Influenza - the Disease

The term "Influenza" was introduced in Italy in the 15th Century when coughs, colds and fevers were attributed to the influence (influenza) of the stars.  Influenza is an contagious viral infection occurring mainly in winter.  It generally has a sudden onset, with fever, chills, aching muscles, headache, backache, sore throat and cough.  For most people, it is a self-limiting acute illness with symptoms lasting up to a week.  People particularly susceptible to complications of influenza include the very young and the very old, and those with an existing chronic illness.  Secondary bacterial infections such as pneumonia can occur in those with weakened immune systems.

There are three types of 'flu virus, with existing strains mutating all the time:

• Type A occurs more frequently; is the most virulent; infects man, pigs, horses and birds; and is responsible for most major epidemics and pandemics (e.g. the 1918 Spanish 'Flu, Asian 'Flu, Hong Kong 'Flu).

  Type B often circulates alongside Influenza Type A during severe outbreaks, but generally causes less severe illness.

• Type C usually only causes a mild infection, similar to a cold.

Within these three types, there are many hundreds of strains circulating at any one time. One of the most characteristic features of influenza is that infection one year provides no protection against another strain the next year.  This is because the influenza virus can easily mutate or change.  For most people, symptoms of 'flu (such as aches and pains, fever, sweating and excess mucus) are part of the body's response to clear out toxins and restore health.  In fact, many people report that after an illness their energy is better and they feel clearer generally - as long as they have taken time to recover properly.  Acute illnesses such as colds and 'flu are an important part of developing a healthy immune system.  They can be cleansing and de-toxing, thus helping to avert more serious chronic disease. The homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum is effective against 'flu symptoms if given within 48 hours of the onset because of its source: it is made from the heart and liver of a duck.  Biologists have found that the vast majority of ducks have various strains of 'flu virus in their digestive tracts.  Because of this, ducks are one of the prime carriers of 'flu viruses from one part of the world to another. Avian 'flu is a specific type of influenza virus that primarily affects birds.  The bird 'flu of current concern (H5N1) is a big killer among birds, but is still several mutations away from being able to routinely infect humans.  The virus that causes avian 'flu is a subtype of the Influenza A virus, which is associated with 'flu epidemics and pandemics.  New variations of this virus arise when susceptible animals and humans live together in close proximity.  The estimated 65 people who have died of it over the last two years did so because of their close and repeated contact with birds - not because of casual contact.  It has been shown to spread by close contact with infected birds, or direct contact with bird droppings or contaminated feed.  There are no documented cases of the recent Avian 'flu virus spreading from human to human.  Cooking a chicken would kill the influenza virus, if it had it. Symptoms of Avian 'flu. High fever; cough; shortness of breath; swollen lymph glands; sore throat; muscle pain.  The symptom which sets it apart from general influenza is that of severe acute breathing difficulties.  The current 'flu vaccine is completely ineffective against Avian 'flu.

Tamiflu® is one of the anti-viral drugs which many governments are stockpiling in order to treat the symptoms of Avian 'flu should there be an outbreak.  The drug manufacturer Roche produce Tamiflu®.  It has only been tested against Avian 'flu in a test tube, and has no current use because the virus has not mutated to a form that can be easily transmitted to humans.

Winter 2005 - Pandemic or Panic?

The following views from professional homeopaths help to understand the bigger picture:

I believe I am not alone in believing that we had learned a lesson from the pyres of thousands of bovines caught up in the foot-and-mouth frenzy (Facing up to the virus that could kill thousands, October 15).  I thought we had grasped what Pasteur confessed to on his death bed: that it was not the germs that caused disease but the terrain.  In other words, germs are helpless unless provided with a host rendered susceptible to them.

In the case of the cows, it was years of degrading treatment at the hands of an industry (and public) bent on profit and cheap produce.  But what more degraded creature can we find but the battery chicken, cooped up, starved of daylight, barely able to move and fed a diet of drugs and other products to ensure its growth and marketability.  Can we be surprised that such creatures succumb to disease?

We are told avian flu is similar to that which killed millions after the first world war.  Remember that this pandemic followed years in the trenches for many and loss of loved ones for others.  It was a time when human resources and spirit were very low.  Such times render people open to illness.  Taking responsibility for our own health is the main way to avoid flu.  But taking responsibility for our health also means taking care of our planet and the other creatures that inhabit it.  Bird flu, if it does mutate, is a sign that we are all interdependent and that our actions have widespread consequences.  If we succumb to a pandemic, it will be because we have created the terrain in which it can happen.

- Clare Lincoln (as published on the letters page of the Guardian, 18th October 2005; and also featured on the www.GuardianUnlimited.com website)

You'd have to be a hermit not to have noticed the hysteria and hype in the media over the predicted 'bird flu' crisis.  Headlines like First British Bird Flu Death, graphically illustrated by a picture of a hypodermic syringe, have been plentiful, accompanied by articles lamenting the shortage of anti-viral drugs.  The fact that the victim was a parrot, in quarantine - poor thing - did not stop The Times running this as their lead story.  After all it's a hotter item than suggesting an investigation into whether drug companies might want to shift a back load of vaccines and anti-virals fast approaching their sell-by date.

This sort of thing happens every year, and those of us who have good memories and a healthy dose of cynicism survive them, but for many elderly or vulnerable people this must be a nightmare, which drives them into the willing arms of pro-vaccinators.  As practitioners, we need to be ready for the onslaught of inquiries about alternatives.  We need to be prepared with our 'flu remedies and other advice, bearing in mind that fear and panic can have a very powerful effect on the immune system.

- Linda Razzell (as published in the editorial of the newsletter of the New College of Homeopathy, "The Information", issue 34, 05-06 November 2005)