Homeopathy and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Homeopathic Help for People Experiencing Rheumatoid Arthritis

Homeopathy has a great capacity to impact people in profound ways who experience rheumatoid arthritis. This is the first article in a series that will address disorders of musculoskeletal system. In future articles, I will publish information related to tendinitis and bursitis, degenerative arthritis, back pain/sciatica, and fibromyalgia; as they all have unique symptoms and require their own treatment plans.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory disorder primarily of the synovial joints, but can also affect other systemic organs. RA affects over 2 million Americans, with women being 3 times more susceptible than men.

The Arthritis Foundation states this disease progresses through three stages:

1) First is swelling of the synovial lining, causing pain, warmth, stiffness, redness and swelling around the joint.
2) Second is the rapid division and growth of cells, which causes the synovium to thicken.
3) In the third stage, the inflamed cells release enzymes that may digest bone and cartilage, often causing the involved joint to lose its shape and alignment, more pain, and loss of movement.

Eventually, if left untreated, RA has the capacity to destroy cartilage, deform joints, and destroy adjacent bones. And because it is a systemic disease it can affect the entire body. RA can cause generalized inflammation in the cardiac muscle, in blood vessels, and within layers of the skin. The exact cause of RA is unknown, but it is considered an autoimmune disorder (the body attacks itself). Genetic predispositions, or viral infections are thought to increase risks of RA.

People experiencing rheumatoid arthritis can be best helped the earlier it is caught, especially before excessive suppression has taken place from conventional methods of treatment. In homeopathy, health is viewed as a condition of the entire individual, rather than in terms of isolated symptoms from specific locations of the body. In this way, a homeopath will consider not only a detailed description of the physical RA symptoms, but the overall mental and emotional disposition and character, as well.

The following homeopathic remedies, and their specific indicators, can be considered for people experiencing RA:

Causticum: Stiffness of the joint that is so severe, it feels as if the joint is paralyzed. Generally worse from cold, dry weather. Better in rainy weather. Affects the fingers predominantly.

Rhus Toxicodendron: The main homeopathic remedy considered from rheumatism with pain and stiffness. The pain and stiffness causes the person to shift and stretch. Worse in the morning upon rising; in the cold, damp, rainy weather; storms; and sitting for long periods of time (such as in a movie or a car ride). They feel better from heat, hot bathing, or showers; and continued, gentle motion.

Arnica: Great soreness all over. Even the bed feels too hard. They feel bruised or beaten. Worse from being jarred or touched; they fear being touched. Pains are usually symmetrical.

Aurum Metallicum: Rheumatism with stiffness or spasms of the chest wall. This is an important remedy to consider for people who also have ankylosing spondylitis. Generally worse at night.

Ledum: Swelling, coldness and pallor (sometimes blueness) in the affected joint. Worse from heat. In general, the pains ascend during the course of the illness to more proximal joints.

Pulsatilla: Wandering arthritis; changeable symptoms and pains. Worse in the evening and with heat. Better from the cold; uncovering the joint; cold applications; and in the open air.

Homeopathic treatment will best assist people experiencing RA from constitutional, long-term care and, as mentioned, in the earlier stages of the illness. Even if medications have already begun, homeopathic treatment can help boost vitality and strengthen the healing intelligence of the body enough where the allopathic medications can eventually be discontinued altogether.

By- Noel Peterson

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4375254

Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety!

Anxiety can be simply defined as both - physiological as well as a psychological disorder, mainly due to emotions, behavior and the cognitive aspects or components. It can occur in people without any stimulus experienced by the body, and is considered as a counter reaction to stress. The anxiety symptoms are fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, palpitations of the heart, sweating, panic attacks (in some cases), restlessness etc. The aim of homeopathic remedies for anxiety is to allow the natural healing of the body by the intake of very dilute substances. A proper homeopathy remedy for anxiety is prescribed by the homeopathic doctors after studying the case in detail. Now, let us know about the homeopathic remedies for anxiety.

