Homeopathy and the swine flu*

What is the swine flu?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.
Why is there so much panic about Swine Flu? After all it’s just a flu!
The most significant flu pandemic occurred in 1918-1919. The global mortality rate from the 1918-1919 pandemic is not known, but is estimated at 2.5 to 5% of those who were infected died. With 20% or more of the world population suffering from the disease to some extent, a case-fatality ratio this high would mean that about 0.5-1% that 50 million to 100 million people worldwide were killed. In 1957, an Asian flu pandemic infected some 45 million Americans and killed 70,000. Eleven years later, lasting from 1968 to 1969, the Hong Kong flu pandemic afflicted 50 million Americans and caused 33,000 deaths, costing approximately $3.9 billion. In 1976, about 500 soldiers became infected with swine flu over a period of a few weeks.
The scare and panic about the bird flu and swine flu have occurred because people now know what a simple flu can lead to and are afraid of the consequences – not just to the human capital but also to the global financial health.

Homeopathic treatment of swine flu
Homeopathy was very successful in dealing with the 1918-19 flu pandemic. Studies done in British hospitals showed that patients treated homeopathically had only a 5% death rate compared to a 45% fatality rate among those treated with drugs. Based on the symptoms, homeopathy can offer an effective cure to swine flu. Moreover, it does not have any side effects.
Examples of few basic homeopathic remedies for flu:
Gelsemium: This remedy corresponds to the commencement of the trouble, when the patient is weak, tired and aches throughout the body. It removes speedily the intense aching and muscular soreness. There are paroxysms of sneezing with excoriating discharge, and great torpor and apathy. An extensive experience with this remedy in the great Epidemic of 1918 proved its usefulness. Simple cases were speedily cured.

phytolacca: Specific when the throat is inflamed and spotty, with great hardness and tenderness of the glands.
Baptisia : Influenza with marked gastro-intestinal symptoms may need this remedy, especially when there are present putrid diarrhoea stools.
Bryonia: The trouble here is largely bronchial and going down. When a person is very grumpy and feels miserable with the flu, wanting only to lie still and be left alone, this remedy is likely to be useful. Headache, muscle aches, and cough or stomach pain may be the major symptoms. Everything feels worse from even the slightest motion. The person’s mouth usually is dry, with a thirst for long cold drinks.

Above all. Don’t get stressed by the fear of getting the swine flu.
Stress can undermine your immune system. The flu doesn’t kill everyone and in most cases may prove benign. Mild exercise, meditation or yoga and healthy nutritious diet can help keep your immune system in good condition and able to ward of any infections. Not every ‘infection’ becomes a full blown ‘disease’. Most infections are taken care of by your body even before you know that you were infected. Most infections affect gravely those people who are vitally deranged. So instead of panicking about the swine flu, stay calm and focus on becoming a healthy ‘you’.
*Information to this article from “homeopathy for women” website:
http://www.homeopathyforwomen.org/