Spasmodic & Rattling Coughs

The cold reaches the second stage when the cough develops further and discharges are beginning to occur.

When there is much mucous and phlegm, so all of it is coming out, this is when the cold has entered the third stage. Either of these stages can be accompanied by a dry, spasmodic or rattling cough.

Spasmodic Coughs

When coughs come in a series, or in spasms, it’s described as a spasmodic cough. It can be dry or wet in nature.

The Drosera cough is a dry and barking cough, from a tickle, with prolonged periods of rapid, deep, barking, or even choking type of cough. It can take the breath away and may end in retching or vomiting, a nose bleed or a cold sweat. Often it’s worse at 2am.

Incessant and violent cough, with wheezing and choking that may trigger vomiting. The vomiting of phlegm occurs, though it doesn’t ameliorate the coughing.  The body can stiffen during the suffocative spasms of coughing, Ipecac.

Sudden onset at night of coughing, after being asleep, wakes with a suffocative cough, must sit up to cough, will be frigthened, grasping at their throat. Shortly after the coughing spasms, sweating on the head, face and neck will break out.  During the cough, the nails and lips will appear purple, Sambucus.

Regular episodes of violent tickling, racking cough, ending in vomiting or raising up of much clear ropy type of mucous, with a purple red coloured face and internal heat feeling. Coughing episodes can be brought on by brushing the teeth, rinsing the mouth with water, or trying to raise the phlegm.  Raising the mucous/phlegm, ameliorates the cough for 3 – 4 hours, before it begins again. Usually worse in the morning, on first waking or on first getting out of bed. Coughing does not stop until vomiting or raising of the mucous occurs, Coccus cacti.

There are many more remedies for spasmodic coughs that vary in symptoms from these mentioned too.

Rattling Coughs

Cough hacking, rattling, with sneezing and painless watering of the eyes. The nose runs like water also, Allium cepa.

Rattling cough, with a lot of thick, yellow or yellow/green mucous from the nose. Accompanied by a loss of appetite and no thirst, loss of taste and smell.  Often there is much mucous and phlegm during the day, and dry at night. Pulsatilla.

Antimonium tartaricum has much rattling mucous in the chest, however it is very difficult to cough it up. The chest seems full of mucous, yet it gets harder and harder to raise it.  Mucous can be thick and yellow. The cough can come on if you are angry, or have been eating. Often worse after midnight, and better for sitting up or for being carried upright.

Lots of yellowish mucous, with a thick, loose sounding cough, can be rattling and barking.  Often comes on after being in the cold air, or the cold winds. Usually accompanied by a sore throat that feels as if there is a splinter or fish bone in there, Hepar sulphuris.

A loose cough during the day, that is much better when lying down at night. A lot of watery discharge from the nose, and the eyes are red and sore from the burning tears, Euphrasia.

As for the spasmodic coughs, there are many more options for a rattling cough, symptoms dependant.

For the lingering or recurrent cough, do take the time to come for a consultation to consider an overall picture and discover the deeper acting remedy that is required to clear that cough and restore balance.

For further information on homeopathic remedies dosage, visit http://www.sandravenables.com

Image courtesy of StockImages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed within this blog are those of the author and should not be taken to constitute medical advice or imply treatment of any disorder. For all health conditions you must visit an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Dry Coughs

For very early stages of any inflammatory process, either colds or flus, Ferrum phos may be useful, when the symptoms are vague, there’s a feeling of not being 100% or ther may be a short, dry cough, with no expectoration.  When the cough is dry, barking, comes on, or is worse, in the evening, especially after being out in the cold winds that day, Aconite.

When the dry, barking, repetitive, cough is accompanied by a fever and a flushed face, Belladonna.

A painful, dry cough, where any movement makes it worse, or it’s so sore to cough the chest or sternum has to be held, Bryonia.

A dry, tiring cough, usually accompanied by blocked nose overnight and runny nose during the day, Nux vomica.

When the dry cough is raspy and barking, like a seal, especially when it develops into this around midnight, consider Spongia.

A dry, yet barking cough, again holding the chest with their hands, coughing to retching or vomiting, often worse at night, Drosera.

The dry, teasing, continuous cough, from a tickle in the throat, especially worse for breathing in cool, or cold, air, or going from a warm to cold room, preventing sleep, Rumex.

