Homeopathy for the common cold

Homeopathy can help with symptoms of a common cold quickly and effectively so you can get back to feeling well again and not worry about lingering symptoms or your cold developing into something more complicated.

With a few homeopathic remedies, you will be ready to deal with your symptoms as they develop. 

WHAT IS A COLD

Typical symptoms are a runny nose, sore throat, cough and sometimes a fever. Symptoms developing beyond this – around the ear, chest, cough – then things are getting a little more complicated and those symptoms need to be looked at in detail too.

A common cold is the body’s way of having a good clear out. Our lymph and immune systems are very effective at clearing out rubbish from our body. The quickest way to remove this from our body is through sneezing, production of catarrh and coughing. Whilst these symptoms are unpleasant, they are very effective at removing waste from our body systems

If we can support this process of clearing out rather than suppressing it, we can avoid more complicated symptoms at a later date. If we try to stop the body’s natural processes and try to suppress the symptoms of the cold, our body is not getting rid of the built up toxins, viruses and bacteria.

TREATMENTS - Pharmaceutical

Over the counter medication for colds includes pain relievers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce fever and headaches, Nasal decongestion sprays, vapour rubs, cough syrups etc.

 These medicines suppress the cold symptoms rather than help to resolve them. They stop the body’s natural processes of discharging and clearing out and raising the temperature of the body to kill off the pathogens.

TREATMENTS – Natural

First line treatment for a cold should be REST and to drink plenty of FLUIDS to help flush out the infection and avoid dehydration.

 FOOD

Appetite can often be reduced and it is important that this is respected, as the body is using its energy for healing rather than digesting. If there is an appetite, concentrate on eating healthy foods to increase the Vitamins, particularly Vit A, Vit C and Zinc.

Fresh garlic and onion will reduce catarrh, clean the blood and boost the immune system.

 It is advisable to cut out mucus-forming dairy for a few days.

SUPPLEMENTS

Supplements can be useful to assist the body with getting over a cold such as a high dose of Vitamin C and Zinc. Vitamin B complex can support the body with a cold if it comes after a stressful period and Floradix is a lovely supplement to boost a tired body after an illness.

HERBS

Echinacea tincture and Elderberry are all useful at the onset of a cold.

AROMATHERAPY

Lavender oil can be used to help relaxation and promote restful sleep, whilst Eucalyptus oil can be used to help clear congestion through steam inhalation.

TREATMENTS – Homeopathy

There are lots of wonderful homeopathic remedies which can help symptoms of a cold.

These remedies support the body’s natural process. Homeopathic remedies help the body work through the cold symptoms with less intensity and more quickly. SUPPORTING rather than stopping what the body needs to do.

 Here are a selection of more commonly used remedies with indications for their use:

FIRST STAGES OF A COLD

ACONITE

·      Take Aconite 200 as soon as you have that feeling like you might be coming down with a cold.

·      Symptoms develop AFTER exposure to cold air; sudden attack of cold with much sneezing.

·      Pain at the root of the nose and/or forehead, thin nasal discharge and blockage of nostrils; face is red and hot.

·      Very thirsty for large quantities of cold water and a desire to be in open air; restlessness and anxiety.

BELLADONNA

·      This is one of the best homeopathic remedies to aid cold symptoms and help with the initial stages of sore throat.

·      The throat feels dry and hot, and the tonsils may look quite red. The whole area looks bright red and swollen.

·      You may feel a constant desire to empty swallow, which is quite painful. It feels like a “scraping sensation on the throat when swallowing”

ALLIUM CEPA

·      A streaming cold with much sneezing and watery eyes - your face may look as if you have been chopping an onion!

·      Eyes may look red, they feel burning and smarting and are sensitive to light. There is also a raw feeling in the nose and a tingling sensation with violent sneezing.

·      A profuse watery discharge from the nose is burning and can make the upper lip and nose raw.  

·      All symptoms are better in the open air and the person feels worse in the evening and in a warm room.

EUPHRASIA

·      This remedy has the opposite symptoms to Allium Cepa.

·      The profuse eye watery discharge is acrid, and the nasal discharge is bland.

·      The white of the eyes and the cheeks may become reddened by the acrid tears, and the lids feel like burning and are swollen.

·      There is a frequent inclination to blink. The nasal discharge is worse at night and while lying down.

ARSENICUM  

·      Very restless and anxious, thin watery discharge that burns.

·      Nose is blocked, sneezing without relief.

·      Intense thirst - sips little and often

·      Feels better with hot applications, hot food and drink. Worse at night and in cold air. If you are having a sore throat, it may be relieved by sipping hot drinks.

