 Dear Xxxx, I couldn’t leave our brief discussion about Arsenicum album just hanging there. Nor could I dive into it the way I really wanted to during the circumstances of our meetings last week. With that, I will bombard you (slightly) with a little information on my favorite topic… Homeopathy. There used to be a good number of homeopathic schools and hospitals in the US. The first was opened in 1835 and by 1900 there were 22 homeopathic colleges and 15,000 practitioners in the United States. In 1844, the American Institute of Homeopathy was founded and this oldest national medical association is still active today. (Membership is open to licensed physicians only.) Did you know that the American Medical Association was founded in 1847, in part to stop homeopathy? Members of the AMA were not allowed to associate with homeopaths. There are stories of medical doctors married to homeopaths who were not allowed to be part of the AMA. More recently, Whole Foods was a great resource in most cities for purchasing basic homeopathic remedies. Earlier this year, Whole Foods (owned by Amazon), pulled individual homeopathic remedies from their shelves*. What else happened around that same time? Amazon began selling pharmaceutical drugs. (Coincidence?) Let’s go back a little further in explanation, as well as time. Homeopathy is based on “like cures like.” A substance that can create symptoms in a person can remove those same symptoms when given in a homeopathic formulation. For example, Allium cepa is a homeopathic remedy made from red onion. What happens when you chop an onion? Your eyes tear, water and burn. If you have a cold or allergies which cause your eyes to tear, water and burn, homeopathic Allium cepa will likely alleviate those symptoms. In 1822, Dr. Constantine Hering, the “father” of homeopathy in America, was hired to debunk homeopathy. He never published his book because he began to “see the truth in homeopathy.” In 1824, he cut his finger while conducting a human dissection and his wound became gangrenous. Orthodox medicine had no effect. He was given a dose of Arsenicum album and after a few more doses, the gangrene had healed completely. (I include this little side note as it relates to your “favorite” homeopathic remedy.) He immediately quit his job and went on to receive the “highest honors” with his degree of MD in 1826. He emigrated to the US in 1833. Homeopathy has been recognized by the FDA since its inception in 1938. Congress recognized homeopathy as legitimate and set criteria by which homeopathic drugs could be deemed safe. A statue of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, “the father” of homeopathy, is one of the only monuments in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to a non-military or non-political figure. Let’s go a little further afield. I’m sure you’re familiar with Mother Teresa. But, do you know what she was doing when she was tending to the poor on the streets of Calcutta, India? She was handing out homeopathic medicine. The Royal Family of England? Historically, they are big fans of homeopathy ever since the days of King William IV when his wife, Queen Adelaide, was cured through the use of homeopathy after the court’s physicians couldn’t cure her. Queen Elizabeth II’s physician was an MD and a homeopath. Today, King Charles remains patron of homeopathy. I include these royal tidbits because if anybody has a choice of medicines at their disposal it is the royal family of England, lending credence to the efficacy of this marvelous modality. As for your comment about the study of one (or whatever your similar words were)… that is the essence of homeopathy. It is individualized medicine. What may work for one person’s symptoms may not work for another as the remedy ultimately chosen takes many of the person’s unique symptoms into the equation to arrive at the best remedy. Having said that, the homeopaths in India are changing things around. There is a clinic (again in Calcutta), the Banerji Clinic, run by 4th generation homeopaths. They have 10 medical doctor/homeopaths who see 100 patients a day, each. That’s 1,000 patients a day and they have been keeping records for all these years of what homeopathic remedies worked for what condition and have systematized homeopathy to some degree: their first line protocols are effective in 80% of the patients; 2nd and 3rd lines if the first two don’t work, and, if those don’t do the trick, they then revert back to “classical” homeopathy with a detailed consultation to narrow things down to a specific remedy for that individual. Now, to the question of why on earth would I go to such lengths to explain all this to you? Simply because I can not pass up an opportunity to clarify the misunderstood and often maligned, marvelous, safe and effective system of medicine called homeopathy. