INFLUENZA

  Influenza is a acute viral miasm that affects the respiratory system and produces generalized aches and pain, especially in the limbs and back; malaise; prostration; fever; coryza, headache; with photophobia and retrobulbar aching; and inflamed respiratory mucous membranes. The incubation period is around 48 hours. The symptoms begin with sore throat with substernal burning; nonproductive cough; and coryza. Cough usually becomes severe and productive and causes pain in the chest. The soft palate, posterior hard palate, tonsils and throat become reddened and painful. The eyes water easily and the conjunctiva may be mildly inflammed. Sweating and weakness may continue for weeks. Complications include bronchitis; pneumonia; breathlessness; spitting of blood; pulmonary edema; encephalitis; and death.

  Old people; babies; those confined to bed; or with chronic pulmonary or heart disease are the most at risk. Susceptibility to influenza seems to be increased in those who have psora and TB miasms. Influenzinum, a nosode made from the flu virus, can be used as a prophylactic during epidemics. Baptisia has also been used for this purpose. The "remedy epidemicus" can be found by using the totality of symptoms in several cases of the the present epidemic.

Materia Medica

ACONITE (2). Inflammatory symptoms, high fever, dry skin; dry, violent, racking cough, with or without oppression; stitches in chest after exposure to cold winds. Early stages with rapid onset. Much restlessness, anxiety and fear.

ARSENICUM (3). Sudden onset of suffocation at night. Influenza in children with sudden onset and much prostration; child looks as if it had been sick a week. Violent sneezing with blood-tinged discharge; profuse watery discharge from nose, corroding nostrils making upper lip sore, worse < at night, after meal. Spasmodic cough, with desire to vomit or vomiting and expectoration of watery mucus. Running eyes, excessive photophobia; inflammed eyes with ulcers on cornea. Anxiousness and restlessness with much weakness. Thirst for warm drinks in sips. Worse < after midnight.

BAPISTIA (3). Great languor, rapid prostration, soreness of the body, bruised feeling, heaviness, numbness, aching of musles, want to lie down, chilly in open air. Lifeless body but restless mind, tosses and turns, mottled, dark face, besotted look, putrid smells, foul discharges. Confused, dull, indiferent, delirious, thinks he is broken or double. Can only swallow liquids, gags on solid food. Worse < open air, cold wind, autumn; < hot weather, humid heat, fog, indoors; < pressure, walking, pressure.

BRYONIA (3). Dryness of mucus membranes, stitching, tearing pains, worse < on motion, Headache on coughing, on stooping as if all the contents of head would issue through forehead. Aversion to light, esp. sunlight. Constriction and stitches in the chest worse < on moving or coughing. Frequent sneezing, often between cough. Fluent coryza, watery or greenish discharge. Mouth dry, lips cracked, with thirst for large amounts of cold water. Dry hacking cough < smoking or talking, when coming from the open air into a warm room. Rheumatic pains in extremeties. Sleepy, heavy, lethargic, irritable, wants to be left alone, desire for things that are rejected when offered, talks of business. Worse < motion, deep breathing, stooping, becoming warm, warm room, eating and anger. Better > lying on painful side, pressure, rest, quiet, cold things, drawing up knees, sitting up.

CAUSTICUM (2). Immediate sensation of weakness and paresis in all extremities, loss of muscular strength., unsteady when walking, easy falling. Cough with sensation as if can't cough deep enough to raise mucus. Feels better after a sip of cold water. Cough causes escape of urine. Cough is incessant, short, hollow, from crawling, tickling with much mucus in the throat, causes soreness in chest. Aphonia, difficulty speaking, contraction of the esophagus, painful sore throat. Pain in the hip while coughing. Thick yellowish or greenish discharge, nostril ulcerated. Coryza dry by day fluent at night. Burning, rawness, soreness, tearing, drawing pains. Very sympathetic, thinking of complaints < aggravates them, hopeless, despondent, ambitionless, mentally fatigued. Child does not want to go to bed alone, least thing makes them cry. Worse < clear fine weather, dry cold air, winds, drafts, extremes of temperature, stooping, 3 to 4 AM. Better > cold drinks, damp wet wether, wasing, warmth of bed, gentle motion.

CHELIDONIUM (1). Shortness of the breath with tightness of chest, loud mucous rales in bronchi. Violent pain in forehead above eyes, drawing in nape and occiput. Photophobia with lachrymation. Dryness of the nose, tongue, and throat; great dry heat in face, thirst, with dry mouth, or thirstlessness, no appetite. Delirium mostly at night followed by lethargy with continues throught the day. Anxiety and restlessness. Aversion to conversation. Despondent. Feels like cry with ill humour for no reason. Liver complications, biliousness, yellowness of eyes and skin, aching pain at inferior angle of the right scapula. Worse < right side and right lung.

EUPATORIUM PERF (3). Violent deep aching pains in the bones, as if broken. Bruised sore feeling of the muscles of chest, back, and limbs. Flowing coryza. sneezing, hoarseness, with roughness of voice, hacking cough in the evening, with soreness in chest. Restlessness, and moaning with constant change of position although he wishes to stay because it hurts to move. Lassitude. Worse < cold air, periodically, 7 to 9 AM, or third or fourth day. < Lying on part, motion, coughing, sight or smell of food. Better > conversation, by getting on hands and kness, lying on face, sweating and vomiting bile.

