Sunday, July 27, 2008

Wonders of homoeopathy

A case of Migraine

This is the case of a lady aged 36 years with severe Migraine since 10 years.
She used to have severe Headache accompanied by vomiting. Headache ameliorated by pressing the root of nose.. Severe headaches would prevent her from all daily activities. Once triggered it would continue for days with no relief even by painkillers.

Along with this she also complained of:
Scanty menstruation

Past medical History:
Backache
Anal Fissure
Low blood pressure

Personality:
The lady was very extroverted, social person. She was a very emotional person having an intuitive nature. Her memory was very sharp. She couldn?t tolerate tight clothing. She couldn?t tolerate hot weather. Her headaches were aggravated by smell of coffee.

Medicine prescribed:
After a detailed analysis of her case she was prescribed a dose of a homeopathic remedy called LACHESIS 200 and she was called after 10 days for her follow up.

Follow ups:
First follow up after 10 days - She had her menses which were better regarding flow and intensity of her headaches was also better.
With each further follow ups, her frequency and intensity of headaches got reduced. There was transient recurrence of her old complaint of backache which passed away shortly.



Case of Arthritis

This is the case of a 46 years old lady (Patient reference no.L6956) who reported to us with complaints of pain in both the knee joints. She was a known case of Rheumatoid Arthritis since the past 2 to 3 years. Her pains used to extend anteriorly to the ankle joints and were aggravated by sitting down and bending her legs. Her pains occurred twice or thrice a week and lasted for one to two days.

Along with this she also complained of excessive bloated feeling in the abdomen almost daily since the last 3 to 4 years. She said that she felt very hungry at small intervals and had to eat something very frequently and yet had no satiety. Another thing that had started bothering her since the past one year was her hot flushes. This was due to her menopausal age that she would be so irritable at times. She was a known case of cervical spondylosis since the past 2 years along with uterine fibroids almost since 6 years.

She had an excess appetite with strong craving for sweets, milk and fruits. She perspired profusely especially on the face and was thermally a hot patient. Her menstrual cycles were irregular as she was reaching her menopause. She complained of disturbed sleep and used to get up frequently at night.

She was quite confident to talk with. She said that she had no major tensions or stress in life. But it was only on further enquiring it was found that she had a very disturbed family life. She had separated from her husband a few years after their marriage and had a teenaged son who stayed away from her with his father in the U.S. Her son was reluctant to keep any contacts with her and this was the most distressing part of her life. She was totally disappointed with her life and therefore had become very irritable and easily angered. She desired to be alone and weeped while narrating her complaints.

Amongst her family, her father suffered from diabetes and her mother too suffered from arthritis. She had stooped all her previous allopathic medications for arthritis as they were no longer helping her to control her pains.

Taking into consideration her entire complaints along with her mental state, a constitutional homoeopathic remedy Natrum Mur 200 was selected to be taken twice a day for 3 weeks. Next when she reported to us her knee joint pains were better up to 50%. Her excess hunger had slightly decreased but the abdominal bloating remained the same. She was continued the same remedy and potency for another four weeks. In the second follow up i.e. after another 4 weeks her knee joint pains were better up to 90% and her hunger and bloating showed improvement up to 50%. The frequency of her hot flushes had also reduced this time. Also, she specially mentioned to us that mentally she was feeling much relaxed than ever before for which she was really thankful to us and obviously to homoeopathy. She was asked to continue the medications for another few months until complete recovery.

Remark: The remedy prescribed in this case is patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the symptoms specific to the patient at that point of time. It is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any self-medication.




Case of Cancer Pains

This is the case of Mrs. A.S, a 41 years old female patient who reported to the clinic in January 2004. She was a known case of cancer of the uterus and she had undergone hysterectomy for the same. Later she had a relapse of the cancer in the vulva for which she had received radiotherapy. She reported to the clinic about 2 months after receiving radiotherapy. She had complaints of severe burning and cutting pain in the thighs since the last 6 months. She would have the burning constantly, everyday and it would get worse from exertion and at night.