Often the initial dry cough is considered to be the first stage of a cold.

For more information on homeopathy and dosing, visit http://www.sandravenables.com

Image courtesy of StockImages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are those of the author and should not be taken to constitute medical advice or imply treatment of any disorder. For all health conditions you must visit an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Temper Tantrums In Children

Gallicum Acidum

Aggression, Adulation, Abandoment

Gall Nuts

One of the joys of homeopathy is learning about ‘new’ remedies.  These remedies may either be new to the materia medica, that is, recently introduced worldwide, or they may be a remedy that is new to me.

The latter is the case for Gallcium acidum. It is a remedy that has been utilised in homeopathy for a long time, though it’s application has not been that obvious to me.

I was intrigued to be on a webinar describing Gallicum acidum, then the next day, when out walking, I found these two beautifully formed Gall nuts.  These are one such source of Gallicum acidum. It is also found in tea, red wine and sumac.  In the days of past, it was used to stop haemorrhaging.

The main mental symptom for Gall-ac that was originally published has lead to an interpretation, where it is useful for children that I may see in clinic today.

Original Mental Symptom

“wild delirium at night; very restless; jumps out of bed; sweats profusely; afraid to be alone; insists on constantly being watched; is exceedingly rude and abuses everyone, even his best friends; jealous of his nurse and curses every one who speaks to her”

When originally published, this was the only mental symptom.  After clinical use, the following symptoms are utilised in practice:

Typical Symptoms

• Fear of being abandoned
• Fear of being alone, worse when alone
• Demanding of attention
• Tense and angry
• Destructive
• Loss of control
• Intense tantrums
• Rude, abusive, cursing
• Jealousy
• Compulsive behaviour
• Restless

A summary of this presentation can be the child who is constantly demanding your attention, always wanting to be watched when they are doing something, to be praised for the thing they have done.  When your attention is diverted from them, there is a jealousy of this, resulting in some different behaviours, tantrums (loss of control, destruction, cursing, swearing, rude behaviour) and manipulation of the situation to return the attention to themselves.

There may be a constant “Mummy, Mummy (or Daddy), look at me, look at what I’m doing”, “I want to sit by Mummy/Daddy”, “Mummy, do you like what I’ve done?”. This desire for attention, to be watched and observed by their loved one appears to derive from an underlying fear of abandoment, a fear of being left alone.  Often this situation can occur when it’s time for the primary care giver to return to work, and the child is placed in daycare, or they begin schooling.  The separation feels like this abandonment they have been fearing will happen.  It may also occur after a family breakup, when the child is unsure which parent they’re to go with.

Often strangers will comment that they are such a sweet child, as they wish to be seen to be doing the best, so until the relationship is stronger, the tantrums will not show themselves.  Instead, the anger may be held in, resulting in a very tense body or a clenching of the jaw.

When tantrums occur, they are very intense, as well as sudden.  The intensity can be destructive, malicious, cursing, rude and inconsiderate of how it’s affecting those around them. Picture the situation in a shopping centre, when the parent is very embarrassed by the tantrum of the child where there is biting, cursing, kicking and screaming.  Once the attention is returned to them, the tantrum ceases.

There can be a restlessness in their sleep also, a tossing and/or moaning, or a rolling of the head, along with excess saliva or perspiration.

Compulsive touching, smelling or collecting (stealing) of things can be seen also.

Although they will do a ‘wrong’ thing, e.g., stealing, or bad behaviour, they will deny that it was them, as they want you to see them in a good light, so will lie or hide what they have done wrong.

This remedy compares closely to Stramonium, Belladonna, Hyoscymus and Tuberculinum.  Differentiating between them is the art of Homeopathy.

For more information on homeopathy, http://www.sandravenables.com

Science, Research & Health

….all had an increase in risk of adverse events, still safe to use combination vaccines…

I was reading through a newly published research article and read with disbelief the statement that resulted in my interpretation given above.  The actual statement was:

“……had an increased incidence of sepsis evaluations and increased respiratory support and intubation after routine immunization. Our findings provide no evidence to suggest that physicians should not use combination vaccines ….”

