Whooping cough is an infection caused by a bacteria called Pertussis. This disease has three stages.

Incubation – The cough will usually start within one week of exposure to close contacts.

Infection stage

The infection is spread by water droplets that come out of the mouth and nose during coughing or sneezing. The first 2-3 weeks the cough is usually mild and can be confused with a common cold cough. If the cough worsens after one week instead of getting better, it should be considered whooping cough.

The bacteria lasts in the body for 2-3 weeks and then our immune system causes it to die off. Unfortunately, the bacteria creates a toxin which causes spasms in the small air ways in the lungs. When these airways are closed down, it is difficult to move air in and out of the lungs. In this phase there may be coughing until gagging or vomiting. This is usually a sign of whooping cough. This phase can last for a month.

The good news is that the bacteria is sensitive to an antibiotic call Azithromycin or Zithromax. The important thing is that it must be started within the first two weeks. This treatment greatly reduces the amount of toxin produced by the bacteria and shortens the disease.

Spastic Phase

This phase is associated with the whooping sound when the child tries to breath in after a coughing fit. At this point, it might be too late to give the antibiotic. We have found two Homeopathic remedies that seem to help. Hom. Drosera seems to help some with the cough and Hom. Ipecacuanha seems to help with cough until vomiting or gagging. Give 4 times a day if using a 30X potency for infants up to two years old and only twice a day for infants if using a 30C potency and 4 times a day using a 30C potency for toddlers and older children. Do not use 200C potency for children. Give one pellet at a time even if the bottle says to give 5 pellets. For infants up to one year dissolve the pellet in a half teaspoon of water first.

We have also found that the enzyme Nattokinase 2000IU can help to break down the toxin and shorten this phase. It should be given one hour away from food. If it is given with food, it will be used up in the stomach digesting the food and none will be left to enter the blood to neutralize the toxin. Infants need one half of the powder in one capsule twice a day. Open the capsule and divide the powder into two parts and put if in a small amount of water and give it to the infant with a spoon. Older children need the powder in one capsule twice a day. This should be continued for about two weeks or longer, until the whooping begins to get better. This phase can last for up to a month if untreated with the Nattokinase

Recover Phase

Once the whooping begins to subside, the coughing can continue for up to another month. The whole process can last for three months.  It can be shortened with Homeopathic remedies and Nattokinase. 

Horse Chestnut. Some people have seen significant improvement with use of Horse Chestnut. Horse Chestnut seeds can be poisonous if unprocessed, so it’s recommended to use a manufactured dry extract. Side effects may include abdominal cramps, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, and itching.