She also had complaints of chronic constipation and acidity. The constipation would get better only with purgatives.
She had an average appetite with decreased thirst for water. She was fond of fish. Her sleep was sound but she would frequently get frightful dreams and dreams of her dead relatives.

She had marked anxiety about her health and had also become irritable since the past few months. She had marked fear of being alone; fear of ghosts and of darkness. She would also get frightened at the sight of dead bodies.
She did not have history of any other illness in the past except for the cancer of the uterus. Her mother had hypertension and there was no history of any other illness in the family.

Based on the above history the patient was prescribed a remedy called Capsicum annum in the 200th potency along with another remedy called Carcinosin which would target her tendency to develop cancerous affection. In the subsequent follow-ups the remedy Capsicum was prescribed in ascending potencies and within 6 months of treatment her pains had completely disappeared. She did extremely well with the treatment and was free from the pain which had not been relieved by any other kind of medication in the past.

This case illustrates how cancer pains can be efficiently tackled with homoeopathy, even in those cases where other forms of treatment have failed. Homoeopathy can even help to arrest the further progress of the illness by targeting the tendency to develop cancerous affections.

Remark: The remedy prescribed in this case is patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the symptoms specific to the patient at that point of time. It is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any self-medication.
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Cases of Hair loss


Case 1:


This is the case of Mr. A. G, a 17 years old male patient who reported to the clinic with complaints of excessive hair loss since 2 years. The complaints had increased since 6 months. His hair would fall from the root and he had developed a hairless patch (alopecia) on his vertex. The hair would get uprooted very easily and hence even an oil massage or combing would lead to much hair loss. He also had excessive dandruff causing much itching of the scalp.

He also had complaints of some reddish eruptions on the back and shoulders since 3 years. The eruptions would occasionally be pustular with itching. This was diagnosed as acne. The acne would get worse from heat and during change of weather.

He had marked craving for sweets, junk food and Chinese food. He had an aversion to fruits and certain vegetables. He had excessive thirst for cold water. Perspiration was profuse especially on the palms and soles and was offensive. Patient could not tolerate heat in any form and would prefer to be in the cold environment.

He had a very sensitive personality and was a responsible person. There was marked anticipatory anxiety and he would feel much tensed before and during exams. He would get so nervous that he would forget the points and this would adversely affect his performance. He would not be sure of what he has written in the exams. He was fond of company and would not like to stay alone. He loved music and dancing and liked to be with friends. He was very attached to his possessions and would not like to share these with others.

In the past he had suffered from recurrent colds and allergies. There was strong history of alopecia areata in the family and his father had complaints of renal calculi. His elder brother also suffered from frequent colds.

Based on this history, the patient was prescribed homoeopathic medicine named Lycopodium Clavatum. Within the first 2 months itself there was remarkable improvement in the hairloss. His anxiety had also improved significantly and he would no longer get as much tensed or worried about his exams as before. Within 8 months of treatment, he was absolutely normal and the alopecia patch also improved significantly. He was advised to discontinue the treatment after this since he no longer required any medication.



Case 2:


Mr. M. T (Patient Ref. No. 3893), a 29 years old male patient reported to us with complaints of hair loss since about 10 years. He would lose about 40 -80 hair daily and this had amounted to the development of male pattern baldness. His hairline was receding from both the temples. The texture of hair was normal and there was no other accompanying problem such as dandruff, dry or greasy hair, etc. there was no history of any infections of the scalp or any other illness in the past. His elder brother had similar problems of receding hairline with male pattern baldness at an early age.

He also had complaints of acne on the face although the eruptions were infrequent and the marks were more prominent.
The patient was a vegetarian with normal appetite and thirst. He did not have any particular likes or dislikes about food and drinks. He did not have any habits such as smoking, drinking, etc. His built was on the thinner side.
He was a software programmer by profession with a sensitive nature. He would get easily frustrated when things would not be under his control. Lately he had begun to feel quite anxious and would dwell on events that he had no control over. He was a confident person who would sometimes experience difficulty in focusing and getting started with work, but once he did start, he would complete it with full concentration. He was a reserved person and disliked being in public situations. Sometimes he would get frustrated and upset over little things but then he would recover from the anger soon enough and would not let it adversely affect his functioning. He would think positively and try and adapt to situations whenever he would feel sad, lonely, not appreciated, insulted, misunderstood, exploited, etc .He would always try and remain balanced, whether it was in happiness or in grief and would try not to get over-emotional.

