If you’re reading this post, you may have found it because you fear getting sick with the flu — even though you got a flu shot — and want to be proactive about your treatment options.
The last time you had the flu you could have had an abrupt high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, and cough. You went to see your nurse practitioner or conventional-medicine doctor. When you arrived, someone checked your temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. The provider documented your symptoms and then swabbed your throat or nose. You tested positive and got instructions to rest, eat lightly, and drink adequate fluids. The visit may have lasted 10 to 15 minutes. You paid your bill and went to your pharmacy to pick up a prescription. (The medicines to treat type A or B influenza are often Tamiflu or Relenza.) Then you went back to bed for as long you could be out of work and off your routine.
Repeating the above isn’t something you want—you prefer doing something “natural” this time, or you want to avoid the “side effects” of medicines.”
You’ve been patient so far while reading this. Just a little more time until I give you some homeopathic medicine options to treat flu. First, there are a couple of scenarios. One is that you don’t have a provider and just want to take something to feel better. The other is that you have a homeopathic provider and want them to treat you.
The easiest homeopathic medicine to find in health food stores or some pharmacies is Oscillococcinum. It’s popular for the treatment of influenza types A and B and best to take it at the beginning of the flu—especially when you have a fever, chills, fatigue, a bursting headache, painful cough, and muscle aches. Its instructions say to take one tube by mouth every six hours, up to three times a day.
Now, if you see a homeopathic practitioner, the office visit will likely go differently. The homeopath won’t swab you to check to see if you test positive for flu. (Although they will likely check your temperature, blood pressure, and pulse.)
Then begins the homeopathic consultation. Although two people might have the same diagnosis of the flu, each person can be given a completely different homeopathic medicine because of their unique symptoms. Thus, the homeopath will ask you specific questions about what’s going on.
- Do you have any mental and emotional symptoms that just began recently?
- Do you have a sore throat?
- Do you have a cough? Any mucus? How is your breathing?
- Are there any gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?
- How is your body temperature? Are you chilly or hot?
- Is there a side of your body that is more affected?
- What is the nature of your pain?
- What makes you feel better or worse?
- How is your thirst?
- Are you hungry or not?
- What is the color of your tongue?
- Do you smell bad?
- Are you sweating?
It’s best to consult with a homeopath to sort out what type of homeopathic medicine you might need. Below, though, I’m including the symptom pictures of the some of the most common homeopathic medicines indicated.
Aconite
High fever (104°F), with great thirst
Sudden onset, especially in cold, dry weather
Anxiety, panic, talks about dying, great restlessness
Sore throat
Short, dry cough
Strong bounding pulse
Worse in a warm room, better with fresh air
Chills
Arsenicum
Anxiety, restlessness
Fears germs, contamination
Doesn’t like to be alone
Excessive weakness, exhausted
Pale face
White tongue
Runny nose
Sore throat
Breathless, wheezing, chest feels tight
Gastric flu: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
Burning pains
Chilly, want to be wrapped up all the time; can’t get warm
Symptoms are worse around midnight to 3:00 AM
Thirsty for small sips of warm drinks
Baptisia
Clue: very swollen and painless red throat
Rapid confusion, dullness and possibly delirium
Dull red face—looks drugged and out of it
Falls asleep while answering questions
Sudden onset with high fever and extreme weakness/prostration
Face is dark red
Muscles feel sore and bruised
Sweat and saliva have an offensive odor
Gastric flu: sudden attacks of violent diarrhea and vomiting
Offensive discharges (saliva, sweat)
Belladonna
Delirious from fever
Disturbed sleep by frightful dreams
Sudden high fever (102°F–104°F); spiking fever after midnight
Hot head, flushed face with dilated pupils
Throbbing, pounding headache (more right-sided), worse from coughing
Flushed cheeks
Dry lips and tongue
Strong bounding pulse
Coughing up phlegm tinged with blood; difficult to bring up the phlegm
Skin is hot to the touch
Thirsty
Better sitting and standing up
Worse lying flat; prefers being propped up in bed
Sensitive to light and noise
Bryonia
Very irritable if disturbed, preoccupied with worries (work and finances)
Wants to be left alone.
