There are few sounds more distressing to a parent than the sound of their young child with croup. In the middle of the night, your child wakes up crying with a sonorous, barking cough. Their voice is hoarse, their cough sounds like a seal’s bark, and an anxious feeling grips your heart. What is a parent to do? Turn on the shower for steam? Go to the emergency room? Fetch some cough syrup and hope for the best?
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to treat a case of croup in my own home when my son awoke with the characteristic cough. He’d had a mild runny nose before this, but the cough arose suddenly without warning and sounded awful. This scenario is typical of croup.
I immediately reached for my remedy kit and gave him a dose of a homeopathic remedy called Aconite, in a 200 potency. I looked in his throat and listened to his chest, then about 15 minutes later, gave a second dose of the remedy. The cough had stopped by then. After 15 minutes!
This is remarkable because the usual duration of croup is at least 2-5 days. I tucked him in, and he immediately fell asleep, sleeping soundly for the rest of the night. He woke up the next morning croup-free. I kept him home from school that day just in case, but there was no relapse of the cough, even two weeks later.
I share this story to illustrate the power of homeopathic medicine in acute diseases, and in particular, the usefulness of homeopathic Aconite for the treatment of croup.
Aconite is indicated for sudden inflammatory diseases, such as the inflammation of the trachea and larynx that occurs with croup. Symptoms come on suddenly, often between 10 pm and midnight, and may follow exposure to cold, dry wind. The skin is hot and dry, and the patient usually appears fearful or anxious.
This remedy has been used successfully in the treatment of croup for over 200 years, and it is a must -have in every parent’s first aid kit. The sooner it is employed, the better the chances of success. While it will not work in every individual case of croup, it is the first remedy to try, and rapid relief is common. I have treated croup many times with this remedy, and always with a swift resolution of the symptoms.
Find more detailed explanation of the causes and symptoms of croup.
Please contact me if you have any questions or comments about this post. I offer workshops that teach parents how to use homeopathy safely and effectively for common first aid situations. If you are interested, please call me at 613-897-1000.