EP27: Homeopathy for a Common Cold

Welcome to the Homeopathy at Home podcast. I'm Marcus Fernandez and I'm thrilled to have you join me on this journey into the world of homeopathy. This podcast is inspired by my book, Homeopathy at Home, which aims to empower you to take charge of your health using simple, effective homeopathic remedies. Together we're going to explore how homeopathy can be the key to unlocking your body's innate healing wisdom. Whether you're dealing with everyday ailments such as coughs, colds, strains and sprains, sore throats, or just seeking to enhance your health and well being, this podcast is your guide. So let's dive in and discover the transformative power of homeopathy in your everyday life. You never know what state somebody's going to present. What you're doing is a law of similars. We're matching whatever the symptoms people are expressing to a homeopathic remedy. So like I said about allium sipa, which is the red onion, you take a red onion, chop an onion, you why is water your nose runs where we use the red onion or allium sipa as its Latin name in homeopathy for people with similar symptoms. This is what we're doing in homeopathy. It's as simple as that. The law of similars. So I just want to welcome you all. Thank you so much for coming on today and also a big thank you to all you over a thousand subscribers now on our YouTube channel. So, so lovely to have you as well. So today we're going to be doing colds, the top homeopathic remedies for colds. So let's get started. Straight away, I'm enthusiastic. I want to share this with you because the thing about with these remedies, it can be so, so effective, especially again with the cold. But this can also not just be autumn time or winter time. People get summer colds, people get spring colds so often, like I said, it's people's ability to adapt to their environment. That's what often when people get sick. So what are cold symptoms? Well, we've all had colds, very, very common, but some of the symptoms they get, some people get more or less of these symptoms. You get a blocked or runny nose, you get a sore throat, you can get headache with it as well, muscle aches, coughs, sneezing, raised temperature, a bit of a fever, sometimes pressure in your ears and in your face, which often your sinuses or things can go into your ears and loss of taste and Smell. So people can, you can have some of those symptoms. You can have one or two of them, you can have all of them. It really depends because remember in homeopath could be five or six people who've got colds. But we all need different remedies, okay? We all need different remedies according to their characteristic symptoms. So this is so, so important. Remember, we've got to look at the characteristic symptoms. There's not one remedy for colds. Well, one remedy for coughs, one remedy for sore throats. We're looking at those individual symptoms and so we can be able to differentiate between the remedies. Now please, if you haven't already, check out my video on the top 10 tips for prescribing. While I go into how to prescribe potency, how to clams, or if you want to get the information around the acute, like the cold, so, so useful. So please, please do check that video out on the top tips of prescribing. So these symptoms can be the same in adults as well as in children. Sometimes can last longer in children. Okay? So just to remind you, please subscribe to the YouTube channel if you haven't already or spread the word, spread it around for people. The more people know about homeopathy, the better. And also check us out at che, the Centre for Homeopathy Education. We do many, many courses, all from beginners all the way to practitioner level. So, so let's look at the homeopathic remedies. And the first one, we're going to look at that old favorite, aconite. Now remember, aconite is usually for the first signs of a cold, the very first signs. And often they get sudden chill and it's a very sudden onset. With aconite it can get chilly, they get a bit feverish, bit shivering, and often it's when they've been out in dry, cold winds, being outside, kids are playing outside, you've been outside with the dog or for a walk or they've just been outside dry, cold winds and it's like a shock to the system. So all they could have got very, very cold. Okay? Or it could be from a shock or fright. Emotionally they could have a shock or fright. Then they start like they're coming down with a cold. So remember, the mental and emotional symptoms can be really, really important when looking at what remedy to take. But also, which can also can cause the state, okay? Because remember we're looking at often like we're look what's the cause behind it in homeopathy? So, so emotional Symptoms like shock, fright, bad news, grief, all these can also then