|
| |
Swine Flu |
|
| |
The media have paid a lot of attention to the current epidemic of swine flu, and many conflicting views have been presented. As a group of homeopaths working in the local area, we would like to present some of the information we have gathered on the pandemic and to present the homeopathic viewpoint on the treatment of epidemics in general.
|
|
Most winters, there are flu epidemics in this country. While flu in itself is not a serious disease, the very old, very young or those weakened by chronic conditions can suffer more severely and even die from it. Even healthy people are susceptible to an annual bout of flu, normally recovering without any treatment after a few days to a week. An epidemic disease is one that affects groups of people and communities, rather than individuals. A pandemic is not necessarily more severe, but is a global epidemic. The current strain of flu, swine flu, purports to be more severe and long lasting, causing severe headaches in some cases, nausea and vomiting in others, in addition to the more usual flu symptoms of aching, runny nose, cough, etc.
|
| |
This is what the NHS website says about swine flu:
“So far, most swine flu cases have been mild, with symptoms similar to those of seasonal flu. Only a small number of people have had more serious symptoms.
- unusual tiredness,
- headache,
- runny nose,
- sore throat,
- shortness of breath or cough,
- loss of appetite,
- aching muscles,
- diarrhoea or vomiting.
|
| |
You can get more information about flu symptoms from www.nhs.uk and the Swine Flu Information Line on 0800 1 513 513.
If you have severe symptoms which are not like flu you should contact your GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 in England, NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24 in Scotland or NHS Direct Wales on 0845 4647.”
Another informative website is that of the Alliance for Natural Health, http://www.anhcampaign.org
This website explains why the H1N1 virus has been associated with pigs. It points out that swine flu is not nearly as severe as the bird flu virus, which tended to attack the lungs, causing viral pneumonia and also that it seems to be following the pattern of many epidemics, that start out virulently, and become milder and milder, until they finally exhaust themselves.
Homeopathy is able to treat virus infections. We use the principle of similars. A minuscule amount of a substance known to cause symptoms similar to the type of flu symptoms the patient is experiencing is given and it stimulates your immune system to react more vigorously, so as to effect a quick and full recovery.
In chronic conditions, we treat the person, not the disease, so that ten patients who come suffering, say with arthritis, will be given 10 different remedies, according to their constitutional type, after a lengthy consultation, in which we enquire into many aspects of their life. Treating epidemic diseases is approached differently. For one thing, the patient may be in bed, and not want to talk for long. A much shorter case history is taken, often over the phone, enquiring only into how they feel since they fell ill and any circumstances that may have immediately preceded their illness. Also, because epidemics affect groups of people, not just individuals, we often find that two or three remedies will be appropriate for most of the cases seen. In the cholera epidemic of 1826, Samuel Hahnemann, the inventor of homeopathy, treated most of his cases with only three remedies, Camphor, Cuprum and Veratrum Album. Not one of his patients died. The Journal of the American Institute for Homeopathy, May 1921, had a long article about the use of homeopathy in the 1918 flu epidemic when more than 50 million people were killed. Dr. McCann, from Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05%.
I contacted the Homeopathic Helpline and spoke to Francis Treuherz. These are his observations of the epidemic so far: “We have spoken to many patients (or parents) with probable or confirmed swine flu earlier in the year but fewer since the summer holidays. The main remedies then were Gelsemium, and Nux vomica. I had one Cadmium sulph case, and this was regarded by Gutman as the miasmatic remedy for 'influenzosis' after the 1918 flu. The line is open 365 days, 9am to Midnight, and the BT regulated premium rate fee of £1.50 per minute is unchanged since we began.” For more information on the homeopathic helpline, go to http://www.homeopathyhelpline.com/05_telephone/index.htm |
| |
Gelsemium is a remedy made from Winter Jasmine. Patients needing this remedy feel dull, heavy, aching. Their eyelids are heavy. They want to be left alone. They want to have their head raised on the pillow. They can ache, and their scalp can be sore to touch. Their face looks hot, heavy and flushed. Their limbs can tremble and feel weak or they may shake and shiver during fever. They can feel heat running up and down their spine. They are worse for any kind of emotional excitement, such as bad news. They are not thirsty. They can feel better after urinating.
Nux Vomica patients are chilly and cannot bear draughts, or to put their hand outside the bedclothes. They are oversensitive generally, to noises, odours, light or touch and this can make them irritable and critical. They are zealous workers, so when ill, they can worry about the time being taken off work and that the job won’t be done properly while they are away. They tend to be dry and stuffed up, particularly at night and out of doors. Their nasal discharge is acrid. If they have any appetite, they will crave stimulants, like coffee, and fats. Eating can make them feel nauseous and bloated. They may be constipated. If there is a cough, it will be tight, dry and hacking. They may be sleepless after 3am.
For further details about these remedies and others, visit
http://www.helios.co.uk/swine_flu.html
The best protection from swine flu is a strong immune system. Regular homeopathic treatment will maintain your health, so that if you do get flu, you will recover well. We recommend that you see your homeopath in the autumn, to build you up for the winter.
The swine flu vaccine, far from helping your immune system, is likely to compromise it. It may prevent you from getting flu, but your body’s capacity to stay in balance may be weakened. Your immune system is adapted to responding to live microorganisms that enter the body through the normal orifices, i.e. the nose, throat. The first immune response centres round the tonsils, then there is a more generalized response, with a fever, which helps to kill the viruses, and discharges of sweat and mucus that carry waste products and toxins out of the body. Attenuated viruses, injected directly into the blood stream, while stimulating the production of antibodies, do not trigger the whole immune response, so often a low grade chronic response is set up, that does not make you as ill as full blown flu would do, but also does not allow you to fully recover. In the long term, and especially after repeated vaccinations, there can be diminished vitality and more of a tendency to succumb to chronic conditions. For example, since the introduction of the whooping cough vaccine, I have observed that few children get full blown whooping cough, but many get a low grade choking cough that can continue for months and recur every winter.
If you want to talk to us about any of the issues raised in this article, or about making an appointment to see one of us, please do contact us on 01749 677555
Penny Stirling
November 2009
|
| |
|
|
|
