Thursday 3 October 2013

BREAST TUMOR in a boy of 13yrs 

07-09-2013. V.B. a young boy aged 13 years was brought to me by his worried mother complaining of sharp pains in the left breast. . The boy complained that it was painful when he played football or on touch especially in class if he came in contact with friends in school. He was deeply embarrassed at the development. He could not sleep on his chest for the same reason. The boy was a plump energetic fellow with (his mother complained) an almost unsatiable appetite. If she scolded him for over-eating, he would take money from her on some pretext and go out to eat `Bhelpuri' cold drinks,  icecream or some other delicacy he fancied.
On palpation a small firm, well defined, encapsulated tumor 2 cms X 1 cm, tender to touch was palpable in the L breast.
Clinically it was a fibroadenoma. 
Repertorization suggested `Bromine ' which I gave him in the 30th potency. To come after 7 days.
15-09-2013. No change. I decided to leave the repertorization aside and gave him `Skookum Chuck' 30 - follow-up after 1 week.
21-09-2013. Mother dragged in a very reluctant boy whom the mother had told he would now need to be operated. The boy was scared. I asked him if he would like to have the tumor removed - he could only shake his head with tears in his eyes. I informed the mother that such benign tumors can recur after operation and hence it may not be the final answer. I re-assured her to be more patient. This time I trawled the Materia medica and came across a drug I had used in the past for a similar tumor in a woman - Lapis alba.(refer 1001 Small Remedies -Dr.Frederik Schroyens; Concise Materia Medica by S.R.Phatak; Materia Medica by Boericke W. ) I had the 200th potency and gave him 15 doses - 3 per day for 5 days. 
03-10-2013. The boy came into my clinic beaming - the tumor was gone. 

Several lessons can be drawn from this case 
1. Repertorization is not the final answer for all cases. 
2. Past experience counts - this last observation was Hahnemann's  concluding advice to his followers. Quite a U turn from his previous exhortations that experience was not to be relied upon for prescribing a drug..
3. Higher potencies do have a place in treating pathology 
4. Repetition even with such potencies can throw up remarkable cures with no danger to the patient as many Homeopaths claim. 

So can Homeopathy treat all cases???? Well almost!!!!! 

Wednesday 25 September 2013

A wonderful acute case which can showcase the miracles one can perform with Homeopathy.

18-09-2013.Miss P.H aged 4 yrs was brought into my OPD with a huge cervical (neck) swelling extending from near her left ear to her clavicle. The swelling was intensely painful and had appeared in just two days. She also had fever since three days. The neck region was angry red and the spasm of the Sternocleido mastoid muscle had caused her head to turn to the left. The fever was more at night but continuous. High fever at night with muttering delirium. The child was refusing food and water since 3 days.
Hb 9.9gm%; WBC TC 33950/cu.mm Polymorphs 95% and  Lymphocytes 5%.

Not many symptoms to go by but Belladonna was clearly indicated and given in high potency every 2 hours for two days.

21-09-2013. On follow-up the fever and swelling persisted with intense pain. I gave her 10 doses of Merc-i-r 200 at 2 hourly intervals followed by Belladonna again at 2 hourly intervals. My decision to continue my treatment with a little change was based on the blood counts.
WBC TC 15640/cu.mm Polymorphs 76% Lymphocytes 20% Monocytes 1% Eosinophils 3%.

24-09-2013. Child was brought - no fever since 2 days. Pain and swelling subsided almost to normal. The child permitted me to examine her for the first time without discomfort.

Many inferences can be drawn in this case and some very popular myths on Posology proved  wrong!!! I would like my students to give me their inferences on this case.

Monday 29 July 2013

ACUTE PANCREATITIS 

As it often happens, some cases you treat simply retreat from memory until the patient comes back with some complaint or another patient many years later. Mr.S.G. aged 19 years had come to me on the night of 9th Sept. 2011 with severe upper right abdominal (Hypochondrium) pain. The boy was studying in Dharwad an education-city some 110kms from my town. The boy was diagnosed as a case of Renal colic but the treatment had no effect. Since he had come to me at 9:30pm, no investigations were possible and I gave him Berberis Vulg 30, asking him to see me the next day.

