The Common Cough & Cold: An overview & its Homeopathic approach
- Abstract:
In India & around the world, the most frequent acute sickness is the common cough & cold, which cannot be avoided. From the mildest symptoms of nasal congestion to more serious ones like anosmia & post nasal drip, this condition can be present with a wide range of symptoms. Like any other disease, Homeopathic literature has a dozen of medicines for common cough & cold. In this article, the common cold will be briefly introduced along with its homeopathic treatment and Repertorial approach.
- Key words: Common cough& cold, Coryza, Nasal discharge, Homoeopathy.
- Introduction:
Common cough & cold is the most prevalent infectious syndrome in humans. It is nothing but a mild upper respiratory tract viral illness that usually affects the sinuses, throat and nose. And so, it is also known as the Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Other names for common cough & cold include Acute coryza, Influenza, Head cold, Nasopharyngitis, Rhinopharyngitis, Viral respiratory tract infection (VRTI), Acute viral nasopharyngitis, Viral rhinitis.
- Epidemiology:
According to reports, 10-33% of the general population gets a cough each year. Acute bronchitis and Upper respiratory tract infections are by far the most frequent causes of acute cough, accounting for almost 60% of cases that are identified. In India cough is a fairly common symptom, especially among children, as evidenced by the data that is currently available. The prevalence of cough is estimated to be between 2.4-5.6% in rural areas and 1.7-5.4% in urban areas. An average Indian adult experiences three cough episodes annually, while children can experience 7-10 episodes.
- Clinical Manifestations:
Majority of practitioners consider common cough & cold to include symptoms of rhinitis such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, redness, anosmia, & post nasal drip. But the major associated symptoms include coughing with or without phlegm, headache, itching & redness of eyes, lachrymation & irritation in throat. Patient also complaint of chills, fatigue, fever, malaise & body ache.
- Diagnosis:
The patient’s clinical presentation and the clinician’s evaluation of the illness are typically used to make the diagnosis of common cough & cold. Sometimes, the diagnosis can be less straightforward due to overlapping of symptoms. At such times investigations can be necessary. A complete blood count (CBC) can be used to identify infections. An infection may be indicated by an elevated white blood cell count, particularly neutrophils. A Chest X-ray can help rule out illnesses like pneumonia. A higher quality image of the chest can be obtained with a CT Scan.
- Homeopathic management of Common cough & cold:
Common cough & cold is usually self-limiting, but it continues to place a heavy financial strain on society. It results in a rise in clinical visits, more absences from work and school, and ultimately, lower income. So, here are a few homoeopathic remedies to combat Common cough & cold.
(1) BELLADONNA
– Tickling, short, dry, spasmodic, hollow and hoarse cough, awaking after mid-night.
– There is pressive pain in the chest with Shortness of breath.
– Causation: exposure to cold, haircut, getting wet.
– Sensation as if larynx were inflamed, swollen and constricted.
(2) BRYONIA ALBA
– Causation: after getting a cold or getting hot in summer, from exposure to draught of cold wind.
– Cough is dry, hard with gagging and vomiting with stitching pain in the chest.
– Cough agg more towards night, from motion & better by complete rest, lying on the painful side.
– Great thirst for large quantities of cold water at long intervals.
(3) JUSTICIA ADHATODA
– Paroxysmal cough with suffocative obstruction of respiration.
– Dry, pain during empty swallowing, tenacious mucus, mouth dry.
– Coryza with cough.
– Constant sneezing, loss of smell and taste.
(4) KALIUM BICHROMICUM
– Violent, rattling cough with gagging and vomiting.
– Cough with expectoration of Tough, ropy and stringy discharged mucus with dyspnoea.
– Pressure & pain at the root of the nose, sticking pain in the nose.
– Coryza with obstruction of the nose, Violent sneezing.
(5) SABADILLA
– Being a topmost sneezing remedy, it is indicated in hay fever, influenza etc.
– Spasmodic sneezing with a running nose.
– Coryza with severe frontal pains & redness of eyes & lachrymation.
– Copious, watery, nasal discharge.
Reportorial Approach:. Two repertories that are commonly utilized for acute illness are Phatak and Boericke. The various rubrics that have been mentioned in these two repertories are given below:
- Conclusion:
Though common cough & cold is a self-limiting illness, a homoeopathic approach will help patients to recover as quickly as possible, gently, and without any further morbidities.
- References:
1.Macleod JG, Davidson Stanley Principles and practice of Medicine: A textbook for students & doctors, 22nd edition Edinburgh: Elsevier
2. Jameson JL. Harrison’s principles of Internal medicine. 21st ed. Vol 1. New York. McGraw-Hill Education. 2022
3. Boericke W. Boerickes’s new manual of Homoepathic materia medica with repertory: including Indian Drugs, nosoeds, uncommon rare remedies, mother tincutures, relationships, sides of the body, drug affinities, & list of abbrevattions. New Delhi. B. Jain Publishers: 2007
4. Phatak SR. Concise Repertory of Homepathic Medicines. B. Jain Publishers 2004
5. Eccles R. Common cold. Frontiers in Allergy (Internet). 2023 Jun 22: 4(4): 1224988.
6. Common colds: Overview (Internet). www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
About Author:
- Priti H. Sagathiya:
4th B.H.M.S Student
Baroda Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital,
Vadodara, Gujarat
- Dr. Akshay S. Rajgor:
MD (Hom.), Assistant Professor of Practice of Medicine at
Baroda Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital,
Vadodara, Gujarat.
Homeopathic Consultant – Asteya Homeocare Clinic
