It’s that time of year again — cold and flu season.

Hopefully, you and your family will be spared the suffering that accompanies flu-like symptoms. But if you aren’t, homeopathy can really help.

The key is in knowing how to find the homeopathic remedy you need for your unique set of symptoms.

So, what are those unique symptoms?

Well, the ones you’re looking for to find the remedy you need are not the common ones often reported below:

Fever or feeling feverish/chills

Cough

Sore throat

Runny or stuffy nose

Muscle or body aches

Headaches

Fatigue (tiredness)

Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

The symptoms in this list above are what are called the common symptoms of a flu-like illness. And they’re generally of no use in determining the remedy you need to feel better.

To find the remedy one needs in these instances – one must identify symptoms that are characteristic of you during the illness – that you express uniquely when you are fighting the bug. Remember, homeopathy is a very individualized form of medicine.

So, what are you looking for, you ask?

Here are some symptoms that if present with intensity can guide you to the remedy you need:

A good place to start is with mental symptoms. How have you changed emotionally since you started feeling poorly? Are you more restless, listless, morose, anxious, oversensitive, irritable, or impatient? Do you prefer to be left alone, free from conversation or do you crave company and attention?

Next check to see how you feel with respect to temperature. Are you chillier than usual? Do you need to be wrapped up warmly? Or do you feel consistently warm and wish to be uncovered? Do you find yourself more sensitive to drafts than is normal for you?

How about your energy. It’s common to feel a bit sluggish when sick, but do you feel unusually weak, exhausted and drowsy? And if parts of you feel heavy and weak – which parts, in particular, feel that way? Or perhaps you feel exhausted but also restless?

How does motion make you feel in general? And does motion make any of your symptoms better or worse?

What about thirst? Is your thirst greater now that normal or are you less thirsty now? Are you thirsty or thirstless during the fever stage? Does your mouth seem quite moist yet you’re still pretty thirsty? How about the smell of your mouth? Is it notably different than at other times?

Do you have chills? If yes, what time of day do they start? Does drinking cold fluids make you feel better or worse? And where are the chills felt most strongly?

How about body aches and pains? What is the nature of the pain – burning perhaps? Throbbing? Does the burning pain feel better or worse from warmth (applications, fluids, etc.)? Or do you feel like your bones are broken they hurt so much? Is there any stiffness of the joints? How about your eyes? Do you notice anything peculiar about how they feel?

If you develop a cough, what circumstances make the cough better or worse? Does time of day matter? How about the temperature of the room or your body position? Is it a dry cough or a productive one? Do you suffer in distant parts of the body when you cough?

Do you have a headache with these symptoms? If yes, where is it felt, what does it feel like and under what circumstances is it better or worse?

Finally, are there specific actions or circumstances (including time of day) that make you feel generally better or worse?

After reading this article, your next task is to read the articles about the top eight remedies for flu-like symptoms found here: https://www.homeopathyworks.com/categories/the-learning-center/how-to-use-homeopathy.html. You want the articles found under the heading “flu-like symptoms.”

How will you know the remedy you chose is helping?

There are a number of things you may see including these:

Your symptoms aren’t immediately better, but you just feel better. You may notice that you feel better emotionally or that you have a bit more energy after dosing.

You find yourself falling asleep.

Your temperature begins to drop a bit.

Your breathing may become easier.

Your symptoms begin to change.

If you see any of these things after a dose of the remedy you have chosen, pause your dosing to allow the remedy to act and only dose again if you begin to feel worse or after an hour or two of no further improvement.

If you are helping a family member and you’re trying to determine whether you’re making some progress with the chosen remedy, ask them about each of their symptoms – whether each of those is better, worse or about the same. And watch for the five clues above. On occasion, your “patient” may say they are no better when in fact change is occurring. In these instances, wait and watch before resuming your dosing.

Final reminder (particularly if you are new to homeopathy): the key to choosing the correct/helpful remedy is always the same. One must match the “characteristic symptoms” (i.e., unusual or peculiar) of the person you are caring for (not the common ones like a headache, sore throat, cough, fever, etc.) to a remedy capable of producing similar characteristic symptoms to have success. And also remember, you are looking for things that have changed during the illness from one’s normal state (i.e. if you are normally thirstless and find yourself thirstless during your illness, that is not a useful symptom. If you are normally a chilly person and again find yourself chilly during your illness, that again is not a terribly useful symptom). If you choose a remedy with characteristics most similar to the characteristic symptoms of your family member, you should have a happy outcome every time. If you don't, you or they will either feel no effect or one that is mildly positive at best, but there is never a bad effect from choosing the “incorrect” remedy.

Once you have chosen a remedy that appears to match your symptoms, dose with either a 30C or a 200C to start - placing one pellet under the tongue (let it dissovle) or one pellet in water (the pellet does NOT need to be fully dissolved before you dose), stirring vigorously and then giving a teaspoon dose as needed (for an infant, the remedy can be added to their formula if they are taking a bottle). Always cease dosing when relief begins and only redose if symptoms again worsen.

If you think you have the influenza virus, please seek the advice of a medical professional.

Also, consult with your physician if you have any concerns about the severity of the problem as it may require medical diagnosis and/or intervention and monitoring.

About Dr. Lisa Samet:

Dr. Lisa Samet N.D. is an exceptional homeopath who provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a regular column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine and she's a partner with Dr. Andre Saine N.D. Dr. Samet graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998 and has been practicing in Montreal since then. She was born and raised in New York.

Dr. Samet has chosen to focus on homeopathy because in her experience it is the deepest healing modality available in that it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but can actually stimulate the body to start to heal itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long distance using Skype. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet.You can follow her on Facebook as well.