The research was recently published in the JAMA Pediatrics and was a study of  Extremely Low Birth Weight infants (or ELBW infants, I sometimes think shortening the words to just letters allows the reader to forget that this is a human being), and the affect routine immunisation had on various health issues for these infants.

The study itself was evaluating single vaccinations versus combination vaccinations, but it did surprise me when the study showed that these infants had a higher risk of an adverse event for either type of vaccination, then they stated that it was still safe to give the combination vaccines to them, as it was no different between single shot or combination vaccines.  An interesting conclusion to arrive at.

Thankfully they also conclude that further studies are needed to be undertaken on the timing of immunisations and the spacing of them on this vulnerable group.

Note that these infants were all generally born at 23 – 28 weeks gestation, and were generally immunised after at least 53 days postpartum.

The editorial in the same journal also discusses the study, to critique it, however mainly in the area of the measurement of the adverse events, e.g., how was the incidence of sepsis evaluated, were these children actually less at risk of adverse events because of the timing of the immunisation.  Ultimately, it was advocating that these children in the study were potentially stronger and more healthy than other children not included in the study.  I sometimes struggle to see the logic of the reasoning, I suppose more reading of research is needed!

While checking out these articles, I also found another article on the risk of administering measles containing vaccines in relation to febrile seizures (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccines, MMRV, or as separate shots, MMR and V, these live ).  It was deemed that administering the MMRV or the MMR+/- V vaccines in a timely manner, i.e. when the children are 12 – 15 months of age, reduces the risk of increased febrile seizures.  While waiting until the second year of life actually increases the risk (16 – 23 months).  These febrile seizures were those measured in the 7 – 10 day period post immunisation, compared to the control interval.

What I find interesting, and worth thinking through more, is that the delay of immunisation creates a higher risk of fever and seizures (febrile seizures), would this be associated with the developing immune system? This was suggested by the authors also that it may be because of the stronger immune response in the older child.

I remember from my training, that the first two years of a child’s life, their immune system is continuing to develop.  Would the increased risk between 16 – 23 months merely be an indicator that the child’s immune system is fighting the introduced vaccine harder than when they are 12 – 15 months of age?

By looking through the references for this article, it is easy to see that the research into febrile seizures and the administration of a vaccine containing measles has been ongoing for over 20 years now (1991) and into febrile seizures for longer (1969), showing that they appeared to reach a peak in the second year of life.

The conclusions will always be difficult to arrive at, as we are treating individuals who respond to external stimulation in an individual manner. Why homeopathy excels in helping those who are individuals.

Malaria Studies, With Homeopathy

Image courtesy of Moomsabuy at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Australia has been certified free from endemic malaria by WHO since 1981. However, the incidence of malaria is considered to be on the rise within Australia, according to the Victorian Govt Health site

Worldwide there are over 311 million new infections of malaria and over 900,000 deaths every year. These are large numbers to be considered.  How is malaria to be treated with so many affected?  Yes, there certainly are medications available, these need to be chosen based on the specific infection and the health of the person with malaria. However, it has been noted that these medications are becoming less and less effective.

Imagine a new approach!  There has been a paper released recently that highlights the benefits of utilising homeopathy in the role of treatment. This paper discusses a prospective study that has been undertaken in Kenya, across 3 clinics, where 86 patients were assessed and 69 completed their followups. Of those that were followed up, only one presented with the malaria parasite (all but one tested negative for the parasite on followup). Not all followed up, but it appears, understandably, that logistics were the issue with not returning for followup.

This year, a comparative study is also being undertaken between the effectiveness of homeopathy compared to the standard medication (Coartem). To date, 50 cases, from both groups, have tested negative. Truly an exciting development. Later this year, the paper is due to be published in peer reviewed journals.  I’m very excited about seeing what an inexpensive, non-patented treatment can do for the poor who suffer from malaria worldwide.  Imagine being able to reduce significantly, the impact of Malaria in today’s world!

Ref:

Brands M, Saio M, Berkel S.Malaria treatment compared for homeopathic medicines and Coartem in Homeopathic Clinics in Kenya–A multicentre, pragmatic randomized, double-blind double-dummy trial. Proceedings of the XXIX GIRI Meeting; 2015 June 3 – 5; Verona (Italy). Int J High Dilution Res. 2015; 14(2):21-22

Heat Rash and Homeopathy

As I’ve been watching the temperatures rise in the UK over the last couple of days a few of my friends have been commenting about their burns and their heat rashes.

