The Unique Benefits of Using Homeopathic Remedies During Fevers
Fever serves a purpose in the body. It’s the natural response from the immune system to burn off infection. If you support the body during fevers with homeopathy often the disease that follows on is milder, whether that is the common cold or a childhood disease like chickenpox.
Problems begin to occur when anxious parents mistakenly see fever as the enemy and they seek to work in opposition to the body’s fever response with strong chemical drug formulations designed to suppress the fever response. These anti pyretic formulations might be useful if the fever is threatening to spike over 40 degrees C and there is a risk of febrile convulsions or when there is severe pain involved. In the main, if a fever is mild and there is no pain, then good nursing and keeping fluids up and the child cool is far more important. This gives the body a chance to build the strength of their immune system and throw off the disease. In fact, studies have shown that the illness seems to be shorter in duration when the fever is supported rather than suppressed.
We can take the support of the body one step further by using the appropriate homeopathic remedy during fever. The right remedy will aid in reducing the length and severity of the fever and making the child feel more comfortable. I’ve seen children in my clinic lying on my couch in the middle of fever and after the right remedy they will sit up and may even move over to the toys to play!
Of course just like any homeopathic remedy in an acute illness, the action of it will be aided with rest and it will need to be repeated when the improvement slows or stops.
Common Fever Remedies
Aconite – This remedy is to be thought of if fever occurs after a big fright or shock. The person may even have quite a lot of fear and anxiety during the fever.
When my daughter needed Aconite for a fever once when she was an infant, her eyes were open wide as if she was very scared. Each time she had a dose of the remedy she would relax and be able to sleep.
Think of this remedy when the child wakes with fever and fear just before midnight, perhaps 11pm until midnight. May be useful for fevers beginning just before noon during the day. The child may be quite restless with their anxiety.
The time indications for a remedy’s use are applicable both a.m. and p.m.
This is the first remedy to consider if your child wakes with fever and croup, particularly just before midnight.
Belladonna – This is one of the most common remedies for childhood fevers. Once you have learnt it’s signs and symptoms you will definitely want to have this remedy in your cabinet.
This fever is often accompanied by a dusky red face and a burning heat that you will feel radiating off their body when you put your hand near their head. Often the head and face is holding the heat but their extremities may be cold. In fact, even with all the radiating heat, they will feel cold if they are uncovered.
The pupils are often dilated and look very large, even in the afternoon. The eyes may have a glassy, wet or shiny appearance.
This can be quite a sudden onset of fever…you pick the child up from school and they seem perfectly fine. By 4pm the fever is beginning to appear and the child might be quite irritable. This can be quite a high fever.
A Belladonna fever can also come on in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps the child wakes at 3-4 am with the fever symptoms. Hallucinations and bad dreams may accompany a Belladonna fever and a young child may wake in the night from a bad dream, fevering, and not recognise their parents.
This fever may be accompanied by a sore throat or other inflammation or infection.
The child will be thirsty and enjoy lemon water or lemonade iceblocks.
Pulsatilla – This fever has a clear emotional/picture with clinging to their mother. The child may also be tearful. They won’t be chilly at all and will kick off the blankets.
A Pulsatilla fever may appear at a similar time to Belladonna in the evening from 5-6pm onwards.
This fever is thirstless. It may be useful in fevers with skin eruptions.
Stramonium - This remedy is really good when the fever looks like Belladonna but upon trying Belladonna, it starts to spike higher.
Stramonium is also a good remedy for eruptive fevers when the symptoms match.
This fever state is very thirsty and may exhibit very restless behaviour.
Gelsemium - A fabulous remedy for fever at the onset of the flu. It is accompanied by immense tiredness. The eyelids may be heavy and there might also be aching pains through the hips and back. The legs may be weak and trembling.
Gelsemium will often have cold chills running up the spine. This is a fever that will have a slow onset unlike the suddenness of symptoms seen in remedies such as Belladonna and Stramonium.
Chamomilla - A typical teething fever. The child, who may or may not be teething, will want to be carried. They might have one cheek red and the other pale.
They can be angry, crying or moaning during the fever. In fact this fever may come on after anger or during teething. Typical times for this fever is around forenoon and in the evening...around 9-11am/pm.
An unusual symptoms is that the tongue may be yellow or white at the sides with red in the centre.
There are many remedies that are useful for fevers. Please contact a qualified homeopath if you need further help with choosing a remedy for fevers or if your child suffers from recurrent fever.