How many of you know someone who has already come down with the flu?
Susan Drury, professional homeopath, is a registered member of the North American Society of Homeopaths, the Canadian Society of Homeopaths and the Council for Homeopathic Certification and provides homeopathic services to North Vancouver, West Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland. She advises using homeopathy to ward off H1N1 (swine flu).
As a professional homeopath as well as a mother of three children, the calls and stories about people coming down with the flu are many.
At a recent family dinner, I was sitting next to my 13-year-old niece who became chilled, aching and feverish before dessert even reached the table. As our roles at the time were hostess (me) and guest (her), we couldn't move into what would have been the more appropriate roles of homeopath (me) and patient (her). However, I did give her a couple of doses of Oscillococcinum (a homeopathic remedy known to be helpful in generally stimulating the immune system against viral strains of influenza) and sent more home with her family to give her and also to take themselves as preventative measures. That night and the next day I also gave several doses of the same remedy to myself and my family, all of whom had also been at the dinner.
The end result? My niece was sick for several days with what the clinic called an "unconfirmed case of the H1N1 virus" and missed the first day of school, but has now recovered. Her dad, who didn't take any Oscillococcinum as prevention, also got sick and experienced the same set of symptoms. Her mom (who took numerous doses of Oscillococcinum and was the primary caregiver of her daughter and husband) felt tired and had a mild sore throat for a few days, but didn't get sick. Her brother (who maybe took a single dose of the remedy) didn't get sick. My 84-year-old mother felt a little off for a few days, and my 83-year-old father has been completely fine. One of my daughters had a sore throat and felt tired for a couple of days but with some rest and Oscillococcinum, bounced right back.
So of the 10 people sitting and eating with someone actively sick and infectious, the only person who went on to become ill was the one person who didn't take the Oscillococcinum. While this experience is hardly an example of rigorous scientific testing and analysis, someone wanting to help keep themselves and their families from getting sick this season might want to take notice.
The following are some natural ways to prepare for influenza season at home:
- Oscillococcinum is worthwhile to have on hand and take to help prevent the flu, including the H1N1 virus. My suggestion is to take several doses over the course of a day as a general prevention, once a month through flu season. If you know you have been exposed to someone with the flu, take another two doses that day. If you begin to feel as though you are coming down with something yourself, immediately take a dose and repeat every three hours for a day or two and see if that prevents the illness from taking hold.
- If you or a family member does get sick, have a kit of homeopathic remedies specific to influenza on hand at home to help ease the symptoms of the illness and promote a faster and more complete recovery. While taking the Oscillococcinum remedy earlier might have prevented my niece from getting sick, by that evening, the virus had penetrated too far into her system. At that point a different homeopathic remedy specific to her symptom picture would have helped her recover faster and feel more comfortable.
My niece's symptoms -- very fast onset, great chilliness, sore throat/cough and physical restlessness -- were best treated with the homeopathic remedy Aconite. A flu which has a more delayed onset over the course of a few days, might respond more to Gelsemium or Bryonia, each of which has their own individual symptom picture. Most cases of influenza can be helped by a small group of remedies so having these on hand ahead of time can stimulate a faster recovery and avoid complications.
- The full-blown symptoms of H1N1 include a cough, so anyone with compromised lung or breathing functions should be taking steps to strengthen their respiratory functioning now. For those who are in such a position, besides being under medical supervision, you may consider consulting a professional homeopathy or other holistic practitioner to aid in strengthening your overall constitution and addressing those areas of weakness.
So far, it seems as though the H1N1 virus is another flu virus that is highly contagious, but for the most part no more dangerous than the garden variety flu viruses which circulate year after year. It is, however, arriving much earlier than the normal influenza season, which traditionally comes more in December/January. This is, of course, the best-case scenario for the H1N1 influenza virus and could change as we go further into the traditional influenza season. Certainly people who do have compromised immune systems or lung/respiratory function need to be especially mindful of their health, just as they do in every influenza season.
The World Health Organization is still on full pandemic alert world-wide and fast-tracking the creation of an H1N1 vaccine. Ironically because the virus is already very much among us, by the time the H1N1 vaccine is ready for distribution later this fall, it is likely many of us will already have developed natural immunity to it -- either because we have had a full case of H1N1, or were exposed, but able to fight it off and create permanent immunity.
Protect yourself and be more empowered in meeting whatever health challenge comes up this influenza season. Assess your own overall health, well-being and health history, especially regarding influenza and upper respiratory illnesses. Look at natural means to boost your immune system and support your body by getting adequate rest, moderate exercise and high quality nutrition. If you don't already have a good relationship with a readily available doctor and alternative health practitioners, seek them out now. Create an influenza-specific kit of supplements and homeopathic medicines for home, ready if illness does strike. Be educated, be prepared, and you can comfortably meet whatever seasonal illnesses are going around.
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