We gave George China 30c to take every four hours until better. He was to call the next day.

It would have also been appropriate to give him one dose of 200c, instead of the 30c, however he was under the constitutional care of another homeopathic physician and his constitutional case was extremely complicated, so chose 30c. China (Cinchona bark) is an excellent remedy for flus with spiking fevers, especially accompanied by extreme weakness and diarrhea.

The main characteristic of China is its periodicity, which was characteristic of George's fever.

China is not a remedy we had used before for a flu, but the exagerrated debility in his case combined with the periodic fever and chills made it the best choice. George called the next day to say he was feeling better. He had more energy, the diarrhea stopped, his mind was clearer, and the fever did not last as long the night he started the China. He called the next day to say all of his flu symptoms were markedly better. He was much relieved and his appetite ws back.

There was really only one remedy to give Gabriel: Gelsemium (Yellow jasmine). Gelsemium is the premiere flu remedy, and is characterized by the four D's: dizzy, drowsy, droopy, and dull. The person feels exhausted and just wants to rest. They may have a fever, sore throat, and often experience muscular weakness, achiness, and chills. There is often dizziness and an occipe-tal headache with a stiff neck. We obviously wanted to watch Gabriel closely to make sure he didn't have meningitis, but his fever had already come down some and his headache was not severe. People needing Gelsemium are generally not very thirsty. We gave Gabriel one dose of Gelsemium 200c and told his mom he would probably be much better by the next morning. He was.

Del needed homeopathic Bryonia alba(Hops). Bryonia is a very common flu remedy, especially in the case of joint aching which is worse from moving around. The mucous membranes is someone needing Bryonia are very dry, thus the dry cough. The lips are commonly chapped, as in Del's case, and there is usually a parched feeling with extreme thirst. The Bryonia picture is usually accompanied by irritability and sometimes by a desire to go home. Del was given several doses of Bryonia 30c and felt better by the next day.

Jill's symptoms were typical of Rhus toxicodendron (Poison ivy). Rhus tox symptoms are often referred to as "the rusty gate syndrome". There is achiness and stiffness of the muscles and/or joints. The onset may be from exposure to cold, damp weather. The person generally feels better from local hot applications and hot baths. The stiffness is likely to be better from moving around and stretching. There is often an overall restlessness associated with Rhus tox. Jill was given Rhus tox 30c and felt better within a few hours.

Merrill's is the most unusual of these cases. Because of the rather vague nausea and dizziness plus the increased sensitivity to tobacco smoke, we gave Merrill Tabacum (Tobacco) 30c. It is not widely known as a flu remedy, but is a major homeopathic medicine for nausea, such as in car, air, or seasickness, or nausea of pregnancy. Merrill took two doses of the Tabacum. She was somewhat better after two hours and the nausea, which had been with her for two weeks, was totally gone within two days. This is a good example of the need in homeopathy to give whatever remedy is called for by the vital force, whether or not that remedy is commonly known to be used for that particular illness.