NOTE
TO READERS: All homeopathic medicines are listed by their Latin names
in order for manufacturers and users to be as precise as possible on the
original source of the medicine. Please note that homeopathic
medicines are legally recognized as drugs (usually "over-the-counter
drugs," that is, drug that do not require a doctor's prescription due to
their widely recognized safety). Homeopathic medicines are most
effective when they are prescribed for the unique syndrome of symptoms
the sick person has, not just the name of the disease s/he has. Because
of the need for this degree of precision, the more knowledge the user
has on how to select the individually determined medicine, the better
the results with homeopathic medicines.
The information provided here is not only applicable to children but to most people with the common cold.
REMEDIES LISTED IN CAPITAL LETTERS REPRESENT MORE FREQUENTLY INDICATED REMEDIES
Not every cold needs to be treated, since the body's natural reaction
to the cold virus is a healthy response. Consider treating a cold if
the symptoms are significantly disturbing the child, if the condition
lingers, or if the child needs to attend a special event without having
respiratory difficulties.
ACONITUM: This remedy is useful primarily during the first 24 hours
after the onset of a cold. Typically, the child develops her cold or
cough after being exposed to dry cold weather. She wakes from sleep with
a dry, hoarse, croupy cough, especially worse at night and after
midnight. She has a dry mouth, shortness of breath, and little
expectoration. The cough is worse from being cold, drinking cold water,
from tobacco smoke, lying on either side, and at night.
ALLIUM CEPA: This common remedy for colds is effective when the child
has a profuse, fluent, burning nasal discharge which is worse in a warm
room and better in open air. The nasal discharge will irritate the
child's nostrils, causing pain from simply wiping his nose. He may also
have profuse bland (non-burning) tearing from the eyes. He has reddened
eyes and a tendency to rub them. He also tends to have a raw feeling in
the nose with a tingling sensation as well as violent sneezing.
Sometimes the discharge starts in the left nostril and moves to the
right. The child may occasionally experience a congestive headache in
the front part of the head.
Anas barbariae: Although this medicine (commonly marketed as
"Oscillococcinum") is primarily effective in treating influenza,
homeopaths have also found that it can also be helpful in treating the
common cold. There are no known symptoms from which to individualize
treatment, though it has been found to be very effective when used
within 48 hours of onset of symptoms. Consider giving it if you don't
know which other medicine to give.
Arsenicum: These children have a burning nasal discharge that
irritates the nostrils and upper lip. They are very chilly and are
sensitive to drafts or cold air. They may, in fact, sneeze from any
change in temperature. Typically, the cold begins in the nose and moves
down to the throat (once it goes down into the chest a different remedy
is usually needed). They also have dryness of the mouth that leads to a
great thirst but for only sips of water at a time.
Belladonna: This remedy should be considered when there is a sudden
stopping of nasal discharge, and it is replaced by a congestive, usually
throbbing, headache and high fever.
Bryonia: Like children who need Belladonna, children who need this
remedy have little or no nasal discharge but a more prominent head pain
over the forehead. Rather than throbbing pain however, these children
have a dull ache. They sneeze often which may cause stitching pain on
top of the head. The less the nasal discharge, the more painful becomes
the headache. Their mouth is dry, as well as their throat, and they may
also have a dry cough. They are very thirsty for cold drinks. They feel
worse in a warm room.
Calcarea carb: This remedy is for infants or children who experience
frequent colds and who fit the typical Calc carb syndrome. These
children are chilly and very sensitive to anything cold, though they
prefer to drink ice drinks. They may develop their cold after being
chilled. They sweat profusely and have a sour perspiration. Likewise,
their stools are sour smelling. Typically, these children are fair
skinned and pudgy with poor muscle tone. They may concurrently get a
sore throat with swelling of the tonsils and lymph nodes. They have a
thick yellowish nasal discharge and rattling respiration due to loose
mucus in the throat and chest.
Drosera: Bouts of continuous, dry, barking coughing are characteristic
of children who need this remedy. They may experience a spasmodic
tickling cough that is accompanied by choking, cold sweats, and
vomiting. Their cough is aggravated by lying down and after midnight,
especially at 2 a.m. The cough is irritated by talking, eating, or
drinking cold fluids. These children are usually seen holding onto the
chest for support during the coughing spells. They become very chilly
and tend to perspire profusely, especially at night. They may also
develop a deep hoarse voice.
EUPHRASIA: Children who need Euphrasia have profuse burning tears
from the eyes and a bland nasal discharge. The whites of the eyes and
the cheeks become reddened from the burning tears. The eye symptoms are
worse in the open air. The profuse bland nasal discharge, often
accompanied by sneezing, is worse at night, while lying down, and in
windy weather. After a day or two of these profuse discharges, the cold
then moves to the larnyx, creating a hard cough and a hoarse voice. The
cough is worse in the daytime and is ameliorated by lying down.
Ferrum phos: This remedy is effective for children who get head colds
with nosebleeds or who have blood in their nasal discharge.Children who will benefit from this remedy do not get symptoms that
arise suddenly, nor are the symptoms very intense. These children may,
however, be anemic and become ill after being exposed to cold. The cough
becomes worse from cold air, in early morning, and after eating. It is a
dry hacking cough, and the expectoration may have some blood in it. The
children may experience a stitching pain on inspiration and during a
cough. They usually have a poor appetite with an aversion to meat and
milk and a desire for sour foods. Hoarseness may accompany the cough.
