FEVER

Aconite

This fever comes on suddenly, often after a chill (especially from a cold wind). She is fine on going to bed and then wakes around midnight with a high fever. She is hot and sweaty and thirsty, kicks the covers off and then feels cold. Her cheeks alternate between being hot and red and pale and ghostly or one cheek may be hot and red if it is a teething fever. She can also be very restless and distressed, you suspect that she may have a pain somewhere.

Belladonna

Fevers calling for Belladonna come on suddenly. Your baby gets so hot she radiates heat. It is a dry heat (without sweating) and can alternate with chills. She may become delirious, her pupils are more dilated than usual and she may grind her teeth (if she has any!)

Chamomilla

Fevers in teething babies, or those that accompany an earache or sore throat. You will recognise this one easily because your child is very hard to please, she wants to be carried constantly but even that doesn't help much, she cries and shouts a lot and may even hit out. There are red, round patches on one or both cheeks. The face can be hot whilst the body is cold.

Gelsemium. [Gels]

This remedy suits dull, stupid, apathetic conditions. The patient is dizzy and drowsy, the chill is partial; there is a full flowing pulse with an element of weakness in it. It corresponds especially to remittent types of fever and to fevers brought on by warm, relaxing weather. The fever is accompanied by languor, muscular weakness and a desire for absolute rest and is unaccompanied by thirst. Ferrum phosphoricum. This remedy stands midway between Aconite and Gelsemium in febrile conditions, and it may be differentiated from its neighbors by the pulse, which, under Aconite, is full and bounding and under Gelsemium soft and flowing, and by the mental symptoms, Aconite being marked by anxiety and Gelsemium by drowsiness and dullness. Baptisia. Hughes praises this remedy in simple continued fevers, where he believes it is specific. Gastric fever, he claims, will never run into typhoid if treated with this remedy. Pulsatilla has a thirstless fever, hot head, dry lips and chilliness all over, especially in the evening. Chilliness predominates with the remedy, there being but little heat.

Sulphur. [Sulph]

An excellent fever remedy, it comes in after Aconite when the skin is dry and hot and there is no sweat; the fever seems to burn the patient up,the tongue is dry and red and the patient at first is sleepless and restless, but soon becomes drowsy. There are no blood changes; it is a chronic Aconite or a passive Aconite does to the arteries.

Bryonia. [Bry]

Suits especially a quite form of fever; true, the patient may be restless and toss about, but is always made worse thereby. There is intense headache, dull, stupefying with a sensation as if the head would burst at the temples; sharp pains over the eyes, faintness on rising up, dry mouth and a tongue coated white in the middle. Cold, chilly sensations predominate in fevers calling for Bryonia, and there is much thirst for large drinks of water at rather infrequent intervals. The fever of Bryonia is unmarked by the violence, acuteness and general storm of Aconite or the decomposition and great debility of the acids. It is neither synochal nor so markedly asthenic in character, it is between the two and is dependent upon local affections, state of stomach, liver, chest, etc.