Will Taylor, Homeopathy, Pertussis - Drosera questions & more

[Sheri Nakken]

Drosera is NOT the automatic remedy for whooping cough

Will Taylor, MD Homeopathy, on whooping cough

This is from a conversation on an email list......

ashryn wrote,
It is never easy when our own young-ones take sick. I find it easy to
offer knowledgable reassurance to my patients, but struggle so often in
these same situations with my own pain at seeing my own boys not feeling
well. Find someone for hugs (someone must know a nifty little e-mail
symbol for hugs?)
Conventional medicine can only intervene with supportive care (observation,
humidity, hydration, oxygen). Antibiotics do *not* affect the course of
the illness (except, perhaps, in the very early catarrhal phase, before
there is any clue that this might be whooping cough); they may be given to
the patient to reduce the possibility of contagion to others. But consider
that the most common side-effect of erythromycin (the antibiotic most often
used for this) is nausea ...

Perhaps one of the reasons allopathy worries so much about pertussis is,
that they "gots nothin' to do" for it. & allopaths basically *hate* it
when that happens.
My experience with pertussis is, that it is much much more difficult for
the parents than it is for the child. It is very hard to watch these
paroxysmal coughing episodes. I mean sure, they're rough for the kid to go
thru, but as parents we feel so incredibly helpless. The kids seem mostly
to recover just fine.
Recall what Edouard wrote recently about the pace of remedies (he used Bell
& Calc-c as examples). It would be very unusual to see Silica called for
in an acute pertussis case in the paroxysmal cough phase - the pace of this
remedy just does not match the pace of the acute paroxysmal illness.

Many of the common symptoms of pertussis seem to fit Pulsatilla - worse in
the first part of the night, (or at least prefers) sitting
up, etc. You usually need to look further at more differentiating symptoms
to find the simillimum.

As an aside, not really applicable to this case, if a "chronic of Puls"
does need to be given, it should still be a remedy that fits the whole
picture. Only Silica if it fits. See Boenninghausen's concordances (in
the back of his repertory) for other possibilities.
I suspect it is an indication that the remedy was not correct.
I have rarely seen the persecution, etc. of Drosera during a Drosera
whooping cough acute. Go to the most characteristic symptoms of the case -
which will likely be in the modalities (& times), the physical generals,
concomitants to the cough, and any strongly characterizing physical
particulars.
Going on for 2 weeks as it has, it is likely that you've pretty much
already seen what is in store for you. Emphasize rest (& restful activity)
for all of the family during the day, so you can all pace yourself through
this. Plan on little treats for yourself during the predictable night
wakings, & breaks for self-refreshment during the day, & work out some
alternation of responsibilities so you don't all get exhausted
simultaneously.

I hope for the best for your family -
It usually does. I would expect at the least to see the cough settle down
into a semi-disturbing, no-gagging night-time cough without nausea or
wretching.
Will Taylor, MD

More Will Taylor, Homeopathy, Pertussis - Drosera questions
Good question. Actually there are two questions here - (1)does the child
need a remedy, and (2)what remedy does the child need? At the onset of the
illness, if Drosera matched the totality of symptoms, this would be
appropriate. But one couldn't knee-jerk to Drosera - perhaps, after being
exposed to whooping cough, the child is destined to move into a Corralium
rubrum state - or an Ipecacuanha state - or a Kali-c state - or, God
forbid, a Cuprum state (e.g.)- & then needs that remedy, then. In the
prodromal and catarrhal (early, pre-whoop) phases of pertussis, one takes
the case and gives the appropriate simillimum if it can be perceived.
Often a remedy is not needed or appropriate at this stage (incidently, most
pertussis patients never pass this stage into whooping).

One could fall back on the "genus epidimicus" if one were perceived locally
in a pertussis outbreak, and count on perhaps some statistical success -
tho I've not seen a genus epidemicus in the pertussis outbreaks that I've
seen & treated - perhaps there is just too much room for individuation of
response to this illness.

Will Taylor, MD
Homoeopathic Family Medicine

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Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath
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