The year 2020 may go down in history as one of the most perplexing, turbulent, contentious, and alarming years in the last couple generations due to a variety of political events and the mysterious appearance of a virus that has effected dramatic changes worldwide. New phrases have been added to our vocabulary – social distancing, contact tracing, mask mandates – and an abundance of restrictive measures have been dictated by almost every level of public authority from national governments, state governors, airlines, local businesses, schools, and organizations down to neighborhood associations and social groups. Economies have shut down; churches, schools and businesses have been closed; people have lost their jobs; mental illnesses and suicide have increased. An oppressive spirit of fear has intruded into our lives, bringing anger, despair, blaming and shaming, increased polarization, seclusion, and sickness. Most everyone has been affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus.
According to the World Health Organization, “the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients include loss of taste or smell, aches and pains, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, red eyes, diarrhea, or a skin rash.” Like seasonal influenza, many people who succumb to Covid-19 will feel ill for one to three weeks before feeling better. Some may continue to feel tired for several more weeks. Others may have prolonged symptoms, often called Post-Covid Syndrome, as there may be some damage to the lungs, kidneys, brain, or heart. Some people only experience mild symptoms similar to the common cold, which is another type of coronavirus. Others may be completely asymptomatic. Currently, there is limited medical treatment for mild or moderate cases. Quarantining and bed rest are necessary, and full recovery could take some time.
Ashley Hagen, a science communications specialist at The American Society for Microbiology wrote, “The Covid-19 pandemic has created monumental imbalance to our accepted way of life…”
Imbalance.
As a homeopath, I see this novel coronavirus as evidence of imbalance not only in our world, but also in the individuals that become sick. All illness is the result of an internal imbalance or disorder in a person’s vitality, and symptoms are the body’s attempt to re-establish homeostasis. Please take a moment to read this earlier post on how homeopathy differs from conventional medical thinking about disease. Unlike conventional medicine, homeopathy is based on individualized symptoms, not a diagnosis. So regardless of whether one tests positive for Covid-19, or Influenza A or B, a homeopathic remedy can be chosen that best fits the acute symptoms of the sick individual. Often in acute illness, the remedy will change as the symptoms change during each stage of the malady. Homeopathy doesn’t treat illness, but it does strengthen a person’s vitality, assisting the immune system in its attempt to restore balance.
Although this virus is considered a new type of coronavirus, in the early stage of the Covid-19 illness, its symptoms of fever, lethargy, dry cough, and headache are very similar to the symptoms of influenza. Therefore, many common homeopathic remedies that have traditionally been used for flu-like viral illnesses can be utilized. It is important to match the symptoms as closely as possible to the symptoms of the remedy. Often the differences between useful remedies are subtle, and changes in symptoms can be subtle, as well. Remember, homeopathy isn’t a one size fits all paradigm, but it is highly individualized. And as already noted, this novel coronavirus affects people in a wide variety of ways. The process of restoring balance again after Covid-19, the flu, or any other acute illness is aptly called “the road to recovery.”
Staying hydrated is a key aspect of managing any illness. It is recommended to drink at least 1-4 ounces of water every hour. The body needs fluid in order to function efficiently.
An oximeter is useful to monitor blood oxygen and pulse levels.
The following homeopathic remedies can be useful along the way, when the symptoms match:
Aconite: If given immediately, this remedy can often abort an acute illness
- Sudden violent onset of an acute illness, especially after exposure to cold, dry wind
- Restlessness, anxiety, even panic
- Fear of death
- Shortness of breath
- Dry cough, worse after midnight
- High fever with great thirst for cold drinks
Arsenicum album:
- Restless anxiety, especially about heath, may alternate with exhaustion
- Fear of death, fear of disease, fear of germs
- Desires company
- Symptoms are worse from 12 to 2 am
- Chilly, can’t get warm yet craves open air
- Face may be hot
- Thirsty for frequent small sips of water
- Great weakness, rapid prostration of strength, extreme exhaustion
- Shortness of breath, wheezing, better sitting up or bent forward
- Diarrhea and/or vomiting, nausea
- Burning pains that are better from heat
Bryonia:
- Slow, gradual onset of acute illness
- Mostly wants to be left alone, may be irritable and difficult to please
- Dry, painful, racking cough, must hold chest when coughing
- Worse from any motion, wants to be quiet and still
- Extreme dryness of lips, mouth, tongue, throat
- Great thirst for large amounts of cold water or cool drinks
- Shortness of breath, difficulty inhaling
- No perspiration
- Extremely tired, sleepy, and weak
- Splitting headache
- Body aches, pain in limbs
Eupatorium:
- Quick onset of acute illness
- High fever, flushed face, chills
- Tremendous aching muscle and bone pain, as if the bones are broken
- Unbearable headache, heavy head, must use hands to lift it
- Painful eyeballs
- Raw, painful, loose cough with hoarseness
- Thirsty for ice cold drinks
- Little perspiration
Gelsemium:
- Slow, gradual onset
- Sleepy, drowsy, drooping eyelids, wants to keep the eyes closed
- Profound weakness, trembling, weak muscles
- Great fatigue, feels drained
- Dull headache, can’t think clearly, head feels heavy
- Low or lack of thirst
- Chills up and down the spine
- Dizziness
- Aches all over
- Cough from tickling in the throat or spasmodic cough with burning in chest
Mercurius sol/viv:
- Great debility and weakness
- Profuse perspiration, night sweats
