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Effective treatment is now available for Colds and Influenzas.

With the changes in weather, the cold and flu season is still with us, so if you’re susceptible to these seasonal conditions, Homoeopathic Medicine may be the solution you’ve been looking for!
The common cold is an upper respiratory infection that affects nasal passages and the throat. A cough is an attempt to clear the air passages of irritation.
Resistance to these infections is very important and is dependent on good general health, which includes a balanced diet, daily physical exercise, rest, recreation, and unstressful living. However, with the busy lifestyles we lead these days, it’s becoming harder to maintain our level of good health which we enjoyed when we were younger.

What are the differences between conventional and homoeopathic treatment for colds?
Frequently associated with colds are fevers, coughs and runny noses. Orthodox medicine prescribes fever-reducing chemicals such as Aspirin, a decongestant such as Actifed and a cough suppressant such as codeine-containing syrup.
Homoeopathy would prescribe a single medicine; in this case Allium cepa, as its sphere of action is for a fever, dry cough, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, and other familiar cold-related symptoms. Allium cepa administered in homoeopathic doses to a person exhibiting these symptoms, will give almost immediate relief and abatement of the cold.

Homoeopathic medicines can be used to build the body’s defences and to speed up the cure. A well indicated medicine will reduce the chances of complication and other symptoms such as bronchitis and catarrh (congestion). In the later stages of a cold, homoeopathic medicine can be given to treat infection, which may have spread to the chest, the throat, or ears.

Influenza, commonly called flu, is a viral disease and does not respond to antibiotics. Symptoms usually manifest as those affecting the nose, throat and chest; and those that affect the stomach and the bowels. Both have the general symptoms of chills, fever, headache, and muscular aches and pains.
Oscillococcinum, the Homoeopath’s answer to prophylaxis for colds and flu, can be used as a preventative treatment in the short term and in the long term as a curative treatment. This medicine has a remarkable anti-viral action.

Some of the effective treatments which are prescribed for colds and influenzas are:
Aconite is for the first stages of a cold, which has occurred after exposure to cold, dry winds. The person is restless and anxious with sudden chills, and fever.
Nux vomica is given when the nose is blocked, and is worse at night but running during the day. Together with a sore throat, the patient suffers from intense chills with shivering and the inability to stay warm.
Gelsemium is for the influenza which greatly affects a person by causing tiredness and weakness of the whole body. Sneezing is associated with a watery nasal discharge, a dull headache and fever. There is also difficulty in swallowing with no thirst.

So, if you catch a cold or flu, go home and rest. Don’t spread your germs during the first few days when you are so infectious. Take extra vitamin C. With flu, drink fluids as much as possible. Use steam inhalations to help disperse the catarrh, but do not use strong smelling inhalations such as eucalyptus oil or camphor which may antidote the effects of your homoeopathic medicine. Most importantly, rest for a few days and give your body the chance to recover.

Are you sick of being a hay fever sufferer?

Hay fever and Allergic Rhinitis are both caused by allergies to airborne irritants, but whereas hay fever is mainly a spring/summer ailment, allergic rhinitis occurs all the year round, and is often aggravated by some form of food allergy. In both conditions, there is usually a family history of asthma or eczema. Grass, tree and flower pollens, and mould spores from trees are the culprits in hay fever; in allergic rhinitis the range of irritants is much wider, which may include hair, skin, fur, feathers, house dust, house dust mites, cigarette smoke, and various smells.

The body over-reacts to some or all of these, producing histamine which draws fluid to the site of the ‘attack’, causing an increase in discharges, together with swelling, itching, tickling, and redness. Eyes and nose are affected the most, but lips, ears, throat and lungs can also be involved. Repeated sneezing is not only very tiring, uncomfortable and frustrating, but can also aggravate “stress incontinence”.

Skin tests may enable the practitioner to pinpoint the substances you are allergic to, but skin reactions become less and less reliable the more allergies you have.

Conventional treatments include antihistamines, which block the action of histamine, but some can cause drowsiness and can increase the effects of alcohol; decongestants, which can damage the nasal membranes if used for any length of time; steroid nasal sprays, which reduce the inflammation; and desensitising injections, which eventually switch off the body’s reaction to a particular allergen, but which have also been known to cause anaphylactic shock or lead to full-blown asthma; for this reason, such injections are no longer given by GP's and nowadays only rarely by allergy clinics in hospitals.

