pustular eruptions healed beautifully over the coming week and his fever did not return. Did Kade have smallpox? No, just ordinary chicken pox but his inability to deal with it normally certainly made him look as if he did. As a result he was given one of our better known "smallpox remedies" as symptoms rather than disease names are used for a prescriptions with homeopathy.

Antimonium tartaricum

Antimonium tartaricum (Ant-t) is one of the remedies used in the treatment of smallpox. It is more commonly prescribed, though, for congestion and mucous build-up during lung and respiratory problems. Sufferers will have loose rattling mucous in their windpipe and a wet-sounding cough. Because of the extreme lethargy and sleepiness indicating the need for this remedy, they usually will usually be too tired to cough deeply enough to expel this mucous. They can look and sound as if they are about to suffocate. The sort of complaints that can fall within the Ant-t range of action include: bronchitis; bronchiolitis; chicken pox; impetigo; chronic obstructive airways disease; congestive heart failure; cyanosis; pneumonia; "death rattles".

Homeopathy and the Flu

Nearly all of us are familiar with the flu. It comes around every winter, flattening susceptible individuals in its path. For most of us, it is an annoying and inconvenient illness but we do get over it. For some, especially the elderly and unwell, catching the flu can be a matter of life and death. The flu virus has the ability to mutate, or change its structure rapidly, so that it has been impossible to develop a fully effective or long-term vaccine against it. Third world populations also find the cost of these vaccines beyond their reach. As a result, worldwide, the flu is still one of the biggest causes of death.

Those unfamiliar with homeopathy are often surprised that homeopathic remedies can speedily relieve the symptoms of flu. In France, where homeopathy is well known and prescribed by over 40% of French doctors, the leading flu medicine is a homeopathic remedy, Anas barbariae. Studies have shown it relieves the intensity and shortens the duration of flu symptoms better than anti-virals such as Tamiflu and Relenza - and without the side effects.

Most homeopaths, however, would still prefer to treat the flu from a larger range of homeopathics. While Anas barbariae has a broad action over a large variety of flu symptoms, it is not so effective in the elderly and has to be prescribed within the first 48 hours of symptom onset. A homeopathic prescription that closely matches the symptoms of the individual sufferer, however, usually has an even better effect regardless of age or time. Examples of this approach will be seen in the following mini-cases.

A Belladonna Flu

Angie had the flu. It had been going around at work and had finally caught her. The surprise was how quickly it hit. At lunchtime, she had started to feel unwell. By 3pm she had such a high fever and severe headache that she was driven home by a colleague. Her face was red, her eyes "glassy," and her pupils dilated. In spite of her high temperature, her hands and feet were icy cold. She wanted to lie down but it only worsened her throbbing headache and so she sat quietly on the lounge, her eyes shielded from the light. Any sudden or jarring movements made her feel as though her head was going to explode.

Angie received a dose of homeopathic Belladonna. Within the hour, her headache was eighty percent better and she had broken out into a sweat - her temperature was coming down. Angie needed two more doses of Belladonna when symptoms began to return to fully resolve her flu.

Belladonna type flu's will have the following symptoms:
* Rapid onset and high fever
* Aggravation period at 3pm
* Reddened and flushed face
* Hot face and body with cold hands and feet
* Glistening eyes with dilated pupils that are sensitive to light
* Throbbing pains in head or throat
* Head pain worse for lying flat or jarring; better for sitting upright.

Rapidity of onset is a key feature of Belladonna type flu symptoms. Unlike some other flu's, rapidity of improvement is also notable when the correct prescription of Belladonna is made.

A Bryonia Flu

Russell was feeling unwell. Two days ago, he had developed a sore throat and runny nose. Initially he had been hopeful it may have been a passing cold but one by one, the symptoms of flu appeared. Now he had a severe headache and was wet with perspiration from his fever. Everything hurt and from time to time chills would run along the right side of his body. Whenever he moved, the aches and pains worsened - even breathing hurt. For the most part Russell just wanted to lie still in bed. His wife said that he was extremely irritable. Whenever she went to check on him, he would snap at her to leave him alone. Russell also complained of being very thirsty. Every so often, he would swallow large glasses of water to relieve his dryness.