Useful Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety

Calcarea Carbonica
The Calcarea Carbonica homeopathic remedies for anxiety is generally prescribed to those people who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown or are overwhelmed due to the various physical illnesses. Confusion in mind and thoughts, constant worrying, claustrophobia, being afraid of heights, fatigue and sluggish are the experiences of people with anxiety, which can be cured with homeopathic remedy like Calcarea Carbonica.

Aconitum Napellus
The homeopathic remedies for anxiety like Aconitum Napellus are prescribed to those who suffer from panic attacks, due to extreme fear. The fear may be due to different reasons - it can be due to fear of death and fear of falling seriously ill from fever or cold. This remedy, according to researchers, helps to deal with palpitations and shortness of breath which are the symptoms of anxiety.

Argentum Nitricum
The Argentum Nitricum homeopathic remedy for anxiety is given to those people who are tensed, feel uneasy and anxious before important and decisive events in their life such as public speaking, giving an interview or writing the examination paper. Apart from experiencing diarrhea and feeling dizzy, the people who are prescribed Argentum Nitricum have peculiar impulses as well as thoughts.

Arsenicum Album
Arsenicum Album is one of the best homeopathic remedies for anxiety for those people who keep worrying about their health and also about some other things such as their security, well being and also of the law and order. People who are very restless, anxious and constantly moving from one place to the other, face the problems like severe attacks of asthma and panic attacks at night or during the early hours of the morning, may be given the Arsenicum Album homeopathic remedy.

Natrum Muriaticum
The Natrum Muriaticum is another one amongst the good homeopathic remedies for anxiety for people who experience extreme emotions such as fear apart from other feelings such as loneliness, shyness, staying aloof and reserved, migraines, claustrophobia, sleep deprivation and night fears.

Silicea
Silicea is a homeopathic remedy for anxiety for those people whose personality traits include getting nervous and being low on confidence levels and facing concentration problems, when they have to do important tasks - which may be related to academics, jobs or a business. Overreacting to minor or small things, having low stamina, headaches, cold, fever, sore throat and shyness are other characteristics of such people. These people face the above mentioned problems even though, in most of the cases they are intelligent and very capable of doing their tasks successfully. For more on anxiety cures, refer to:

• Anti Anxiety Natural Remedies
• Controlling Anxiety and Depression
• How to Deal with Anxiety

Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety in Children

The following are the homeopathic remedies for anxiety in children:

• Kali Bromatum
• Ignatia amara
• Agaricus muscarius
• Stramonium
• Tarentula
• K-OK Kiddie Calmer

Many homeopaths prescribe homeopathic remedies for anxiety such as Pulsatilla, Phosphorus, Lycopodium and Gelsemium as per the requirement. Thus, we can conclude stating that, the role played by homeopathy in curing anxiety related problems, is significant!

By Charlie S

Source- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/homeopathic-remedies-for-anxiety.html

FAQ- About Homeopathy

Is cure possible with Homoeopathic medicines?

Homeopathy is curative. It treats the cause (internal malady or the imbalanced energy) and not the expression (diagnostic symptoms specific to the disease) of the disease. The symptoms are only used as an indication to select the right remedy for the individual. It treats the person as a whole and not his individual body parts. Homeopathy takes into account the expressions of an illness characteristic to the individual and a curative remedy chosen on this basis gives a gentle and permanent cure.

In which disease condition homeopathic treatment is more effective?

There is no condition that Homeopathy cannot treat. Conditions from a simple cold to cancer can be treated with Homeopathy. It takes into account the individual symptoms of the patient suffering from any disease and not the diagnosis of the disease. By the virtue of this certain diseases that cannot be diagnosed clinically or even unknown diseases can also be treated. Also in incurable cases where even the modern line of treatment fails to help the patient, homeopathy will prove to be a very good palliative and will improve the last days of life and ease the death.

Why detailed history?

Detailed history is very essential as homeopathy believes in treating the individual and not the disease. So the physician needs to know the individual and not about his disease. Also the chronic diseases are due to suppression of skin affections or emotions; hence detailed history will reveal whether any past ailments suppressed has lead to the present complaints.

