Natural solution to coughs and colds in Menopause
It's the time of year when many are coming down with the common cough or cold, and sore throats. It's not surprising that after the Christmas Holidays, or the summer break, all the factors such as the back to work stress, combined with poor diet, drinking more alcohol than usual, lack of sleep and change of temperature leads to women feeling under the weather. Plus we've got the added stress and anxiety of the Corona Virus, watching the news can spread negativity and fear which will lower your immune system.
On top of this stress, as women you're more at risk of catching a cough or cold when you're entering the Menopause and your Hormones are totally out of balance! The hormonal changes drain our energy and as women we rarely put ourselves first to rest. When we don't let our body rest it puts additional stress on our immune system. Added to this lack of sleep caused by anxiety or night sweats can lower the immune system.
So many of my clients are emailing me for telephone consultations to find the right remedy for their cold and runny nose. It’s spread so quickly during the winter months, we tend to spend less time outside, less windows or fresh air getting into our homes, and the heating on full blast. This together with close contact as home, in schools, work or on public transport is all creating the prefect breeding ground to spread a virus. The bad news, there’s no cure for a virus, so it’s important to strengthen our immune system and find some natural solutions.
What’s the difference between the common cold and the flu!
The common cold is caused by a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract, symptoms normally come on 1 or 2 days after the infection and last around a week, sneezing, sore throats, runny or blocked noses, a cough, headache can all be signs, and often with a fever in younger children. The symptoms often go away with the help of allopathic or over the counter medicine or complementary therapies.
Influenza on the other hand is a viral infection, although people are encouraged to have the Flu Shot vaccine in recent years, the large number of strains means that flu is still widespread. It’s symptoms normally start with a sudden onset with a fever, extreme tiredness, muscle soreness as well as symptoms of the cold. They can last up to 2 weeks and usually means you’ll need to stay in bed and rest for a couple of days. Flu does lead to many deaths each year in very young or elderly where chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma. If you suspect you have flu, where you have the prolonged fever make sure you contact your GP or health consultant.
Conventional Treatment
Over the counter medication for cold and flu symptoms often include painkillers to relieve the muscle ache, sore throat, fever and headaches. You can also get nasal sprays, decongestants for the blocked nose, antihistamines for the runny nose and cough medicine to suppress the cough. Not all of these medicines can be used by everyone, especially those on medication - your pharmacist can help you, or you can opt for natural complementary therapies.
Winter Health the homeopathic way
Homeopathy is a safe and gentle form of medicine suitable for all members of your family, from newborn babies to elderly grandparents. The homeopathic remedies are mainly made from plants and minerals and prepared in a special way so that there are no side effects. Common winter ailments such as coughs, colds, flu, earaches, sore throats, chapped skin etc can be helped with homeopathy.
Homeopathic consultations are available for acute illnesses such as colds, flu, coughs but a few homeopathic remedies which may help and you may like to have ready in your medicine cupboard for the winter. You can buy these from me so send me an email or book a telephone consultation
Aconite great for nipping colds in the bud, use at the early stages of the cold, fever, sore throat and earaches, especially if the symptoms come on after exposure to the cold.
Belladonna can be used when there’s a sudden onset of symptoms, a high fever, hot and red, throbbing headache, sensitive to the light and noise.
Arsenicum Album Flu symtoms with shortness of breath, cough, darting pains in right lung, anxiety with cold sweat, burning in the chest (this remedy fits well with symptoms of corona virus)
Bryonia can work well as a prophylactic for the Flu like symptoms or possible Corona virus.
Allium Cepa for the common cold with streaming eyes and nose and a headache that’s worse in a warm room.
Pulsatilla can be used for colds with thick bland nasal catarrh, painful headache with changing symptoms, better in fresh air and with attention from their loved ones.
Ferrum Phos taken at the first stage of cold or flu, where you feel tired, may feel chilly and shivering. Tends to be worse at night with a slow onset.
Gelsemium is the number one remedy for Flu, feeling sluggish, exhausted feeling, heavy eyes, headache, chills and shivering up the spine, aching muscles and a sore throat.
Eupatorium perf very thirsty, sore throat and sore bones, headache, often worse for any movement.
Nux Vomica headache and pains all over, irritable, nauseous, a congested nose with little discharge, chilly and can’t get warm even in bed.
Home Made Cough Syrup
Take 2 red onions and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Finely chop the onions, find a glass jar and place a layer of onion in the bottom, sprinkle with sugar, and then continue the layering until you use up all the ingredients. Place on the side for a few hours and then put in the fridge. After 12 hours you will find you have some juice, take a teaspoon full as a cough remedy. After a couple of days you can remove the onions and keep the liquid in the fridge.
Still Confused?
I know that feeling, when I first started using homeoapthy before I trained I was constantly calling my Homeopath for advice. That’s the one reason I offer consultations over Skype, Zoom and phone. Contact me for appointments! Please consult a Qualified homeopath or myself for remedies for flu symptoms or possible Corona Virus.
How am I supporting my family?
I’m getting into a routine and helping to build up my families immunity :
Vegetable and chicken broth soup (yep grandma was right, it’s full of enzymes to help the gut flora to flourish and natural salts helping to destroy bacteria
- Reduce dairy and sugar from the diet
- Adding more onions and garlic to my cooking (these are the allium remedies in homeopathy you may have heard of)
- Lots of hot water with fresh lemon, ginger, honey and cinnamon for their anti-inflammatory properties.
- Vitamin C, Echinaea, Omega oils and Coloidal silver
- Vitamin D – yes we should get enough in the summer but it’s worth topping up if you’re coming down with colds
- Constitutional homeoapthic remedy to help us all stay well
- reducing the stress levels
- getting plenty of rest and ensuring early nights with good sleepHelp your family stay well with homeopathy!
Which medicine could be taken if suffering from dry cough due to early menopause. Tickleing in throat that urges me to cough
Hi Vaishali it’s difficult to offer advice without knowing all the symptoms as homeopathy is so individual. Feel free to book in a call.