10-09-2011. 11:00 am: The boy was writhing in pain in my waiting room, clutching his abdomen. The pain was burning, intense and accompanied by cold sweat, restlessness and intense thirst. The water tasted bitter and he had vomited 3-4 times since last night. There was extreme tenderness and guarding of the abdomen.  I realized I was up against something far more serious. Pulse rate: 110/min; BP 150/90mm Hg.  His investigations were:
Hb 13.2  WBC count 13500/cu.mm; P84% Ly 16%. Serum Amylase: 3341 IU/Lt; Serum GPT 31 IU/Lt. S.Urea 33mg%; S. Creatinine 1.0mg%. USG: Bulky pancreas with altered echoes- Pancreatitis.

Given the few symptoms I had, it was obvious that the remedy was Arsenic alb. The same was given in very high potency at 2 hourly intervals - 8 times followed by placebo.

11-09-2011. 10:00 am: Patient felt subjectively better, tenderness and guarding less. PR 100/min. BP 124/80mm Hg. The patient was able to retain water. No vomiting since the last 8 hours. Tenderness +++; Guarding +. Placebo continued.

12-09-2011. 11:00 am. Patient quite comfortable. Tenderness +. No guarding.
Hb 13.2gm% TC 9340/cu.mm P50% Ly 43% M2% E 5%. GPT 42 IU/Lt; Amylase 1142 IU/Lt 
Total bilirubin 2.5mg% Direct bilirubin 1.0mg%.
 Clinical progress was continuous and rapid, the patient was monitored every day. Rx: Placebo

15-09-2013. 2:00pm. Patient comfortable and eating well. No Tenderness/guarding of abdomen. No complaints.
Hb 12.5gm% WBC 7560/cu.mm P55% Ly 41% M 4%. Amylase 700 IU/Lt. Total Bil 1.0mg% Direct Bil 0.13mg%.
 Rx  Ars. Alb 2 doses repeated

11-10-2011. Patient completely symptomless. Amylase 120 IU/Lt  Placebo continued for 10 days after which treatment was stopped, the patient had returned to Dharwad for his studies on 17th Sept..

I stress that in Acute cases a thorough and meticulous physical examination with appropriate investigations goes a long way in maintaining my confidence to treat such critical cases. A rigorous, regular and judicious follow-up can work wonders. A slip up at the preliminary stage itself may prove costly to both patient and doctor alike. Philosophical explanations are not entertained in courts of law.
CAUTION: Arsenic alb is not a specific medicine for Pancreatitis or any disease or symptom.
This article is not meant to suggest any such idea. 

Sunday 14 July 2013

IS HOMEOPATHY A PLACEBO SCIENCE?

HOMEOPATHY IS PLACEBO - this is the favorite chant of our antagonists who take great pains to denounce our magnificent therapeutic science. They want proof' that it works! Millions of patients all over the world who take only homeopathic medicines for all their ailments are not proof enough. The thousands of allopathic doctors who take homeo medicines for themselves and family not withstanding (almost 80% of the doctors in my town)!

Two days ago I had an experience I would like to narrate. I was leaving my home for the clinic when I tripped over my pet dog and my right thumb got crushed in the door as I was shutting it. The distal phalanx started swelling almost immediately and a hematoma started to form under the nail. I rushed back into the house and applied an ice pack for ten minutes. Satisfied that this was the best I could do I left for my clinic. By the time I reached the thumb had swollen to twice its size. The entire nail bed had turned a dark red due to the extravasated blood. I took 3 doses of Arnica Montana 30 and got on with my work. By afternoon the entire nail had turned a menacing black. It was throbbing unbearably and I switched over to Sulphuric acid 30. every 2 hours - 3 doses. In the evening the thumb was so sensitive that I could not hold a pen or zip my pants!! I had to do something fast. I was tempted to take an allopathic anti-inflammatory when I remembered Boericke's or was it Kent's advice. I soaked a cotton swab in Arnica Q (mother tincture), applied it over the entire distal phalanx covering the tip of my finger, wrapped it in a thin plastic `finger stall' and taped it in place. To my surprise next morning the swelling was almost gone and the echymoses was atleast 50% less! I replaced the swab with a new one and taped it in place again. 24 hours later VOILA!! no trace of the black and blue swelling of the nail bed. Only a slight sensitiveness of the thumb tip remained!!
PLACEBO?????? 