Every incidence affects our life, so it is very important to know all the incidences and its impact it had on the patients. Hence a detailed history right from the childhood till date is needed to find the right medicine which suits the patient. If you co-operate and give honest and detailed history we can help you to achieve better and healthy life.

Is it safe to take Homeopathic medicines during Pregnancy?

Yes. It is safe to take homeopathic medicines from a qualified homeopathic doctor .If the treatment is planned in a proper way it will have lot of benefit to the mother and the child. The child will be much healthier and the medicines will help to fight the hereditary diseases which are carried from generation to generation. In fact if homeopathy is given during pregnancy the delivery is normal and easier. The child is relatively healthier and balanced emotionally, intellectually and physically.

Does one have to take the Homeopathic medicines for a long time?

No. The duration of the treatment depends upon the nature of the disease and the fighting capacity of the body. The treatment is continued for certain time period so as to improve the resistance of the body to fight diseases. So taking into consideration all these factors the treatment is continued for a certain time frame for the benefit of the patient. Once he starts improving we stop the medicines and the natural immunity of the body will take care of the rest of the problem.

Does Homeopathy take long time to act?

It is a myth that homeopathic medicines act slowly. It acts is a rapid way and the effect lasts much longer, often forever as here the disease is cured from its roots. On the plus side is absence of any toxicity and after effects. For e.g. if "X" is suffering from bronchial asthma and he is suffering for the last 14 years and has been to various systems of medicine. Now if you give homeopathy and say in 2 years time he is completely alright -Please tell us which one is slow?

Do homeopathic medicines have steroids?

No. It is a misconception that has been developing in the recent times. Due to the misconception that homeopathy takes long time to act; after seeing the improvement at a fast rate people think that homeopaths give steroids.

All Homoeopathic medicines are prepared by using scientific predefined methods of extracting the medicinal properties from source substances. There is no scope or need to adulterate the derived medicines with any other substances, as this would completely obliterate the curative properties of the same.

The prescription of homoeopathic medicines is based on the similarity of the symptoms of the patient with those produced by the drug (in its purest form) when proved (clinical trials) in healthy individuals. So any addition to the original medicine would completely alter its medicinal properties and hence render it non-curative. If the patient has doubts he should be advised to check the medicines from a standard laboratory.

Why do homeopaths do not tell the name of the medicines that have been given?

The name of the medicines is not disclosed for the benefit of the patient. If the patient after knowing the name of the medicine starts taking it according to his or her whims and fancies; it will distort the original unmodified disease picture and in the future treating the patient will be much more difficult.

The other fact is that certain medicines have to be changed and given as per the state of the disease and recovery which is very essential. At the end of the treatment if the patient wants the line of treatment that had been given it can be provided to him but at the end of the treatment.

Does homeopathy believe in disease diagnosis and pathological investigations?

Yes it is very essential to diagnose a disease as for the selection of the remedy we require to know the characteristics symptoms and not the disease symptoms. For e.g. If a person is having an attack of asthma he will be having wheezing and congestion of the chest and he gets relief only if he throws his head backwards. The symptom "throwing head backward relieves" is very peculiar which will help us in getting the right remedy. A good knowledge of disease is important. The pathological investigations are also important to know the prognosis and disease diagnosis.

Does one have to stop other medicines which the patient has been taking?

No. The patient should not stop the medicines which he has been taking. It should be tapered after the patient is improving this should be done in consultation with the other treating physician.

In some cases the other medicine cannot be discontinued in such instances both the medicines have to be continued for the benefit of the patient. The treatment should be planned and properly implemented.

Do homeopathic medicines bring about aggravation initially?

In some cases there is an initial aggravation of the symptoms but it is a good sign
that the medicine is right and has started acting. But this happens in a few cases not all patients will have an aggravation.

Is Homeopathy a proved science?

It definitely is. Homeopathy is a science based on sound logic and vast experimental data. Homeopathy is the only medicinal science where data has been collected by proving on human beings. The principles of Homeopathy have been derived and authenticated by vast clinical experiments and data. The homoeopathic medicines are prepared in a standardized manner. The homoeopathic pharmacopoeia lists more than 3500 remedies, whose clinical efficiency has been proved in various clinical trials conducted all over the world. Various institutions and individuals are proving new medicines and increasing the scope of homoeopathic medicines.

