catarrh

Mahes Visvalingam
Post-retirement postings

Please note that this site is under construction.

Some Experiences with Natural Medicine
and related observations

Catarrh
There are different types of catarrh which respond to different treatments. The information contained here is limited to recent experience.

Thick, yellow ropy

Thick, yellow, ropy
In September, 2008 several neighbours had a mild flu and a rattling cough. I caught the flu on 3rd Oct 2008 and could not shake it off for 6 weeks. My head, chest, throat and ears were bunged up with thick ropy/stringy catarrh which was difficult to cough up. There was also catarrh in the digestive tract, giving indigestion, wind and a leakage of mucus coated stool on every visit to the toilet. Although my legs ached and felt a bit weak, I did not feel ill as such. But, I had a sore throat and gums and painful cramps in the chest due to coughing, which felt better when I buckled and applied pressure. The tongue had a yellow coating and the root of the tongue and ears were painful.

My neighbour (a medical doctor) suggested that i should go and see my GP. Instead, I ploughed through my various books and tried a variety of 'cures'. I then came across Homeopathic Kali Bich. 6x. Treacher (1996, p 24) has a description which matched my symptoms. I did not find this remedy under cough but under catarrh and sinusitis and then searched the web for descriptions. When you search for a remedy include symptoms in your key words. Otherwise, you will just get a load of adverts!

Kali Bichromicum - Bichromate of Potash

Thick stringy green/yellow mucus. Violent sneezing in the morning. Stuffed up nose.

Elsewhere on the web it was noted that it was also for thick yellow stringy catarrh which was difficult to cough up.

Interestingly, one site also noted that Kali Bich was good for allergies. I must try it next summer.

On 10 Nov 2008, I took 2 pillules on going to bed. In the morning, I felt a bit dizzy and had an explosive evacuation in the toilet. After this, I felt OK and my cough was a lot better. I took another 2 capsules that night and my cough was almost gone the next day. My digestive system was also back to normal with no mucus! After the 3rd dose that night, I felt really energetic and well the following day. But, I was getting a bit of dizziness on sudden movement - so I knew my postural hypotension had kicked in and that I had to restart my Vitamin E capsules.

My husband caught the flu about 10 days after I did and he was still coughing hard. So, he took a dose in the day time 3 days ago. He said that he had a bad night and that he too had an explosive clearout on waking. So, he was not too keen to take any more of the Kali Bich. But, his cough was better, and I persuaded him to take another dose. His cough improved the next day - there was no more rattling cough in the chest.

On 15 Nov 2008 morning, I rang some friends in their 80s to find out how they were since we had not seen them for about 2 months. He answered the phone and she was coughing incessantly in the background - the same rattling, hard cough. The 'flu' had got around to them. I related our experience and he was despatched to town to buy Kali Bich. At around 5 pm, his wife rang and said that she had taken a dose when he returned and was feeling much much better. She was not coughing and her head had cleared. So, I warned her about the morning toilet and told her that we had not followed the instructions (to take 2 pills every 2 hours) but had only had one dose of 2 pills per day, preferably on going to bed. She could take another dose on going to bed.

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