Wednesday 26 June 2013

MIRACLES WITH HOMEOPATHY

CAN HOMEOPATHY WORK MIRACLES?

ACUTE G.I. BLEEDING  
Many patients who come to me seem to expect the impossible - well almost!. By God's grace or by Dr.Hahnemann's grace, often homeopathy delivers. This is a case which I saw on 24th June at 2:00pm. 

S.P. A frail young man of 32 yrs walked into my clinic supported by his wife. As he was helped into the chair by his wife, his condition was obvious - alcohol induced hepatitis with possibility of cirrhosis and pancreatitis.  His history was short and unremarkable. Hooked onto alcohol since the age of 16 yrs, he required 5 quarters (almost a liter) of Rum (or any other cheap liquor) a day. He has been passing malaena  (digested black blood) since 2 days and now frank blood instead of stools since 18 hours. He suffered from intense burning pains in stomach < night with intense thirst for small quantities of cold water. He could not tolerate food and vomited anything including water which was blood tinged. O/E Pulse 110/min; BP 100/60. Tenderness over the epigastrium. Tremors in hands and feet. Sclera yellow. Puffy face. Redness of MM of mouth. Skin waxy yellow..
INVESTIGATIONS: Hb 9.9gm%, WBC count 21330/cu.mm; Polymorphs-88% Lymphocytes 12%. HIV - nonreactive; HBsAg - nonreactive; Bilirubin (T)-5.0 mg% Direct-3.2mg%, GOT 121 IU/Lt; GPT 148 IU/Lt, Alkaline Phosphatase: 405 IU/Lt, Proteins 7.4gm/dl; Albumin 3.6gm/dl; A/G ratio 0.9. SERUM AMYLASE: 118 IU/Lt.  Bleeding time: 4mins 30secs; Clotting time: 5mins 40secs; Prothrombin time: 17 seconds; INR 1.4.  USG showed 1. Early pancreatitis; 2. Hepatosplenomegaly 3. Small gallstones.

The prescription was Arsenic Alb in high potency and Angelica Q 10 drops to be repeated every 30 mins four times, later every 2 hrs till 9:00pm. The patient to report for follow-up next day at 12 noon. Advised liquid diet, Rice water and Coconut water. Iced milk in small quantity infrequently. Angelica Q is a drug which is reputed to cause aversion to alcohol, hence was included in the prescription. My hunch was proved right as the patient admitted on the third day!

25th June 1:00pm: Patient walked into my room briskly and sat before me with a wide smile. He proclaimed he was 75% better - no vomiting, no malena or blood in stools. The weakness was much relieved and he could walk up the 14 stairs to my clinic without help from his wife.
Pulse- 98/min; BP 110/60
The medicines were continued for another 24 hrs.

26th June 12:00 am: Patient comfortable and taking normal food  Despite his precarious condition he confessed that last night he had gone out to meet his close friend who was drinking in a near-by `bar'- their regular meeting place. Hearteningly the smell of alcohol made him nauseous and he returned home!! Dosage reduced to 4 hourly repetition.

4th July 6:00 pm.  Patient decided to take a second opinion from an allopathic physician, later came to show me the blood report he was advised.  Bilirubin (T): 4.1mg%; Direct 1.9mg%
Alkaline phosphatase 306 IU/Lt. Patient says he has no major complaints except mild discomfort in the epigastrium.

The patient is out of the woods so to speak and whether he remains healthy and alcohol-free only time will tell. I present this as an acute case of G.I. tract bleeding - the same I will follow for a  year before I can claim a complete cure.

