Fear and Loathing in Las Coronavegas

Are you experiencing panic or fear in these unusual times?

Please know that THIS IS NORMAL!

Today we talk about fear, why we have fear, why it is important and the homeopathic remedies for fear that address this symptom directly – and yes fear is a symptom!

And please know that you are not alone… fear is a completely normal symptom that we ARE collectively feeling.

Our world, as we have known it to be in its regular, every day routine has been turned upside down and we are all being asked to face the unknown. Everything is being called into question – our jobs, our banking structures, the medical system, being asked to distance ourselves from our closest relationships which includes the relationships that most need our touch, our nearness – the frail, the elderly, the immune-compromised.

At a time in history when we are collectively ‘in this together’, we are being told to isolate. So, of course, there is fear.

Fear is a symptom

Fear itself offers a healthy regard for the preservation of life.

I would certainly want the fight/flight adrenaline rush of fear in a dangerous situation – like being faced with a cougar in the foothills of the Rockies! 

In this video a Canadian woman is in this very situation. What she had the presence of mind to do was truly remarkable!!

What stands out for me is that she feels she has a choice in how to deal with the situation! The conversation is fairly one-sided but she is in dialogue with her fear – and in that, she finds some extraordinary courage. 

But life becomes a challenge when we live in constant fear – as if every situation were a cougar on our path through life. Precious energy, creative energy, healing energy being used up in an ‘as if’ situation.

I have yet to meet a cougar on the Calgary city streets although some have been spotted on the pathways near the river. Yikes!

It’s a reminder to ‘take precautions’ – to do what you can and be prepared rather than let the fear of cougars limit your life by being in a state of constant fear. Sometimes, many times…it is also a challenge to ‘stop the thoughts’…the cougar on the path thoughts, the living ‘as if’ thoughts.

Living in fear of infectious illness

In our current situation, the ‘cougar’ is COVID-19. For some of us, the potential of the virus is possibly deadly…the immune-compromised, the frail elderly, the chronically ill with pre-existing conditions. We have those people in our families. I know I have them in my family and extended family.  

For others, the symptoms may be minor – a cold, a cough – quickly resolved. Being in this all together, we want/need ways to be respectful of those who are at risk. At the same time, we want to or would prefer to be in a state of courage in the face of a complex life situation rather than exhausting ourselves and our immune systems by being in a constant state of fear. 

Fear can sometimes be the first ‘symptom’ of an actual illness. That makes sense when you consider how much energy is used when we are in a state of constant ‘adrenaline rush’ – fight or flight. 

Whether you are living with fear that is limiting you, or someone you love is in a state of fear, here are three homeopathic remedies that you can use.

Before we get to the homeopathic remedies for fear, here are:

6 Practical Tips for Dealing with “The Fear of the Virus”

 1. Have a homeopath as part of your health team, especially if you have tried a couple of homeopathic remedies and you are still having symptoms. A homeopath can help individualize a remedy for you through various stages of an infectious illness. Consults can be easily done by phone, Skype, Zoom, FaceTime or FB Message. Some organizations like Homeopathy Help Now offer acute consults by donation. This group is in the USA but I am sure that you can book from anywhere in the world.

2. Have a homeopathic kit at home for just such situations. Many of the homeopathic pharmacies are currently swamped, but once this is over, please get yourself a home kit!

3. Take a course on using homeopathy so that you feel confident at home or when travelling. I offer a number of courses and there are other homeopaths offering courses as well. Take the guesswork out of using your remedies and learn about the remedies you have in your kit!

4. Limit reading watching and listening to mass media. 

5. Breathe deeply. Get centred in your heart…move from the head to your heart.

6. Know that homeopaths are working together globally to figure out a group of remedies that will best address this outbreak. The term used is ‘genus epidemicus’.  In the Coronavirus Outbreak 2020 Homeopathy Course, I go through the fever, cold and cough symptoms of several remedies including Aconite and Gelsemium. I will be offering a bonus class so that you can learn the third remedy in this blog – Oscillococcinum. 

Below is a sample of what is offered in the course, with two of the three of the remedies recommended especially for fear and anxiety: One of the remedies you can take right away, is Aconitum or Aconite.

If you read the information and can see your symptoms matching the symptoms of Aconite, then you can take 2 granules of Aconitum napellus 30C twice a day for two days – whether you are actually having physical symptoms or not. The idea is that taking Aconite right away, may alleviate some of the fears and it may help prevent getting sick. 

Aconitum napellus (Aconite or Acon)
Monkshood

You can consider using Aconite for sudden onset of an illness or fever– when there is anxiety, heart palpitations and a tremendous fear of possibly dying. 

FEAR/FRIGHT

In homeopathy, the mind or mental/emotional symptoms of a person are very important. You are likely familiar of the idea of ‘being in a state’…a state of fear, a state of anger, a state of sadness, a state of joy. What we are feeling emotionally definitely affects our state of physical health. Fear is one of those states. If it continues endlessly, we can exhaust ourselves. We are living in a global state where fear can affect all of us, but fear affects some more than others. 

Aconite is brilliant in the beginning stages of illness that come on suddenly and it is excellent in helping ease the anxiety of anticipating events. Below are ‘statements of mind symptoms’ that can be found in a homeopathic repertory – a repertory is a book that lists symptoms in chapters from the mind through the body organs and systems to Generalities. You can see how some of what is known about Aconite can be helpful in the current viral outbreak. 

