Treating Whooping Cough With Homeopathy

 

Whooping cough or pertussis is a highly infectious bacterial disease which causes severe coughing in patients for long periods of time. In children, this disease has a high mortality rate and it prevention by vaccination is important. Post infection, treatment has a very minor effect on the infected person and to shorten the duration of the contagiousness antibiotics are prescribed.

 

Symptoms of Whooping Cough

The symptoms of whooping cough are continuous coughing followed by vomiting and respiratory whoops. Pertussis can cause other problems like hernia, rib fractures and fainting. Once infected, the symptoms appear after a period of seven to eight days. Some symptoms associated with their stages are:

• The incubation period lasts about ten days.
• The first signs to appear are mild coughing, sneezing and runny nose. This stage is nown as the catarrhal stage.
• The coughing, after a period of two weeks evolves into uncontrollable fits. This stage is called as the paroxysmal stage.
• The paroxysmal stage lasts for around two weeks and then eventually subsides to the convalescent stage.
• The convalescent stage is the final stage and coughing subsides gradually over a considerable period.

Homeopathy for Whooping Cough

In homeopathy, the usage of a remedy depends on the stage of illness. By choosing the proper remedy, whooping cough can be treated relatively quickly within a span of two to ten days. While conventional medicine relies on antibiotics to kill bacteria, if the disease has entered the spasm inducing stage, they remain ineffective unlike the homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathic Remedies for Whooping Cough

• Drosera Rotundifolia – If a patient has loud and frequent spasm inducing cough, Drosera Rotundifolia will provide relief.
• Coccus Cacti – hen coughing is followed by vomiting, this remedy is prescribed. In such cases, coughing is worse in the morning and is absent during the day.
• Belladona – This remedy is prescribed if the disease is in its early stages. It provides relief when the onset of coughs is sudden and is followed by headache.
• Antimonium Tartaricum – When coughs are worse during the nights and the patient has sporadic cough but is very irritable an d feels full of mucus, this remedy is advised.
• Grindella – When dry and spasm inducing cough is accompanied by wheezing, with the formation of mucus stuck in the trachea which is difficult to expel, grindella is prescribed as a remedy.
• Ipecacuanha – When the cough causes stiffening of the body and creates a nauseous sensation relieved by vomiting and the patient becomes pale and blue this remedy is prescribed.
• Cuprum Metallicum – This remedy is prescribed in cases where convulsions are followed by coughing. Muscle spasm, cramping and clenching of fists accompany such attacks.

Many other remedies or a combination of these remedies can be prescribed to a patient by observing the relative symptoms. There is a strong chance of quick relief by using homeopathy for treating whooping cough.