Will , MD Homeopath, on whooping cough

September 29, 2009

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

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

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September 29, 2009