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Homeopathy for Cold and Flu Season
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Chris Jensen Homeopathic remedies have a long history of use worldwide, but can they really help at this time of year? And are they okay to use with immune-supportive formulas? Tune in to this encore interview for the answers and some expert recommendations. Dr. Christophe Merville is the Director of Education and Pharmacy Development for Boiron USA.
- Homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo meaning “similar” and pathos meaning “suffering.” It was first used by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in 1796.
- Homeopathic medicines are therapeutically active micro-doses of mineral, botanical, and biological substances. Similar to other over-the-counter medicines, homeopathic medicines can treat acute health conditions such as allergies, coughs, colds and flu symptoms.
- Homeopathic medicines are regulated as drugs by the FDA and are made according to the specifications of the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS), which lists approximately 1,280 medicines.
- If one chops several onions in a small kitchen, one will experience symptoms such as spasmodic sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes. All these symptoms will be improved by breathing fresh air. A patient experiencing these same symptoms, including feeling better when breathing fresh air, whether caused by allergy or a cold, will be relieved by a homeopathic preparation of the onion also known as Allium cepa. It is as if a very small amount of the onion helped the body to react better against symptoms of cold or allergy similar to those caused by the onion.
- Sometimes more than one medicine is needed for treatment. These combinations are available in a variety of dosage forms such as tablets, gels, creams, syrups, eye drops and suppositories.
- The sooner cold and flu symptoms are treated with homeopathic remedies, the better chance there is for a quick recovery and minimum disruption of lifestyle.
- Homeopathic medicines are among the safest choices for self-treatment and are generally free of side effects. They do not interact with conventional medicines or immune-building herbs or formulas.
- Many supplements or vitamins take some time to show their effect, whereas homeopathic medicines work very quickly.
- Eat a healthy diet rich in vitamins C and E. Foods containing these vitamins like nuts, seeds, citrus and broccoli are believed to help support the immune system.
- Stay hydrated. When you are feeling under the weather, drinking extra fluids prevents dehydration caused by cold and flu symptoms.
- Exercise regularly. Not only can regular exercise lower stress, but research indicates that exercise can stimulate the immune system and promotes healthy sleep.
146 Comments
Comments
I take vitamin C and eat lots of fruits and veggies to help out my immune system.
11/02/2011 4:11:51 PM CDT
I take lots of Vitamin C
11/02/2011 4:50:39 PM CDT
Why the bug hubbub over this type of treatment.
11/02/2011 9:04:48 PM CDT
I drink a lot of fresh vegetable and fruit juices during cold and flu season to help ward off infection.
11/02/2011 9:41:26 PM CDT
Our family drinks fresh squeezed fruit juices each morning, orange juice among them, laced with copious amounts of freshly crushed garlic to give our immune system a boost.
11/02/2011 10:19:34 PM CDT
One thing that works for me is making sure I get enough sleep and drinking plenty of water.
11/02/2011 10:44:10 PM CDT
For colds, I use salt lamps at night. If I start feeling symptoms, I use the netipot.
11/02/2011 10:55:45 PM CDT
This was incredibly informative. Great post.
11/03/2011 7:14:07 PM CDT
Thank you for the easy to listen to, easy to understand information on Homeopathy.
11/04/2011 12:01:44 AM CDT
I had no idea that the FDA regulated these treatments. That surprises me. I am glad that they are mostly side-effect free!
11/04/2011 9:00:26 AM CDT
Thanks for all of the information
11/04/2011 8:48:56 PM CDT
I liked reading more about homeopathy and it's history. I didn't really know that much before.
Dana Beeman: danabeeman(at)gmail(dot)com
11/04/2011 9:41:13 PM CDT
Thanks for the tips - I've caught a bit of a bug this week, and I'll definitely be trying some of these today. I've tried a few over the counter medicines that haven't helped much at all.
11/22/2011 5:31:20 PM CST
Haven't much tried an homeopathic remedies yet~! Interesting information, though!
11/07/2011 10:01:02 PM CST
The onion example really helped to explain homeopathy to me. Thanks.
11/08/2011 4:01:56 AM CST
Thanks for the explanation of Homeopathic medicine.
11/08/2011 4:13:17 PM CST
I usually avoid cold by dressing warm and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.
11/08/2011 4:32:21 PM CST
I know homeopathy sounds crazy, but if you don't use the remedies correctly they will not work. I started using it about a year ago and have been healed from lactose intolerance, soy intolerance, sensitivity to radiation (cell phones, laptops, etc.), strep throat (without antibiotics), bronchitis (without antibiotics), migraines, etc. I've started a blog documenting how I use homeopathy and my honest experiences on what works and what doesn't. http://www.livingcrunchy.com/category/homeopathy/
11/26/2011 11:57:13 AM CST
Cold is a familiar disease.Every one could suffer from this.This is a very interesting and informative post. thank you for sharing.
02/03/2012 2:05:51 AM CST
Most of the comments against this saying this is fake is probably by allopathy doctors who have no idea what is going on in tne body.."Talk to your doctor about this and that"- We have to go talk to them about diseases and they look and keep typing in a computer. They are so worried that people might resort to alternative medicine. So what if homeopathy is like a placebo - allopathic medicines can have serious side effects starting from dizziness to death. And ocourse they are also made of chemicals. Check how many people on the internet have complained about common cold, flu, sinus, migraine, abdomen pain..If you "real" doctors have no clue about all this and can only operate based on ultrasound, MRI results..you are all FAKE. You have no time to discuss with patients about symptoms at all..We can go and check and get these medicines directly and try them..unlike your HMO and stupid appointments that take us months together to get rid of a stomach ache.
12/19/2011 1:11:43 PM CST
Im a big believer in homeopathic treatments, we take 1 T of apple cider vinegar when our throats are sore, works great!
11/29/2011 3:57:01 PM CST