lead into physical symptoms. So with aconite, they can get a pain at the root of the nose here and the nose can feel dry, can feel blocked, so you can feel dry in the mucous membranes or slight discharge. But if they do sneeze, when they're sneezing, there's a watery discharge and sometimes they feel it's like a hot water running from the nose. So it can sort of alternate. You'll get often with aconite, as you know, on the keynote is anxiety and fear, a sense of foreboding, a sense that they may, that they're going to die. So this is much more serious to get into this whole mental state. It's a lot of physical, a lot of mental restlessness. Okay, Worse in the evening, worse around midnight, worse from, from rising from a lying position. This can make the sneezing worse, for example, and the nose to run more. Better for open air, very thirsty for large quantities of cold water. And we talk about this dryness, there's a lot of dryness there sometimes as well. Alternating with these, the sneezing with watery discharge. And remember the four keynotes of aconite. Fear, fright, fast, fevers. Okay, I think that's just a really lovely little keynote for aconite in general. But remember, this is often for the first signs and it's very quite sudden onset, okay. Literally within half an hour of coming in from the cold, people can be affected. The next remedy, Allium Sepa, the red onion. Okay, so this is to me the law of similars. You know, you chop an onion up, your eyes water, your nose runs. While we use Allium Sipa for people with colds with similar symptoms. And this is often people get colds in from cold, damp weather. So the weather chain gets cold, damp or springtime. This is a big remedy for springtime colds. Again, you'll see at these transitional points, you know, spring into summer, autumn into winter, summer into autumn, winter into spring. These transition point, people can get sick also from getting the feet wet. So they've been outside, got the feet wet. This can bring on an allium sepa state. And predominantly it affects the nose on the left hand side. And they can have a profuse, watery, bland nasal discharge like a tap running with profuse sneezing. They're sneezing and sneezing and sneezing. And the nasal discharge they get can drip on the end of a nose like a tap. It's like it's just dripping and they Always have to have a tissue with them because it's coming out and it can burn the nose. But particularly with lmcp, it burns the upper lip here. Okay. It burns the upper lip here. And the eyes can sometimes look red and sensitive to light as well with watery, profuse discharge burning. So again, think of chopping an onion up your eyes. Water, your nose runs. And often with the cold, the head can feel bunged up and quite dull in the head. Worse for entering a warm room. So they go from a colder room into a warm room. The sneezing starts. Okay. So they're aggravated and worse for particularly entering a warm room and often worse in the evening. Better for cool open air, so they'll try to seek out cool open air. So this is how you differentiate between the remedies, looking at the sensations that people experiencing. Also looking at the modalities, what makes it better, what makes it worse. I'm sure everybody's had an allium C per cold at some point. Very common. Next remedy, arsenicum. So this is a streaming cold with nose and eyes. This is normally right sided. Okay. It's on the right side sneezing with a thin watery discharge which is acrid and burns. And the nose is constantly running with this acrid watery discharge which makes the skin around the nose. And also you can get sores inside the nose as well. So very, very sore and, and chapped almost around the wings of the nose. Very, very chapped. Okay. Like so with lmc, that's more the top of the lip the nose can be, but more the top of the lip or something. It's around the. No, the nose can have like sores inside the nose and the nose can feel bunged up, feel itchy and burning and they get sneezing on the morning, on waking. Now the key notes for arsenicum is they're tired, they're weak and they're exhausted. Tired, weak and exhausted. Again, this is how you're going to differentiate between the remedies. But incredibly fearful, as we know with arsenicum. Incredibly fearful. Look at the picture of this lady. Very difficult to reassure. They don't want to be left alone and they're desperate for company. But when they get people around them, they don't feel any better. And they're very difficult to reassure people when they're not in an arsenic state. Very restless, tosses around paces about, but it's coming from anxiety. So this is mental and emotional anxiety that is causing the restlessness or they can't get any relief. Very chilly or sending them Is incredibly chilly, difficult to get warm, and