Do you know HOW to differentiate between Hepar-sulph and Silicea/Silica in Acute Infections?

These are 2 remedies that are used a lot in acute situations eg teeth/gum infections, tonsillitis, sore throats, abscesses, quinsy and other infections. Both are mineral remedies ie sourced from the mineral kingdom.

Let us see how we can differentiate them:

Common symptoms to both are:

-          Feeling the cold intensely.

-          Suppuration which means the process of pus formation/festering.

-          Both are better for warmth and being wrapped up well.

-          Sour smelling sweat.

HEPAR SULPH

The following characteristics are important features of this remedy which will steer you in the direction of Hepar-sulph. You do not need to have all the characteristics present to prescribe; ideally you should have the nature of the pain, sensitivity to cold or touch and at least one modality.

General Symptoms (affecting the whole body and person):

• Feeling extremely cold. This is one of the chilliest remedies in our materia medicas. If someone is needing this remedy, they will be FREEZING! This means they will want to be wrapped up and will not want any part of their body to be exposed to ‘normal’ temperatures. They will want the heating turned up and they will want their bed.

• Tendency for cold, profuse sweat, sour smelling.

• If they are in pain, the nature of the pain will be splinter-like and sharp.

• Pus! With an acute infection, whether in a tooth or the throat or from a wound, there will be pus involvement. And the best time to give this remedy is at the swollen, painful stage before the pus starts to drain.

• Oversensitive: to pain, pressure. Gets irritable very easily.

• Splinter like pains.

• There is great sensitivity to touch, which means they don’t like it and will feel worse for touch.

• Craving for sour flavours.

Modalities (better and worse for)

• Better for: Heat, being wrapped up, damp weather

• Worse for: cold, drafts, touch, pressure, night, cold and windy weather

SILICA/SILICEA

General Symptoms (affecting the whole body and person):

• Silica people will feel the cold intensely, want to be next to the fire wrapped up with cold hands and feet. They get colds easily as their body is just not strong enough to ward it off. They will tend to be lean, undernourished and weak with poor assimilation.

• There is a tendency to pus formation –in a tooth infection, pus will be involved. Silica is good for bringing boils/abscesses etc to a head. Small injuries suppurate.

• People needing Silica tend to be sweaty, especially at night and around the back of the head and neck. The sweat smells sour. Prone to sweaty feet.

• Painless swelling of glands often accompanies acute infections.

  
  

MODALITIES (better and worse for)

• Better for: warmth, wrapping up head

• Worse for: cold, drafts, getting feet wet, left side.

I would use Silica mostly, not always, in a situation where infection is recurring.

For example, tonsillitis, or abscess or if it is a very slow moving infection developing over days/weeks.

Thankyou for reading this blog, and I hope you will find it useful.

Do read some of my other blogs - I write about a variety of things - all to do with homeopathy: about remedies, about some of my cases, about specific conditions and more.