Friday 14 June 2013

Homeopathy in common recurrent infections

I have already put up several cases of severe and intractable Lower Respiratory Tract Infections cured with Homeopathy. I will now illustrate how Urinary tract infections can be treated with our system.

11-06-2013. Case 1. Miss B.L. aged 12 years weighing just 38kg at 4 feet 11 inches height, has been suffering from recurring urinary tract infections since 3 years. Repeated hospitalization for investigations and higher antibiotics finally drove them to homeopathy. Her complaints - Fever since 8 days- chill followed by heat< night. Shaking chills in the evening followed by burning heat- even breath feels hot. Thirstless heat during. Severe generalized headache during fever. The tongue is white with red tip. Patient complains of extreme exhaustion and is unable to stand or sit. She had been hospitalized for 6 days, treatment was given as per the results of the Urine Culture report  with no improvement. Temp 101*F

Investigations: Hb 11.1gm%; WBC count: 8780/cu.mm. Polymorphs 69%, Lymphocytes 26%, Monocytes 3%, Eosinophils 2%. Widal test- S.Typhi reactive in 1:120 diln. Urine: albumin- traces, Sugar- nil. Microscopy- Pus cells 60-80/hpf, Bacteria ++

Repertorisation threw up an unusual remedy for this condition - Arsenic Alb. The remedy was given in 1M potency repeatedly for 3 days along with placebo

17-06-2013: Patient is afebrile. Urine continues to burn.

18-06-2013. No fever since 36 hrs. Patient is asymptomatic. Urine microscopy shows only occasional pus cells.
Placebo was continued for 7 days and repeat examination showed clear urine.

I mention this case because the patient had been hospitalized several times during the last three years besides being treated as an out-patient for the same complaint, pointing to a drug resistant infection. I ignored the positive Widal test since Typhoid is endemic in this area, hence it shows an old infection with persisting S typhi `O' titre.


01-06-2013 Case no 2. Mrs N.K.aged  48yrs- widow.
Severe recurrent urinary infection now chronic since two months.  She complained of severe cramping pains in the lower abdomen, sometimes shifting to other parts. The cramping in the urinary bladder and tenesmus-like pains persisted after urination. The urine was thick, purulent and offensive, passed in small quantities with scalding during passage. Sensation as if some urine was left behind after urination. The patient was referred to a Urologist but a relative who knew about me brought her to my clinic.

USG shows swelling at the neck of the bladder with residual post evacuation urine - 50ml.
Urine: albumin 1 plus, Sugar: nil. Pus cells 100-120/hpf, Bacteria ++, Mucus threads +

 Merc Viv 1M 2 doses followed by Cannabis Sativa 30 4 doses a day for 3 days.

03-06-2013 Patient called to say she is much better. Pain and scalding of urine much less. No cramping pains in abdomen.

13-06-2013. Patient is more or less asymptomatic. But today a mild cramp in the left side of the abdomen. Urine examination is clear. Cannabis Sat 30 thrice daily for 4days.

14-06-2013. Patient called to say she is perfectly OK. The sensation of urine remaining after voiding is no longer there. I will repeat USG after another 5 days.

02-07-2013. Patient reported at the clinic. No complaints. USG normal, Urine NAD. 

Sunday 19 May 2013

I have not had much opportunity to use this medicine very frequently except in a couple of cases of aphonia - one a case of a radio artist (singer) and the other a Professor of chemistry. The medicine seems to chiefly exhibit its symptoms in the mind and respiratory sphere, where the effects are unique. The above chemistry professor indeed had ulceration of the vocal chords probably due to exposure to chalk dust which he inhaled - an unavoidable occupational risk.

