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!!

Homeopathic remedies work no better than water or sugar in in any other form.

noted msrisotto - but now we know my kids if anything are firmly in the conventional medicine box with paediatricians, urologists etc. That doesn't mean that I think its amazing, or that there are no alternative forms of medicine with merit out there. What that is and if any of it works i haven't the faintest...but i'm open minded and curious and interested. I am simply exploring complementary medicine, not trying to replace the conventional.

No, she was fine. We did have a few scares when she became unwell with high temperatures and sickness, so I had to take urine samples to the surgery to be dip tested. She also had to have her blood pressure tested every year, but she has grown out of the problem.

I understand your worries because children can become unwell very quickly with UTIs. Just be vigilant and I'm sure your child will be fine.

Nobody was rude, and answers were factual and accurate. Instead of being offended, you could consider gratitude that many people took the time to explain to you that homeopathy is a hoax, is not a medicine /remedy/treatment, and is entirely ineffective. In fact, homeopathy is actively harmful if it is used in place of an effective treatment. If you actually took the advice, applied GCSE level scientific knowledge (or researched yourself) you would save yourself a waste of money, and more importantly, you would save your children from a possibly worsening UTI infection in the future by never attempting to treat them with tiny pills made from sugar whilst aggressive bacteria was causing inflammation and pain.

If you had posted "I've had this email from a member of the Nigerian Royal Family, and if I just send my bank details and £10, they say they will knight me and reimburse me a hundredfold. Should I go ahead? Sounds harmless enough."

I expect you wouldn't thank posters for saying well, totally your choice. Try it and see.

When I have a UTI I pass clots of blood and the pain is dreadful. Antibiotics help. Sugar doesn't.

Tbf, the extra water might help...

A good way of avoiding the human factor is to Google the question.

hairylittlepoet you seem to miss my point that it was the tone of the responses and not the responses themselves. Indifferent to whether the response was yay or nay.
Also my last 2 responses make it clear that I had my DS on antibiotics for nearly 9months, so I don't fully understand your post.

Thank you NickNameUsed

Rereading your OP, I think that anyone would have assumed that you were seeking homeopathic solutions for your child's UTI, sorry.

And there was no suggestion that you were enquiring generally about homeopathy and knew nothing about it. You sounded as if you were asking for specific advice for particular conditions.

Bullshit, OP.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply out of ernest, and not because they felt the need to condescend and judge (possibly only 2 of you). Who knew mums netters were so judgmental.

You consider all but 2 responses to have a 'tone'? Out of all those posters who came on to help you?

Nope. You had perfectly reasonable and helpful responses. I'd say restrained, given that actually, people get justifiably pissed off at companies who defraud gullible people and make millions from pretending that sugar pills are anything other than sugar pills.

I wasn't judging you when I read your OP because plenty of people haven't taken the time to educate themselves on the hoax that is homeopathy.

I'm judging you now though.

I know the thread has gone quiet, but if the OP is still reading, I wanted to post this, earlier, but got sidetracked.

www.theguardian.com/science/2007/nov/16/sciencenews.g2

I work in palliative care, OP. I've watched too many patients die because they were pedalled this shite early on in their disease. By the time they come round to agreeing to try conventional medicine
it's too late. Not to mention the huge bill the relatives are left with for this so called treatment.
I used to work with a doctor who felt that these charlatans should be prosecuted and imprisoned for their false claims. I agree with her.

That's heart wrenching, punkrocker.

Despite knowing that's a risk of homeopathy, I would hope that in most cases the worst damage done by the lie is people are a few quid out of pocket to Holland and Barrett and have a cold that lasts exactly as long as it would have done otherwise.

But to hear that people are really missing out on life saving treatments makes me incredibly angry. I agree, I think homeopathic treatments should at the very least have a warning on them like cigarettes "CONTENTS: 100% Sugar. NO ACTIVE INGREDIENTS. Using this sugar pill in place of an actual remedy may cause irreversible harm or death"

I have a feeling OP that if you've taken umbrage to the 'tone' of the responses on your thread, that Mumsnet it possibly not the place for you.