Homeopathy for Croup and Coughs
Image reflecting a child coughing.
Introduction
Homeopathy is a complementary and alternative approach to medicine that operates on the principle of "like cures like.”
For croup, which is a condition characterised by a barking cough and difficulty breathing due to inflammation of the upper airways, a homeopathic practitioner will prescribe remedies according to homeopathic principles, these remedies aim to stimulate the body's inherent healing response, helping to alleviate the symptoms of croup.
Similarly, for coughs, homeopathic remedies are chosen based on the specific characteristics of the cough. Remedies are recommended depending on factors such as the type of cough (dry, spasmodic, loose), the time of day when it's worse, and any accompanying symptoms.
The following recommendations may help you choose the best remedy for croup or a cough. If you need help, please arrange for a homeopathic consultation.
Recommendations
Croup
The following effective remedies work quickly in croup.
Change remedy if no change, repeat if improving.
When the symptoms change, different remedies are needed.
1 Croup - THREE REMEDIES are mostly commonly indicated:
ACONITE:
Initial illness stage, especially 1st 24-48 hrs.
Dry, barking cough; fast breathing; hoarse voice.
Anxiety, restlessness, dilated pupils.
Worse at night, before/around midnight, in cold air.
Thirsty.
Use for fever's 1st stage in croup.
Parents can take if frightened by baby's sudden illness.
SPONGIA:
As croup progresses: cough sounds like a seal or a saw, stridor (a harsh vibrating noise when breathing)
Dry, constant, hollow cough; difficulty breathing.
Worse: cold wind, sweets, cold foods; full moon.
Better: warm foods and drinks, head low.
Anxiety, tearful in fever; wake with suffocation.
Intolerant of tight clothing.
Spongia is a remedy that also effectively cures thyroid problems and heart issues. A cough may be an accompanying symptom.
HEPAR SULPH:
Later croup stage, after Spongia.
Morning cough, draft, uncovering worsen.
Rattling, wheezing; tough, yellow mucus.
Irritable, angry, disinterested in playing.
Differentiation:
ACONITE & SPONGIA: Similar croup symptoms with anxiety.
HEPAR SULPH after SPONGIA for mucus stage.
Croup - More remedies if the 3 common Croup remedies (Aconite, Hep sulph and Spongia) fail:
OTHER REMEDIES FOR CROUP:
KALI BICHROMICUM:
Copious yellow, stringy phlegm.
Tenacious crusts in nostrils, sore patches.
Croupy cough, tough mucus.
Pain in chest, holds chest while coughing.
LACHESIS:
Lump sensation in throat, hoarse voice.
Choking cough after sleep, suffocative.
Anxious on waking, aversion to touch.
PHOSPHORUS:
Dry, hacking, tickling cough at night.
Raw larynx, better with heat, worse with cold air.
Copious sputum, especially in the morning.
Fear of dark, desire for company.
For acute consultation or advice on treating croup in infants or children, contact for assistance.
2 Dry paroxysmal(sudden attack or spasmodic) or whooping cough
DROSERA ROTUNDIOLIA:
Dry spasmodic irritating cough
Cough after midnight
Sensation of a feather in the throat
Paroxysm - coughs quickly follow each other which make it difficult to catch a breath.
Gagging retching and vomiting with the cough.
Coughing until large volumes of sputum are raised.
Night cough in young people with purulent and bloody sputum
Night cough in tuberculosis.
Exhausted after a coughing episode.
Cough worse talking, laughing, crying, warmth, lying down
Coughs during measles
KALI CARB
Paroxysmal cough which loosens mucous
Gagging and vomiting
Hard white or smoky masses fly from the mouth when coughing
3 Rattling Cough with difficult phlegm.
ANITMONIUM TART:
Rattling Cough with difficult phlegm
Rattling cough but nothing can be coughed up.
Lungs feel full of mucous.
Drowsiness and sleepiness.
Cough day and night.
Difficulty in breathing.
Cough worse after eating and the autumn.
Cough from exposure to damp
Burning sensation in the chest.
Desire for apples.
IPECAC:
For Cough with Difficult Phlegm
Rattling cough with difficult expectoration
Constricted feeling in the chest,
Can have shortness of breath
Can have suffocative spells
Nausea and vomiting with the cough.
4 Cough Worse at Night
CONIUM MACULATUM:
Cough worse at night when lying down.
Restless at night with coughing spells which makes them sit up.
Tickling sensation in the throat.
Can have a dry spot in the larynx.
Can have a headache on coughing.
5 Cough with Dry Air Passages
SPONGIA TOSTA
Cough sounds like a seal or a saw.
