Will , MD Homeopathy, on whooping cough

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Will , MD Homeopathy, on whooping cough

This is from a conversation on an email list......

ashryn wrote,

>well, one of my worst nightmares may have come true.. my

unvaccinated 3year >old has a very nasty cough that i have been told

sounds like the beginnings >of whooping cough.

It is never easy when our own young-ones take sick. I find it easy

to offer knowledgable reassurance to my patients, but struggle so

often in these same situations with my own pain at seeing my own boys

not feeling well. Find someone for hugs (someone must know a nifty

little e-mail symbol for hugs?)

> i guess what i am looking for is reassurance that i am doing the

right >thing, it is so hard to hold on to my faith in homoeopathy

(actually in my >own abilities) when i am so close to it.. there isnt

anything allopathy can >do anyway, is there?

Conventional medicine can only intervene with supportive care

(observation, humidity, hydration, oxygen). Antibiotics do *not*

affect the course of the illness (except, perhaps, in the very early

catarrhal phase, before there is any clue that this might be whooping

cough); they may be given to the patient to reduce the possibility of

contagion to others. But consider that the most common side-effect

of erythromycin (the antibiotic most often used for this) is nausea ...

Perhaps one of the reasons allopathy worries so much about pertussis

is, that they " gots nothin' to do " for it. & allopaths basically

*hate* it when that happens.

>the cough is worse at night, and she has to sit up to cough, and

ends up >with tears streaming down her face after each bout.(not

crying from grief, >but from the sheer exertion.) she seems to be

being very brave, and when she >isnt coughing seems perfectly fine

My experience with pertussis is, that it is much much more difficult

for the parents than it is for the child. It is very hard to watch

these paroxysmal coughing episodes. I mean sure, they're rough for

the kid to go thru, but as parents we feel so incredibly

helpless. The kids seem mostly to recover just fine.

>her picture is that of a perfect pulsatilla, although the remedy

does not >act. so i gave her one dose of silica (the first chronic of puls)

Recall what Edouard wrote recently about the pace of remedies (he

used Bell & Calc-c as examples). It would be very unusual to see

Silica called for in an acute pertussis case in the paroxysmal cough

phase - the pace of this remedy just does not match the pace of the

acute paroxysmal illness.

Many of the common symptoms of pertussis seem to fit Pulsatilla -

worse in the first part of the night, <lying down, > (or at least

prefers) sitting up, etc. You usually need to look further at more

differentiating symptoms to find the simillimum.

As an aside, not really applicable to this case, if a " chronic of

Puls " does need to be given, it should still be a remedy that fits

the whole picture. Only Silica if it fits. See Boenninghausen's

concordances (in the back of his repertory) for other possibilities.

>and it >seemed to ease the cough for one night, but the next day

she was back to the >same deep wrenching cough that makes her feel

like vomiting. it does seem >that she has more mucus when she coughs

now and it is slightly less >spasmodic.. is this an improvement?

I suspect it is an indication that the remedy was not correct.

>her cough seems to fit drosera, but not the mentals..if i gave

this, would >it be supressive?

I have rarely seen the persecution, etc. of Drosera during a Drosera

whooping cough acute. Go to the most characteristic symptoms of the

case - which will likely be in the modalities ( & times), the physical

generals, concomitants to the cough, and any strongly characterizing

physical particulars.

>it has been going on for about 2 weeks now and i am starting to get

very >worried.

Going on for 2 weeks as it has, it is likely that you've pretty much

already seen what is in store for you. Emphasize rest ( & restful

activity) for all of the family during the day, so you can all pace

yourself through this. Plan on little treats for yourself during the

predictable night wakings, & breaks for self-refreshment during the

day, & work out some alternation of responsibilities so you don't all

get exhausted simultaneously.

I hope for the best for your family -

>i guess i am having some trouble just sitting back and

waiting.. >in my experience, homoeopathy works faster than this..

It usually does. I would expect at the least to see the cough settle

down into a semi-disturbing, no-gagging night-time cough without

nausea or wretching.

Will , MD

**********

Genus epidemicus is the remedy that fits most cases in an epidemic in

the community. Sheri

Lesson 8, Part 6 - More Will , Homeopathy, Pertussis - Drosera questions

>1) Drosera is used for Whooping Cough sx (indications correct

of >course). In one of the case histories Shepherd discusses, an 11

month >old boy who was exposed to whooping cough was taken to the

doctor on >the first day of his cough (The Whoop does not appear for

a week), the >child was sent home for that week. When he returned

with the whoop, >drosera cured in record time. (another week or

so.) > > Now in my studies I learned that a homeopathic medicine

given at >the onset of an acute can stop the acute from occuring. An

example is >Belladonna at the onset of flushed face, glassy eyes,

sore throat, and >instant fever, etc. > > Why couldn't drosera be

given to that child immediately? The child >was exposed, it was

probable he was in the prodromal period.

Good question. Actually there are two questions here - (1)does the

child need a remedy, and (2)what remedy does the child need? At the

onset of the illness, if Drosera matched the totality of symptoms,

this would be appropriate. But one couldn't knee-jerk to Drosera -

perhaps, after being exposed to whooping cough, the child is destined

to move into a Corralium rubrum state - or an Ipecacuanha state - or

a Kali-c state - or, God forbid, a Cuprum state (e.g.)- & then needs

that remedy, then. In the prodromal and catarrhal (early, pre-whoop)

phases of pertussis, one takes the case and gives the appropriate

simillimum if it can be perceived. Often a remedy is not needed or

appropriate at this stage (incidently, most pertussis patients never

pass this stage into whooping).

One could fall back on the " genus epidimicus " if one were perceived

locally in a pertussis outbreak, and count on perhaps some

statistical success - tho I've not seen a genus epidemicus in the

pertussis outbreaks that I've seen & treated - perhaps there is just

too much room for individuation of response to this illness.

Will , MD Homoeopathic Family Medicine