·      The head is hot, but the body is cold.

·      Maybe feeling a bit breathless from a dry or wheezing cough.

NUX-VOMICA

·      Nose feels blocked but is running at one side.

·      It may alternate between a watery discharge and being blocked.

·      The discharges tend to flow during the day and in open-air but are obstructed at night, and it feels very stuffed up. 

·      There is a lot of abortive sneezing, and the person feels cold.

·      The person may be very irritable with the cold.

REMEDIES FOR A SORE THROAT

BELLADONNA

·      This is one of the best homeopathic remedies to aid cold symptoms and help with the initial stages of sore throat.

·      The throat feels dry and hot, and the tonsils may look quite red. The whole area looks bright red and swollen.

·      You may feel a constant desire to empty swallow, wich is quite painful. It feels like a “scraping sensation on the throat when swallowing”

HEPAR SULPH

·      General sore throat pain. This is one of the homeopathic remedies for often indicated for a sore throat.

·      The pain may resemble a sharp splinter stuck in the tonsils 

·      The sore throat may feel worse when you are breathing cold air, or if your throat is uncovered.

·      If you are experiencing a sore throat with tonsil inflammation

LACHESIS

·      This is for sore throats that are especially worse on the left side.

·      Very painful sore throats that are worse on empty swallowing but less with food.

·      Worse when swallowing liquids.

LYCOPODIUM

·      This is for sore throats that are especially worse on the right side.

·      Inflammation of the throat with soreness and pain that is better on swallowing warm drinks.

·      You may feel more pain after having a cold drink or after sleep.

REMEDIES FOR A MORE ESTABLISHED COLD

BRYONIA

·      DRYNESS. Very dry nose, mouth and throat with sneezing which brings up mucus.

·      Shooting and aching pains in the forehead.

·      Lips are dry and cracked – strong thirst for water.

·      Eyelids are sore, red and swollen.

·      Patient tends to be grumpy and does not want to be disturbed.

·      Cold threatens to travel to the chest.

GELSEMIUM

·      This remedy is indicated for a heavy cold or the flu.

·      Cold often with a fever with trembling and body aches and drooping eyelids.

·      Great weakness and sometimes dizziness

·      The person wants to lie down and may have a heavy head.

·      The discharge is very watery.

MERCURIUS SOL

·      A cold with alternating sweats and chills worse at night.

·      A cold with swollen glands and possibly and earache

·      Feel much worse at nighttime and can have excess saliva

·      Thick yellow-green discharge of either nose or ear with the cold. These discharges can be quite bad smelling and the skin around them can be sore.

PULSATILLA

·      This is one of the most indicated homeopathic remedies for an established cold towards the end.

·      This is for colds with a lot of congestion and a thick discharge that can be green-yellow.  

·      Symptoms tend to be quite changeable

·      The nasal congestion tends to be on alternate sides of the nose and can be worse inside the house but better in the fresh air.

·      Loss of smell with the cold.

·      Thirstlessness.

·      This person will feel sorry for themselves and will wants to be looked after and reassured

·      The congestion can extend to the ear, and they may feel blocked or if they are about to pop.

KALI BICH

·      Thick stringy mucus that blocks the sinuses

·      Pain at the root of the nose and a frontal headache

·      Were you a child that always suffered from a stuffy nose with thick yellow-green discharge? Maybe you had a few decongestants or even antibiotics for acute ear or throat infections that always end up with congestion in the ears, nose and throat. And as an adult, you are suffering from recurrent bouts of sinus infections? This is your indication as Kali Bich is worse by suppressed catarrh.

NATRUM-MUR

 ·      Amazing for stopping a cold that commenced with sneezing.

·      Violent fluent discharge of thin, watery like raw white of egg or cold with discharge only in the morning.

·      Violent sneezing and dryness of the throat and nose producing scabs.

·      The cold symptoms may start with an emotional upset of some kind, for instance, grief such as a loss of a pet, argument with a friend or family member, etc

DOSING THE REMEDIES

You may take a remedy in a 30c potency three times daily for 2-3 days. As the symptoms improve, the frequency of repetition reduces. If you have not noticed an improvement after 2-3 doses, then you may need a different remedy from the one chosen.

However, if symptoms change and move on then you will need to follow the symptoms and change the remedy. Cough and cold symptoms can develop and change – often quickly. 

All the remedies above are available in a home prescribing remedy kit you can buy from Helios or Ainsworth’s.

With a supported immune system, you can deal with cold symptoms quickly and with less impact on your daily life. Homeopathic remedies cannot stop you from getting ill however they can ensure you suffer less and symptoms do not develop into anything more complicated.