by Joette Calabrese
Since the winter months I have repeatedly been getting phone calls from worried students and patients whose children are suffering from a severe cough. I wrote about this topic two years ago, but I want to take it up again here so that as many patients as possible can benefit. I am writing about the most successful method I know for self-treating croup (pseudo‑croup) – without medication, without fear and often without the dreaded recurrence of the illness.
Croup (pseudo‑croup) is a viral infection of the airways characterised by a harsh, barking cough. It is a common infection in early childhood and causes great concern for many parents because, in the course of the illness, the mucous membrane of the larynx swells markedly and leads to breathing difficulties with clearly audible respiratory sounds. Pseudo‑croup should be observed closely and the emergency services called if there is severe breathing difficulty. With a little basic homoeopathic knowledge and common sense, however, pseudo‑croup can also be treated safely and successfully at home.
First bring your child into the bathroom, turn on the shower and let the child breathe in the steam. Within 30 minutes you should see a slight improvement in the symptoms. Inhaling warm, moist air relaxes the airways and loosens the cough.
In the meantime choose the appropriate remedy from the following three homoeopathic medicines. Focus on the time when the symptoms first appeared.
1) If the cough begins just after midnight and your child is very frightened, Aconitum napellus C30 is the suitable remedy. As is well known, Aconitum fits best in the initial stage of an illness when the symptoms appear suddenly. If your child has been coughing for more than 24 hours, Aconitum will very likely not be able to help.
2) If the attack begins at around 2 a.m. and sounds like a saw scraping wood, give Spongia tosta C30. If your child's cough is made worse by cold drinks and talking, you can be sure that Spongia is the right remedy.
3) Pseudo‑croup that occurs at around 3 a.m. usually calls for Hepar sulphuris calcareum C30. The child is also very irritable and has a rattling cough. Cold and draughts worsen the symptoms.
Choose the remedy that best matches your child's symptoms. Give it every half hour for very severe coughing fits, and every three hours for milder coughing. As soon as an improvement sets in, stop administering the remedy. One of the best signs that your child is getting better is when they fall asleep. If your child wakes up again and starts coughing, repeat the treatment.
Now you've done it! You now know how to treat a cough at home that terrifies many parents and often drives hospital staff to despair. In a very short time you have become an expert. Share your success with others and recommend homoeopathy and this blog.
One more note: Please obtain a homoeopathic first‑aid kit before your child becomes acutely ill. That way you can act quickly and competently even in an emergency.
This article was published on Joette Calabrese's blog.