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits I wrote this letter after having a very brief and unsatisfying conversation with a retired medical professional. This person had a major hang up about homeopathy for two main reasons:
* Individual homeopathic remedies are still for sale via Amazon. Resources to further quench your homeo-curiosity:
This letter was written on the fly and I did not cite anything. I included easy links in this iteration but everything else is taken from previous readings — here is a list to get you started. Reference listAmerican Institute of Homeopathy, n.d. Welcome [online]. American Institute of Homeopathy. Anon., 2023. Hahnemann Monument - American Institute of Homeopathy [online]. American Institute of Homeopathy. Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine, 2024. Two Homeopathic Doctors Who Were Sent to Discredit Homeopathy—but Became Its Greatest Advocates [online]. Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine. Coyte, J., 2022. Anger and fear [online]. CLASSICALLYPRACTICAL.COM. Coyte, J., 2025. The Banerji Protocols [online]. CLASSICALLYPRACTICAL.COM. De Schepper, L., 2001. Hahnemann Revisited. Santa Fe, NM: Full of Life Publications. Dr. Prasanta Banerji Homoeopathic Research Foundation, 2021. The Prasanta Banerji Homeopathic Research Foundation - Home [online]. Pbhrfindia.org. Faculty of Homeopathy, 2024. His Majesty King Charles III Confirmed as Patron [online]. Faculty of Homeopathy. Grossinger, R., 1993. Homeopathy: An Introduction for Skeptics and Beginners. Berkely, California: North Atlantic Books. Jerome, A., 2020. Homeopathy: Start Here. Deland, Florida: Similia Press. Lansky, A. L., 2009. Impossible cure : the promise of homeopathy. Portola Valley, Calif.: R.L. Ranch Press. Logsdon, S., 2021. The rise and fall of homeopathic medicine in the US, and its continued popularity today [online]. Becker Medical Library. MEDICOSAGE, 2022. Dr. CONSTANTINE HERING - DR. C HERING (1800-1880) - Organon Of Medicine & Philosophy [online]. Medicosage. Nawrat, A., 2021. Enter Amazon Pharmacy: the beginning of a great online pharmacy fight? [online]. Perella, C., 2013. Constantine Hering: The Father of American Homeopathy [online]. drexel.edu. Samet, L., 2025. The History of Homeopathy in America [online]. Homeopathy Works. Servick, K., 2015. FDA takes new look at homeopathy [online]. www.science.org. Sharma, S., 2023. King Charles appoints pro-homeopathy doctor head of royal medical household [online]. The Independent. Sharma, S. R., 2020. Dr Constantine Hering (1800–1880). Homœopathic Links [online], 33 (01), 005–006. Sweeney, E., 2023. Amazon’s Whole Foods Market grocery store chain acquisition, history, timeline [online]. Business Insider. The ANH Team, 2023. Tell Whole Foods to Stop Limiting Your Homeopathy Access | Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health [online]. Alliance for Natural Health USA - Protecting Natural Health | ANH Protects Free Speech About Natural Health Modalities, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, Homeopathy and Access To Natural Therapies. The Ohio State University, 2011. Homeopathic Medical Schools and Women | Historical Reflections: the Medical Heritage Center Blog [online]. OSU.EDU. The School of Homeopathy, 2025. The King of Homeopathy | The School of Homeopathy’s Latest News [online]. Homeopathyschool.com. Ullman, D., 2017a. Schools and Training Programs in Homeopathy [online]. Homeopathic.com. Ullman, D., 2017b. A Condensed History of Homeopathy – Homeopathic.com [online]. Homeopathic.com. Ullman, D., 2017c. Mother Teresa and Homeopathy [online]. Homeopathic.com. Welle, D., 2008. Krauts on Herbs [online]. dw.com.
