Dear All,

My 8-mths old baby has been having a runny nose for more than a week now. Last night she develops a cough and a mild fever. Nose was initially runny, watery to raw egg white consistency, clear to pale yellow with sneezing. By now, sneezing has stopped but nose still runny, consistency the same, clear discharge whcih starts shortly after waking in the morning. Most severe from about 2pm till evening. Ceased when sleeping. Nose is slightly sore due our wiping it. Bay also tends to rub her nose. Fever started in the middle of last night, mild. Juicy cough upon waking this morning. Sounds like much mucus, almost choke on the mucus during cough.Better few hours later. Overall symptoms better during sleep. Baby more iriitable from afternoon onwards.

Just gave her Puls 6X this morning. Should I continue or do you think another remedy is better indicated. Have an appointment with her Homeopath in two days time. Is it wise to wait till then? The fever and cough just started, so the symptom picture is not very clear yet. Only the runny nose is obvious. What's your advise?

Thanks.

Rgds,
Allysa

Dear Allysa,

Do you have a 30C kit? With a small child, you won't regret buying one, and you'll use it often.

I would put your puls. 6X in water--a disposable cup--and I'd give it to the baby, stirring before each dose, every 15 minutes until you see a change. If it's a change for the worse, stop the remedy altogether. If it's a change for the better, give as needed.

One dose of the 30C might have been sufficient to cure--especially at the beginning of the cold.
Try to start treating at the beginning next time.
There are some remedies that are specially designed for the start of something, especially if there's a sudden onset, like Aconite and Belladonna. Oscillococcinum at the first sign of a cold or flu often knocks it right out.

Snoopy

If her cough is productive and the fever isn't too high, then wait until you see your Homeopath.

If you think she is getting really bad, you could call the Homeopath and tell him/her what is happening now - so she has a note of it (and if she feels Bay needs something now - she will likely say so - and either prescribe something or say to bring her in).

Also, fever - as long as it isn't prolonged and too high, is acutally a good healthy response. Let it run its course - as long as it doesn't spike too high.

Hope she feels better soon ,

Lisa

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Hi Snoopy, We must have been posting at the same time.

Is it always best to treat colds? I wonder about this - if the cough is productive and fever isn't too high. I know my homeopath has been advising me of late - with my own children - to leave it to run its course. Only calling her if a fever gets too high or lasts too long - or if the cough is no longer productive and the symptoms are worsening (overall).

Just curious .

Regards,
Lisa

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Hi! Thank you for responding. I just spoke to her babysitter over the phone for an update on baby's condition. Runny nose is constant. Moderate fever still present. Cough seems to be dry according to her. Baby always crying, looks tired. was given another Puls 6X 6hrs after the first dose. I have just changed her appointment with her Homeopath to tomorrow morning. I will try Puls 30X when i get home this evening. I'm just afraid it might get really bad in between. Thank you.

Rgds
Elisa

Dear Lisa,

You never know when the "beginning" might have been your only clear shot at the illness. A child exposed to cold dry winds, suddenly comes down with a fever, thirst for cold drinks, fearful, and you see a clear Aconite case...waiting, as it moves out of Aconite...into who-knows-what, might be risky.

Jim Henson, of Sesame Street fame, had an annoying cold, thought he'd ride it out, wound up in the hospital, and as you probably know, died.
It wasn't the annoying cold he thought it was. So, you never really know what you're dealing with, until it may be too late.

Snoopy

Snoopy,
As I recall, those around Jim Henson knew he was very ill and he wouldn't listen to them until it was too late... I agree with Lisa's post... Denise

I just don't understand it. Homeopathy gained it's fame and notoriety at the turn of the last century for it's great successes in treating acute conditions, not for doing deep psychological prescribing. But that's all we do now.
Paul Herscu acknowledged that many of his former students admit to him that they don't take acute cases and they feel really inadequate if they have to. What a shame when we possess such a wonderful gift from Hahnemann--a little white pill containing marching orders to the immune system ("It says here we've got diarrhea.").