they're thirsty for sips of water, okay? So they sip. They don't glug the water down, they sip it. We talk about aconite. They have a thirst of great quantities of water. Not the same with arsenicum. They sip the water. Worse for cold, open air, worse around midnight. This is keynote for arsenicum. Between 11 to 2am it can be worse. Better indoors, but again, opposite to what we just talked about. Better sitting up, better for heat. And this is good for colds that go to the chest. And again, when we talked about coughs, with arsenicum, there's burning, okay? There's often burning with arsenicum. So again, great, great remedy. But again, looking at these keynotes, you don't need every single symptom of the remedy. Just need some really strong keynotes. Next remedy, Euphrasia. So this is eye bright. This is streaming from the eyes and the nose. But this mainly is colds that affect the eyes allure. I'd say it's more towards the nose, this is more towards the eyes. Even though they will have eye symptoms with alemcepa, much more the eyes. They are profuse, watery eyes, tears coming, streaming down their eyes, constantly watering. And they can have a sensation as if they've got sand in their eye, like this gritty feeling under the eyelids, really gritty feeling. And the tears that they have, they sting, they're acrid, they're irritating and feel hot. But the nasal discharge is bland. So it's not accurate. It's not sort of burning or anything like that. It's. Or excoriating. It's very bland discharge. It's more about the eyes, constant rubbing of the eyes. And because of that they can get blood. Eyes can go very red. Or better for blinking. They want to blink all the time. So they want to clear their eyes, okay? But they will rub them and they will come bloodshot because they're irritating, irritated. But they're definitely better for blinking. Then get oppressive pain across the forehead, okay? You can get headache with it as well. And the nose just will have this profuse running or dripping during the day. But at night it's blocked up. So it can be worse in the day. It's flowing at night. It blocks itself up better in open air, better wiping their eyes. Better for blinking. As I said, better for lying down. Worse indoors, worse morning, worse wind, worse sunlight. So if the sun, it can make the rides really watery and the worse in the evening, great, great remedy. Euphrasia. Again, look at the keynotes this is mainly colds that affect the eyes, but they will have a bland nasal discharge. Next remedy is ferrum fos. So this is a tissue salt or you can use it as a homeopathic remedy. And this is normally in the beginning stages of a cold. Bit like what's it about? Aconite. So because I do in alphabetical order, really this should go at the very beginning because it's like aconite comes at the beginning, but it's not as violence with or sudden as aconite. It's a bit like between aconite and gelsemium, which we'll do in a moment, but it's more slow. So this is often given for the beginning stages of the cold. I give it to my kids. First sign of a cold, they get farrow and frost. They always help them. Very nondescript colds. Colds that don't really have any symptoms give them ferrum false. So it's good for any form of inflammation. They can look red and flushed, but if you touch them, it's cold. It's not hot, not like belladonna, where they radiate heat in a fever. So they can look healthy because they've got a flush, red face. But it's a slow onset over a couple of days. But they are weary, they are lethargic and they again farrun phos tends to colds and with a watery discharge and often again go to the chest. This is the phosphorus element of ferrum phos and go to the chest. But they have a tendency to colds. They can also have nosebleeds from the colds. So the blow in the nose and then they get nosebleed again. It's the phosphorus part of ferrum phos thirst for cold water. And one thing they have is strange. They have cold hands and feet and they'll complain that the hands and feet feel cold. So that's ferrum phos great to have. As I said, at the beginning of any cold or inflammation that you get or kids get, really, really good. We're going to be doing. We've got a we webinar tomorrow on the 12 tissue salts for people. If you want to come to that with Dr. Taryn Jacobs, very, very experienced homeopath. So if you want to that Rebecca can post details in the chat. Okay. Gelsemium, gradual onset sensation of heaviness throughout the body. Again, this comes on slow. That pitch is great. Picture there of gelsemium. They're just like they've got these droopy Eyelids, great fatigue, aching, weakness and soreness. That flu like sort of sense of soreness in the muscles and in the body. This is really good for spring or summer colds. Okay, spring or summer colds. Anywhere