Ashley Machart Homeopathy & Holistic Health

Homeopathy for Strep and Sore Throats

Commonly used homeopathic remedies for sore throats and strep, how to tell the similar ones apart, and what to do when it keeps coming back.

8/24/20267 min read

Strep throat and sore throats are common infections, and homeopathy has options for both.

When a sore throat is your main complaint, whether it’s strep or not, the remedy is chosen the same way: from your symptoms.

But there are two different situations here, and they don’t get handled the same way.

A true acute. The first sore throat that you’ve had in a long time. Usually it comes on suddenly, or maybe slowly but over the course of a couple of days. Choose one remedy based on your symptoms.

A recurring infection. Strep for the third or fourth time this year. Sore throats that come back every winter. While they’re acute in the moment, their nature is chronic. You can still use a remedy for your current symptoms and what’s happening right now, but the pattern underneath is what needs attention.

I’ll cover how to handle both.

What to look at first

Two people can both have strep (or a sore throat) and need completely different remedies. Same problem, different symptoms.

Before you choose a remedy, look at:

Which side did it start on? Has it moved?
What does the pain feel like?
Where does the pain go?
What makes it better? What makes it worse?
Is swallowing different depending on what you swallow?
What color is the throat?
What do the glands, breath, and saliva look like?
What’s happening with fever, chills, and thirst?
How is the person acting?

Being able to describe what the pain feels like or if someone can at least tell you what feels good on their throat, plus your observations of any color changes, mental/emotional changes (if there are any), etc will give you enough information to lead you to a remedy for an acute bout of strep or sore throat.

Remedies commonly used for strep/sore throats:

Apis: Burning, stinging pains. The throat may feel tight. Not thirsty, which is worth taking note of because so many sore throats come with thirst. Better for cold drinks, worse for heat.

Belladonna: Sudden and intense. This person may have been fine in the morning, but they’re burning up in the afternoon or evening. Big red swollen tonsils, high fever, bright red face. Often the right side, but not always. The head is hot and full while the hands and feet are cold. Worse from swallowing liquids and worse from anything touching the throat.

Gelsemium: Swollen tonsils with a burning throat. The palate may be itchy. Pain shoots into the ears. What stands out with Gelsemium is how weak they feel all over. Heavy, droopy, and not much energy for anything.

Hepar sulph: A splinter-like sensation in the throat, or a feeling as if a fish bone is stuck there, shooting up into the ear when they swallow. It hurts so much they don’t want to eat or drink anything. Usually very sensitive and very chilly. Not just the throat, but the whole person. They usually want to be covered up and cold air on the neck is usually unbearable. Warm drinks help. Irritable with everything, which is part of the picture. Hepar sulph is also one of the main remedies to know when pus is forming or an abscess is starting.

Lachesis: Dark, purplish, dusky red rather than bright. Usually starts on the left and may move to the right. Worse on waking, especially after a nap. They can’t stand anything close around the neck, so the collar comes off and the scarf gets refused. Empty swallowing hurts more than swallowing food, which is the opposite of what most people expect.

Mercurius: Swollen glands, bad breath, and so much saliva they leave a wet spot on the pillow. Sometimes they have ulcers in the throat or on the tongue, and the tongue may look scalloped along the edges. Sweaty, and the sweating doesn’t make them feel any better. Worse at night. Thirsty even though the mouth is soaking wet.

Phytolacca: Dark red or dusky. The signature is pain shooting into the ear when they swallow, often the right ear. A sensation of a hot ball in the throat, or a lump they keep trying to swallow to get rid of the feeling. Aching all over, with a bruised feeling. The roots of the tongue (the back third part of the tongue close to the throat) hurt. Worse from hot drinks, better from cold. Phytolacca also has a strong affinity for glands. Hard, swollen lymph nodes in the neck along with the big tonsils.

While there are several other remedies that may be used for sore throats and strep, these are the ones that will likely come up first and a great starting point.

Telling them apart

Be observant, especially when it comes to modalities (what makes things better and worse). Details such as whether the throat looks bright red or dark and dusky can help point you to one remedy over another. Other questions to ask are if there is any discharge or concomitant symptoms (symptoms in addition to the main complaint) with it.

When to be seen

Get seen if you feel the need to, especially if there is difficult or noisy breathing or if things are getting worse instead of better.

Antibiotics don’t always have to start the same day

Delayed prescribing, which means holding the antibiotic and watching for two or three days, is described in medical literature as appropriate and effective when the picture isn’t clear.