The homoeopathic view of hay fever and allergic rhinitis is that they are deep-seated conditions which require, in the first instance, constitutional treatment; hay fever in particular may take two or three seasons to cure. Nosodes (Homoeopathic medicines made from the actual allergens) of pollens or other allergens can also be given as preventatives. In acute episodes, however, the following are some of the recommended remedies.

Arsenicum iodatum is prescribed when thick, honey-colored discharge from the nose is seen following three or four days of sneezing, together with sore nostrils and a burning sensation. There is also an irritating cough and burning in the throat. Warmth makes the symptoms worse.
Arsenicum album is for the person who sneezes without relief, which is worse in the open air, and better from warmth and when indoors. The nose is blocked, but has a burning, watery discharge. When suffering, the person has a slightly higher temperature with sore eyes.
Arundo is for a dose of hay fever early in the season, where the sufferer experiences a tickling in the nose, and sneezing, however, without a discharge. The palate also itches, and so do the ears.
Allium cepa is where there is a burning discharge from the nose, a bland discharge from the eyes, (which also hurt from light), and a sharp, sticking pain in the larynx. The person feels slightly worse indoors, than out, and worsened by warm food or drinks.
Euphrasia is prescribed for the person who suffers from a thick burning discharge from the eyes, (which are very swollen), a bland discharge from the nose, a productive cough, and all symptoms are slightly worse when the person is indoors.
Sabadilla is for the case of violent sneezing with a runny nose and watery eyes, red, burning and swollen eyelids, a sore throat which is soothed by warm drinks, and a feeling of generalized chilliness.

Self-help recommendations. Avoid all known irritants if at all possible. If you suffer from hay fever, keep track of the pollen count and take preventative measures. Air filters over open windows are also beneficial. These can be made inexpensively by sandwiching a layer of cotton wool between two layers of fine mesh gauze stretched across a wooden frame. Blow your nose gently, as hard blowing only bursts the offending grains of pollen and increases their irritant effects.
The medicines mentioned above are only a few of those prescribed for hay fever and allergic rhinitis, so if you are a sufferer, please phone us to see how we can help you permanently overcome these allergic reactions.

Could you be suffering from arthritis?

With age, injury or overuse, cartilage covering articulating surfaces of bones breaks down; underlying bone becomes thickened and distorted, restricting joint movement and sometimes causing episodes of inflammation, pain swelling and stiffness. Joints most commonly affected are the load-bearing ones—hips, knees and the spine. Ninety percent of people over 40 have some degree of arthritis in one or more joints. This condition can be aggravated by being overweight, by the cold or changes in the weather, by an over-acid diet, (Please contact us for more information on the ‘arthritis-free diet’), and possibly by laxative abuse.

Conventional treatments include painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid injections into the joints, physiotherapy to prevent muscle wasting, and replacement of worn joints, (especially the hips), with artificial ones.

Homoeopathy offers constitutional treatment if the arthritis is chronic, but for isolated flare-ups, the medicines below have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of most forms (especially Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis) of arthritis.

Rhus tox is for the type of arthritis with hot, painful swelling of the joints. The joint pain and stiffness are relieved by warm applications and by movement, but worse in the morning, and always aggravated by the cold.
Bryonia is for mild to severe joint pain, which is worsened by the slightest movement and by warmth, but relieved by rest, cold applications and pressure bandages.
Pulsatilla for the sufferer with wandering pains in the joints, particularly in the hip and knees. These symptoms are slightly relieved by cold applications and by motion.
Calcarea phos is for when the affected joints feel cold and numb, and when the pain and stiffness increase with the changes in weather.
Ledum for the after effects of steroid injections, or for arthritis affecting the small joints, especially the toes which are painful and make cracking noises. The pain is relieved by cold applications and there is a tendency for the condition to progress up the body.
Arnica is for joint pain which is a consequence of, or made worse by an injury.
Aconite for severe flare-ups in cold dry weather.

Self-help recommendations.
Two-thirds of arthritis sufferers find the ‘arthritis-free diet’ beneficial, however, you need to stick strictly to the diet for one month, to see if it does help you. Make every effort to lose some weight if needed. Sleep on a firm bed and take several short rest periods during the day. Maintain a regular exercise program, to strengthen the supportive muscles around the affected joint. If the arthritis is disabling, special equipment is available, such as long-handled dustpans, retrieving sticks, can and jar openers, etc to help you adjust, and make life a bit easier.