Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

7/8/2023

It's Never Too Late, 5: Coughing

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“Homeopathic treatment is always worthwhile, even in individuals who are seriously ill and in need of care where there is no hope of complete recovery of health” (Teut and Doppler 2019).

Coughs are considered chronic when they last for 8 weeks or longer (4 weeks in children).

Nuisance? Yup. Annoying? Yup. (For the cougher and those around you.) Dangerous? Sometimes — be sure to seek the opinion of a medical professional if you are suffering from a chronic cough. Additionally, severe coughs can cause vomiting, dizziness, incontinence and even rib fractures.

What causes a chronic cough? Allergies. Postnasal drip. Asthma. Smoking. Acid reflux. Infections (colds and flus). Pneumonia (if you suspect this, please go to the doctor). Fungal infections of the lung. COPD. Some drugs can be the cause of chronic cough. The list goes on, but I dare say you get the picture. Plenty of underlying reasons for a chronic cough.

The beautiful part of homeopathy… well, there are many beautiful parts to homeopathy, actually. I digress. Back to today’s beautiful part of homeopathy. The underlying cause doesn’t matter. If we know the reason, it can sometimes be helpful, but it’s not a necessary component to find relief.

According to pulmonologist Jonathan Parson from Ohio’s Weiner Medical Center, it’s important to remember that coughing is considered to be a “protective mechanism.”

A few descriptions of coughs:

A wet cough, also known as a productive cough, brings up mucus.
Dry cough: can be tickling, annoying, hacking; this kind of cough may come in groupings.
Paroxysmal coughs: violent, draining coughs that can make it hard to breathe.
Hemoptysis: this is the coughing up of blood. * Please seek medical treatment ASAP.

Some coughs come in the middle of the night, waking the poor soul (and their spouse). Some people cough first thing in the morning. Some people cough all day long sometimes escalating to the point of vomiting.

With so many different kinds of cough, it’s no surprise there are a lot of homeopathic remedies which may help.

Today, I’m going to do a brief repertory (listing the specific type of cough and the associated remedies) followed by a short Materia Medica (a write-up of the remedies) for a couple of my favorite cough remedies. Note: this is an incomplete repertory. (Frederik Schroyens lists over 4,000 rubrics for cough!) I concentrated only on the most highly indicated and easily available remedies.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are many possible underlying reasons for cough, some of which can be very serious. I have highlighted only a couple of these symptoms. If you are suffering from a chronic cough, have it evaluated by a medical professional.

Bursting head pain during cough: Bryonia, Natrum muriatium, Nux vomica,

Coughing worse by eating: Antimonium tart, Bryonia, Nux vomica

Cough with obstructed breathing: *BE SURE TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE IMMEDIATELY. While waiting for help to arrive, try one of the following: Antimonium tart, Arsenicum album, Cuprum metallic, Drosera, Ipecac, Nux vomica

Cough with rattling in the chest: Antimonium tart, Ipecac, Nux vomica

Cough with vomiting: Antimonium tart, Bryonia, Drosera, Nux vomica

Evening cough: Bryonia, Nux vomica

Eyes watering during cough: Bryonia, Natrum muriaticum,

Fear of coughing: Antimonium tart, Apis, Drosera

Involuntary urination with Cough: Apis, Arsenicum album, Bryonia, Causticum, Natrum muriaticum Nux vomica

Painful cough: Bryonia, Causticum, Nux vomica

Suffocating, choking cough: Antimonium tart, Cuprum, Drosera, Ipecac,

Tickling cough: Drosera, Ipecac, Nux vomica

Vertigo/dizziness with coughing: Antimonium tart, Arsenicum album, Nux vomica

On to the materia medica!