 
ARGENTUM METALLICUM       MINERAL SOURCE
    MIASM: Syphilitic, sycosis.                     PROVER:
CAUSE
Onanism, sunstroke, anger, fright
MIND
Restless. Must walk fast. Delirious rage-mania. Excessive mirth or cries over trifles. Anxiety health. Epilepsy foll by violence. Easy mirth. Cries on trifles
HEAD
Business headaches , gradual↑ Sudden↓. Emptiness
EYES
Inflammation< angles
EARS
Shooting pain=>base of brain
NOSE
Itching, then epistaxis on blowing
FACE
Violent pains zygoma (L) then (R). Alternate redness, pallor-earthy.
THROAT
Hoarseness, soreness, inflammation.Singers,speakers.. Pain<Yawning. Grayish exp.
STOMACH
Hungry after meal. Averse food, easy satiety, Pyrosis. Hiccups< tobacco
ABDOMEN
Violent pressure=>pubes< eating,breathing. >rising up Borborygmi. Distention. Muscles contracted.
URINARY
Frequency-diabetes.
HEART
Twitching, heart stands still. Palpitation <pregnancy.
RESPIRATORY
Larynx inflamed,thick,ulcerated,hoarse. Cough expect grey,tenacious.. Aphonia of singers,speakers. Sore, stinging trachea=cough. Stitching R.chest<stooping
EXTREMITIES
Cartilages, jts affected.Cramping pains in jts.Sacrum, Knee, hip,toes,feet. Numbness heel. Diabetic dropsy.
PECULIAR SYMPTOMS
Must walk fast. Delirious rage. Epilepsy foll by violence
Nose itches then Epistaxis. Hunger after meal. Aphonia singers,speakers. Palpitation<pregnancy.
THREAD
Deep Ulcers, inflammations, Destruction of jt cartilage. Polydypsia, polyphagia, polyuria. Respiratory complts

Tuesday 23 April 2013

YET ANOTHER CASE OF DENGUE.


 D.K. a girl aged 11 years, suffering from fever and bodyache for 4 days was admitted with a local pediatrician. After observation for 3 days she was investigated for the cause of fever. Her platelet count was precariously low at 42000/ul. The fever continued onto the fourth day when the pediatrician made a presumptive diagnosis of Dengue and referred the case to a referral hospital in Belgaum. The parents were too poor to afford allopathic treatment, that too in a referral hospital. They met a patient of mine who redirected them to me.

18/04/2013   11:45am
Child gives history of high grade fever  with headache, bodyache since 4 days. Chills- heatdry < midnight. Vomiting on attempting to eat even a little.  Intense thirst for small quantities often. Tongue- red edges and tip. Child unusually weak and exhausted, unable to sit beside me to be examined. They did not have money to test for Dengue. Temp: 102*F
I gave her Arsenic Alb in 1M potency every hour and asked them to report next morning.

19/04/2013     1:00pm
 Child was much better and able to sit by my side as I examined her. Temp 100*F. Had consumed rice water and coconut water since last night. She had a smile on her face which told me I had hit the nail on the head. Platelet count: 61000/ul. Dengue test: IgM positive. Arsenic reduced to 4 hourly.

20/04/2013   12 noon.
Child much better, taking light food, no vomiting or fever. Came into the clinic, talking  and smiling.

21/04/2013     11:30am
No complaints. Platelet count: 1,80,000/ul
Child put on placebo for 24 hrs.

As of today child is perfectly OK and all treatment has been stopped. Cost of 5 days treatment and consultation- Rs 1500/-. approximately 27 US dollars!!!

Knowledge of materia medica and appropriate posology is a must to obtain repeated success in such critical cases. 

 Admission to a referral hospital would have entailed a weeks admission and treatment probably with platelet transfusions if the count had dipped any lower. A huge bill would have followed, pushing the already impoverished family into penury and a loan burden. The WHO has already identified the high cost of allopathic care and treatment as a major cause of poverty in India. Why do we not promote Homeopathy?