-See croup above
6 For Cough from Post Nasal Drip (PND)
CORALLIUM RUBRUM
Short coughs that follow in quick succession
Coughs from a post nasal drip
Excessive clearing of the throat
Extremely sensitive air passages- air feels cold
Exhaustion with the cough
7 Cough in Children and Babies-paroxysmal and suffocative
SAMBUCUS NIGRA
The cough is usually of paroxysmal type
The most troublesome time for a cough is during the night
Sudden spells, mainly of a suffocative cough arise during night hours
The suffocation is so bad the baby can turn blue
A child needing Sambucus nigra frequently sits up at night because of the coughing spells
Along with the cough, a whistling sound from the chest is also present in most cases.
Difficulty in breathing out
Blocked nose in babies with a cough-lets go of the nipple to breathe through the mouth
8 Cough with Bloody Sputa (hemoptysis)
MILLEFOLIUM
Cough with Bloody Sputa (hemoptysis)
Bloody Sputa
Lung disease with cough
Shortness breath
Difficulty in breathing
Cough after injury or extreme exertion
9 Cough with White Phlegm
NAT MUR
White sputum with salty taste
Tears from the eyes
Bursting headache
Shortness breath
Bruised feeling in the chest
Involuntary urination during cough
Can be a long standing chronic cough
Can be sad and weepy
10 Remedies for Cough with Yellow & Green Phlegm
KALI SULPH
Cough with expectoration of thick yellow coloured sputa.
Rattling of mucus in the chest,
Difficult expectoration
Wheezing in the chest.
PULSATILLA NIGRANS
Green expectoration
Cough worse in a warm room
Cough better in open air
Cough after measles
11 Remedies for Cough in Bronchitis
PHOSPHOROUS
Cough with purulent expectoration,
Frothy or blood-stained sputum.
Phlegm may be salty or sweet to taste
Strong odours may trigger a cough.
Chest tightness
Sharp stitching pain in the chest
Heat/ burning sensation in the chest
Cough worse lying on the left side
Worse laughing, talking, eating
Cough worse going from warm to cold
HEP SULPH - see croup
Bronchitis in older adults
Loose rattling cough with thick, tenacious, yellow sputa
Gagging and vomiting
Worse for exposure to cold air
Better for Warmth
12 For an Asthmatic Cough
ARSENICUM ALBUM
Asthmatic cough.
Shortness of breath, and wheezing/whistling in the chest. Tightness in the chest may also arise
Tenacious expectoration of yellow/ green colour
Suffocative attacks during sleep
Anxiety and restlessness
Burning pain in the upper part of the right lung
Can be terrified and thinks they will die
Does not want food or drink
13 For a Cough in Emphysema
ANTIMONIUM ARSENICOSUM
Treats cough in persons having emphysema
Cough with extreme dyspnea (difficulty in breathing)
In most cases lying down worsens the cough and dyspnea. Excessive mucus expectoration
Emphysematous cough - chronic, hacking cough that’s often accompanied by shortness of breath and a tightness in the chest. Weakness and loss of appetite may be present.
14 For a Cough in Pneumonia
BRYONIA ALBA
Cough in pneumonia patients.
Dry, hard cough and brick coloured/blood streaked sputa
Chest pain on coughing, which makes a person hold the chest.This is a strong symptom
Stitching pain in the chest which is worse on inhaling is another prominent symptom
Better for lying on the painful side.
15 For Cough in Older Adults
SENEGA
Cough in the elderly
A cough with rattling in the chest
Difficulty in raising the tough sputa
Soreness and oppressed sensation in the chest
Pain in the back on coughing
A cough in asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis all indicates the use of Senega.
16 Cough in damp weather
NATRUM SULPH
Complaints during damp, wet, cloudy weather
A previous pneumonia where the cough comes back in damp and cloudy weather
Breathless and tightness in the chest.
Mucous thick and greenish
Asthma in young kids
Child breathless, and in between coughs, have to pause to take a deep breath
Pneumonia of the lower lobe of the left lung
Worse 4am-5am, listening to music
17 For Spasmodic Cough
CINA MARITIMA
Violent cough that ends in vomiting
The cough is so intense that it brings tears to the eyes
Paroxysmal cough with shortness of breath.
COCCUS CACTI
Coccus Cacti is useful when a
Spasmodic cough worse in the morning
The cough ends with vomiting of viscid mucus
Cough in regular paroxysms with expectoration of ropy mucus.
18 For a Cough with Acidity (GERD-gastro oesophageal reflux)
NUX VOM
Cough with acidity
Cough with difficulty in breathing with an accumulation of gas in the abdomen
Nausea, vomiting, fullness in the stomach and sour/bitter belching are prominently present with a cough.
Overuse of stimulants like alcohol and caffeine, a sedentary lifestyle, high paced jobs and unhealthy eating habits
Conclusion:
I have provided you with descriptions of a few remedies, but it's important to note that there are numerous others available. Take your time to review the remedies attentively and select the one that closely matches your specific set of symptoms. If you find it challenging to determine the best fit, don't hesitate to seek assistance as I am a qualified practitioner.
If you have more questions please book a free 15 minute chat with me through my website.
https://rhondacampbellhomeopathy.as.me/?appointmentType=42503593
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