• Ailments from mental and emotional consequences of anticipation
• Delusions has an incurable disease
• Fear in a crowd
• Fear of being alone, lest he die
• Fear constant
• Fear crossing the street
• Fear of death with anxiety
• Fear during fever
• Fear of disease to child
• Fear something will happen
• Fear overpowering panic attacks
• Fear prolonged
• Fear of suffering
• Fear of suffocation
• Fear of touch by others passing by 

FEVER

“Great Fear and Anxiety of Mind, with great nervous excitability, afraid to go out, to go into a crowd where there is any excitement or many people, to cross a street. His countenance is expressive of fear, his life is rendered miserable by it, is sure his disease will prove fatal, predicts the day he will die, fear of death during pregnancy. This mental anxiety, worry, fear accompanies the most trivial ailment.”

From “Allen’s Fever”

COLDS/COUGHS 

• At the beginning of a cold
• Onset is very sudden and intense e.g. sneezing and runny nose; “hot water runs from nose”; coryza with sneezing, fever, thirst, restlessness. Open air amel.
• After exposure to dry, cold wind
• Extreme anxiety, restlessness and fear 
• Croup is common and is your first remedy to give in croup
• Choking cough

Gelsemium sempervirens (Gels)
Yellow Jasmine       

FEAR/FRIGHT

Even something as simple as watching the news can set up a state where Gelsemium might be needed. Trembling, anxiety, an anticipation of an ordeal can create a sense of dread with a sensation of heaviness like you are shocked and unable to move.

You might even feel the need to ‘put on a brave front’ but physically, your body goes into a trembling immobility.  

You can take 2 granules of Gelsemium 30C every second day for 3 or 4 times in an infectious illness outbreak and see if it helps ease the fear. 

• Ailments from anticipation – mental and emotional consequences
• Anticipation of any unusual ordeal
• Fear of being alone
• Fear of death
• Fear overpowering panic attacks
• Fear of pneumonia
• Fear of an ordeal
• Fear of people
• Fear of public places
• Fear tremulous
• Fear of the unknown 

FEVER 

Keynote or characteristic symptoms of Gelsemium:

Complaints: from exciting or bad news, sudden emotions, the anticipation of any unusual ordeal brings on diarrhoea, stage fright, nervous dread of appearing in public.  

COLDS/COUGHS 

• Often worse for warm, moist weather
• Slow onset
• Low-grade fever
• Heaviness, weakness, tiredness, dizziness
• Child keeps still, wants no one around
• Drooping eyelids – child can hardly keep them open
• No thirst
• Aching limbs and back
• Slow, weak pulse
• Trembling or shakiness
• Sensation as if hot water were flowing from nostrils from throat up into left nostril, like a stream of scalding water  

Oscillococcinum (Oscilloc)Nosode
Barbary Duck Liver 

Before setting out the symptoms as they relate to fear and anxiety as they relate to the next remedy/nosode, I thought you would be interested in a very recent study done on Oscillococcinum – the homeopathic preparation that defies pronunciation! 

Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2018; 10: 75–82.Published online 2018 Jan 23. doi: 10.2147/CEOR.S144300
PMCID: PMC5788925
PMID: 29416364
The preventive effect on respiratory tract infections of Oscillococcinum®. A cost-effectiveness analysis
Giorgio L Colombo,1,2 Sergio Di Matteo,2 Chiara Martinotti,2 Martina Oselin,2 Giacomo M Bruno,2 and Gianfranco M Beghi3
Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer 

The results indicate that Anas barbariae hepatis et cordis extractum 200K has a preventive effect on the onset of RTI episodes. The analysis shows that treating patients with Anas barbariae hepatis et cordis extractum 200K lowers costs for the NHS; this is primarily due to the fact that the medication causes fewer episodes of RTI to develop. This study suggests that the treatment with Anas barbariae hepatis et cordis extractum 200K could be helpful in preventing RTIs and improving the health status of patients who suffer from respiratory diseases, and it could lead to savings to the Italian NHS. 

Good prevention! And just so you know, some of the mind and emotional symptoms alone would be reason enough to purchase this over-the-counter product and follow the instructions on the box. 

Here are the mind/emotional symptoms as written in our homeopathic repertories: 

• Anxiety
• Desire for always washing the hands
• Fastidious
• Fear of disease
• Fear of contagious, epidemic, infection, disease
• Fear of pollution

Move in the direction of fear or courage?
It’s your choice!

I wanted to finish up today with a poem that I think perfectly captures the opportunity that we each have each day during these strange times.

The immune system is a complex, elegant network that is in constant cellular communication that works as a collective, a community of intricate messages that is co-operative and life supporting, life sustaining and self-healing. We can be a part of that ‘inner web’ with our thoughts and our feelings because they too are a part of our immune support system.

We can be a part of the self-healing by being in conversation within ourselves, address our fears, make room for our darkest fears in our hearts. How loving can we be with our fears? And how can we share all of who we are, fears included, with others – this is what it will mean to collectively heal.

This poem by Seung Chan Lim (Slim) assures all of us – we have a choice. We can move in the direction of fear…or the direction of courage. Homeopathy will help support our choice to move toward courage.

In conversation,
a question worth asking
is whether we are attempting
to decrease
or increase
the number of choices
for others.
Depending on the answer,
we can often gauge
whether we are moving
in the direction of fear
or courage.

Seung Chan Lim (Slim)
Author of Realizing Empathy: An Inquiry Into the Meaning of Making