Influenza, Bird Flu and homeopathy – can it provide a different perspective?

Off course putting 160000 turkeys in a shed is a healthy, pleasant experience for them particularly as we provide all their medication in their food – and anyone who thinks differently is obviously not scientifically trained – it must be the wild birds causing the epidemic as they come into all sorts of unnatural substances like fresh air and sunlight! And we should all dip into our pockets and reimburse Bernard for his terrible loss of profits and his altruistic willingness to kill all his pet birds (sorry cull – I reckon it means they send them to a farm for a holiday!).

If you agree with all of the above do not bother to read on but just send donations to the ‘Seroxat is excellent for young people’ fund. But if you are concerned we might be being told a tiny white lie then read on.

Why do we suffer from Influenza and cold viruses?

Without breathable air, we cannot survive for more than a few minutes. Air enters through the nose and mouth, throat and bronchials and into the lungs. The upper respiratory system warms, humidifies and to some extent purifies the air entering the body (e.g. by removing dust particles with nasal hairs). This system can be hurt by pollution and invaded by bacteria and viruses, which stimulate the moist membranes to produce extra mucus as protection. This mucus can quickly develop into catarrh. Colds coughs and sinusitis show varying degrees of discharge that can affect the ear, nose and throat in acute situations and these can develop into chronic conditions (especially with suppressive treatment).

Influenza (flu)

Influenza and cold viruses are really different but people often confuse them as most of the symptoms are similar. There is generally an infection of the lungs and airways, causing a fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle aches, and a general feeling of illness. There are two types of influenza virus, type A and type B, and many different strains within each type. The illnesses produced by the different types and strains are similar. The strain of influenza virus causing outbreaks is always changing, so every year the influenza virus is a small different from the previous years.

The key difference is that Influenza is caused by a different virus and produces symptoms that are more severe. Also, influenza affects cells much deeper down in the respiratory tract. Influenza virus is spread by inh aling droplets that have been coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by having direct contact with an infected person’s secretions.

Every year, throughout the world, widespread outbreaks of influenza occur during late autumn or early winter. Influenza occurs in epidemics, in which many people get sick all at once. In each epidemic, usually only one strain of influenza virus is responsible for the disease. Strains are often named after the first location (for example, Hong Kong flu) or animal (for example, swine flu) in which it was found. The current panic is Bird Flu.

Like humans and other species, birds are susceptible to flu. There are many types of bird, or avian, flu. The most contagious strains, which are usually fatal in birds, are H5 and H7. There are nine different types of H5. The nine all take different forms – some are highly pathogenic, while some are pretty harmless. The type currently causing concern is the “highly pathogenic” Asian strain of the H5N1 virus. Scientists have learned four different subtypes of H5N1, and there could well be more. But, all are deadly to birds, and can cause disease – and death – in humans.

But, it is vital to stress that H5N1 is overwhelmingly a disease that affects birds – and not humans. It is right that humans have been infected, but nearly all have been poultry workers who have come into intimate contact with birds. H5N1 cannot pass easily from human to human.

Allopaths generally assume that people who have respiratory disorders are suffering from infections which are caused by viruses, bacteria or they may be suffering from external irritants such as dust or fumes that inflame the mucus membranes of the respiratory system. They tend not to take into consideration the patient’s emotional state, diet or levels of toxicity nor look at hereditary influences.

The treatment given is firstly suppressive in nature (using anti biotic, anti virals, anti inflammatory, decongestants) or secondly through surgery (e.g. tonsillectomy) to remove the inflamed part. (Unless you are one the bootiful birds from Norfolk in which case they remove the head – oops – sorry I meant perform a culling operation)

Standard medical Treatment: There is no allopathic treatment for influenza so treatment is based on prevention in the form of the influenza vaccination which contains inactivated (killed) influenza virus or pieces of the virus.

Modern vaccines are designed to protect against three different strains of influenza virus. Different vaccines may be given every year to keep up with changes in the virus. Allopaths try to predict the strain of virus that will attack each year based on the strain of virus that predominated during the previous flu season and the strain causing disease in other parts of the world. They will also use several antiviral drugs to prevent infection with influenza virus. They may prescribe these drugs when a person has had recent exposure to someone with influenza. In addition, these drugs are used during epidemics of influenza to protect unvaccinated people who are at high risk of complications of influenza (older people and people with chronic illnesses).

The current allopathic advice on vaccinations (which is promoted by most governments) ignores the dangers of vaccinations, avoids mentioning any long term side effects and is basically an extremely one sided and distorted approach to the whole debate on prevention. The virus itself changes enough that vaccines are quite ineffective (but extremely profitable for the drug companies).

There is some evidence that the prevention programmes are making the very problem they are designed to stop – there is obviously an economic incentive for the pharmaceutical companies to promote both panic and therefore pressure on governments. Unfortunately these suppressive acts often merely add to the problems the patient may already have. So is there an alternative?

Migratory wildfowl, notably wild ducks, are natural carriers of the viruses, but are unlikely to really develop an infection. (There might be a message here – we all come into contact with bacteria and viruses all the time but only a small proportion are susceptible to them as our natural body defences protect us if we are basically healthy.

Thinking the unthinkable – is it completey bonkers to suspect that

a) as virus are found in birds (and us) all the time

b) that they continually mutate

c) stress lowers the immune system which protects us

we could conclude that Bird flu is a product of factory farming rather than an external foreign threat that attacks our luverly cuddly bootiful turkeys?

Can homeopathy provide a different perspective?

Homeopathy is an energetic medicine that comes from a completely different perspective to the so called ‘scientific’ medical based one.

From an energetic perspective dysfunction of the lung energy can lead to upper respiratory disorders such as:

· Common Cold/ coughs/ sore throat/ fullness in the chest/ Influenza

· Nose disorders/Rhinitis/ Sinusitis/Nasal Polyps

· Coryza /Catarrh

· Adenoid glands

· Tonsillitis

· Epiglottises

· Laryngitis

· Pharyngitis

· Croup

· Skin disorders (associated with weak lungs)

Homeopaths see all of these during their practice. They are able to distinguish clearly between ‘acute’ cases caused by flu and common colds, through to more chronic symptoms leading all the way up to potential life threatening situations.

The energetic view of disorders of the lungs (Upper & Lower respiratory disorders) is that they manifest on the external surfaces of the body. The symptoms will vary according to the depth to which they descend. From this perspective the causative factors are not organisms (microbes, viruses), but changes in the energetic balance, usually as a result of climatic factors, emotional states and dietary indiscretions, pollutants or hereditary influences etc. Lung disorders are seen as emotionally linked to grief/sadness at one end of the spectrum and courage/righteousness at the other.

(Off course Bernard’s turkeys are all pleased small turkeys so none of this applies to them – anyway whoever heard of an animal having feelings – what scientific nonsense – humans are completely and utterly different from animals and birds aren’t we?)

Homeopaths place the emphasis on:

· the climatic factors

· susceptibility from a miasmatic perspective

· toxicity

· Emotional factors.

People with acute upper respiratory tract infections that have their symptoms suppressed by drug therapy or who have such conditions as part of their general state of health (e.g. chronic bronchitis from smoking) may develop lower respiratory disorders. In practice you will see many people who have developed lower respiratory tract disease following suppressive treatment of upper respiratory tract disease. If the patient’s constitutional energy is strong, the problem is held in the superficial levels of the upper respiratory tract, the bowels or the skin and should not descend into the lower respiratory system.