Do Homeopathic remedies work to prevent/treat cold and flu?

[htbp]

We've had the same awful virus making the rounds in our house since Easter, very annoying and lots of school missed. This is with me opening the windows and spraying etc.

I'm wondering now if anyone knows of any homeopathic remedies to prevent/treat colds and flu in kids (3 and 5 years old) - and whether they work?

Also is there a remedy for UTI's in kids?

Any feedback would be much appreciated as its all getting more than a little annoying now!!

THANKS!!

Well, there's a lovely reply. Your op asked for a "remedy" for UTI, not a "preventative". Hence the suggestions for antibiotics.

But I'll bow out now, you're plainly looking for reinforcement of magical thinking rather than actual advice.

My knowledge of homeopathic medicine is nil

The medicine content is nil, too.

Tbf you asked whether homeopathic remedies worked. We said no they don't. Isn't that a useful answer in itself?

Coming late, but this was a fun thread.
Particularly the OP.
Any feedback would be much appreciated
Clearly not, just the ones that think homeopathy works.

And, btw, I'm pretty sure Bertrand was not being as useful as it might be apparent.

OK, to be more helpful, I think there may be herbal remedies which are known to help prevent colds. Echinaceae is supposed to be good, but I don't know if you can get it for kids. Upping zinc and vitamin c intake, maybe with a supplement could help too. It's a pain when the winter illnesses linger on and on, and I sympathise!

Bertrand's first reply on here was fab!

I really don't understand the tone of your last post OP?! No one has been unpleasant to you. People are just advising you about homeopathy ie the question you asked

But - it is important to clarify that Herbal Medicine is not remotely related to, or connected with, Homeopathy in any way, shape or form.

I had to make that point because every single article, phone in or debate I hear/read about homeopathy conflates herbal medicine with it and it drives me mad.

And breathe...

Yes 3little frogs, agree.

Very true.
Herbal medicine IS NOT homeopathy.

But a caution in relation to herbal medicine too. Often, herbs have not been clinically validated and the amounts taken are too diluted to have a real impact.
Another aspect is that some herbs do have an effect, but care should be taken as they could be toxic. Unfortunately herbs are much less regulated, so, proceed with care.

Oh, unlike homeopathy, which is harmless, unless you have a problem that does require proper medical treatment.

*if anyone knows of any homeopathic remedies to prevent/treat colds and flu in kids (3 and 5 years old) - and whether they work?
*

Homeopathic remedies do not work. It's a scientific impossibility. You are either falling victim to the placebo effect, or the tend to normal, where you would have got better anyway, but attribute it to the pills.

Love this YouTube video of James Randi necking a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills in order to demonstrate just what a load of nonsense it all is.
www.ted.com/talks/james_randi?language=en

necking a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills

I bet the sugar rush was fun, though. Like eating a whole pack of Smarties.

I'm a bit at the response.

You asked a question about homeopathy and got an answer. I imagine it must be very frustrating to be dealing with colds and recurring utis in your DC but homeopathy won't make a jot of difference.

I had a phase of recurrent uti and I found a glass of cranberry juice every day helped keep them away, as well as making sure I was drinking lots of water. Sometimes recurrent utis can be caused by wiping the wrong way for girls, don't know if that might be the case.

Echinacea has works well for me when I started teaching ad got every cold/virus known to living man. Like others have said, need to check its ok for children though.

I don't have an attachment of any kind to homeopathic remedies working, if I was that way inclined, I would have some working knowledge of them by now.

A no it doesn't work without the condescending tone would have sufficed.

Clearly the irony is lost, that mumsnet is supposed to be an anonymous tool for mothers to be supported without judgment.

My next thread will be about karma...

ps: i've had enough advice from this thread. thanks to those who mean well.

OP even if you believe that homeopathy might work, it's really difficult to find the one remedy that works
So I second the herbal suggestion, we do use it but you do have to be careful as its not regulated like proper drugs - for us cats claw helped quite a bit

Just FYI in case it helps zinc and liposomal vitamin C have done absolute wonders for us!!! If anything you could given at the beginning of the cold

Aur.. metallicum is supposed to be good for over sensitivity...............

You might need a thicker skin op! Don't worry, everyone gets their arse handed to them at some point, this was really a tame experience

Aurum metallicum I don't mind. But preferably in a 99% concentration.
And some artistry.

"No one has a UTI at the moment but my son has an existing condition that makes him predisposed, so my question was around prevention."

DD had bladder reflux when she was small, and this predisposed her to recurrent UTIs. She was on a prophylactic dose of antibiotics every day for a couple of years. She was closely monitored, had regular blood pressure checks and had scans to check her kidney function.

She is a teenager now and is fine. I wouldn't have considered homeopathy for a problem as serious as this. She had been hospitalised twice with UTIs and I was happy for her to take the low dose of antibiotics to prevent any more infections, and to keep the urine sterile.

OP - you asked if there is a remedy for UTIs in kids.
I think some people took that to mean that you were asking about a homeopathic remedy. This, unsurprisingly, resulted in swift responses from people anxious to make it very clear that homeopathy does not work and that UTIs in kids should be taken very seriously and treated by a qualified medical practitioner.

Your response has been quite aggressive TBH. The majority of posters have tried to offer useful advice.

If that was aimed at me, I genuinely wasn't trying to be patronising, just emphatic. There have been times when my parents' and extended family's insistence on using homeopathy to treat/prevent anything and everything (homeopathic anti-malaria tablets anyone? There's a swell idea), has been at best foolhardy and at worst dangerous. So many people will glibly advise others to give babies and children remedies which are simply ineffective, and just makes the child suffer for longer. It hugely frustrates me.

As PP have said there is a difference between homoeopathy and herbal supplements (some of which are actually not safe for young children as they do contain active ingredients).

NicknameUsed, thanks for your helpful response. This is exactly what my DS has been suffering from. He's been on a low dose antibiotic for almost 9 months! He is now off of it so time will tell if his infections re-occur. His left kidney has some damage due to the infections. Can I ask if your DD had any further infection after the antibiotics were withdrawn?

3littlefrogs - I get that i put 'remedy' instead of 'prevention' - my error. I still don't believe that humour or condescension is the appropriate response on a thread about childrens health. These are stressful issues..

To be fair, you got some err... passionate responses, because children have died from homeopathic remedies being used to treat serious conditions.