I had an opportunity to treat a book-picture case of convulsions with Tarentula Hispanica a couple of years ago. A child admitted at a referral hospital in the city of Belgaum was investigated for twelve days without arriving at any diagnosis. The parents were at their wits end as she continued getting 4 - 6 convulsions per day without any respite despite a half dozen `Specialists' attending to her. Being the daughter of a VIP, tensions ran high. Finally a visiting relative, also a homeopath suggested that the case be seen by me. It was7:30pm and I was not keen on travelling 200kms in the night at this time. I suggested that a mobile phone be used to record her next convulsion and the recording brought to me for viewing. I saw the mobile recording at 10:00pm. and knew instantly it was Tarentula- no questions asked. The drug was given in the 1M potency. 3 doses at intervals of 30 minutes followed by placebo. The recovery was remarkable. Next day at 11:30am she proclaimed she had recovered and wanted to go home. The attending doctor's opinion was taken and she was discharged. She is asymptomatic today after two and a half years!! This is why:


TARENTULA HISPANICA         SOURCE: Animal kingdom
MIASM: Sycosis,syphilis,                               
CAUSE
Unrequited love, Scolding,sepsis,falls,bad news,
MIND
Hysteria, Cunning, deceitful, <strong colors,touch; Dances, erratic,. >5pm, eating. Kleptomania. Hurried, intense, restless, impatient. Runs better. Illusions. Convulsions-looks sideways at onlookers.
HEAD
Vertigo with headache, erection, falling,restlessness.. <carrying,descending,eating, fixing sight.
EYES
Splinter,hair in L.eye. R pupil dilated,L contracted.
FACE
Blue,contorted,terror, burning, Pale, neck purple
MOUTH
Pain teeth like electric sparks
THROAT
Inflammation, external internal, choking, purple
STOMACH
Thirst intense, Craves raw food. Averse meat. Vomiting<eating. Pain in distant parts with gastritis
ABDOMEN
Lancinating sharp pains in organs, rectum. Fibrous tumor causing uterine discharge. Hard difficult stool, blood,pain. < head wash. Spincter weak
URINARY
Kidneys,bladder inflamed,tender. pain- cannot pass urine, involuntary<cough,laughing
MALE
Excitement,lascivious insanity. Bloody semen. Coition foll by cough
FEMALE
Menses early,profuse,very painful. Nymphomania <menses. Uterus-movement as if fetus; Gas
EXTREMITIES
Cough dry,tickling,pain-distant parts. Suffocation-restless, screaming.
HEART
Diseases<wetting hands. Anxiety,squeezing pains. Twisting,turning.
BACK
Pain needles<turning head(r). Shooting coccyx< delivery
SLEEP/DREAMS
Drowning,business,weeping. Wakes angry
FEVER
Icy cold alt intense intermittent heat, cold feet, with chorea, convulsions.  Constant chill.
SKIN
Bluish discoloration –ulcers,abscess,boils,gangrene
PECULIAR SYMPTOMS
Distant pains-electric sparks,splinters. Heart twisting. Fetal movements. Periodicity. Blue ulcers
THREAD
 Restless, Mania, Hypersensitivity, Chorea, Hysteria, Septic infections

Wednesday 3 April 2013


APPROACH TO DENGUE & ACUTE CASES (part II)

The article below is based on the experience of treating several hundreds of cases of potentially fatal illness, including post operative complications, cases advised immediate surgery and cases forsaken by specialists of the allopathic school.

The following guidelines may be observed which by far are neither exhaustive nor complete.
1.      Ensure your medical diagnosis is right. This helps in case selection and prognosis.
2.      Assess the patient’s clinical condition especially his general condition.
3.      Explain the seriousness of the patient’s condition and take the relative’s informed consent

Get a good case history. First, note down the disease symptoms to justify the medical diagnosis. Below each symptom that is elicited note down the concomitants and below each concomitant, note the modalities. In infants thermals are difficult to elicit. It is important to note down the sequential order of appearance of the symptoms and their concomitants. In infants, mentally challenged individuals and in unconscious patients, observation of the patient’s particulars (objective symptoms) and few symptoms as told to you by the relatives will have to do.  Relatives may exaggerate or attempt to focus your attention on to symptoms they regard as important or serious, especially during follow-up. OBSERVATION is the watch word.

The past history may be irrelevant. Many ailments especially pneumonias are known to be seasonal i.e. < winter, monsoons. Some of the symptoms expressed by the patient/relatives may be iatrogenic. Rule these out of the therapeutic totality. TOTALITY is not in the number of symptoms you have collected. Read Lesser Writings – Kent and Boenninghausen.