Antimonium tartaricum:

Cough followed by vomiting
Must sit up to breathe or cough
Coughs and yawns alternately
- sleepiness with cough
Coughing and gasping
Cough made worse by eating, with pain in the chest and larynx
Loose, rattling cough — but very little is coughed up
Dizziness with cough
Coughing at 4 am
Whooping cough
Spasmodic cough, with much wind

Bryonia:

Pain in the chest during cough
- Cough with the feeling as if the chest would fly to pieces; must support the chest while coughing
Inability to cough due to the pain
Dry, hacking cough
- as if the cough is coming from the stomach
Wants to take a deep breath but can’t because it makes the cough come on
Cough with sneezing
Pain in the abdomen with cough
Convulsive, spasmodic cough
Loose cough in the morning
Vomiting of food from the cough
Incontinence during cough
Teeth pain during cough

Cuprum metallicum:

Cough in violent paroxysms, coughs self out of breath
Difficult breathing with cough *Seek medical attention
Cough better cold drinks
Cough worse deep breathing, bending backwards
Cough has a gurgling sound, better by drinking cold water
Whooping cough
Distressing cough
Painful cough
Paroxysmal cough attacks, uninterrupted, OR, consisting of few long coughs
Sudden coughs
Nausea after a cough

Drosera:

Whooping cough (principle remedy for)
- Spasmodic cough resembling whooping cough
Violent, tickling cough
Frequent barking cough, worse in the evening and after midnight
Vomits if cannot get up the phlegm
- vomiting of slimy matter and of food during the cough
- retching, gagging with cough
Coughs and chokes
Cough worse singing or talking
Very deep and hoarse cough
Abdominal pain during the cough
Accelerated breathing during the coughing
Difficult breathing during cough *Seek medical attention
Holds the chest during cough due to pain
Distressing cough; tormenting cough
Irritable cough from the trachea
Nose bleed with cough
Incontinence during cough
Incessant cough
Very talkative after coughing
Nausea after a cough

Dulcamera:

Whooping cough
Cough, worse cold, wet weather
Winter coughs
Cough after physical exertion
Hoarse, spasmodic cough
Loose, rattling cough
Must cough a long time to expel phlegm
Prolonged cough, caused by tickling in back of the throat with much loose easy expectoration -- especially in the elderly

Ipecac:

Whooping cough
Incessant cough, and violent, with every breath
Wheezing cough
Suffocative cough
- difficult breathing with cough *Seek medical attention
- in the evening
Rattling cough
Tormenting cough
Cough with runny nose
Nausea during the cough
Vomiting food from the cough

Nux vomica:

Cough with the sensation as if something has torn loose in the chest
Desire to eat during cough
Tight, dry, hacking cough, at times with bloody expectoration. *Seek medical care if you are coughing up any blood
Cough brings on a bursting headache
An exhausting cough
Pain in the abdomen during cough
Suffocative cough
- Breathing is difficult during a cough *Seek medical attention.
Whooping cough
Distressing cough
Dry cough in the middle of the night, sometimes lasting until daybreak
Irritable cough in the air passages
Painful cough
Tickling cough
Violent coughing in the morning before getting out of bed
Incontinence during cough
Incessant cough
Restlessness with coughing

I could literally keep writing for days about various coughs and their homeopathic remedies.

Just know that if you are suffering from a chronic cough, there’s a good chance homeopathy may help. What have you got to lose?!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

Reference list

Judah, 2020. Types of Coughs in Seniors: ‘Pardon me, I have a cough!’ [online]. Laurel Bay Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Murphy, R., n.d. Homeopathic Remedy Guide. accessed through Radar Opus.

Murphy, R., n.d. Repertory, version 3. Accessed through Radar Opus software.

Schroyens, F., n.d. Synthesis Adonis. (accessed through Radar Opus software).

Song, W.-J., Morice, A. H., Kim, M.-H., Lee, S.-E., Jo, E.-J., Lee, S.-M., Han, J.-W., Kim, T. H., Kim, S.-H., Jang, H.-C., Kim, K. W., Cho, S.-H., Min, K.-U. and Chang, Y.-S., 2013. Cough in the Elderly Population: Relationships with Multiple Comorbidity. PLoS ONE [online], 8 (10), e78081.

Teramoto, S., 2005. Significance of chronic cough as a defence mechanism or a symptom in elderly patients with aspiration and aspiration pneumonia. European Respiratory Journal [online], 25 (1), 210–211.

5/27/2023

It's Never Too Late, 1: Cognitive Decline

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Part 1 of a short series on aging and homeopathy.