He had undergone an arthroscopic knee surgery in the past for an injury during a football game. Apart from this there was no history of any other illness.
He had tried homoeopathic treatment in the past with good results but could not continue that for long due to certain reasons. He had also received Ayurvedic treatment with some results.

Based on this history, he was prescribed a remedy named Natrum Muriaticum in the 200th potency. After 4 months of treatment, the patient reported that there was significant improvement in the condition and his hair loss was under much control now. He would wash his hair daily and there was a sharp reduction in the amount of hair loss. He also stated that he felt much calmer after starting the treatment and was able to deal with stressful situations without getting frustrated. He said that the medicine had a very positive effect on him overall, on his hair loss as well on his psyche. After continuing the treatment for another 5-6 months his problem of hair loss was almost reduced to nil and the progressive balding was also arrested at that stage.

Remark: The remedy prescribed in these cases is patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the symptoms specific to the patient at that point of time. It is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any self-medication.


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Cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome



Case 1:


This is the case of Mr. K. D. N, a forty one years old male patient who reported to the clinic with complaints of habitual constipation since 15 years. The stools would be hard and requiring much straining to be passed. There would be sensation of incomplete evacuation after stools. Frequently he would have ineffectual urge to pass stools but there would be no bowel movement. He would experience much heaviness and bloating of the abdomen and flatulence. Eating bread would worsen his complaints and it would also get worse from traveling. Apart from this he also complained of cramps in the legs that would be worse after evening and continue till late in the night.

His appetite was normal and thirst for water was less. He did not have any other complaints apart from this. Patient was into furniture business and there was lot of stress on him due to certain problems in the family. His wife suffered from leukemia and had suffered a lot during her last few days. She had expired few years before the patient reported to us. He had married again but would not get along well with the second wife due to the age difference between them (she was much younger to him). There was lot of conflict in his life due to this and he said that he had no peace in life at all. He was a very hardworking person and very industrious by nature. He also suffered from a major loss in his business whereby he had lost everything that he had built up so far. He had to start his business from the scratch again. Thus he had been through lots of mental stress before he reported to us and was under stress even when he visited the clinic. He would not share his problems with others but usually would want to solve it all by himself. He was religious by nature and a god-fearing person.

We can see in this case that there is lot of suppression of his emotions and an inability to express his thoughts. Constant anxiety, especially on the family front, is an important aspect of his case. The psychological stress remains unattended and hence it expresses itself at the somatic (physical) level in the form of altered motility of the gastro-intestinal tract. Thus he started getting constipation-predominant IBS and other symptoms of IBS as well.

He was prescribed homoeopathic medicines based on this history with the understanding of the stress in the background. Sulphur and Nux Vomica were the two remedies that wonderfully took care of all his complaints. After starting the treatment, gradually his complaints started improving. He stools would not be hard as before and would not require much straining to be passed. The sensation of ineffectual urging and incomplete evacuation were much better now. The heaviness in his abdomen significantly improved. In between he did experience periods of worsening of the IBS when he would be under stress but then it would be taken care of with homoeopathic medicines. Overall he did very well with the treatment and continued to improve.



Case 2:


Mrs. L. S (Patient Ref. No. S-6014), a 27 years old female reported to the clinic with complaints of irritable bowel syndrome since 7 years. She would experience the urge to pass stools immediately after eating anything. She would take long time to pass stools, about 45 minutes to 1 hour on an average. She would have to strain a lot to pass stools and would have much pain n the abdomen before and during defecation. The frequency of stools would be at least 2-3 times in order to evacuate the bowels properly. There would be mucus with the stools and she even passed blood with stools on a few occasions. There would be lot of ineffectual urging to pass the stools and she said that daily she would have to spend at least one to one and a half hour in the toilet in the morning. This would also cause much fatigue and irritability lasting all day long. She would also get recurrent loose motions when she would pass stools that were watery with mucus and lot of rumbling in the abdomen. Her abdomen would feel bloated up most of the times and she would also have lot of burning in the abdomen and chest. Her complaints would be worse from certain foods like spinach, cucumber, certain pulses, watermelons, etc. she had lost weight of about 3 kilograms in a span of 7 months due to this illness.

