Kali iod. produces redness and swelling of the nose together with constant discharge of watery acrid colorless liquid, together with lachrymation and oedema of the eyelids, as in Apis, Kali carb. and Rhus tox.
It is a great anti-syphilitic and comes in often to supplement the action of Mercury when the latter ceases to act.
Lachesis, too, has hypersensitivity to touch. He cannot tolerate the contact with clothes. Its pathogenesis is chiefly left-sided. All the symptoms are < after sleep, or the aggravation wakes him from a state of sleep. The pains in the darkly injected throat are < by hot drinks and on awakening, and the swallowing of liquids is more painful than solids.
Lycopodium, contrary to Lachesis, affects the right side. The nostrils are stopped up at night. The discharge of crusts and elastic plugs is similar to Kali bi. The affected throat becomes involved from right to left, is < after sleep and from cold drinks. Gastric symptoms are usually present when Lycopodium is the remedy, the chief characteristic being the excessive accumulation of flatus in the abdomen and the satiety on partaking of only a small quantity of food. The rapid motion of the alae nasi in respiratory troubles recalls the action of Phosphorus and Antimonium tart. The aggravation of all symptoms from 4 to 8 p.m. is a grand characteristic.
Mercurius viv. has fluent acrid corrosive coryza, the nostrils being raw and ulcerated. There is profuse discharge of tenacious fetid saliva which he must constantly swallow, yet with this oral moisture the thirst is great. The large flabby tongue shows the imprint of the teeth. Creeping chilliness is a frequent symptom. The chief characteristic of Mercurius, regardless of the disease entity it is called upon to cure, is the aggravation of all symptoms at night and also from the warmth of the bed. The perspiration is profuse yet brings no relief as it does when Psorinum or Natrum mur. are the remedies.
Nux vomica suffers from profuse discharge of the acrid mucus from the obstructed nostrils. The coryza is fluent in the morning and stopped at night. Like Pulsatilla the coryza is better in the open air and < from the warmth of the room. A guiding concomitant is a sensation of heat in the face as though standing near a hot stove.
Over-sensitivity to all impressions and irritability are the characteristic mental states. He is chilly on the least movement and even though his body is burning hot he cannot move or uncover without feeling chilly.
Phosphorus, like Nux vomica, has over-sensitivity of all the senses to external impressions. A weak, empty, all gone feeling, the vomiting of drink as soon as it becomes warmed in the stomach, a painless diarrhoea, the cough which is < from laughing, talking, reading, drinking, eating, and from lying on the left side, and on going from warm to cold air, being here the reverse of Bryonia, the laryngitis with hoarseness and the sensation of a weight on the chest, are the characteristics which paint the picture of this drug.
Phytolacca occupies a position between Bryonia and Rhus tox, and often cures when these fail though apparently well indicated. The throat is of a dark red color, with large, dropsical, almost translucent uvula. The pain shoots from the throat into the ears on swallowing. Deglutition also causes pain at the root of the tongue with burning as from a coal of fire, yet with this and the sensation of lump in the throat, there is a continuous desire to swallow. Hot drinks cause an aggravation as in Lachesis. A tendency to induration of the cervical and carotid glands in common.
Pyrogen, a product of sepsis, is often called for when the best selected remedy fails to improve the patient or bring relief. The bed feels hard as in Arnica; parts lain on feel sore and bruised as in Baptisia. A restlessness which brings relief from the soreness, the large clean fiery red tongue and a pulse abnormally rapid, being out of proportion to the temperature, are frequent indications for Pyrogen in septic states.
The ever-changing symptom picture, the rapidly shifting pains from one part to another, the chilly state, the absence of thirst, even in the presence of a febrile condition, the tendency to weep, the thick, bland, yellowish green secretions from all mucous membranes, the aggravation from the warmth of the room and relief from the cool open air, together with an aggravation of all complaints as the evening approaches, heralds Pulsatilla as the remedy of choice.
Very often Rhus tox. is called upon in influenza with restlessness, chiefly of a physical nature, the constant shifting of position bringing relief from the pain. A characteristic symptom is the production of the cough on putting the hand out from under the bed cover. No matter what the name of the disease, the characteristic of Rhus is the aggravation of symptoms during repose and the relief obtained by motion.
Sabadilla produces profuse lachrymation and sneezing, which is < in the open air and in bright light, and is accompanied by a sensation of heat in the face just as in Nux. The soreness of the throat runs from left to right as in Lachesis, but unlike it, there is a desire for hot drinks which bring relief. The sensation of a lump in the throat creates a constant desire to swallow.
Sanguinaria nitrate irritates intensely the mucosa of the nose, eyes, throat and bronchi. There is dryness and burning of the eyes and nose with a sensation of rawness extending all through the nose, posterior nares and the throat. The circumscribed redness of the cheeks is a frequent concomitant.
In the Homoeopathic Recorder for November, 1938, an excellent description of the action of the Influenzins is given by Dr. Guy Beckley Stearns, but because of the time and space limitations of this paper, the reference only to the article must suffice.
Other remedies which are often indicated are Senega, Silphium lac., Spigelia, Stannum and Sticta pulm., but a description of these will not be given.
Psorinum, Sulphur, Laurocerasus, Selenium, Capsicum, Opium, Carbo veg., Ambra grisea and Valerian come into play often in those cases of influenza where the lack of reaction on the part of the organism is to be overcome, and ultimate cure brought about.