where there's a change of weather, change of atmosphere, again, it's that failure to adapt to the change in the environment. They can get chills up and down the spine. They can feel like they've got flu coming on. That's what they describe it like. But they have sneezing like all these cold remedies do. They have sneezing and stuffed up sensation in the nose despite this irritating watery nasal discharge, which again will feel like hot water coming out. So a couple of the remedies now have got this, this, so you've got to differentiate. But this is like very lethargic, heavy. And for this to be sat there and we're like this, the eyes are droopy. This want to be left alone, want to be left to be quiet. So even though it can feel like the nose is obstructed, there is a flowing of this nasal discharge. So they get exhausted easily just getting up, walking around the wannabe, lying down, laying the bed, sat down. But they also get exhausted by sneezing. Takes all their energy out of them because when you sneeze it's quite a violent reaction. So they get exhausted by that. And they can also have a keynote for gelsemion, which is a dull headache, which like a band, tight band or tight sensation around the forehead. Worse, slightest draft, sensitive. Worse early in the mornings, particularly the sneezing. Better for sweating, better for urination. So they go to the toilet and urinate and they feel better in themselves again, strange, rare, peculiar symptom or modality for gelsemia. They're better for open air if it's not chilled there if it's not cold. And they feel generally better in the afternoon. They'll feel better in the afternoon. So they may wake up, not great. But as the day goes on, on in the afternoon, they feel a lot better. Worse for cold, damp weather, worse for anticipation. This is a big etiology, big cause for gelsemium state is anticipation. So if there may be anticipatory about speaking at an event or going to the dentist, or it might even be something that's really exciting or pleasurable. But it's just they get this anticipation and they can also get something going to this state. Again, worse for change of the weather. So this is particularly talking about spring and summer, cold nights, warm days, you know, these catches People out, it's been warm in the daytime like now and this time of the year in the autumn time. But that can you know, also happen at different parts of the year. It's that change, that change of weather again. Also worse for bad news. Big cause for Gelsemian states is getting bad news. Also very thirstless. They are thirstless. They don't have any desire to drink. Great, great, great remedy. Next remedy nature Muir. So often with nature mule, the colds begin with violent sneezing. Really violent sneezing early in the morning, okay? They wake up and they're sneezing. The sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. And they get a streamy nose, watery eyes. But with Natmuel, they particularly sneeze and are worse for and aggravated by sunlight. So the sunlight could be coming through the window, they could be outside. They'll start to sneeze straight away. They're definitely worse for the sun. And with Natmuel, the nose starts with a fluent watery or egg white discharge. So you know, like that glutinous egg white. That's how the discharge is. Like, like just like an egg white. Again, there's difference in homeopathy, different types of discharges. And they will have loss of taste and smell. They can't taste anything. They can't smell anything, but really can't smell anything or taste anything. So it begins like that. Then a few days later they can get stuffed up. So it has this water that sort of stops and then get very stuffed up, which makes the breathing difficult. And they may then develop, go on chronically to develop more sinusitis with a post nasal drip. Okay? So this is why it's good to take it in the early stages. They can have little sores and ulcers when we talk about arsenicum, but this is. Natmuel has it as well. Inside nose. I get old fever blisters around the wings of the nose here. Okay. Fever blisters around the wings of the nose. Blinding headaches. It can feel like a thousand hammers banging on the head or with heaviness or bursting pain in the head. So often you'll see headaches and colds with nap mule irritable people. They don't want to be fussed over. It's like, no, no, I'm okay. It's just a cold. Please don't come near me. They don't like nat mule. People don't like you coming near them anyway. But in the nat mule state, they will be averse to any consolation. They don't really want your sympathy. They don't really want you to be around. They want to get on with it themselves. This is a big remedy for EL from grief. So somebody has a grief and then they develop these symptoms. Think