Helping Your Children During the Winter Months

Everyone who has kids knows how dreadful the winter months can be with constant coughs and colds… I do remember those days very well, when I was pretty much housebound throughout the winter, with one or another of my children being ill. Especially with one of them, who would catch anything and everything, and then would end up with asthma attacks and hospital stays…

I am glad to say, these days are well behind me. Ever since I started treating my children with homeopathy, their health has improved dramatically. The biggest impact was from treating them constitutionally (holistically treating a person as a totality and selecting the best-matching remedy), which improved their overall health, resilience, and a whole lot of issues I didn’t even know could be treated (like sleepwalking or horrendous tantrums). The last time I took any of my children to the doctor was just before the beginning of the lockdown. We never went back since, and we never needed to use any medication either: no inhalers, no antibiotics, not even a dose of Calpol!

Of course, my children do get ill once or twice during the winter, however the fever is usually over in 24 hours (or sooner) and is manager purely with homeopathic remedies. And of course, it is not just children - the whole family can use homeopathy, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, elderly, people with different conditions, etc. - homeopathy is safe for everyone and does not interfere with any medications or treatments.

To be able to treat colds at home, I would advise you getting a basic homeopathic remedy kit. They could be purchased from pharmacies like Helios or Ainsworths and contain the main remedies used to treat acute conditions. Also, you should work closely with your homeopath or get a good homeopathic guide for acute illnesses - Miranda Castro’s “Complete Homeopathy Handbook” is one of my favourites.

If you have never used homeopathy before, it is essential to read the guide on the main principles, which will give you a basic understanding of prescribing. Homeopathy is based on the totality of all symptoms, so it is important to consider everything when prescribing - not just cough or fever, but also mental state, food and drink preferences, any odd or unusual accompanying symptoms, etc.

It is also important to dose your remedies correctly. The basic kits usually contain remedies in 30C potency, which is the optimal choice for acute issues. The remedy needs to be repeated depending on the severity of the issue. For example, for a child with a high fever, I would repeat a dose every 1 hour, while for a bad cough with no fever, I might give it 3-4 times a day. To see if the remedy is right and has a desired effect, I would repeat it up to 6 doses. If it does not produce clear improvement by then, the remedy may need changing to a more suitable option.

Below are my top 10 remedies for winter illnesses, which I mostly use for my children and me to get better quickly and without any toxic side effects of conventional medications. However, I would also like to stress that the biggest benefit to your health is achieved using constitutional treatment, carefully selected by a qualified homeopath.

1. Aconite

First signs of sudden, violent cold. It may follow a fright, shock, being chilled or exposure to cold winds. The face of the child may be red, red may alternate with pale or one cheek may be red and another pale. There is sweat on covered parts and thirst for cold drinks. They feel worse at night and from touch; better for fresh air. Also, they are very restless.

The child may go to bed seemingly fine and then suddenly wake up at around midnight with croup, fever, earache, sore throat, etc. They might be tearful or scream in pain. Anxiety or fright usually accompanies other symptoms.

The first remedy for croup. Dry, hacking cough, oppressed chest and laboured breathing.

2. Arsenicum Album

Very chilly and restless. A child is pale and anxious, doesn’t want to stay on their own. There is a strong weakness, sometimes out of proportion to the illness. General dryness and thirst for frequent sips of cold drinks. Lips dry and cracked, mouth burning dry. All pains are burning, as well as discharges, which are also usually watery and smelly, or can be frothy.

Cough can be dry and hacking, from tickling in the larynx. Breathing is difficult, fast, and wheezing.

The child will feel better for warmth, warm food and drinks, and for lying down. Worse for cold, damp, change of temperatures, from physical activity, after midnight.

Arsenicum is also my first remedy for stomach bugs - vomiting and diarrhoea.

3. Belladonna

First remedy for high fever, accompanied by strong heat and redness (face, throat, etc.). The eyes are glassy, pupils dilated, and delirium might be present. The onset of complaints is sudden and violent. The child might be angry, anxious, screaming and restless. Violent, throbbing pain (headache, throat, ear, etc), with redness and heat of the affected part. Sensitive to light and noise. The tongue might be red or coated with red dots (strawberry tongue in scarlet fever). Strong thirst for large quantities of cold water, desire for lemon.

Cough is violent, hard , barking, dry and exhausting. Can have sharp pains in the chest and a hoarse voice.

A child is worse from touch, jarring movements, cold wind, and getting their head wet; they feel better lying in a darkened room.

