Genus Epidemicus for Current URI - Update #1

December 23, 2014

Hi Everyone,

I hope all is well with you and yours. This is a quick note about the current upper respiratory tract infections in North America and Europe. 

Without getting into a very long description, and without describing the full case of constitutional homeopathy, case taking, case analysis, etc., it seems as though the current genus epidemicus is Lycopodium. 

This is regardless of the actual bug. I have seen the very young with right sided otitis media, teenagers with right sided sore throats, middle aged people with bronchitis and influenza, and older folks with bronchitis. In each case the patient was either someone who needed Lycopodium constitutionally and got sick while staying in their constitution, or else someone who went into a Lycopodium acute. 

I am sending this quick note because as a rule most of their complaints were not obviously pointing to this remedy. Therefore, I am sending this to just ask you to take a look at the remedy as a possibility, if you are either confused by the case, or if things are not progressing as they should. I am aware that historically, homeopaths considered the genus epidemicus for just one bug at one time. Again, my goal is not to discuss this topic here, as it is too lengthy, but just to highlight this remedy. 

Good luck, Paul

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak - #5

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak

October 31, 2014 Update #5

Paul Herscu, ND, DHANP, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

DON’T PANIC! WE’RE NEARLY THERE (FOR THE DEVELOPED WORLD, AT LEAST)

I would like to begin with the main points. First, it should become clearer that neither North America, nor Europe nor the majority of Africa will have an epidemic of EVD, so that chatter will stop. Second, it should shortly become obvious to everyone that the viral transmission has not become airborne, and that confusion will stop as well. And third, it’s becoming clearer that the reasons things got so bad in the first place have to do with poor health care infrastructure, rather than the virus itself. Sadly this widespread problem is deep and wide and will need our attention for years to come.

Many countries are negotiating around quarantine versus isolation versus quarantine in place versus revoking travel permits. This is true in Africa where many countries have forbidden travel into their countries for those arriving from impacted countries; Australia took the most extreme version similar to the advice I last posted, i.e., no one from an effected country allowed in unless they have completed a 21 day quarantine in the country of origin.  In the USA the military has taken a similar approach and in our civil society there has been much debate and evolution of rules. What is clear is that as the majority of ban of travel is in force around the world, travel on public transportation and in public areas is now forbidden in most every place, and given the timing of developing the infection and given the vigilance in place, I now consider this potential epidemic over for most of the world. 

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak - #4

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak

October 26, 2014 Update #4

Paul Herscu, ND, DHANP, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

DON’T PANIC! (Part 2)

We have a physician living in New York testing positive for Ebolavirus Disease (EVD) after doing great, important, inspiring work in Africa. The fear this brings up in New York makes me write sooner than later. In short, even in New York, DON’T PANIC.  It is incredibly unlikely that you will ever meet anyone who had EVD or that you will catch it.

I have had requests, for a few months now, to discuss the homeopathic management of Ebolavirus Disease. And what may seem odd is that while I have written about treatments over the past decades, discussing very specific remedies at different stages of epidemic diseases, I have not done so this time around. You may wonder why? And since I know that folks at the CDC read this, I thought I would elaborate and make further suggestions here.

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak - #3

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak

October 16, 2014 Update #3

Paul Herscu, ND, DHANP, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

DON’T PANIC!

When you turn on the news just now, there is a great deal of media attention on the Ebolavirus outbreak. And as importantly, there is a sort of hysteria in the general public, as well as in the healthcare community, including those in CAM. In this recent Kaiser poll about half of all Americans believe their family is at risk of contracting Ebola. ( http://tinyurl.com/ol6xr57)

Let me say here clearly, that unless something unusual occurs such as 1) a change in the transmission mode, as in it becoming airborne (which is a difficult thing to happen and despite what some at CDC and in the government have said, has absolutely NOT happened. Ebolavirus has not become airborne. They are wrong here, but will explain their mistake in the next post), 2) a change in vectors, as in animals that have yet to transmit to humans, and/or 3) a change in incubation time, as in a lengthening of incubation time while still being contagious (which both may be difficult to occur at the same time), there will NOT be an epidemic in the USA, in North America, or in Europe. Nor will there be a greatly widening epidemic within Africa itself. And as shocking as it seems to you just now, the average person will hardly, sadly, think about it by the end of the year. I have tried to say this in a variety of ways, but I thought I would say it again here. In essence people are worrying about the wrong thing, the wrong epidemic, the wrong focus. I hope that by reading these communiqués, you will be better prepared to handle the media, assess the information you hear, and not become overly anxious because of hyped up media offerings. As promised, I wanted to discuss treatments that occur at this time. 

As mentioned in the first post, aside from treatment aimed at supportive care, we have at least two major pathways for treatment—antivirals and plasma products. While no drug is yet approved, there are a host of medications being tested. 

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak - #2

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak

October 13, 2014 Update #2

Paul Herscu, ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

It has been 2 weeks since I posted September Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak, comments and outlook; a great deal has taken place since then. If you have not already read the original post, please take time to read as this update elaborates upon that original post.

http://paulherscuepidemics.blogspot.com/2014/09/ebolavirus-2014-outbreak.html

My central goal in presenting these comments and outlooks is to create a framework that allows future information to be properly analyzed and placed within a realistic context. In so doing, it allows us to better predict future events. In short, having a structure enables future findings, future investigations, and thereby future actions to more appropriately match needs on the ground. We have had a case spread in the USA and a case spread in Spain. However, by clearly understanding the situation, we can limit anxiety for everyone, while we create a pathway for action. So, with that in mind, let’s dive into where we are as of now, working off of my original post, taking topic areas one at a time, and seeing how more or less we are right on target.

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak - #1

Ebolavirus 2014 Outbreak

September 2014 Update #1

Paul Herscu, ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

In the context of teaching about epidemics I began writing about the topic in the 1990s. Much of that work can be found on our website www.hersculaboratoryflu.org. I have spoken about Ebolavirus since the late 1990s, in comparison to influenza in its various forms as well as laying out strategies to implement during epidemics. What follows are my general thoughts and understanding of Ebolavirus, and how they relate to practitioners of naturopathic medicine, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), homeopathy and other integrative medicine approaches, as of September, 2014. Practitioners have remained mostly silent, yet many search for a framework to assist in humanitarian aid at this time. I would like to elucidate information about the Ebolavirus in general, and then move to specific thoughts about the Ebola 2014 Outbreak. The first section might be read by anyone interested on the topic. The second part is aimed at practitioners.

Avian Influenza A (H7N9) - April 9, 2013

Dear folks,

Well, I was not expecting to write to you so soon. As mentioned in my last post, I thought we were at the apex of the flu season and, as it turned out, that was the case as the incidence of influenza in the North American season began to diminish soon afterwards. I had hoped to send a note out now, not on the flu, but on Lyme disease, but some news has changed my plans.

As you may know, just as our season winds down, our next year’s flu is beginning to gather steam in the East and in the Southern Hemisphere. Specifically, China is starting to have flu issues. And as has occurred before, there is a new strain of avian flu that has infected humans there, named Avian Influenza A (H7N9). The local bad news is that, to date, 24 or so people have been laboratory confirmed infected with this flu, and 7 or so have died. This makes catching the flu a highly lethal proposition. (Of course it is very possible that others had this same flu and have not been laboratory confirmed and recovered, shifting these numbers, which is a conversation for another time.) More than likely you will be hearing a great deal about this if it grows or if the news media picks up the story. What they may not make clear is what this all means. Allow me to mention a few points I have made over the past years, so that you have a scaffolding on which to place that information; I apologize for repeating myself, but it may be useful.