The PQRS symptoms are nothing but the concomitants and their modalities and never the disease symptoms. (Read Guernsey, Kent’s lectures on the use of Guiding symptoms)
REPERTORIZATION: Select general symptoms, then particulars with modalities & concomitants. Avoid rubrics of single drugs with one mark.
PRESCRIPTION: The indicated drug is the simillimum and vice versa.
POTENCY: Medium to high potencies give the best results.
REPETITION: In acute cases frequent repetition is permissible. Read Organon aph: 247, foot note to 247; aph.248 (compare with Vth edn.). Read also Dudgeons lectures, Stuart Close, Kent’s lectures, Boenninghaussens Lesser writings, Borland’s Pneumonias. My personal preference is to repeat every 15 minutes or 1/2 hourly for 4-5 times then decrease repetition to 2 hrly or 4 hrly as the case may deserve.
RECOVERY: The most skillful part of treatment is to assess recovery. The concomitants subside first. The concomitants disappear in the reverse order of their appearance, Herings law is ambiguous. He stresses on the skin being a less important organ than say the heart or the lungs. FACT: One can survive and lead an almost normal life with one lung, kidney or lobe of the liver. The clinical onset of Cirrhosis begins only after almost 90% of the liver is destroyed. The heart with only 50% of its ejection fraction can still pump enough blood through the body. Can one survive with 50% burns of the skin? IMPROBABLE. Trash such irrelevant opinions if you wish to see progress.
  
The recent failure of antibiotics and the rise in resistant strains of bacteria and viruses have provided an opportune moment for us to re-assert ourselves and this system in the treatment of acute cases.

The pleasure of treating such cases:
 1. You have saved a patient from imminent death
2. The skill involved in treating such cases is appreciated by both patients and other professionals
3. The cure takes place so rapidly (see my other cases on this website & blog), that practice becomes a pleasure
4.Acute cases are more remunerative and more patients can be treated due to shorter history and follow-up.
5. Publishing statistics and analyses of hundreds of cases is scientifically possible with easily reproducible results. (No one publishes statistical analysis of chronic complaints for very obvious reasons – Philosophy makes for easier seminars).
Concluded.

Saturday 23 March 2013

Dengue and its Homeopathic treatment

DENGUE IS EASILY TREATABLE WITH HOMEOPATHY

My post of `Dengue treatment' has received the maximum hits on my blog. This is a mixed bag for me. It seems obvious that people visiting the site are looking for the sensational. Dengue with its fearsome reputation as a killer disease certainly attracts attention. My treatment of this case is not divulged in detail as I did not wish to encourage duplication which could have disastrous results.The blog is meant for budding homeopaths to learn the nuances of the simple art and science of homeopathy without obfuscation with convoluted philosophy.

