Homeopathics For Cold and Flu

Dr. Peter Fisher, FRCP, Integrative Medicine, is a world-renowned physician and homeopath who was appointed Physician and Homeopath to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2001. Fisher believes that “homeopathy is something you can use safely and effectively for a lot of common daily things such as colds and flus ... It offers safety, … effectiveness, and availability ...” In a Russian multicentre, randomized, open clinical trial, 200 children aged six and under who were prone to upper respiratory tract infections received either the homeopathic preparation CalSuli-4-02 or a placebo for three weeks. Testing three and six months afterward found that the CaliSulf-4-02 group had reduced severity in symptoms. While antibiotic use decreased in both groups, overall satisfaction with and tolerability of treatment was higher with the homeopathic group. Another recent trial evaluated homeopathic cold and flu prevention in one- to five-year-olds. The 445 children who finished this one-year trial randomly received either a placebo, a homeopathic formula of three different micro-organisms related to respiratory infection, or a proprietary supplement compounded from the influenza A virus. In the first year after treatment, 31 percent of children (46 out of 151) in the placebo group reported three or more cold and flu episodes, compared to none in the homeopathy group and only one in the flu supplement group. Studies are also examining the potential of homeopathic prescriptions for treating upper respiratory tract infections (URTI; commonly colds and flu) as a potential tool in reducing the overreliance on antibiotic treatments. One study comparing the clinical management of patients by physicians in France found that patients who consulted general practitioners certified in homeopathy used significantly less antibiotic and antipyretic/anti-inflammatory drugs for URTI—with eventually similar outcomes—than those who saw general practitioners who only prescribed conventional medications.