She also had complaints of frequent headaches whereby she would get splitting pain in the head that would be relieved by passing stools.
She was a lean female with an average appetite. She was very fond of sweets and sour foods. She was a very chilly person and could not tolerate the slightest exposure to cold climate. Her sleep was sound except that sometimes she would have frequent waking from sleep.

She was working for a renowned company as their product manager and she was very industrious by nature. She said that she had recently become very irritable and would be outright expressive about her anger. She had a constant feeling of misfortune due to her ill health and she would constantly brood about it and feel sad. She was impulsive too and would react sharply to situations. She had also become forgetful in the past few months and would frequently forget things here and there. She had lost her alertness about self and her things. She also complained that her memory had become poor and she would not remember numbers and figures as easily as before.

There was no history of any major illness in the past. There was history of diabetes, hypertension and bronchial asthma in her family. She had seen more than half a dozen gastroenterologists for her complaints of IBS but she had not got any relief from any treatment so far.

Based on the above history she was prescribed a remedy called Ferrum metallicum along with another remedy called Pulsatilla in the 200th potency. At the end of about 8 months of treatment, her complaints were much better than before. Her urge to pass stools immediately after eating was lesser and she would not have to strain much to pass stools. There was no blood in the stools now and the mucus was lesser than before. The ineffectual urging for stools had also reduced and her bloating of abdomen was significantly less. She had to continue the treatment for another few months to get more relief. She would get mild relapse of her complaints in between but it could be tackled effectively with the medicines. Overall her quality of life was much better than before and she was able to lead a near normal life.

Remark: The remedy prescribed in these cases is patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the symptoms specific to the patient at that point of time. It is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any self-medication.



Case of Infertility

This is an interesting case of Mr. P. S. K, a 33 years old gentleman who reported to us with complaints of infertility. According to the recent semen analysis report which he brought to us, his sperm count was as low as 0.5 million/cumm. The couple was absolutely distressed about the condition and came to us just to give it a last trial with very little hope of any recovery. They had tried several other modes of treatment i.e. Ayurvedic, allopathic, etc. but in vain.

Along with this he also complained of hair loss since the past 10 to 12 years that had lead to receding of his frontal hairline and lots of graying. Since his teenage he suffered from pimples that used to be large in size and pus-filled which had left too many scars on his face. He also complained of slight pain and stiffness in the lower back every morning after waking since the past 10 years.

He had a marked craving for sweets, oily food and pastries and had an aversion to eggs. Thermally he was ambithermal and had no addictions at all. He had a lean and frail structure with an average appetite.

He was a software consultant by profession. Currently he had no major tensions in life but a few years back he had suffered from a financial crisis from which he had already recovered. He was reserved and quite sensitive by nature.

He did not suffer from any major disease in the past and had a family history of hypertension.

Based on the above history, a constitutional homoeopathic remedy Lycopodium 200 to be taken twice a day for a month was prescribed to him along with a single dose of Tuberculinum 1M. A month later when he reported to us, his hair fall had slightly reduced with no much noticeable difference in his back ache and pimples. After another 4 weeks when he visited us with his latest semen reports, the results were unbelievable. The sperm count which was initially just 0.5 millions/cumm had shooted to 39 millions/cumm within just 2 months of homoeopathic treatment. The couple was thrilled at the results that they had obtained after our treatment and had now regained all their hopes which were lost in past many years. This time his hair loss showed 40% improvement and his chronic backache and pimples were better up to 30%. He was asked to continue the treatment further for another few months until his sperm count reached the normal range of 40 ?120 that is required for fertility which he readily agreed to.
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