CORONAVIRUS

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 March 19 at 7:40 PM · 

Well,  quite the social convulsion over this virus epidemic. We are all trying  to figure out the best way to deal with it. Since I have been doing  homeopathy as my primary work that is the approach that engages me the  most. I have not had a friend or family member develop this so no  personal experience with it but I did put together this piece to send  the veterinarians that have studied homeopathy with me. If you are not  familiar with it, the term “genus epidemicus” means that one homeopathic  remedy has been identified as the one that almost all affected  individuals will need during the epidemic. It is not the only remedy  that can be used, but the one for the first or early stage of the  condition, when first acquired. 
For those of you that know something  about homeopathy and have interest, here is the piece I sent out to my veterinary colleagues.
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Dear Colleagues,
Many  of you, concerned about this virus epidemic, have contacted me for  advice. I was not able to respond with any specific advice as I did not have the details of cases to work from. However, now with more time,  this is coming out. 

Today there was an article in the Homeopathy for Everyone online journal, “Homeopathy for Coronavirus Covid-19 Infection” which describes the symptoms of several cases. This is very  useful as we can then, as Hahnemann tells us to do, combine the cases and look for the most characteristic symptoms. 

The authors of  the article suggest that the genus epidemicus is Camphora but it is obviously not as they are having to give it as Camphora 1M every 5 hours  for days. If it were the genus epidemicus, one dose would be  sufficient. If they are finding this necessary, then it is palliation.  So let’s you and I look at it freshly.

SYMPTOMS FROM CASES
I will not list all the symptoms here as not necessary. Many, as expected, are common ones of most infectious diseases and therefore of little value in identifying a remedy. What I will list here are the symptoms  that were seen in most cases, with emphasis on those that will be  characteristic.

Malaise; tired, wants to lie down
Prostration
Sleepiness
Soreness of body; aching
Fever
Perspiration
Chill
Dry cough; > lying
Dyspnea, especially on physical activity
Headache  
Appetite decreased; nausea
Moaning
Sense of smell increased
Skin sensitive to touch

This pattern is very much like what we call flu. Here is how the Free Medical Dictionary defines influenza.
“An acute infectious respiratory disease, caused by Influenza viruses, which are in the family Orthomyxoviridae, in which the inhaled virus  attacks the respiratory epithelial cells of those susceptible and  produces a catarrhal inflammation; characterized by sudden onset,  chills, fever of short duration (3-4 days), severe prostration,  headache, muscle aches, and a cough that usually is dry and may be  followed by secondary bacterial infections that can last up to 10 days.  The disease commonly occurs in epidemics, sometimes in pandemics, which  develop quickly and spread rapidly; the mortality rate is usually low,  but may rise in patients with secondary bacterial pneumonia,  particularly in old people and those with underlying debilitating  diseases; strain-specific immunity develops, but mutations in the virus  are frequent, and such immunity usually does not affect antigenically  different strains.”

We can recognize the similarity — the  suddenness, affecting the respiratory system, fever, severe prostration,  headache, muscle aches, dry cough.
This disease we call flu, used to be called “grippe” in the older medical terminology — in case you are  looking for this disease in the older references. 

We could start with the rubric for influenza.
Generalities;  Influenza (27) : Acon., arn., Ars., bapt., bell., bry., camph., Caust.,  chel., chin., cimic., EUP-PER., gels., ip., MERC., NUX-V., phos.,  phyt., puls., Rhus-t., sabad., sang., sil., spig., squil., stict.,  verat-v.

We can see the most prominent remedies, which is a hint.  But rather than start with this, let’s try analysis emphasizing the  reported symptoms, especially giving importance to those most  characteristic.

Using the Böenninghausen repertory — see analysis for “corona 1"

When  I see a related pair as we do with Nux and Sepia, which are  complementary remedies, it is often a very good guide. Nux being the  acute remedy and Sepia the deeper, more chronic, remedy shows us how  similar these remedy patterns are to this condition. Hahnemann tells us,  in advising us as to the treatment of epidemics, that the genus  epidemicus will be the same in all cases as they first begin to manifest  but if the disease progresses or is addressed later then other remedies  will be needed — such as Sepia.

