With cold, comes a cold
Spring and summer comes, colds and flus cease. Fall and winter comes, colds and flus are abundant as well as ear infections, tonsillitis, and the whole gamut of respiratory/mucous membrane derived illnesses. We keep hearing, however, that cold weather doesn't cause colds.
Perhaps it's exposure to germs. Do our kids really get less exposure to germs in the summer when they are playing on playgrounds, going to the public swimming pool, going to sleep away camp or day camp, or just being exposed to all the germs you bring home from work, the grocery store, etc.?
Maybe it's ingestion of sugar. Does Halloween followed by the holidays start a sugar spiral that leads down a path of diminishing white cell function ending in sickness? While I'm not happy my kids have received what seems like an increasing amount of candy in elementary school as rewards, I cannot say that I limit their sugar intake in the summer when we have ice cream, birthday parties, and salt water taffy at the coast (not to mention sweets at the county fair and zoo).
So why oh why do kids get sick when the weather turns cold? Yes, cold weather DOES put people at risk for getting sick. But why?
First of all, enzymes and immune factors work best at warm temperatures. When you breathe in cold air, the mucous membranes of your nose, sinuses, throat, and lungs, decrease in temperature enough to effect the activity of enzymes and immune factors that keep you healthy. If the rest of your body is warm enough by wearing adequate clothing, your body can warm these tissues internally. However, if your skin is not well protected and your whole body is losing heat, the tissues cannot be warmed sufficiently. If the decrease in temperature is long enough (such as when kids are playing outdoors, seeing the Zoo lights or Grotto, picking out a Christmas tree at a farm, or just leaving the home thermostat low without wearing winter clothing), viruses and bacteria that are in our everyday environment can multiply and create pain and inflammation.
But wait, some people get sick in cold weather and others don't. So it must be a question of susceptibility, right?
Yes, some people are more susceptible to the effects of cold weather--if they are not properly bundled up. There are some homeopathic constitutions--people who chronically need certain homeopathic remedies--that tend get sick in the cold. A couple of examples are Calcerea carbonica and Silica. Sometimes giving these people their remedy will quickly restore balance and immune function after exposure to cold.
There are also 'acute' remedies which may be given when anyone becomes ill after being exposed to cold air. Each remedy matches a particular symptom pattern:
Aconite--sickness happens after exposure to cold wind, especially getting cold after being hot (child is running around without a jacket, even sweating, but then does not put on extra clothing when they cool down after playing and become cold). This is the child that always gets sick at night (when the doctors office is closed). They wake sometime during the night, sometimes only after a half hour sleeping, with feverish symptoms. The child has one cheek red the other cheek pale. They may complain of ear pain and one ear may be hot and red. They may complain of throat pain, difficulty swallowing, stomach pain, and may be anxious or irritable. A dose of homeopathic aconite can clear up these symptoms--yes, even an ear infection.
Belladonna--(often the acute of Calc carb) when the fever is sudden and spikes high, this is the remedy often needed. The child will be flushed in the face but hands are cold. Pupils look dilated, eyes glassy. Any pain, whether in the ears, head or throat, is throbbing and intense. Symptoms are usually on the right side. They may also have heaviness in the sinuses and a barking cough. They feel better with a cold cloth applied to hot parts. They are not thirsty and it will likely be difficult to get them to drink enough fluids, which you want them to do because their temperature is high. Give these kids a dose of Belladonna.
Bryonia--this type of flu comes on more slowly, over the course of 2 or three days after being exposed to cold weather. The child is thirsty and wants to lay perfectly still, wrapped up. Body aches may be the biggest complaint accompanying the fever although they may also have a headache, stomachache, vomiting, and constipation. Parents may get annoyed because in this state the child wants to be left alone yet is also demanding, asking for things and then not wanting them, putting a blanket on then throwing it off. Nothing makes them happy or comfortable in this state except to lay down.
Hepar sulph--often the acute of Silica. Especially when ears are sensitive to cold, hepar sulph may be the answer for an infection. Pains whether in the ear or throat feel like a splinter or sharp, piercing pain. Colds quickly move into sinusitis or tonsillitis and when swallowing, the pain extends to the ear. They can have a croupy cough with hoarseness and laryngitis or an bronchial rattle or both with the dry cough at night and a loose cough in the morning. This may even evolve into a pneumonia. This is the child most likely to be given antibiotics because of all the mucous and/or pus, however, a dose or two of Hepar sulph may be all that's needed to get them on the path to healing.
Prevention, of course, is always the best treatment. Wrap up when going outside. Make sure kids put on more clothing after they have been running around (especially when playing in the snow). Wear a hat. If you exercise and get sweaty, make sure to dry off and put on layers before your cool down. Remember that temperatures dip suddenly in winter when the sun is low in the sky or wind picks up. Keep an eye on kids that won't notice the cold until their nose and hands are frozen and they are shivering. Lastly, come in to the naturopathic doctor when these symptoms arise. Even if you are able to give the right remedy at home, we can look in their ears, listen to their lungs and make sure they are getting better so You can enjoy your holidays!