Russell was prescribed homeopathic Bryonia. Unlike Angie's flu, Russell's symptoms had developed slowly over a few days. This feature, along with other aspects, indicated that Russell would need a different remedy to Angie and that his return to health would be more gradual. Within two hours of taking a dose, Russell was starting to feel a little better. By six hours, he was able to move around without everything hurting. His fever hadreduced. By the following morning and some three doses later, Russell declared himself 80% better. The following day saw all symptoms resolved and Russell was able to return to work.

Bryonia type flu's have the following symptoms:
* Slowly progressing symptoms with severe aching.
* Symptoms worsened by any movement - the person wants to keep still.
* Symptoms often worse on the right side of the body.
* Intense thirst and desire for large amounts of water at infrequent intervals.
* Severe headache in the back of the head and forehead.
* Very irritable and wanting to be left alone.

A Rhus-toxicodendron Flu

Shilpa's flu had started after being caught in the rain on a cold day. Her symptoms were in marked contrast to those of Russell. While Russell's aches and pains were worse when he tried to move around, wandering about relieved Shilpa's discomfort. In fact, she was quite restless. Russell had felt irritable but Shilpa felt unusually anxious. She was also thirsty for sips of warm drinks, rarely cold ones. Any sort of coldness seemed to trigger a chill. Blisters on her lips had also developed with the fever.

Shilpa was successfully prescribed the homeopathic remedy Rhus toxicodendron, a remedy known to treat her distinguishing symptoms. One day later and after six doses of the Rhus, Shilpa was completely free of flu symptoms. The blisters on her lips healed over the next few days. Flu symptoms indicating the need for Rhus toxicodendron include:
* Aching restlessness.
* Stiffness that improves with movement and stretching.
* Fever that starts after being chilled.
* Shaking from drafts or uncovering.
* Throat pain and general discomfort better for sipping warm drinks.
* Anxiety and anguish.
* Herpes or fever blisters on lips.

A Gelsemium Flu

Max could hardly lift his head. He was unwell with the flu and exhausted. His eyelids were half-closed and his face was flushed a dusky red. Max had started to feel unwell with a sore throat four days ago and had slowly deteriorated since then. He was now drowsy and weak and it was an effort for him to sit up let alone stand. His arms and legs would tremble with the effort. Max's fever alternated with severe chills and rigors (shuddering). The back of his head ached and the pain radiated over the top to his forehead. In spite of the fever, Max was generally thirstless. When I examined him, I found his tongue to be thickly coated and yellow. Because of his exhaustion, Max spent most of his time sleeping when left alone.

Max made a gradual recovery after a prescription of homeopathic Gelsemium. By the end of the day, the headache had resolved and he only had a low-grade fever. His energy levels had improved and though still feeling weak, he no longer trembled on trying to do something. It took another two days before Max was completely well but this was a significant improvement for this type of flu. Many of his friends were still recovering some weeks later.

Gelsemium-type flu's will have the following symptoms:
* Marked weakness, debility and sleepiness.
* Trembling and heaviness of limbs and head.
* Eyelids drooping or closed - unable to open fully.
* Occipital headache radiating to the forehead.
* Chills running up and down the back.
* Mental fogginess and dullness.

Homeopathy and the 1917 Bird Flu Pandemic

These four remedies are just some of the ones used by homeopaths to treat flu symptoms. Gelsemium, from the final case, is the remedy so successfully prescribed by doctors during the 1917 Spanish Flu pandemic. Unfortunately, up to 50 million people lost their lives during the time that it swept the world but many of those who found their way to homeopathic treatment, survived. To read accounts about the results of homeopathy during this pandemic, go to Flu Pandemic.

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