- Offensive breath, profuse salivation, metallic taste in mouth, dirty tongue
- Sore throat or tonsillitis with sharp raw pains on swallowing, swollen glands
- Creeping chilliness
- Intense thirst
- Constant desire to swallow
- Dryness of throat, dry cough
- Worse at night, worse from both heat and cold
Phosphoric acid:
- Apathetic, indifferent to normal interests, depressed
- Slow to answer, forgetful, mental dullness
- Weakness, exhaustion, collapsed state
- Craving for fruit and fruit juice, refreshing foods
- Increased urination or perspiration
- Better walking, warmth
- Worse talking, sitting
Phosphorus:
- Fearful, anxious, wants close company, seeks reassurance
- Oversensitive to light, odors, noise, touch
- Dry nose, lips, tongue, mouth, throat
- Very thirsty for cold drinks, desires refreshing things like juice or fruit
- Deep cough, tickling cough, worse from talking, lying on the left side
- Colds quickly descend to the chest
- Pneumonia with painful, burning cough, especially left sided
- Tightness in chest, chest feels heavy
- Hoarseness, voice lost
- Little perspiration
- Extremely tired, sleepy, fatigued
Sulphur:
- Flushes of heat, night sweats, chilly, burning pains
- Difficult respiration, suffocative air hunger, better lying on back
- Great thirst for cool, cold, or icy drinks
- Irritable
- Dry nose, mouth, throat
- Loose cough, worse on inspiration, worse at night in bed
- Headache or burning on top of the head
- Red face, red lips, redness of eyelid margins
- Gastro-intestinal symptoms, diarrhea
- Burning and oppression in chest, chest feels heavy
Other remedies to consider when the lung symptoms are more severe:
Antimonium tart:
- Loose cough with coarse rattling and difficulty raising the mucus
- Suffocative shortness of breath, drowning in mucus, respiratory distress
- Must sit up to cough or breathe
- Thick, white coating on tongue
- Drowsiness, sleepiness
- Extreme prostration, no strength, bedridden with exhaustion
- Nausea, comes in waves, vomiting with the cough
- Weakness
- Cold perspiration
- Restless and irritable
Camphora:
- Sudden respiratory collapse with rapid progression
- Collapsed state, prostration, depleted vitality, even comatose
- Coldness and shivering, but averse to being covered, internal coldness
- Skin is painfully sensitive to the slightest touch
- Cold breath
- Cold face, even blue
- Cold hands and feet
- Pulsating headache, especially in the back of the head
Carbo Vegetabilis:
- Severe lack of oxygen, respiratory insufficiency, gasping for air, panting
- Burning pains in chest with weakness and fatigue in chest
- Collapsed state, often with blue lips, eyelids, face
- Cold sweat on forehead
- Cold breath and tongue
- Coldness but wants to be fanned, craves fresh air
- Cold legs and feet
- Thirsty, especially for carbonated drinks
- Indigestion, bloating, flatulence, better from burping
- Worse lying down, better sitting up
Veratrum album:
- Collapsed state with coldness, feels as if ice water were in the veins
- Cold sweat on forehead, cold face, cold breath
- Cold hands and feet
- Better being covered, better warmth
- Violent vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously
- Intense thirst
- Severe headache, often with vomiting
- Vomiting with cough
How to use homeopathic remedies in acute situations:
- Use one pellet of a 30C or 200C potency for a dry dose. OR
- To make a liquid remedy, dissolve one pellet into a water glass, water bottle, or glass jar with water. Stir or shake the remedy solution before each dose.
- Dose according to the intensity of the illness. For mild cases, give 3-5 times daily. For moderate cases, give every 2-3 hours during the day and give a couple doses during the night. For severe cases, give every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or hourly.
- Signs of improvement usually start with an increase in energy, a refreshing sleep, and/or an improved sense of wellbeing, mood, or demeanor. Physical symptoms of fever, cough, or discharges may initially get worse before the illness shifts.
- Give at least 4-6 doses of one remedy. If there is no improvement, ever so slight, then move on to another remedy.
- Some symptoms may lessen or disappear and different ones become more prominent. When this happens, consider a different remedy that more closely fits the dominant symptoms. For example, the cough might decrease, but muscle aches become more intense. Or instead of being thirsty for cold drinks, there is a desire for fruit juices or carbonated drinks. Pay attention to little changes, to the individualizing details.
- Once there is a definite shift towards improvement, reduce the frequency of doses to see if that improvement holds. If not, dose more frequently, as needed.
- Continue to give the effective remedy 3 times daily for several days after the illness has resolved.
- Homeopathic remedies can be used in conjunction with medical treatment and will not interfere with medical procedures or prescribed medication.
- If the condition continues to worsen and becomes life threatening, seek conventional medical care immediately.
Resources used in compiling this list:
Desktop Guide by Roger Morrison
A Homeopathic Guide to 2020 by Ananda More & David Nortman
Homeopathic Remedies for the Current Outbreak – March 2020 by Ian Watson
CHE Free Webinars – Coronavirus with Robin Murphy Pts 1-4
Materia Media Diagrams_Covid-19 from Homeopaths Without Borders
Research articles:
An Update on Homeopathic Remedies for the Current Wave of Covid-19
Role of vitamin D in preventing of COVID-19 infection, progression, and severity
Nutritional perspectives for the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19
Nutrition, immunity and COVID-19
The Potential Impact of Zinc Supplementation on COVID-19 Pathogenesis
Does the Novel Coronavirus Really Exist?
Might hydrogen peroxide reduce the hospitalization rate and complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Homeopathy Remedies for Covid 19
Information contained on this site is for educational purposes only and should not be used to prescribe, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness. Any Information provided is not intended to replace medical advice offered by a physician. If you desire or need such advice, you should consult a professional healthcare provider.