Gelsemium: Children who need this remedy experience a watery nasal
discharge, sneezing, and fullness at the root of the nose. Concurrent
with this cold may be a fever, body aches, general fatigue, aching in
the back part of the head, and sometimes a sore throat.
Hepar sulphur: This remedy is indicated for children who sneeze from
the least exposure to cold air. Their nasal discharge is thick and
yellow, and their nostrils and the bones of the nose are very sore. The
nasal passages are sensitive to cold air. Sometimes these children
concurrently have a headache. Typically, they are sensitive to touch and
are generally irritable.
Ipecac: When children have a hacking cough with a tendency to retch or
vomit, this remedy should be considered. These children have
blood-strained mucus, constriction of the chest, and a tickling in the
throat, causing a cough. They tend to cough with every breath and
experience excessive salivation. The cough is worse in hot, humid
weather or in changing weather. They may also have sneezing and
hoarseness. This remedy is a common medicine for infants with a cough
and vomiting.
Kali bic: Stringy, ropy, yellow mucus is characteristic of children
who need this remedy. When children get a thick, viscid nasal discharge,
this medicine is invaluable. They may also experience post-nasal drip
with tenacious mucus and pain at the root of the nose which is better
from applying pressure there. There may be a constant inclination to
blow the nose. The discharge, along with the sneezing, is worse by
exposure to cold or in the open air. Sometimes these children get a
swollen throat which is relieved by warm liquids. A cough may also occur
concurrently.
Natrum mur: This remedy is most often given to children who get
recurrent colds and whose symptoms match the certain Natrum mur
characteristics. These children tend to develop their symptoms after an
emotional experience, especially after grief. Death, divorce, unrequited
love, or homesickness may create a grief that is not fully expressed,
eventually leading to various physical complaints. They experience
frequent sneezing and a profuse watery discharge from the nose and eyes,
and a loss of taste and smell. Eventually, the nasal discharge may lead
to a state of chronic nasal congestion and thick white mucus. Their
symptoms are worse in the morning, at which time they usually hawk up
much mucus. Dry and cracked lips or a cold sore may accompany the cold.
Nux vomica: These children develop their cold after overindulging in
over-eating of rich foods or after prolonged mental or emotional stress.
The nose alternates between having a fluent discharge and being dry and
blocked. The discharge is usually fluent in the daytime and obstructed
at night. This medicine is also a common remedy for the sniffles in
newborns.
PULSATILLA: This remedy is commonly given to children who experience
either acute or chronic colds. Typically, they have a thick, yellow or
greenish mucus, and a bland discharge (a discharge that does not
irritate or burn the nostrils or facial skin). They have nasal
congestion that is worse at night, especially upon lying down, which
leads to mouth breathing during sleep. Nasal congestion tends to
alternate sides. This congestion is worse in a warm room and is more
fluent in the open air. They sometimes develop their cold after
overindulging in fatty or rich foods. Despite having a dry mouth, they
are thirstless. Pulsatilla is a very common remedy for the sniffles in
newborns, especially when their nasal discharge is yellow or green. The
children who most commonly fit the Pulsatilla syndrome are emotional,
sensitive, and easily hurt. They are moody and weep easily. They crave
affection and sympathy and cannot get enough of it. They are
impressionaonable, so much so that if parents are worried about their
child's health, the child will tend to get worse, while if parents are
confident that the child will get better, the child usually does.
PHOSPHORUS: These children have a dry hard cough, sometimes with a
persistent tickle felt behind the sternum. The cough is aggravated by
lying down, especially on the left side, and they are wakened at night
and need to sit up to cough. They are also aggravated by talking,
moving, going from a warm room to cold air, or from strong odors. To
decrease pain from coughing, they usually hold their chest. The
tightness in their chest is relieved by the warmth of a bed. They crave
ice drinks. Their illness exhausts them, and they sometimes have an
empty, all-gone feeling or burning in the chest. Their nasal discharge
may have some blood streaked in it, and they may become hoarse. This
medicine is commonly given in more serious respiratory conditions like
pneumonia.
RUMEX: The most distinctive characteristic of children who need this
remedy is that their cough is extremely sensitive to cold air. They may
even place a blanket or towel over their head to avoid breathing cold
air. They experience a tickling in the throat and an irritation below
the larynx that is aggravated by touching or pressing th th the pit of
the throat. They have a dry cough and usually become hoarse. They are
aggravated in the night and by motion and feel better in warmth.
SPONGIA: This remedy is one of the primary medicines for a dry,
barking, croupy cough. The air passages are dry, the sputum is absent,
and the voice is hoarse. The coughing can be exacerbated by cold air,
warm rooms, tobacco smoke, talking, lying with the head low, drinking
cold fluids, or eating sweets. The cough also tends to be worse in the
early part of the night. Warm food or drinks, even in small doses,
provide some relief, as does sitting up and leaning forward. This remedy
is considered a second stage croup remedy, after Aconitum and before
Hepar and Kali bic.