4. Bryonia

Colds that come on slowly. May start after getting chilled after overheating. It may be accompanied by a strong headache and sneezing. A child will want to be left alone to lie in their bed, may be angry and irritable when disturbed. A lot of dryness and thirst for large quantities of cold drinks. Everything may taste bitter.

Dry cough in fits, irritating, racking, with vomiting. Pain in the chest or stomach from coughing, a child might hold their chest with their hands when coughing. Breathing fast.

A child will feel better from lying still, firm pressure and cold things, worse from the slightest movement, from warmth, touch.

5. Chamomilla

Very irritable and capricious. Oversensitive to pain, screaming, angry, impatient. The pain is violent and unbearable. The child dislikes company, being touched, being spoken to or even looked at. Demands things and then throws them across the room. The child is only consoled when being carried or rocked. Face can be red and hot on one side, and pale and cold on the other (especially in teething babies) or red in spots.

Cough is irritating, tickling, dry during sleep, with rattling of mucus in the chest, worse during the night. Hoarseness and tightness of the chest.

A very characteristic symptom, accompanying any other issues, is green diarrhoea.

The child feels worse from heat, wind, and open air, at night. Better from warm, wet weather and being carried.

6. Hepar Sulphur

For infections that have a tendency to suppurate: tonsillitis, tooth infections and abscesses, ear infections, etc. Pain feels like splinters or needles. Smelly, yellow nasal discharge that drips down the back of the throat. Smelly ear discharges. Sour-smelling, cold and profuse perspiration. Extremely chilly and sensitive to cold. Needs to stay in a warm room, well wrapped up. The child may be irritable and sad.

Cough is dry and barking in the evening and night, but loose in the morning. Mucus is profuse, sticky, yellow and tough. Croup, which is worse towards the morning.

A child will feel better from warmth, wrapping their head up and after eating. Worse from cold, winds and draughts, from touch.

7. Kali Bichromicum

Symptoms are slow to heal. Very useful for sinusitis with thick, yellow or green, sticky discharge. With crusty, dry, hard, smelly crusts in the nose, which leave raw, sore patches in the nostrils if picked out and then re-form. Discharge drips down the back of the throat and accumulates overnight. Very difficult to hawk out, or it can block the nose entirely and be impossible to blow out. Pain in the sinuses.

Cough is croupy, with sticky, thick, difficult to cough up mucus, hoarseness of the voice and pain in the chest.

A child is very chilly and feels better in the heat. Worse from undressing, in the morning and in hot weather.

8. Mercurius

One of the strongest features indicating the need for Mercurius is a strong smell: all discharges - stools, urine, saliva, breath, mucus, perspiration will have a strong odour. Discharges may also be blood streaked, green or yellow. The child will also sweat profusely and may have excessive salivation. They are prone to mouth ulcers, abscesses and pain in teeth. They may seem confused, discontented and forgetful, also very restless.

Cough is racking and worse at night and from warmth of the bed. May be accompanied by nose bleeds.

All the symptoms are worse at night, lying on the right side, from wet weather and from both heat and cold equally.

9. Phosphorus

Very anxious and fearful, especially scared of thunder. When ill, they feel weak and exhausted, require sympathy and may become irritable. Nasal discharge may be profuse and blood-streaked, or the nose may be completely blocked. They are very thirsty for ice-cold drinks, also like cold foods, especially ice-cream.

Cough is dry, hacking, irritating, violent, and wakes you up from sleep. From tickling in the larynx, which may be painful and raw, with hoarseness. Breathing is fast and difficult. Pain in the chest. Accompanied by sweating. Mucus may be profuse and blood-streaked.

Symptoms will be better after sleep, from cold drinks, massage, and open air. Worse from cold, wind, during the morning and evening, before eating.

10. Pulsatilla

The symptoms are changeable and pains wandering from one place to another. A child will have dry mouth and lips, but no thirst. They will be chilly, but will dislike the heat and will feel much better in fresh air. Mucus is very profuse, thick, yellow or green, and turns watery in the fresh air. A child will be very clingy, weepy, want to be carried and require a lot of comforting.

Cough is constant during the evening, dry at night, and loose in the morning. It is exhausting, irritating, waking up from sleep and comes in fits. With a lot of green or yellow mucus, which is difficult to cough up and may cause nausea and retching.

Symptoms are better in the fresh air, from cold applications, cold food and drinks, and motion. Worse from heat, stuffy rooms, after eating, from rich, fatty foods, in the evening.

Please note, this advise is for minor ailments only! If the condition is more serious or you are feeling worried, it is always best to consult a healthcare professional.

Stay well this winter with homeopathy!

Warm wishes

Jade