Fever ranges from 100°F–104°F
Feels hot and dry
Generalized muscle and joint pain
Headache worse with motion, movement or cough; it’s better from firm pressure and lying still
White tongue
Dry mucous membranes, dry lips, tongue, mouth, and skin
Dry, hacking, painful cough with thick phlegm; holds chest when coughing
Better from pressure, holding the chest, head, or painful part
Better in cool air and worse in warm rooms
Worse with any kind of movement: it hurts to move
Tremendous thirst at infrequent intervals for cold drinks
Eupatorium
Restlessness, tosses and turns in bed but finds no relief in pain
High fever
Intense and severe aching pain deep inside the bones—it feels as if they are all broken
Great soreness all over the body, especially the back; dares not to move
Nasal discharge, sneezing and conjunctival redness may precede onset of aches
Bursting headache with soreness of the eyeballs; coughing makes head hurt
Chest feels sore
Scanty perspiration
Shivering; chills in back; chill begins 7:00 AM–9:00 AM
Thirsty for ice cold drinks and cold foods
Gelsemium
Dullness, listless, drowsy
Wants to be left alone
Fever 100.4°F–104.0°F
Dull headache made better after urinating
Eyelids feel very heavy, feel too weak to keep them held up
Tired, weak, heavy body and limbs
Neck stiffness
Thirstless
Feels chills moving up and down the spine
Hepar sulphuris carcareum
Extreme irritability
Feelings of extreme cold all over
Prone to very sore throats with sharp pains that affect the ears
Worse for the slightest uncovering
Mercurius Vivus
Restlessness
Painful sore throat with swollen glands
Filthy, large, flabby, moist, tooth-notched tongue; metallic taste
Offensive breath: discharges can be thick, odorous, and green
Excessive salivation with a constant, painful need to swallow
Profuse and offensive sweat, can feel worse when sweating
Colds extend to the chest; affects base of right lung
Strong thirst even though mouth is moist
Chilly, alternating hot and cold; can’t get comfortable
Hypersensitive to temperature changes; throws bed covers off and on
Symptoms worse at night
Nux vomica
Impatient and irritable
Very attentive and concerned about details; collapse from overwork
Peaks of fever with chills alternating with low grade fever
Increased thirst during peaks of fever
Headache or migraine
Over sensitive to light, noise, odors
Sneezing fits
Nasal discharge alternating with stuffiness
Gastric flu: nausea, cramping, spasms, diarrhea, and vomiting
Low back pain or spasms
Slightest movement increases the cold feeling
Very chilly and hates the slightest draft
Better from warmth
Rhus tox
Depressed, anxious, irritable, apprehensive
Extreme restlessness; difficult to sleep because uncomfortable staying still
Fever ranges from 100.4°F–102.0°F, with profuse sweating
Chills
Great prostration
Tip of the tongue may have a red triangle
Dry mouth and lips
Dry sore throat and hoarseness
Muscles and bones feel achy, stiff and painful; trying to move after rest causes worse pain; better with continued motion
Better warmth, worse cold or cold wet weather
Thirsty for small sips of water
You now have an idea of which homeopathic medicines might help with the flu, so where do you get them? A few dedicated health-food stores carry them. Most stores, however, have a limited selection. My suggestion is to buy a homeopathic kit that includes about 50 remedies. These are available at:
How to Dose
If you’ve chosen a homeopathic medicine that matches your symptoms, take either a 30C or a 200C dose to start (whichever you can get). Put about 6 individual pellets under the tongue and let them dissolve. (This is called dry dosing.) Another method is put a couple of pellets in water and stir vigorously, and then give a teaspoon dose as needed. Stop taking the medicine when you feel better. Re-dose if symptoms worsen again.
I’m also including a Schussler Cell Salt here as an option for treatment of an acute illness when the symptom picture is unclear.
FERRUM PHOSPH 6X
Listless or dull
High fever
Face flushed
Headache violent and congestive; worse on the right side
Dry mucus membranes, burning sensation
Throat is dry, red, and inflamed
Expectoration is scanty, maybe streaked with blood
Feels better from cold applications
Better lying down; worse standing
Worse with heat or motion
Ferrum Phos 6X is a Schussler Cell Salt that is often used at the first stage of inflammations, fevers, cough, or colds. It may be more easier to find than some homeopathic remedies.
Dose: Put 2 to 3 tablets in hot water and give a teaspoon every 15 minutes, as tolerated.
Note: The above recommendations on treating influenza homeopathically are only a complement to the care you receive from your primary care physician.