of nap Muir. There's other grief remedies with these keynotes I've just talked about. Think of nature Muir. Never been well since you have a disappointment and they go into the state feel like they've been let down in some way. So this is a big grief remedy anyway. Nature Muir. So look at that as well when you're asking questions with people or you're prescribing for yourself or for your family and friends. As a home prescriber, do ask about the mental and emotional symptoms alongside the actual thing they've got like the cold. So for example, you could say you take all the symptoms down. So a streamy nose with this egg white discharge. They've lost a taste of smell, they've got a bit of a headache, violent sneezing in the morning. And you could say, well, you take all that down, you say well, when did it all start? And they can say, well, it started two days ago. Oh, what happened two days ago? Well, I split up my partner and I found out he was cheating on me. So often you can see there can be an emotional connection as well. So remembering homeopathy is not just looking at the physical symptoms. We're also looking at their mental and emotional state and seeing what's the reason behind mind it. Because remember, physical symptoms can be an external manifestation of our internal state. And if you look at the mind body connection with all these symptoms, you can get a different insight into it even in acute situations. So ailments from grief and disappointment, we talked about that feeling let down. These are often with Natmyol worst 9 to 11am that's the time when they can be worse. Worse open air, worse in the wind, worse for sunlight we've talked about. Also worse by the seashore. This can bring it on nap meal. You can get nap your cold sores when I did cold sores. They can come on at the seashore mule. And worse for emotions, thirsty and desires. Salty things. Desire salt or salty things. Big keynote for nature mule. Next remedy Nux vomica. So we've talked about a lot about Nux vomica over there in the different videos. These remedies have so many uses. We call them polycrest remedies which means many uses. So with Nux vomica they can have a fluent discharge of the Nose in the morning on rising from bed with violent sneezing. Now often nux vomica are worse in the morning. Often the way they live their life is very go go, go go of coffee, alcohol, you know, they have their coffee in the morning to wake them up and the alcohol to get them to sleep at night. So often the worst in the morning anyway. And these are stuffy colds and snuffles, stuffy from exposure to dry cold air. So you can think about that in your environment but also think about air conditioning as well. This can cause these situations. So nux vomic is a very chilly remedy anyway. But if you go into a nux vomic estate, it could be from the cold dry air. The nose runs when it's indoors in the daytime, but stuffed up when outdoors and at night. So again you can see these remedies of the these different modalities. Some are better outside, worse inside. Some are worse inside, better outside. This is how we differentiate between the remedies. Can have a blocked nose on one side or it can alternate. Okay. And they're very hypersensitive and irritated by everything. If you try to help them. They're just really irritable, really bad tempered and hyper. What'd you say? Or you know. Oh, pass me that. Very impatient. Oh, just pass me the box. Tissues. Shut that door. Freezing in here. That's. That's very nux vomit. Okay. Worse in the morning, worse on waking. Like a bed. Look at the picture. It's a good example. Chilly hat on, coat on. We sat like that in the house. They'd be working away because they're very much into that work mode. But they're very industrious. But worse than morning. Worse on waking. Cold air, as we said, open air. Worse for drafts, worse for air conditioning. Don't forget that. Worse for noise, light that it's irritable about anything external. But very chilly, very shivery but. And also this is great for newborn babies when the snuffles you don't know what to do. Nux vomica. Fantastic remedy for that. Fantastic remedy. And last but no means least, our friend Pulsatilla, the windflower. So pulsatella. This can be like the last stages of a cold. This is when it's gone into like a bland yellow discharge. Sometimes a little bit greeny as well. But notice a bland yellow discharge of pulsatella. Again, get it. On waking in the morning, often pulsate is worse in the morning. One sided symptoms. Normally the right side with pulsatella can be blocked. And again they can have a pressing pain at the root of the nose. Pressing pain at the root of the nose, loss of taste and smell and appetite. So that we don't want to eat anything. The thirstless anyway, they don't really drink, so they're