Feeling full of cold and flu can make any time of the year a struggle. In this post I look at how using individually tailored homeopathic remedies for colds and flu can offer support not to be sneezed at!
Using Homeopathic Remedies for Colds and Flu
‘Physician, heal thyself’
A year or so into my four-year homeopathic training I lay in bed in agony. It was the last stage in my “flu journey” and had an awful pain deep in my bones. I’d never experienced anything like it before and was astonished that flu could be so painful. I crawled out of bed and raided my supply of remedies. Taking the one whose profile matched my sorry state. I was relieved when the pain subsided straight away and I could sleep.
At the outset I had felt so poorly that I reluctantly realised I did have to rest. This was indeed proper flu. Not just a bad cold, but the kind of debilitating flu we dread. Once it set in I took a remedy that covers the archetypal flu experience as I was feverish, shivery, weak and tired, with a runny nose and sneezing.
I used the 6c and 30c first aid kit home remedies I had to hand. Taking them around four times a day and changing the remedy as the symptoms move through their different phases.
My experience was that using homeopathic remedies for colds and flu helped with the symptoms I was suffering with at each stage. I also moved through the whole flu journey in a matter of days.
My overall approach is to use homeopathic remedies to help myself to stay well in the first place, which is always preferable! However, some bugs do still manage to sneak through the defences from time to time. Then I reach for one of the many homeopathic remedies for colds and flu we have available.
Individually Tailored Homeopathic Remedies for Colds and Flu
As each and every one of us will have our own way of expressing a cold or flu, we try to make the remedy match as best we can for that individual. This is as true for self-help remedies for minor and self-limiting conditions as it is for the individually tailored deeper constitutional support when a homeopath is prescribing for you.
It is also important to check-in with a healthcare professional if you have under-lying or chronic health issues where respiratory conditions need to be monitored and managed accordingly.
We treat the person and consider their symptom picture as a whole, working holistically. This means that we can use the same homeopathic remedy for a cold or flu if the profile matches. That is the key to remedy selection, we consider the whole person not just the label of a condition.
Homeopathic Remedies for Colds and Flu
We have a huge selection of remedies. Here are some that I have found to be useful both personally, and in practice.
- Aconite – this is the remedy to reach for even at the threat of a cold or flu, as well as at the onset. I personally find this can often help me to avoid me having a cold or flu about nine times out of ten. A soon as I feel the early warning signs that a cold is “having a go” I reach for this.
- Arsenicum-Album – has a wide range of applications. It’s often used in colds or flu where the person feels chilly, has a very watery runny nose and eyes, sneezes a lot and wants lots of little sips of water.
- Eupertorium-Perfoliatum – this was the remedy I took to help myself get over the last stage of that bout of flu. It is characterised by terrible bone pain and the person will just want to be still and rest. They may also be very thirsty.
- Ferrum-Phos – this can be a very useful remedy to have to hand if you have a cold and may feel run down. I have also used it as a tonic after a cold or flu.
- Gelsemium – this was the remedy I used as my flu took hold. It’s commonly used for colds and flu that present in the ‘classic’ flu way described above.
- Pulsatilla – with many uses this is also remedy that is often used in colds. There may be lots of thick yellow or green catarrh, the person will feel better for fresh air. Children may be tearful and want to be with Mum or Dad – which is quite understandable when they feel poorly!
Homeopathic Remedies – Information
You can read more about these and other remedies using online homeopathic materia medica like this one from the National Centre for Homeopathy. If more than one remedy looks relevant for how you are feeling at a particular point, you can ask your homeopath or a homeopathic pharmacy to prepare a combination for you to take. It is also possible to simply alternate the individual remedies throughout a day. Adjusting according to how you feel.
I have given my experience for each of these remedies to give you a place to start. We have so many homeopathic remedies to offer support with colds and flu. Please do contact me if you are interested in finding out more.
Getting Better and Staying Well
It is also really important to look after yourself when you are unwell. Do everything you can think of to boost your immune system. To help throw off the cold or flu and to make a good recovery. Having enough sleep, eating sensibly, keeping yourself well hydrated by drinking enough water. If you find them helpful, home remedies like a hot drink of real honey and lemon. If you are doing all the right things and you are not responding, do see your healthcare professional to just check something is not being overlooked.
It is normal to get one or two colds a year. If it’s more often it can be helpful to explore ways of improving your overall constitutional health and vitality. If you are new to homeopathy, you might also find What Happens in a Homeopathy Session useful to read.
I hope you have found this post on Homeopathic Remedies for Colds and Flu to be helpful. Especially if you are suffering at the moment. You can stay up to date with practice news and topical information by signing up to the Chantry Health Newsletter. If you would like to book a free mini-consultation to see if my approach might suit you please do contact me.