UPDATE: Pulsatilla was the correct remedy, but go ahead and read my parts of this thread if you'd like to understand a situation of a Pulsatilla having an acute cough.


Please make suggestions for this situation of a stubborn cough of my 30-something sister:

Duration: started as an occasional cough some months ago accompanying a cold that responded well to an "acute prescription" that at that time matched the sypmtom picture (combination of Aconite and Natrum mur). My sister and I didn't have the opportunity of discussing a follow-up prescription of her constitutional remedy Pulsatilla to boost her heatlh and I was hoping the lingering remnant of the cough would eventually resolve itself. It did not. Instead the coughing SUDDENLY worsened this week accompanied by fever of 102 degrees F, with aching legs and wrists.

This time a Pulsatilla picture presents, starting with aches originally "flitting about", thirstlessness, and worst for lying down. I prescribed Puls and we watched the fever slowly come down, and with that the bone aches gradually abating, although that irritating cough has been more stubborn!! It's the cough and my sister's total intolerance of it (disturbs sleep, hurts, etc) that lead me to suggest trying some of the well-known "cough acutes":

Eupatorium perfoliatum...several 30c doses. Eup perf fit the picute given the bone aching, and the cough initially seemed to respond temporarily while in the "on hands and knees" posture.

Drosera...gave one 30c dose

I decided to recommend Puls again now, after a week, for the continuing cough and irritated trachea. Cough is:

...worse by: lying down (must sleep sitting up!!), talking, cold DRY air (dry air is the worst!!), drinking

...better by: ??well, not much!! Adding some humidity to warm room and staying away from cold and from dry air. Also, cannot lie down without triggering coughing, so if she does try to lie down, she starts coughing and then is better if sit straight up. Better with gentle walking about.

Someone here mentioned that vinegar is good for Puls cough. This may be why my sister is saying she'd like a glass of wine!! We all laugh because she never drinks wine!! Also, I made a syrup of lemon juice and boiled honey that has had SOME effect on the cough.


Appreciate any insight!!

[This message has been edited by kevin seymour (edited 04 October 1999).]

[This message has been edited by kevin seymour (edited 07 October 1999).]

Would like others' input.

Bell. Cupr(3), Hyos and Nux V. are all indicated for a persistent cough. What makes the cough better or worse? What happens if she does to another room with a different temperature?

Are you aware that in a Pulsatila constitutional, a cough is better for vinegar!!!

Thank you for your ideas. I have updated the first post and hopefully if you read it (see first post above) it will tell you answers to your questions.

About the vinegar: Generally Puls is worse by wine, although my sister has said she seems to be craving a glass of wine!! I guess it's time to buy some and give it to her!! Tell me more about your experience with vinegar and the cough of the Puls constitution, please.

Would belive that vinegar suites arsenicum album best, antimon crud next, and medhorrinum.
By the way, i would be careful prescribe on a second hand story, one feather tends to be ten chickens...to do that, you must also get the picture of the story teller......
Ignatia suggestion is not stupid, as it is a satelite to natrium mur.....also look at apis, if its NM, if pulsatilla, sulphur and lycopodium, lachesis.

My story re the pulsatilla and vinegar for the cough was that a patient told me this SRP symptom. I prescribed Pulsatilla on this and other symptoms and she was cured of her cough and other ills.

In response to a comment regarding the "mentals" of this situation...

I DID indeed provide the "mentals/disposition/constitution" info when I said my sister's constitution is Pulsatilla and that her acute cough condition was presenting true to pulsatilla.

There are no mental symptoms, per se; however, she is behaving like a mentally normal Pulsatilla. I made the assumption that people on this message board would know what that meant.

The other important piece of the puzzle, in regard to her overall "disposition", is the modalities that effect not only the physical symptoms reported here, but also her overall state. Again, these modalities correspond to Pulsatilla.

My purpose in posting my sister's situation of this stubborn cough was to see if any person here had either personal experience with a cough in a Pulsatilla constitution, or perhaps had experience with an acute cough that had these same Pulsatilla modalities but was given another "acute" remedy and responded well. Such is always possible in homeopathy, that the simillimum welcomes another "acute" remedy to "assist" with the healing of an acute condition.

To repeat: the "mentals/disposition/constitution" was given by me here on this board when I first posted; it is the noraml picture of "normal Pulsatilla"; there are no mental "symptoms", in other words. Only physical symptoms. The overall constitution exhibited is Pulsatilla. Please reread my original post and you will see this. I can explain this further if anyone needs to understand how to judge the constitution of a person when the mental/emotional picture exhibited is the normal healthy picture, in other words, no mental symptoms.

One specific example: my sister's cough was greatly irritated by lying down. But, also!!, she herself FELT much irritated by lying down and had to sit up or stand up. So, you say, but anyone would be irritated if their cough grew dramatically worse by lying down and they would get up. Not so! A bryonia would likely endeavor not to move. A belladonna, with bright ruddy face, would likely toss and turn in the bed. An arnica may claim he is perfectly well (I have known some arnicas do this anyway!smile here!). A lachesis will rip away any clothing touching his throat AND likely make a joking comment through his cough! Whereas, a pulsatilla characteristically immediately sits up (or gets up and walks slowly about). This is part of the analysis in determining the "mentals/disposition/constitution" of the person asking for a homeopath's advise.

Well, I see that your acute has not done too much. This therefore would indicate that you have to go to the Chronic Pulsatilla, which is Silica. I understand your reluctance with Sil. butfrom my experience, I have seen it to be perfectly safe, if given in a single dose and wait. That dose shoudl not be too low in potency, as the lower potencies promote suppuration and thus would aggravate. I am one of those who has learned to trust my remedies, rather than having any fears of them. I do know the dangers of too much prescribing and I am wondering, if you are so concerned about what happens gere, why do you prescribe combinations? That is not really classical homoeopathy, as far as I know.

Thank you for that Ben. It explains why , when suppuration occurred as an agg.in a Silica patient I had given 30C to I had a cure when I went up to 200C.

Ben, where do you get off saying the prescription of pulsatilla didn't work?! It has indeed worked beautifully!! You better work on your reading comprehension skills.

And don't be so stupid to give Silica to patients having long-standing lung problems.

If there are any students reading this who need an explanation on why, if I was so certain about Puls, did I give Eup perf and Dros, please post your questions to me and I will answer and explain.

[This message has been edited by kevin seymour (edited 07 October 1999).]