going to be thirstless. Frequent sneezing, even sneezes in the sleep. But they'll be blowing the nose and it'd be yellowy. Horrible getting it out as how many pass. We would like to know what color these discharges are because it points to different remedies for us. Very changeable. And they'll feel very changeable and the symptoms can change. And also their mood is very changeable. That's the pulsillo. It's the wind flower. It's changeable. It moves in the wind like that. This. So one minute they're okay, that's when they're weepy and the clingy for affection. They want to be looked after. Nature mule doesn't want any consolation. They wanted people to keep away. Nux vomica what sort of wants your help, but doesn't want to be consoled particularly. But they want you to serve them. But pulsatella, it wants you to be there. It wants you to hold. Look after them, give them sympathy. That's what they want. They want somebody to put their arm around them to look after them again. Keynotes of PULSATELLA Worse in the evening, especially around twilight. Worse being overheated. Pulsatla does not like to be overheated, be it warm air or heat. Generally they don't like to be overhe heater. So the worse for stuffy rooms, worse for being indoors. But there's no airflow as well. But especially in that heat. Worse for being left alone. Worse getting feet wet. So I'll let you go back to which remedy was at the beginning about getting the feet wet. Another remedy. So better open fresh air. Better for company. Better for cold drinks. Even though they're chilly. They're better for cold drinks. Better consolation. They're thirstless and they are chilly. So they're your top nine remedies for colds. So as always say use a 6C, use a 30C. As home prescribers, you can get these over the counter health food stores in the homeopathic remedy kits and take one dose every hour for three or four doses or until the symptoms improve. Remember, this is not allopathic medicine. Our guide is your own. What we call vital force or in homeopathy or qi. In Chinese medicine or Prana and Ayurveda. We're looking at how you react. Remember the remedies, keys to a lock. As I always say, give a remedy, see how that person is. Give it some time, give it an hour, then if still indicated, give them a second dose. But nothing happens after the second dose. No improvements at all. Then look at another remedy. But hopefully these nine remedies I've gone through. There's more than nine remedies for colds in homeopathy, but I've just given the ones I think you should know because they're the, these are the ones that appear I think the most and will be the most useful. So sometimes you're down to two or three remedies. You can't decide. Give one, just give one of them. Because there's 3,000 odd remedies in the material. Medic, just give one of them. But remember, always follow. So if you take it yourself or you're giving it to a family member or a child or a friend, give the remedy and then watch and just see how the person feel after an hour with the cold, you may take a couple of doses and the person says, yeah, I feel sleep, I need to go for sleep. Or oh yeah, I feel a lot better than myself or all of a sudden all this mucus comes out. So we're always following what the body is trying to do. Remember, look for those keynotes. You don't need everything about those remedies. I've just talked to you only all of those. We're trying to find three major keynote which fit the picture, what we call the three legged stool. But if it does persist and you're getting confused and it's like you can't begin with a remnants, then contact a qualified practitioner, speak to them or speak to the, you know, speak to on the homeopathic pharmacist and what they suggest. But with those nine remedies, it will be one of those remedies. So again, check out the other videos on the YouTube channel. Subscribe, because if you subscribe then you get, you know when things are coming up and when things are going to be released. And yeah, check us out@chehomeopoly.com so thank you so much. I've enjoyed myself. I hope you use these remedies and until next week, may the vital force be with you all. Thank you so much for joining me today on the Homeopathy at Home podcast. I hope you found today's episode enlightening, empowering and made you feel that you can become a competent home prescriber. Before we wrap up, I just wanted to invite you to explore my latest book, Homeopathy at Home, published by Hay House and Penguin Random House, where you'll find even more insights into homeopathy's transformative power. So for more resources updates, please look in the show notes below. And until next time, keep embracing home homeopathy. Use it in your daily life. That's how you learn homeopathy, by using it. Until next time, take care. Thank you.