Post Pneumonia Blues – A Case Study of Recurring Infections.
- Anjum Rahmatulla
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
Mum came to me as a last resort really.
She had tried the conventional route for some years, but her son’s health had gone downhill after getting pneumonia about 5 years before.
Back story: between the ages of 2-3, her son contracted pneumonia in April 2021. He got ill on a flight and then developed a cough, with lots of vomiting, struggling to breathe, feeling chesty and wheezy. He was given steroids and antibiotics, but it took a while before the symptoms resolved.
After this, he got a similar cough every 3-4 weeks for some 2.5 years and then at some point the child absolutely refused to take the antibiotics. In November 2023, the cough returned. It got worse in January 2024 with all day coughing, wheezing, high temperature and malaise. A friend suggested seeing a homeopath, and Mum sceptically agreed. The doctors were suggesting taking his tonsils out, and she did not want that.
What did I do? I looked at his symptoms, what was most intense and clear. It was important to focus on the nature of the cough and what made the child feel better and worse. The cough was worse lying down, and better for being elevated. The cough was also worse after eating. We call these modalities, and these helped me to differentiate between remedies. It was also important to check what he wanted to do while he was ill, and his desire for sweets was very strong.
I put the salient features of the cough together with the modalities and several remedies came up. I then read up on the top remedies and decided on Kali-carbonicum.
After the remedy: He was given 3 doses of Kali-carb, and within a week, he was much better. No wheeze, no phlegm. Mum said “I was expecting him to recover slowly, but he seems to have gotten back to his usual self faster.” But she was in constant fear of him getting ill again.
Within 3 weeks, the cough returned, but this time with no fever and no difficulty with sleep at night. The remedy was repeated, but I knew that another deeper remedy would be needed to stop the recurrence. This deeper remedy would have to be based on other features than just the cough itself.
Follow-Up: I saw the family again very soon afterwards to assess where I wanted to go next. I needed to fill in some blanks about the bigger picture of the child himself as well as the family history. This is so important because we all inherit tendencies, for example: a tendency to indigestion or arthritis or headaches. If we know this information, it can help in selecting an appropriate remedy which will help the body to bear the burden of inheritance much better.
Characteristic features: I found out that the child’s maternal grandmother had recently had TB treatment, so there was a history of this disease in the family.
He was also very fond of ice-cream – he would pester his mother every day for ice-cream. He would also pull his sister’s hair when he got angry.
All of these features were part of the profile of the next remedy he was given: Tuberculinum.
Fast Forward to more than one year later: I got a call from his Mum last week about another issue, and I asked how her son was doing. My blog ends with her words:
“From using the nebulizer every 3 weeks, it is now twice a year.
In fact, this year, I have not used it.
I cannot thank you enough.
We had a house leak in the winter, and there was a lot of damp in the house. He was not ill.
No nebulisers, no inhalers.
I was quite sceptical (of homeopathy) – now I can’t recommend it enough”.
If you're thinking about trying homeopathy for yourself or your family, you're welcome to book a free introductory call with me to learn about my approach and ask any questions:
I have been in practice for 25 years, and this experience has equipped me with skills in treating both adults and children for a wide variety of health issues.