Homeopathy can give relief where none can be felt in these situations.  Taking homeopathy is a gentle way of taking responsibility for your health and watching a gentle healing occur.

I’ve found a wonderful article on using homeopathy with heat rash, looking at using remedies such as Arsencium album, Apis mellifica, Belladonna and Urtica urens.

These remedies differ in their presentation, but this article shows the use of Belladonna, a remedy that has the keynotes of:

• dry, red, hot, burning skin
• sudden onset
• pale skin on areas not affected

allowed the recovery of this child within a 24 hour time frame.  I would also assume an increase in liquids to avoid dehydration along with some cooling measures, such as limit clothing, cool bathing aided this child.  Whenever there are concerns about the temperature of a child, don’t hestitate to obtain a medical opinion.

One of the other concerns that occurs when there is a heat wave, is that of sunburn and burns in general.  What to do when you have received a little too much of the sun’s love?

I would suggest looking at the following homeopathic remedies initially:

Aconite – where there is great pain and shock

Belladonna – where skin is hot, red, shiny and throbbing, worse for touch; face is flushed and the head is pounding

Cantharis – simple scalds, burns and sunburn; rawness and smarting; better for cold applications; large painful blisters with clear or bloody fluid

Glonoine – accompanied by violent, pulsating pains; can’t stand the heat; severe heat headaches, comes in waves, bursting; pale face with fixed eyes

Hypericum – sunburn with shooting pains.

Image courtesy of Stock Images at Free Digital Photos.net

Anxiety Sucks – Too True

Anxiety Sucks!

There is a video of a young man, Casey Throwaway (possibly not his real name!), doing the rounds on YouTube. Casey posted his first video more than a week ago now, and it’s had over 600,000 views when I saw it, here it is below:

Casey talks about wanting the world to know that anxiety and panic attacks are a real thing, and that just saying “man up” doesn’t work.

There are many associated videos that come up when you watch it in YouTube too. Anxiety is real, and it affects so many different people. Your best friend may very well experience it, but you wouldn’t know, as they can often hide it well from so many people.  Take Casey here, he’s in what looks like his bathroom. But, he’s taken the first step to getting some help and more support. He’s decided to document what he’s experiencing to reduce the stigmatism that is associated with anxiety.  Great work Casey!

Casey is on a mission to spread the word on anxiety and mental health issues. Take the time to spread the word too.  It takes incredible courage to show your weaknesses in our society.

Enjoy his thank you and subscribe to watch his videos.

One of the things I do love about homeopathy, is that it was used a lot in the early years in regards to those patients deemed ‘unhelpable’ in the field of mental health. In the time of homeopathy’s early years, people such as Casey would have been put into an institution and left there, or treated poorly by those around them, as there was no  understanding of mental health and that people could be helped.

Within Homeopathy, we use symptoms to evaluate the overall person, and we take those symptoms and place them into ‘rubrics’. The rubric for anxiety is:

Mind, anxiety

It contains at least 690 different remedies. That implies to me there are at least 690 different ways to exhibit anxiety.

Some of those ways include:

Anxiety attacks at a certain time of the day:

• on waking
• in the morning
• in the afternoon
• in the evening
• in the night

Or they can be about health, their family or even about other people

• when alone
• family, about his
• future, about
• health, about
• others, for
• salvation, about

Or they can be about events or situations or emotions

• anticipation, from
• business, about
• conscience, anxiety of
• fear, with
• trifles, about

Or they can be accompanied by physical distress, or from physical discomfort

• beside oneself from anxiety, being
• pains, from
• respiration, with impeded

And these situations, circumstances, emotions, or physcial symptoms are just a part of the anxiety that is felt.  There are so many different ways a person can exhibit anxiety, and as we are all individuals, no one drug will suit all people, all of the time.  So this is where homeopathy can play a role, supporting the individual for their individual presentation of anxiety, and hopefully allowing the person to move forward with a stronger outlook and less attacks, if not, no attacks of anxiety.

