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Flu
Watch - Winter 2000/1
presented
by Domenick J. Masiello, D.O., D.Ht.
http://www.integral-med.com
I am fairly
confident that this information will be applicable nationwide and
maybe even worldwide due to the large amount of international travel
(influenza originates in Asia and travels west). I will update this as
often as it becomes necessary during the winter.
Final
2001 Update - 8 April 2001
EASTERN
UNITED STATES:
AUTUMN
2000
(October - early December)
A mild cold
starting with a brief sore throat and then descending into the chest .
The symptoms are not extreme and fever is minimal. The chest cold
develops slowly into a persistent bronchitis.
Remedy:
PHOSPHORUS
(early
- mid December)
A cold with fever
which also includes dizziness (giddiness) and vertigo which then induces
nausea. Cough may be present. Patient is thirsty.
Remedy:
BRYONIA
January
1- 7 2001
Despite allopathic
predictions of a flu epidemic this year because of shortages in the
conventional flu vaccine, no such epidemic has arrived as yet. I
continue to see more Bryonia
cases: heavy, congested head, fever, thirst, dry mucous membranes.
Patients prefer to remain still. There is dizziness from motion which
often induces nausea.
There have been
several cases of Kali
Bichromicum sinusitis interspersed with the
Bryonia cases. Symptoms include headache both frontal and occipital,
facial pain with extension to the upper teeth. The discharge, both nasal
and posterior nasal is thick although the color varies from clear to
white to yellow. There can also be a reflex cough from the thick post
nasal drip. Some patients feel better outdoors.
Additional Remedy:
KALI BICHROMICUM
January
8 - 21
This year's flu
season is shaping up to be mild. It seems that there are two major modes
neither of which is the classic flu. As mentioned above I continue to
see many Bryonia
cases with more respiratory symptoms such as cough. The number of Kali
Bichromicum cases is steadily increasing and
going beyond sinusitis to bronchitis and even otitis. This generally
presents without fever. Rather, there is either ear, nose or chest
congestion with thick, difficult expectoration or nasal discharge.
Patients experience this as a "very bad cold" that doesn't
clear up quickly enough.
January
22 - February 7
The flu epidemic
has just not materialized this year. There are virtually no cases of the
classic flu. However, Kali
Bichromicum cases of this "viral
syndrome" continue to increase in number and severity. Thick nasal
and post nasal discharge with sinus headache symptoms, mild sore throat
which then becomes a persistent cough with difficult expectoration.
Patients fear they are coming down with bronchitis or pneumonia but the
congestion never enters the chest. It remains an upper airway
congestion. There can be chest, rib or shoulder blade pain with the
cough. Fever and body aches. Symptoms are better from drinking(cold or
hot), better from being outdoors. The potency of Kali
Bichromicum needs to be changed daily going from
200C to 1M and even 10M to complete the treatment by day 3 or 4.
February
8 - February 24
So far it looks
like the classic flu as not made its appearance. There have been no
further Bryonia
cases as the number of Kali
Bichromicum cases has increased to a steady
stream. There is now, however, the appearance of several cases of
gastrointestinal viral syndrome. The symptoms are nausea, fever, shaking
chills, frequent diarrhea (brown, watery stools). There is thirst,
especially for cool drinks. Some cases have severe vomiting with the
diarrhea at the same time. Food and drinks seem to not get beyond the
stomach and as the patient continues to drink, because of the fever and
the thirst, the stomach becomes distended and vomiting ensues. The
corresponds most closely to Arsenicum
Album.
So as we approach
the final third of the winter season, it seems as though there hasn't
been the classic influenza with one epidemicus remedy. Rather, there
have been a series of "viral syndromes" with different symptom
patterns corresponding to different remedies.
Additional Remedy:
ARSENICUM ALBUM
April
8th
Well spring is
finally here and the classic flu never did arrive. Instead we seem to
have gotten a pattern of three different remedies as the epidemicus, one
for each of the three months of winter. Bryonia
in January, Kali
Bichromicum in February and Arsenicum
Album in March.
Good health during
2001 and see you back here again next winter!
Please Note: I would add this
caution - the epidemicus remedy will work when the condition is caught
early. Neglected cases may require different remedies. Also, strep
throat almost always rides along the influenza wave so a high fever with
a sore throat should not be neglected.
Domenick J.
Masiello, D.O., D.Ht.
420 East 51st Street
Suite B
New York, NY 10022
Phone 212-688-4818
Fax 212-888-6395
http://www.integral-med.com
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