Source: https://www.mediasphera.ru/issues/vestnik-otorinolaringologii/2020/6/1004246682020061090

There’s also a large study that followed 14,610 adults with a sore throat. 1.3% developed a complication, and the scoring tools doctors used to decide who needs antibiotics didn’t reliably predict who those people would be. Most of the complications happened in people who scored low. Source: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6867

Two things to know about that number. It’s adults, and most of the concern about rheumatic fever is for children between about 5 and 15, so it doesn’t tell you much about a child. 1.3% is low, but it isn’t zero.

So when someone tells you that they “don’t mess with strep” and it’s the “one thing they use antibiotics for”, it’s important to know the statistics so you can make an informed decision that is not only NOT from a place of fear but a place of knowledge.

So if someone tells you the antibiotic has to be taken, that’s your call, but there is usually time to watch.

This time is what homeopathy needs. If you give a well matched remedy and the person starts improving, you know something. If nothing changes after a few doses, you can reach out for professional homeopathic help, or still give the antibiotic if that’s what you prefer. But don’t forget: clearly antibiotics are not a sufficient long term strategy, or we would not be seeing so many cases with recurring strep in people who did take antibiotics for it.

Not sure which of the two you’re looking at? That’s what this month’s free class is for.

What about the strep nosode?

People often ask about nosodes.

A nosode is made from the disease product itself. Streptococcinum is the strep one. You won’t find it in a beginner kit and it isn’t on the shelf at the health food store. You’ll need to work with a homeopath to get it.

Here’s the thing: giving a nosode because the diagnosis is strep isn’t homeopathy. That’s the same substance (called isopathy) not a similar one, and it’s chosen from the name of the illness instead of the symptoms. A nosode has its place, and it’s usually in chronic cases, chosen and timed by a trained homeopath who can objectively see the whole picture.

How long to take the remedy

If the remedy matches, you’ll usually notice some improvement within a few doses. This often looks like less pain, easier swallowing, better mood, better sleep, etc. Falling asleep is also a common first response to a well matched remedy.

Three or four doses with no change at all means it likely isn’t the match. Go back to the symptoms and look again, or reach out to a professional homeopath.

But what do you do if the strep keeps coming back?

I have seen many versions of this question being asked.

“My daughter has strep. Is there anything we can do besides antibiotics?”

“Has anyone dealt with strep that keeps coming back? I think this is the fourth time this year.”

Both are about strep, but they are not the same question, and the second question is the one most people are handling incorrectly.

That’s usually the person who has finished several rounds of antibiotics, yet the strep keeps coming back.

Recurring sore throats and tonsils that swell up over and over aren’t an acute that keeps happening. That’s a chronic pattern that keeps showing up again and again.

You can still use a remedy for the flare, and you might experience relief (or it might even resolve), but there is also a real possibility that the well selected remedy you chose either didn’t help at all, or helps some but it doesn’t resolve the flare ups that keep happening.

This is where a professional homeopath can help, because the remedies that a homeopath will choose likely aren’t going to be the same remedies that you would use on an acute sore throat or strep flare up. Or maybe they are, but they’re chosen based on the whole person, a totality of symptoms, and likely at a different potency. A homeopath selects a remedy for the whole person, not just the illness at hand.

If you feel like you might be ready for individualized support with a homeopath, I’m accepting a limited number of chronic care clients as part of my supervised clinical internship at a discounted rate. You can find out more about chronic care by clicking here.

Either way, let the symptoms guide you.

Free Zoom class: How to Tell What Kind of Illness You’re Dealing With, and What to Do About It,

Wednesday, September 2nd at 2pm central. Register and you’ll get the replay whether or not you can make it live.

Save Your Spot

How to Tell What Kind of Illness You’re Dealing With, and What to Do About It,

Wednesday, September 2nd at 2pm central.

Everyone who registers gets a guide that walks you through how to tell when a situation is ok to handle on your own at home and when it isn’t, with five questions you can answer that will help you make a determination which option is best for you.

The replay only goes to people who register, so sign up even if 2pm doesn’t work for you.

Save Your Spot

Disclaimer: The information on this website is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Homeopathic consultations are not a substitute for medical care. Clients should consult their primary healthcare provider regarding medical concerns.

Ashley Machart Homeopathy & Holistic Health

Contact: amachart@ahe.online

Training:

Academy for Homeopathy Education

Ashley Machart is a clinician who also engages in research alongside HOHM Foundation Office of Research. Please click https://advancehomeopathy.org/disclosures/ for more information. The information provided on this site is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical diagnosis or treatment.