In this next analysis I added in the rubric for influenza just to see if it changes anything.
See analysis “corona 2"

Arsenicum,  the highest ranking remedy, but does not seem to fit the pattern  described in the cases in a larger sense as we know that Arsenicum will  be chilly, thirsty, anxious, restless, and we don’t see that in what is described. 
We do see similarity to Nux in the reporting of “sense  of smell increased; skin sensitive to touch.” Enhanced sensitity very  characteristic of Nux. It also has the characteristic of moaning during  the fever, a rubric with only 13 remedies in Kent’s repertory. So worth  considering this remedy, wouldn’t you say?

From Hering's Guiding Symptoms, for Nux Vomica

FEVER
“Typhoid  fever, early period, vertigo, pressing headache, particularly in  forehead, bitter taste, tongue generally moist and clean, pressure in  epigastrium, little or no thirst, prostration in limbs, constipation,  restless sleep, disturbed by dreams, alternate chilliness and heat,  chilliness on slightest movement, dryness of front of mouth and tip of  tongue, intolerance of impressions of external senses, great  sensitiveness to open air, thirst, with aversion to water, strong desire  to lie down and considerable relief on doing so.”

Note: We see here the headache, bitter taste (which some patients reported), prostration of body, strong desire to lie down.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
Feeling as if bruised all over.
Sensation of heaviness of body, alternating with sensation of lightness.
General languor, inclination to sit or lie down and be alone.
Sudden failing of strength, great weariness, greater in morning after rising than in evening on going to bed.

RESPIRATION
On  motion or exertion, constriction of chest and dyspnoea, must stand  still, suffocative constriction of chest in evening on attempting to  step into bed, must sleep sitting in a chair, very severe attack after  midnight towards morning, cannot sit, severe dyspnoea, constriction and  oppression of chest as of a heavy load, attacks last several hours,  during which time he supports himself by leaning with hands upon table,  slow, loud, whistling respiration, severe dry cough, shocks causing pain  in head and abdomen, anxiety, sense of suffering throughout body,  suffers from gastric troubles.

Note: This breathing difficulty is  very characteristic of the epidemic, the symptom of most concern. Nux  has this “difficulty breathing, worse with exertion” which is very  significant. 

There are other symptoms in Hering’s that match but this gives you an idea. You can read it for yourself if you are interested.

GENUS EPIDEMICUS
Am  I then suggesting that Nux vomica is the genus epidemicus? Yes, that is  what I am thinking. Mind you, I have not treated this or know of anyone  using this remedy in treatment but this is how I work it up and  therefore sharing with you. If any of you do find it of use, please let  me know..

SEPIA
What about Sepia? It is the complementary  remedy to Nux. Would it fit the cases? If you read it over in Hering you  will find that it does match, especially as to respiratory symptoms —  even extending to pneumonia as a possibility. It has the difficulty  breathing and many expressions of severe cough. It is even in the rubric  for “cough better lying down.” It has the fever and most of the other  symptoms we are considering, so no wonder that it comes up high in our  analysis.
Considering this, I can see it very possible that a  coronavirus case could develop into a Sepia state if not treated with  Nux in time to prevent this. 

CONCLUSION
The experience of  Hahnemann, Kent, and the many practitioners that dealt with epidemics  show us that there is one remedy, perhaps two, that will be the genus  epidemicus. This is because the essence (the wesen) of the epidemic is  the same for all affected. This distinguishes it from the usual illness  which is unique to each individual. Historically, the remedies found  appropriate are common ones to our work and it fits into the possibility  that Nux vomica is the one we need. In any case, let us hope that this  problem will be easily solved by homeopathy with the added advantage of,  one again, showing how effective homeopathy is in epidemics.