The treatment of Dengue with Homeopathy follows the same methodology as the treatment of any other fever or for that matter any acute disease. This makes the homeopathic treatment of Dengue devoid of any bells and ribbons. The skill of treating acute cases lies in the possession of a certain amount of courage (developed through experience) combined with a sound knowledge of the homeopathic principles and appropriate application of these in every individual case. However let me say that no acute case must be touched without a confident diagnosis, prognosis and accurate assessment of the patients condition. A thorough physical examination followed by appropriate laboratory and radiological investigation of the patient is an absolute must. Any short-cuts here can lead to disaster. The minimal protocol in fever would be: Complete blood count, Smear for MP, Serum Widal test (in India, Typhoid is endemic in many areas);  Blood glucose (if patient is above 35yrs of age), Urine examination with microscopy. Any disease specific test may be added to this list especially in the event of a prevalent epidemic. If the WBC blood count exceeds 15000/cu.mm or there is severe neutrophilia (>85%) then a P.smear report with Serum Creatinine may be added. X-ray chest may be advised if respiratory or other pathology is suspected. USG abdomen is necessary to co-relate suspicion of abdominal pathology. CT scan of the concerned body part (Head, Spine, abdomen etc.) may be advised to confirm related pathology. Here I would like tell the story of a patient, himself a doctor whom I was called to see. The patient had acute frontal headache of four days duration. No h/o similar headache before. No h/o fever, vomiting, cognitive or neurological deficit. A couple of physicians and an ENT surgeon had seen him. An ophthalmic opinion had been taken. Blood investigations were normal. On the basis of The X-ray skull `Waters view' a diagnosis of Sinusitis was arrived at. At this point in time I was called in to treat the sinusitis since it was opined, Homeopathy is the best treatment for sinusitis. My immediate assessment of the case was that, the history and severity of the case did not fit this diagnosis despite the Xray being suggestive of the same. I wanted to rule out an S.O.L. My advice to get a CT scan was met with disbelief and even scorn. I refused to prescribe any medicines till a CT was done. The following day the CT scan report came through- `Well defined lesion in the (R) frontal lobe suggestive of space occupying lesion of the brain'. My duty was over. The patient was advised immediate Right lobectomy after which the good doctor now leads a normal life, continuing with his practice. I had had the courage to speak my mind, over-ruling the opinion of several of my learned colleagues and tragically was proved right. But all's well that ends well. Had I treated him on the basis of somebody else's diagnosis, I would have escaped liability but lost the respect of my professional colleagues besides precipitating a very tragic end. It also reiterates my closely held opinion that Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine and cannot be practiced by casual `followers' however passionate they may be - a temptation many succumb to due to our accent on `philosophy'.  By embracing philosophy homeopaths attempt to abrogate their responsibility as physicians. Something our fellow doctors from other systems and the courts are loath to accept.

I would like to add a small note on the importance of diagnosis in Homeopathy. Firstly it plays only a minimal role in arriving at a prescription. But its importance lies in the fact that a correct diagnosis can reveal a wealth of information which can lay the foundation for cure or failure. To begin with it helps to select or reject a case. Certain diseases do not respond to Homeopathic treatment or else are better treated with surgery or at the worst are incurable. It is your business to know this before you attempt treatment. Diagnosis helps in patient as well as disease evaluation - the state of progress of the disease and the present condition of the patients vitality may help decide on whether the case should be handled. This information gained by investigating the patient will also help the physician to create a mental map of the course of recovery during treatment and diagnose any untoward progress or complications of the disease itself (e.g. intestinal perforation in typhoid). Feeble attempts to label such events as Homeopathic aggravation is deplorable and demonstrates an abject  lack of medical prudence. Repeating the investigations can also confirm reversal of pathology where present,  before proclaiming a cure.

Monday 4 March 2013


Thyroidinum is a not too often used drug. I myself have used it only in a handful of cases chiefly as an intercurrent. In one case of Psoriasis though, I have used it as a first prescription. One must refrain from using it as a specific prescription for Myxedema or hyperthyroidism.
 
THYROIDINUM            Source: animal-sheep
PROVER                       MIASM: Psora, sycosis, tubercular
CAUSE
Myxedema, scleroderma, syphilis, tetanus, anemia, valvular heart  disease
MIND
Depression alternates with mania. Hysteria. Weeping, homicidal, dangerous, quarrelsome, suspicious, persecuted, excited, nightmares, laughing, grunting
HEAD
Abnormal hair growth/ hair fall. Grey
EYES
Optic neuritis
FACE
Flushes with distant pains. Burning, desquamation Swelling
MOUTH
Thirsty, ulceration cheek
THROAT
Goitre
HEART/CHEST
Palpitation, angina, cardiac arrest. Cardiac failure  Faintness.Tachycardia,. Breathless, livid, dying.
STOMACH
Indigestion
ABDOMEN
Diarrhea, constipation
URINARY
Increased in diabetes
FEMALE
Early, profuse, prolonged menses
EXTREMITIES
Quivering, tremors
SKIN
Psoriasis. Blue-black skin, great  desquamation, stiffness
FEVER
Flushing, high fever unconsciousness, back pain.
PECULIAR SYMPTOMS
Stooping=palpitation. Depression alternates with mania. Homicidal, persecution, suspicious. > recumbent.