It’s never too late to try homeopathy. In other words, homeopathy can work beautifully in addressing those conditions/symptoms that we generally attribute to “old” people.

I don’t think people are as old as they used to be. Maybe it’s cuz I’m firmly ensconced in my middle years or, maybe, they just aren’t as old as they used to be. Wasn’t it declared that 60 is the new 40 a few years ago? I think it’s true.

Regardless, barring the worst case scenario, aging is inevitable. Though we can kick the can down the road and we can treat ourselves well and keep things at bay, generally speaking, we’re all going to get there eventually and more likely than not, we’re going to feel our age at some point in time.

What kinds of things am I talking about?

According to Vital Record, 92% of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77% have two (Smith 2018). [Note: I tried to find an age for “senior citizen” on the internet and it appears to be not a thing. Some places say 60-65, others say when someone retires or receives social security benefits. I thought it was a definite number. Who knew!?]

What constitutes a chronic disease? According to “an official website of the Department of Health and Human Services” (Anon. n.d.), it is a condition that lasts 12 months or longer and either limits the person or it results in ongoing medical intervention (which could certainly limit a person, but I digress). Well, you certainly don’t have to be old to have a chronic disease, but I suppose it only makes sense that we rack a few of them up as we trundle along through this thing called life.

American Senior Communities (2017) lists the following conditions as most common in the elderly.

Cognitive decline
Balance issues
Oral health problems
Heart disease
Osteoarthritis or osteoporosis
Respiratory diseases
Diabetes
Influenza or pneumonia
Vision or hearing loss
Cancer

Today begins a short series in addressing a few of these common “senior” conditions and how homeopathy may be of assistance.

Cognitive decline.

Vital Record says 47.5 million people worldwide have dementia and that number is expected to nearly triple by 2050. They also note that there is no cure for dementia, just a treatment plan and medications to manage the disease.

I’m not going to say that homeopathy holds all the answers to all the problems in the world of health, but I believe strongly that it’s a good place to start! It’s important to remember, homeopathy works beautifully alongside conventional medical treatment.

Homeopathy in Dementia (Teut and Doppler 2019) is a little book (75 pages, or so) listing short write-ups of 15 homeopathic remedies which may be of help in this difficult condition, followed by case studies. While I do know of some situations where homeopathic remedies are being lauded for a complete turn-around of cognitive decline following early intervention, that’s not where I’m headed in this article.

With dementia and related conditions, there are always side issues that come along. This is where homeopathy can really shine… improving the quality of one’s life.

Common side issues in dementia include:

Sleep issues resulting in the “need” for sleep medication
Excessive saliva/drooling
Unusual or “out of character” behaviors:
- aggression
- inappropriate behavior
- change in hygiene habits
Restlessness and anxiety
Depression
Constipation
Bladder issues/incontinence
Swallowing difficulty
Loss of appetite/ weight loss
Gastro-intestinal problems
Chronic cough/other respiratory conditions

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, just a sampling of quality of life issues which may possibly be helped through the use of homeopathic remedies.

If you are noticing your own mental decline or a loved one is suffering with dementia, I strongly urge you to consult with a professional homeopath to see how homeopathy may help.

“Homeopathic treatment is always worthwhile, even in individuals who are seriously ill and in need of care where there is no hope of complete recovery of health” (Teut and Doppler 2019).

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

Reference list

American Senior Communities, 2017. Top 10 Health Concerns for Seniors | ASC Blog [online]. Senior Living Communities & Nursing Homes in Indiana | ASC.

Anon., n.d. Chronic Conditions | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [online]. www.ahrq.gov.

Josh, 2022. 20 Most Common Medical Conditions Affecting Older People [online]. LifeConnect24.

Smith, S., 2018. 10 common elderly health issues - Vital Record [online]. Vital Record.

Teut, M. and Doppler, C., eds. 2019. Homeopathy in Dementia: Materia Medica and Case Studies. Emryss.

Ruminating on Remedies

Julia Coyte, CHom

It's Never Too Late, 5: Coughing

It's Never Too Late, 1: Cognitive Decline

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