Hahnemann says in the Organon (#22, footnote a.) that a pathologically untuned vital force "...calls for the help of a wise physician. If such help is not forthcoming, it tries to save itself at all costs by increasing the suffering and especially by violent evacuations, often at the cost of tremendous sacrifice, sometimes at the cost of life itself." He says the vital force was "given to us to sustain our life in harmony as long as we are healthy, not to heal itself in disease...."

Colds are horrible things. I can remember an awful-sounding cough my daughter had 2 summers ago which hung on for nearly a month; by the time I took her to a homeopath, the cough was so violent that I can't describe it here as a courtesy to our Calcarea, Phosphorus and Carcinosin readers; what was gained by letting her "have her cold"?

Snoopy

Snoopy,
I never said, nor was I advocating not treating symptoms if they are truly bothersome and are inhibiting a patient from functioning.

But, not every illness needs a remedy. If that were so, we'd all be dead. Our bodies (vital force) are quite able to handle some acutes on their own without interferring. Sometimes its a wee message for us to slow down and rest. And sometimes that is all that is needed.

In fact, one could look at the expression of the acute - note them down - and then see what chronic symptoms manifest after the acute has subsided and then prescribe on that - further strengthening the patient (and if they get colds easily - hopefully prescribing on the chronic would help with that susceptibility).

I thought that was more appropriate here - from what Allysa posted - since the baby's symptoms weren't too intense - were changing - and seemed to be moving in the right direction on their own (healthy fever - discharges flowing, etc).

Why jump to give a remedy for every little cough, sneeze or lowish fever (risk of suppression -- why don't you consider that)? This mother said the fever was mild, hence the information I posted advising to leave it unless it became too high/too long, etc.

Fever is a healthy expression - as I said above - as long as it doesn't last too long or go on too high. If a cough is productive- then the body is ridding itself of something. It is a flowing discharge - why mess with it? If it is not productive - then sure, get it moving with a remedy.

We can't presume to know if a there is a genuine situation that needs addressing with a remedy, or something that will resolve rather quickly on its own with a bit of bed rest and TLC without asking questions to qualify the situation or sharing information to help clarify things like fevers being okay within certain limits, etc - or a sneeze is okay, runny nose (discharges flowing, etc).

That is all I was saying before.

I don't have a problem treating acutes. Not at all! But I do think we need to discern what really needs treating. And I'm certainly not going to treat every cold without looking at a case a little more deeply than; assess if the Vital Force needs a hand or if it is coping okay with a little rest, etc.

And, I'm certainly not going to prescribe out of fear - i.e. the Jim Henson scenario you painted. He wasn't suffering an acute then - it was obviously a chronic situation....any flare-ups then were more than likely an acute manifestation of the chronic.

Quite a different scenario from a child having a common cold.

And I didn't see anywhere where Allysa said the baby was suffering terribly high fever - or a cough that is non-productive and debilitating. What I understood from reading her post was that her baby is having a cold which has lingered for a week now. Not severe from the sound of it, but understandably she wants to help her baby. That it has gone on for a week isn't too long to worry just yet. The symptoms seem to be changing too - and they do not seem to be going 'the wrong direction' which leads me to believe her Vital Force is coping just fine at the moment (even if a bit unpleasant...and I'm not without sympathy!!). If it lingers for 3 or 4 weeks, then I'd look again and see what is happening. How else can you tell what is really going on if you don't observe?

Allysa, I hope your daughter is feeling better now...if not - and her symptoms are worsening - then by all means post what is happening and try to figure out what she needs.

Best wishes,
Lisa

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Oh...and she has a Homeopath - AND an appointment - so why muddy the picture 'trying remedies' just before an appointment???!!

[ 21 February 2002, 21:18: Message edited by: LisaAnnan ]

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham