Facing the CoronavirusI might as well begin with something on most people's minds: the Coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China and is now popping up in other places around the world. At this point, it is unclear how widely it will spread and how severe the disease would be if it did. Many things are still unknown, including enough information to form a solid genus epidemicus recommendation. As always, I follow what homeopath Dr. Paul Herscu, DHANP has to say about any epidemic. You can read his latest update here, which also points to his previous updates. His recommendations stress some key points: a) Prevention is the best policy at this point. That means hygienic practices like hand-washing and quarantining. Perhaps most importantly, it is important to keep your immune system in tip-top shape. That means keeping up your intake of Vitamin C (my personal favorite is this very pure form of powdered Vitamin C, which I take daily) and D3. It may also be a good time to see your homeopath if you're due for a check up. Remember that most people who actually contract the Coronavirus only develop a flu-like illness. A low percentage get extremely sick and even fewer die. Deaths have tended to occur not as a result of the virus itself, but due to an over-reaction of the immune system in the form of a cytokine storm. That's why keeping yourself in good shape is important. An immune system that responds appropriately is paramount. b) So far, the key remedy recommendations are, first, one's constitutional remedy and secondly, the major flu remedies. Interestingly, this season's key flu remedy, Gelsemium, is currently the leading recommendation for the Coronavirus. Note that Gelsemium was also the leading remedy for the 1918 flu epidemic, which also likely killed via a cytokine storm. Other remedy recommendations are: Mercurius, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Bryonia, Belladonna and Nux Vomica. You can find a quick differential among common flu remedies in this article I wrote many years ago about flu remedies. |
