How to Select the Remedy You Need for Flu-Like Symptoms (Spoiler Alert - this is a great article!)

It’s cold and flu season again.

Hopefully, you and your family will make it through without getting sick. But if flu-like symptoms do show up, it helps to know what to look for when choosing a homeopathic remedy.

And here’s the important part: the symptoms that help you choose a remedy often aren’t the obvious ones.

Look beyond the usual symptoms

Fever. Chills. Cough. Sore throat. Stuffy nose. Body aches. Headache. Fatigue.

These symptoms show someone is sick, but they often don’t indicate which homeopathic remedy will help most.

Instead, look for what is different or unusual about how this person is experiencing their illness.

Maybe your normally easygoing spouse suddenly wants everyone to leave the room. Perhaps your child, who usually drinks constantly, has a fever and no thirst at all. Or you feel so achy that you can’t stand to move, while someone else with similar symptoms feels miserable unless they keep moving.

Those differences matter in homeopathy.

Start with mood and behavior

Has anything changed about the person’s mood since becoming sick?

Are they unusually restless, anxious, irritable, or impatient? Do they seem dull and listless? Do they want to be left completely alone, or do they suddenly want someone nearby?

Focus on changes from the person’s usual personality rather than traits they have all the time.

Are they hot or chilly?

Notice how the person responds to temperature.

Are they much chillier than usual and piling on blankets? Do they feel worse when uncovered? Are they unusually sensitive to a draft?

Or is it the opposite? Do they feel hot and want the covers off?

Again, you’re looking for something that stands out from what is normal for that person.

Pay attention to energy

Almost everyone feels tired when they’re sick. But sometimes the weakness itself becomes distinctive.

Does the person feel overwhelmingly heavy and drowsy? Do the arms or legs feel especially weak? Are the eyelids so heavy that keeping the eyes open feels like work?

Or is the person exhausted but unable to settle down?        

Those are much more useful details than simply saying, “I’m tired.”

Does movement help or hurt?

This question can be especially helpful.

Does the person want to lie perfectly still because every movement makes the pain worse? Does coughing or sitting up make the head pound?

Or are they stiff and uncomfortable when they stay in one place, but start to feel a little better once they move?

Note what happens when the person moves and when they rest.

What about thirst?

Thirst can provide another useful clue.

Is the person much thirstier than usual? Do they want large amounts at once or frequent small drinks? Are they surprisingly thirstless despite having a fever?

Does the mouth feel moist even though the person is thirsty?

These details may not seem important at first, but they can help distinguish one remedy picture from another.

Take a closer look at chills

If there are chills, get specific.

When do they occur? Where do they begin? Is one part of the body especially chilly? Does the person want to be covered warmly? Does drinking something cold make the chills better or worse?

The more unusual the detail, the more useful it may be.

Describe the aches and pains

“Everything hurts” is a good starting point, but keep going.

Do the bones feel as though they might break? Are the muscles sore and bruised? Is there stiffness in the joints?

Is the pain burning, throbbing, pounding, or aching? Does warmth help? Does pressure help? Does movement make it better or worse?

Don’t forget the eyes. Soreness, heaviness, or other unusual sensations in or around the eyes can sometimes be an important part of the symptom picture.

If there’s a cough, describe it

Instead of stopping at “I have a cough,” notice what makes it distinctive.

Is it dry or productive? Is it worse at a particular time of day? Does lying down make it worse? What about a warm room or cold air?

Does coughing cause pain somewhere else, such as the head or chest? Does the person have to hold the head or chest when coughing because it hurts?

Those details can be much more helpful when choosing a remedy.

Do the same with a headache

Where does the head hurt? Is it better from a hot or cold cloth?

What does the pain feel like? What makes it worse? What makes it better?

A headache that worsens with every movement or cough tells you more than the presence of a headache alone.

Look for patterns

Finally, take a step back and look at the whole picture.

What makes the person feel better? What makes them worse? Does warmth help? Cold air? Rest? Movement? Pressure? Lying down? Is there a particular position that helps when lying down?

Does a certain time of day consistently bring an improvement or a worsening of symptoms?

You don’t need dozens of symptoms to choose a remedy. A handful of clear, distinctive (characteristic) symptoms will tell you much more than a long list of common ones.

How do you know if you’re seeing improvement?

Once you’ve chosen a remedy, pay attention to the person as a whole rather than watching just one symptom.

You may notice that they seem more comfortable or settled. Their energy or mood may improve. They may fall asleep naturally. Breathing may become easier, or other symptoms may begin to improve, such as appetite.

If you’re caring for someone else, check in periodically. Ask whether the symptoms that were bothering them are better, worse, or about the same.

Sometimes the first sign of change is simply that the person “feels better” even though individual symptoms haven’t improved.

One last thing to remember

When choosing a homeopathic remedy, remember to look for what has changed from the person’s normal state.

If someone is always chilly, being chilly while sick may not tell you very much. But if someone who normally sleeps with the window open suddenly can’t get warm despite being under three blankets, that change is worth noticing.

The same applies to thirst, mood, energy, movement, sleep, and other symptoms.

You’re looking for the characteristics that make this person’s experience of the illness different. Once you identify those, compare them with the symptom pictures of the remedies you’re considering.

For a closer look at eight remedies commonly considered for flu-like symptoms, visit our Learning Center and look for the articles under “Flu-Like Symptoms.”

A note about dosing and medical care

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 dissolve) 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). Initially, dose once every 1-4 hours, depending on the severity of symptoms, and evaluate after 3-5 doses. If you are much better, wait before dosing again – and only dose if symptoms begin to worsen.

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

About Dr. Lisa Samet:

Dr. Lisa Samet, N.D., provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a regular column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine. 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, as it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but actually stimulates the body to begin healing itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long-distance using Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet. You can follow her on Facebook as well.