GELSEMIUM (3). The patient is apathetic, dull, dizzy, drowsy, droopy, heavy, tired, aching, weak, and sore. Trembing of the limbs with lack of mucular co-ordination. Want to lie down and be left alone. Face is hot, flushed, with a heavy besottled look, droopy eyelids, lower jaw dropped, putrid breath, the tongue is thickly yellow coated and trembles when protruded. Chills up and down the spine. Dryness and heat with thirstlessness. Soreness of throat, pain in left tonsil, extending to soft palate, along left nostril, sensation as if stream of scalding water rushing along nasal passage on every inspiration while right nostril is stuffed up. Continuous accumulation of irritating mucus in throat, hard, painful cough with shooting pain into ear when swallowing. Never well since flu. Worse < emotions, bad news, damp, humid weather, heat of sun, summer, 10 AM, periodically, thinking of the ailment.

INFLUENZINUM (1). Used as a preventive during epidemics or never well since a case of influenza. General feeling of chill, headache, eyes heavy and sensitive to movement, diffused pains, general stiffness, lingering fever, weakness, anorexia. Post-grippal neurotic, depressive feelings.

MERCURIUS (2). Rheumatic pains in the head, face, ears, teeth and extremites with sore throat, swollen glands, and excessive salivation which may wet the pillow during sleep. Tongue moist, yellow coated, flabby, showing indention of the teeth. Weariness, prostration and trembling with produse sweat that does not relieve. Intense thirst for cold water. Sensitive to heat and cold. Fluent coryza, acrid watery discharge with sneezing. Dry hacking cough as though head and chest would burst. Dry at night, in daytime expectoration of thin, acrid purulent, yellow mucus often mixed with blood. Creeping chilliness, < in the evening and night. Groaning and moaning with the pains. Irresolute, constantly changing their minds. Dissatisfied,complains about everything, his relations, surrounding, etc. Weakness of the memory,forgets everything, thinks he is losing his reason. Worse < at night, sweating, lying on right side, heated, from cold or heat, changing weather, cloudy, damp cold, drafts, wet feet. Better > moderate temperature, rest.

NUX VOMICA (2). Rough, raw, and hollow cough, scraped feeling in throat, with mucus rales and thick expectoration.Violent headache as if the brain were bruised,, cough brings on bursting headache, heaviness of head, vertigo, pains in loins, constipation, loss of appetite, nausea and desire to vomit. Sleeplessness or restless sleep, with anxious dreams. Can't sleep after 3 AM until towards morning, awakes feeling wretched, better > after a nap. Stitches and pain in chest as if raw, fluent coryza by day but dry at night. Body burning hot, esp. face, yet can't move or bear unovering without feeling chilly. Very irritable, angry, and impatient, complaining, fault-finding, wants to be left alone. Can not bear the slightest noises, odors, or light. Worse < early morning, cold, open air, drafts, wind uncovering. Better > from a nap, free discharges, wrapping head, hot drinks, lying on the side.

OSCILLOCOCCINUM (1). Useful if given at the first onset of the flu. Anxiety, paleness, and chill. Fixed ideas and obsessions, fear of dirt, infection, of being polluted, must wash his hands often and is aftraid to shake hands because of fear of pollution or contagon. Fears storms. Obstinate, agony, anxious without any motive. Sensitive to meteorological changes. Stuffed nose,, nasal obstruction, sneezing serous discharges followed by muco-purulent. Pain in frontal or maxillary region. Nasal voice, aphonia, dry painful cough. Muco-purulent expectoration with humid cough. Worse < by milk and eggs. Better > heat and rest.

PHOSPHORUS (3). Intense bronchial and painful laryngeal affection, affecting the voice and rendering speech almost impossible. Dry, tickling cough, with tightness aross the chest, worse < evening and before midnight. Coryza alternating fluent or dry, with frequent sneezing. Hard, dry, tight racking cough. Whole body trembles with cough. Sputa rusty blood-colored or purulent. Goneness and faintness in region of stomach, painless diarrhoea. Craves cold, iced drinks and foods. Burning in all parts of the body and limbs, violent congestions, flushes of heat, rushes of blood, and haemorrhages. Open, friendly, sympathetic people who become weak, needy, anxious, restless and figity when ill. Fears being alone at twilight. Worse < change of weather, wind cold, thunderstorms, lightining, lying on the left or painful side. Better > lying on right side, cold food, cold, open air, eating, dark, massage, being magnitised.

PYROGEN (2). Abnormal balances between pulse and temperature, pulse decreases while temperature increases or pulse increases with temperature decreases. Pulse abnormally rapid, out of proportion to temperature. Profuse sweat, bed is soaked, yet temperature does not drop. Offensive smells and discharges, septic states when blood is disorganized, heart weak and muscles prostrated. Aching, bruised, sore, bone pains. Prostrated yet restless, bed feels hard. loquacity, thinks and talks faster then ever before, talks or whispers to herself in sleep, can not tell if they are dreaming or awake. Sensitive, anxious and confused. Worse < cold, damp, sitting, moving eyes. Better > heat, motion, heat, pressure.

RHUS TOX. (3). Flu after exposure to wet, damp weather or getting wet. Stiffness in muscles and joints < first motion but > by limbering up. Tearing, shooting, stitching pains < at night, can not rest in any position, severe aching of the bones. Restless, sore, bruised and stiff. Copious coryza with redness and edema of throat, sneezing and coughing, edema of glottis, puffed, translucent uvula. Pharynx and larynx feel intolerably raw and rough, full of vesicles. Dry cough < from evening till midnight or from uncovering the body. Mind and senses become cloudy. Extreme restlessness with constant changing of position, great apprehension at night, can not remain in bed. Worse < after midnight, jar, riding, ice cold drinks, side lain on, drenching, uncovering parts, during rest. Better > limbering up and continual motion.