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 Not a photo of the bird that adopted us, but this one looks almost as good as he did.😂 The flu is for the birds and the bird flu, well… I was asked about homeopathic remedies the other for backyard chickens. We used to have chickens (and a peacock and a Chinese pheasant adopted us for a while, too) and I can tell you that homeopathic remedies work beautifully for birds. (See Homeopathy to the Rescue.) Let’s start with giving remedies to the birds. Some say to put the remedies directly in their water. If you have a large flock, this might be the only way to do it. But, if you have a small backyard flock and it’s easy to see if only 1 or 2 birds are sickening, I like to put the pellets in a little water (or bone broth) and add some rice to the small bowl because I knew they would always go for the rice, even if they weren’t going to go for the water. (See also Making a Water Dose.) This way, you can isolate the sick chickens and make sure those who are most in need are actually getting the remedy. Another reason I like to give the remedies in a small bowl of water is that when you put the remedies directly in the birds’ waterer, it’s important to remember that every sip is a dose. However, if you have a large flock and you already have some sick birds, “dosing” the entire flock is probably the best way to approach this problem. As for the bird flu that is going around, the first thought that comes to mind is Oscillococcinum. (“Oscillococcinum 200 actually a patent property of Boiron Laboratory, France” (Julian 1980)). Well, that’s a bit simplistic, isn’t it… just to suggest using a major homeopathic flu remedy for the bird flu? Well, no, actually. The main ingredient in Oscillococcinum* is Anas barbariae which is made from the heart and liver of wild duck. Pierre Schmidt (Schmidt 2025), a homeopath of the 20th century (1894-1987), says “Oscillococcinum is for ‘influenza at the beginning as a preventative, as well as during convalescence.’” “This is the remedy at the beginning of influenza, of rhinitis and otitis. Given early it is very efficacious. To obtain good results in a case which begins and to cut short the manifestations of influenza, it is necessary to use one dose of Oscillococcinum 200c every 2 to 3 hours or repeat only if necessary” (Murphy). See here and here and here and here and here for some studies and here* for a review of Oscillococcinum trials. (Note: I think it is fair to say that at this point in history, there are not many fans of homeopathy in the mainstream medical system, and that includes researchers. Finding positive research on homeopathy is tough going for a couple of reasons: The main one, in my opinion, is that mainstream medicine has not been educated about homeopathy and therefore dismiss it as quackery. The other important reason why it is hard to find good research on the efficacy of homeopathy is that at its core, homeopathy is individualized medicine — a remedy that works for one person’s symptoms may not necessarily work for the next person’s symptoms. (See also: What to Expect.) Could Oscillococcinum work for birds and bird flu? I would certainly be willing to try it if I still had my backyard flock and if I was worried about bird flu. Apparently, bird flu is in my area (said my chicken-keeping neighbor), so I looked up what to look for in the flock. According to the Australian Government (2023):
So, what I’m seeing in these government documents, other than the combs and wattles and egg laying, are signs of the flu, but in chickens. With that in mind, symptoms are symptoms and remedies are remedies… meaning… it doesn’t matter if it’s a bird or a dog or a human, the symptoms will be noticeable and those symptoms can be addressed through the same homeopathic remedies regardless of showing up in a bird or a dog or a human. Sneezing is sneezing. Watery eyes are watery eyes. Fevers are fevers. Weakness is weakness. The only difference here, though, the chicken can’t tell us if the watery eyes or the diarrhea are acrid or bland. They can’t tell us if they they ache. Chickens run hot compared to humans (106 F) (Hobby Farms 2019), so telling if they have a fever could be a little tricky to begin with. My last article, When you have to get up… has a nice, long list of flu symptoms and possible remedies. I would say any chicken symptoms you could match with that list would work fine and dandy. The trick is translating what you’re seeing in your birds into human language. A more severe form of this disease which “presents suddenly, often with very high mortality, with affected birds developing swollen heads [emphasis mine], a blue coloration of the comb and wattles, dullness, lack of appetite, respiratory distress, diarrhea and significant drop in egg production” (2025) is another matter. Looking back in time a bit, The Poultry Doctor (Chambers 2018) originally published in 1891, mentions a swelled head: “From some cause not clear, the heads of hens will often swell greatly and be very hot. Exposure to draughts of air, however, is a fruitful cause of both swelled heads and swollen eyes. Spongia has given relief in many cases but Belladonna is the indicated remedy for this trouble; Bryonia also will relieve.” All three of these remedies are excellent flu remedies, in general. What else may help ward off the bird flu in your flock? This article has a short list of possible flu preventatives which may be applicable:
Prior to any symptoms showing up, Hyland’s Bioplasma* (or any other source of the combined cell salts — this is just the easiest to come by in most natural food stores in the US) is another good option. A couple of pellets of this combination of the twelve cell salts could easily be dropped in the flocks’ waterer for a while to help shore up their immune systems. We birds of a homeopathic feather need to flock together to keep sharing information on homeopathic remedies for humans and fowl alike! — if you would like to schedule a consult with me, drop me a line at [email protected]. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * I have no affiliation with this company, I just like their products. ** This review is not really in favor Oscillococcinum, however, I think it’s very important to note that in the “Authors’ conclusions” that it “could have a clinically useful treatment effect but, given the low quality of the eligible studies, the evidence is not compelling. There was no evidence of clinically important harms due to Oscillococcinum.” [emphasis mine] Reference list
Australian Government, 2023. Bird flu (Avian influenza) - DAFF [online]. Agriculture.gov.au. Beghi, G. M. and Morselli-Labate, A. M., 2016. Does homeopathic medicine have a preventive effect on respiratory tract infections? A real life observational study. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, 11 (1). Boericke and Tafel, 2018. The Poultry Doctor: The homeopathic treatment and care of chickens, turkeys, gees, ducks and singing birds. 2018 ed. Colombo, G. L., Di Matteo, S., Martinotti, C., Oselin, M., Bruno, G. and Beghi, G. M., 2018. The preventive effect on respiratory tract infections of Oscillococcinum®. A cost-effectiveness analysis. ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research [online], Volume 10, 75–82. Dutta, A., Manna, A., Ghosh, S., Mundle, M., Saha, M., Kumar Gourav, Sukhdeb Maiti and Chattopadhyay, B., 2024. Prespecified Homeopathic Medicines in the Prevention of Confirmed and Suspected Cases of COVID-19: A Community-Based, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Prophylaxis Trial. Complementary Medicine Research, 31 (2), 140–148. Hobby Farms, 2019. Chickens & Body Temperature: What You Need to Know [online]. Hobby Farms. Homeopathy Plus, 2024. Bird Flu: Are We at Risk [online]. Homeopathyplus.com. Julian, O. A., 1980. Treatise on Dynamised Micro-Immunotherapy. First Indian Edition, 1980. New Delhi - 110055 (India): B. Jain Publishers (P.) Ltd. Mathie, R. T., Frye, J. and Fisher, P., 2015. Homeopathic Oscillococcinum® for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like illness. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Murphy, R., 2006. Nature’s materia medica : 1,400 homeopathic and herbal remedies. Blackburg, Va.: Lotus Health Institute, November. Schmidt, P., 2025. Pierre Schmidt [online]. Remedia-homeopathy.com. Scottish Government, 2025. Avian influenza (bird flu): how to spot and report the disease - gov.scot [online]. www.gov.scot. UCHealth, 2024. The bird flu has spread to dairy cows. Do you need to worry about another pandemic? [online]. UCHealth Today. Vickers, A. J. and Smith, C., 2004. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Cochrane Database System Review.  I was beginning to think the flu season may have just skimmed over the world this year, but here it is… a little later than usual, but, just like always, it is no fun. And, just like always, a little prevention can go a long way. (See also: Calming the Cold; Flu Remedies to Consider; Ho Ho Ho, (not Oooooh No!); Ahh-choo; On the 4th Day of Cell Salts… Ferr Phos.) Let’s jump ahead to the unfortunate situation we see in the picture above where those early signals were missed (or, ignored) and, here we are, unable to get out of bed… feeling just awful and the kids are hungry. (Oh, man, I remember those days. So painful!) So, where would one start in this scenario? Below are seven MAIN COMPLAINTs, followed by 4 or 5 commonly found remedies with 4 or 5 symptoms each which may help to choose a remedy to get back on your feet quickly. Remember! We are not looking for perfection. We are looking for improvement. We are looking to move the worst symptom out of the way for a minute so you can do what you need to do and then, when that’s done, get back into bed to rest properly. This is far from a complete flu repertory. The intent here is to put as many remedies as possible in a quick list. All of these remedies could (pretty much) be listed under all of the headings. In other words, they are (for the most part) wide-reaching flu remedies. Choose the worst MAIN COMPLAINT (found in BOLD CAPS) you are experiencing at the moment and then choose the remedy that best fits your current symptoms. Notes:
 ACHING BODY: Arnica
 COUGH: Antimonium tart
 FEVER*: Aconite
 GASTRO: Arsenicum album
 HEADACHE: Belladonna
 NOSE: Arsenicum album
 SORE THROAT: Causticum
It’s important to remember that there are many, many homeopathic remedies for each of these main symptoms. This is just a brief list which may help to get dinner on the table or that important email answered. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * Be sure to seek treatment if the fever is very high, continues to climb or is accompanied by seizure or fainting or severe headache or stiff neck (to name but a few concerning symptoms). For more information:
If you have already been through the worst of the flu, check out “Get Well Soon” to find a few helpful tips on recuperating. |
Julia Coyte, CHomI am passionate about homeopathy and I love sharing this passion. Having a working knowledge of homeopathy shouldn't be kept a secret. If people have the ability to help themselves, their children and their friends when they have minor ailments, life just gets better for everyone. That is the purpose behind Ruminating on Remedies. Archives
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