That, to me, is the joy of homeopathy. Being able to support a person into a fuller, more beautiful life, without the stress of wondering when the next anxiety attack will  occur.  To find out more about anxiety and how homeopathy can be beneficial to you, contact me today.

Joint Discomfort And Relief

Arthritis is a very generalized term for severe joint pain. It has many names including gout, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. If you suffer from joint pain you are the only one who can describe it in great detail and the only one who truly understands how limiting the pain can be in your daily life.

Homœopathy looks at reducing the symptoms that you experience with the particular arthritis that you have and enables you to reduce the limitations that you experience within your daily life. In addressing your particular form of arthritis I am looking at what makes your expression of the pain different from others, it is in the specifics that I find your true simillimum! I will show you some of the specifics that occur in arthritis and you may recognize some of them, but not all (this is what makes you an individual!)

Pains:-

Occur when           weather changes, on becoming cold, on becoming warm, in damp weather, in spring, in winter, in summer

Are worse             during a thunderstorm, in a warm room, in the warmth of bed, when touched, after eating, after wine

Are better             when walking, in the warmth of bed, when pressed, when massaged, when drinking coffee

This is just an example of the different ways that the pain of arthritis can be expressed. Homœopathy looks at your specific pains and finds a remedy that may alleviate the symptoms to a degree that the limitations the arthritis places on your life are reduced.

An example of a specific remedy is:  Rhus-tox

Occurs in damp, wet weather; or when you first start moving the joint after a period of rest.

Are worse during the damp, wet weather, after you’ve been wet, in cloudy or overcast weather, or first thing in the morning, on rising from bed.

Are better for a heat sack, or similar, from a warm bath, from moving the joint (after the initial pain has subsided)

If you wish to discuss this with me, please call me at the clinic and we can arrange a homœopathic consultation

Image courtesy of ScottChan at Free Digital Photos.net

Secrets To Removing Cysts

I’ve been doing some research this week on a particular remedy and I came across the following story. It was too good not to share:

An elderly man was seeking help for the early stages of an abscess at the base of his thumb.  As an aside, he was also scheduled for surgery for a cyst of long standing on his back.  The surgeon wished to postpone his surgery until his abscess was resolved, merely as a precautionary measure.

In order to hasten the abscess along on it’s healing path, the elderly man was prescribed a remedy fondly as the ‘homeopathic surgeon’.  He took this remedy three times, once at the homeopath’s office and once that evening.

The next morning, as he was leaning over the bathroom sink to clean his teeth, he heard an explosive sound behind him. Turning around, he saw a large quantity of blood and pus discharged against the bathroom wall!!

The homeopathic remedy had indeed ripened the cyst as well as his abscess and his body ejected it without further ado!

Homeopathic Surgeon, image courtesy of Iosphere FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Story adapted from Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines, Catherine Coulter

Remedies for Gout

It feels a while since I’ve written about any homeopathic remedies. I always try to take my inspiration for writing from everyday life. So here is a remedy that I have found a little more about, due to a client presenting with typical Gout symptoms!

 

Guaiacum

Guaiacum officinale

Gum guaiacum

 

The common name for this plant is Lignum vitae, or Tree of Life.  It has an interesting use as a herbal in the past, as it was used to cure syphilis.  The history of this is from the 1500’s in both Germany and the Carribean.  The treatment regime involved fasting, sweating and drinking decoctions of the tree.  It eventually fell into disuse as the claim for curing syphilis appeared to be a hoax.

 

However, homeopathically, and herbally, it is seen as a very useful remedy in the treatment of gout.  This is because it’s herbal use is as an anti-inflammatory, thus reducing joint pain and swelling.  Very useful in gout!

 

It is mainly known as a remedy to treat arthritic and rheumatic diathesis, that is, an inclination to those types of symptoms.  These being swelling, pain in the small joints.

 

An interesting symptom I noted was the profuse sweating that would also be occurring for the client, and that this sweat would be particularly strong odoured (called foul in the books!), usually much worse at night in bed.  The body can smell unclean, even after bathing.  Add to this picture a mental forgetfulness and a desire to blame and critcise others and everything.

 

Overall you see a picture of a foul smelling, grizzly, sour person, suffering with a gout ridden toe!

 

 

Guaiacum, http://www.hear.org/starr/plants/images/image/?q=070727-7629