BEFORE discussing remedies for a common cold there are two points which I desire to emphasize: FIRSTLY, NEVER SEEK TO ” BREAK A FEVER” with any antipyretic drug, no matter how skilfully advertised and declared to be “quite safe”. Note how many manufacturers declare that their own product is “the preparation” and so, by inference, casting doubt on all other makes.
If there was not some serious doubts somewhere, why so expensively advertise the particular ” safety” of their own brand ? “Breaking the Fever” with medicines has killed thousands though this procedure is quite orthodox practice. Unfortunately the laity have learned this parlour trick from the allopaths: nevertheless,it is highly dangerous. Antipyretics are heart depressants. so, when taken, patients have to carry a double load in their ailments–the disease plus the drug.
Our late homoeopathic leader. Professor Bakody, of Budapest University, demonstrated some thirty or thirty-five years ago, with macroscopic aid, that the white blood corpuscles (phagocytes) work with increasing vigour in destroying microbes with every degree of fever-raised bodily temperature above normal up to 105.5 F. Hence fever is one of natures safeguards, the sick mans best friend and actually aids in recovery.
SECONDLY, although I have mentioned microbes to explain the beneficent role of fever, my advice is FORGET ALL ABOUT THEM and remember that homoeopathic stimuli cured diseases long before microbes were known. We STIMULATE NATURE, and it is Nature which disposes of the microbes.
The following advice is not based on personal opinion. It is called from about 140 years of homoeopathic records. The time of years is at hand when you must be ready to aid yourself or others promptly, for with every sudden change of weather Common Colds will claim their victims.
It is good policy to have a small case of homoeopathic medicines always on hand so as to be ready at once to tackle any departure from normal health. Any of our chemists will help to choose, say a dozen remedies best suited for immediate use.
If for the sake of economy you wish for fewer remedies, start with Aconite and Belladonna, and after reading this article you should choose one or two others, which you think will be suitable to your general types of colds, judging from past attacks. Buy in small quantities, half ounce bottles are large enough and see that each medicine is renewed as its bottle is two-thirds depleted.
A WORD AS TO THE POTENCY OR STRENGTH to be used. I would as readily employ the 30th potency guided by the experience of myself and thousands of other, but for beginners I advocate the 6x (sixth decimal) potency for all vegetable remedies. It is important to note that the salts of Mercury and all other minerals and a few snake poisons should in the 30th strength,or higher, and certainly never below the twelfth decimal potency. This class of medicine acts much better in the higher potencies.
All remedies must be bought from an accredited homoeopathic chemist with this caution added, that all remedies must be kept well corked and in a cool and dark place and away from all perfumes and most especially not in the same room with Camphor, which will destroy nearly every one of our drugs. One more admonition: Coffee must not be taken whilst employing our homoeopathic remedies as it has the power to nullify or destroy many vegetable medicines.
Of course, antipyretics, such as Aspirin and Quinine, and all allopathic drugs are taboo. It is also better to keep your medicines under lock and key as I have heard of medicines having been mixed just for fun ! when good result were lacking.
NOW A WORD AS TO MEDICATION. A general rule which will apply to most remedies to be used in acute troubles such as Common Colds, is to place there to five medicated pills under the tongue and allow them to dissolve slowly; repeat this every half to every two hours according to the seeming urgency of the case, but pray stop all medicine as soon as the symptoms abate ever so little.
This method applies to medicine bought in pill from, the pills being saturated with the medicine, each pill containing about one drop. THE GLANDS OF THE MOUTH ABSORB THE MEDICAL STIMULUS WHICH might be destroyed in the juices of the stomach. If medicines in liquid from are to be used, put ten to fifteen drops in half a tumbler of cold water. Stir well for some minutes, or better still, use two tumblers, pouring the medicated water back and forth for a minute or so, then have the patient take a teaspoonful, holding same in the mouth as long as is convenient, before swallowing.
Every chill, the precursor of a common cold, start with a febrile condition, for the initial stage of which homoeopaths always employ Aconitum napellus (Aconite). We know that if one can recognize and prescribe for a chill during the first hour or so and before it has had time to localize itself, Aconite in minute dosage is an also ancient remedy.
As it is difficult to be certain that the local inflammation is not actually present almost from the start it has become a clinical routine to alternate Aconite and Belladonna in the earliest hours of any chill. A great Teutonic observer pointed out the value of this alternation, and that Aconite stimulates, correctively, the arterial circulation.
Hence it is good practice if you have these two medicines on hands to alternate Aconite (3x, 6x or 30x) with Belladonna (3x, 6x or 30x), spacing these remedies fifteen minutes apart for six to ten doses each, when the patients chill symptoms, if not already arrested, must be carefully reviewed seeking to find out if any new and peculiar symptoms of ill-health have arisen when the most nearly similar medicine must given in place of the others.
The majority of all chills will develop into common colds but if Aconite and Belladonna are given as indicated, these chills will be found to have disappeared overnight.
If Aconite and Belladonna do not arrest the common cold because they were not given soon enough, they will at least modify the severity of any attack. The lesson here is that everybody should possess a bottle of Aconite and another of Belladonna for IMMEDIATE USE, at any time when there is a suspicion of a chill.
Please do not forget to stop all medicine the moment you think that you are a trifle better. You have obtained the drug stimulus and the reaction will continue for some time. NATURE CURES. To continue the medicine on the supposition that if some is good, more must be better will end in retarding your recovery.
Supposing that you have not been fortunate enough to stop the initial chill and you now find that you have localized symptoms, you must at once at once consult your text-book, seeking to find the exact peculiar symptoms you, or the patient, is experiencing and matching such with the drug picture as found in your Manual. Herein I can only point the way briefly for you study by given the most typical and striking symptoms of the few medicines most frequently called for.
You, the unseen readers, alone can make the final choice of the medicine. It is quite interesting, especially when you find that a quick cure follows. When Aconite and Belladonna are no longer suitable for the Patient the medicine which clinical experience has proved of the most often called for in the Common Colds of Autumn is:.
DULCAMARA. When indicated the patient will have many of the following symptoms. At first the nasal passages are dry, very dry, stuffed-up, in fact complete stoppage of the nose with antrums and supra-nasal fossa undoubtedly involved (dont rush into an operation for antrum or sinus trouble before trying homoeopathy thoroughly).
Any discharge which generally comes with a gush will be thick yellow, with some lumps in it, and even some bloody crusts at times; this alternated with a watery discharge. The least breath of cold air stops up the nose for the time, the eyes often have some thick yellow matter gumming up the lids in the early morning; clod-sores from on the lips and around the nose with crust-forming secretions; headaches, worse at the back.
If there is also green, slimy, mucous diarrhoea, after taking a chill, the better is this drug indicated; spasmodic cough, cased by a tickling in the back of the throat, dry burning skin, with many shivers, etc. Clinical observation of nearly 140 years have taught the homoeopaths that these Common Colds curable by Dulcamara are brought on by the very sudden changes of temperature, hot muggy days, followed by chilly evenings and nights, or by being suddenly chilled by a cold rain, acting on a most body.
I should like to describe the following medicines with the same detail as given to Dulcamara, but I only have space to give the most prominent key-notes of each. They are most valuable when the patients symptoms are similar. Each cold in any individual must be studied separately and treated accordingly, guided by actual symptoms noted at the moment.
Even if Dulcamara cures you cold this Autumn, very brilliantly, it will not be your particular remedy next year, unless your symptoms then are Dulcamara symptoms.