Are Homoeopaths qualified doctors?

Yes. There are more than 180 homoeopathic medical colleges in India and about 2000 colleges all over the world recognized by the Government and the University. The degree course is an extensive study of the human body and homoeopathic pharmacy, lasting for four and half years followed by internship for 1year, which includes hospital training and patient management. After this the students are given the degree making them qualified doctors. There are now also postgraduate courses available in Homeopathy. One has to register with the Homoeopathic Medical Council to practice Homeopathy legally, and has to renew the registration every five years (India).

Is it true that Homoeopathic medicines are only placebos (sugar pills)?

No. The pills of homoeopathic medicines are made from sugar but they work only as vehicles. Actual liquid medicine prepared with alcohol base is then poured over them and allowed to dry. These pills are then dispensed as medications.

Homoeopathic medicines are also available in liquid form or tinctures, which can be ingested directly or by diluting them in water.

Does the Homoeopath give the same white pills for all illnesses/patients?

Certainly not. Although it appears that same white pills are given for all illnesses or patients it is not so, as there are more than 3500 remedies to prescribe from and new medicines are added to the list regularly, after their proving and clinical trials. All homoeopathic medicines are available as liquids with an alcohol base. In order to dispense a medicine to a patient, the indicated remedy in the liquid form is poured on the white sugar pills, which merely act as vehicles to transfer the medicinal property. Hence it appears that the same white pills are administered to all.

Is homeopathic treatment effective for children, adults, woman and elderly?

Homeopathy has no bar for age and sex; it is equally effective for every human being in every stage of their life from birth till death.

Does Homeopathy work in acute cases?

Yes. Homeopathy has wonderful remedies that give prompt relief in acute cases like fever, cough, cold, diarrhea, headaches etc. when the person opts for Homeopathy at the onset of the ailment.

Does Homeopathy believe in Surgery?

Yes, it does. Surgery is a separate branch of science. It has to be resorted to in conditions that are beyond the domain of medicine. But one can avoid surgery as Homeopathy can effectively treat many so called surgical conditions like, tonsillitis, piles, warts, kidney stones etc.

Should one take homoeopathic medicines only from a qualified doctor?

Yes he should. There have been instances of miracle cures by lay people practicing Homeopathy, but it is always advisable to go to a homoeopathic physician, as he is qualified to judge the severity and depth of your illness and thereby prevent undue complications later on, which could be overlooked by a hobby practitioner due to his ignorance of medical knowledge. Only a qualified physician can guide you towards a complete (mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and pathological) recovery.

By- Dr Santosh Joshi

Source-- http://ezinearticles.com/?FAQs---About-Homeopathy&id=597327

Stop that Distracted Eating!

In a recent study, a close connection has been found between the distracted eating and enhancing waistline. Volunteers that ate while working on their laptops or while watching television ate twice the food than those who gave eating their 100% attention.

Well, quite an important study for countries where childhood obesity is a cause of concern. Not only children but more and more adults are used to eating in this fashion and tend to accumulate more calories. The result- hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, and worsening health on all planes!

In many cultures across the world, eating is given the importance of spiritual pursuit. The reason behind is that unless we give our full attention to what we eat, how we eat, how the food tastes, and how well are we chewing it, we tend to ignore the richness (in terms of positive energy) these food stuffs give us. Naturally the digestive juices secreted by the body during that process of eating are not up to the mark in terms of quantity as well as quality. Obviously the digestion suffers, the next day morning you don’t feel fresh and have struggled bowel movement.

So, stop that multitasking during meals. Remember we are what we eat. Food is the stuff that keeps us going through odd hours of life. Give food its due importance and respect when you eat. Turn off the television and shut down the computers while you eat. Just relish every morsel you eat and your internal organs, particularly your digestive system will thank you for sure! J

How To Prevent Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer researchers still are under lot of investigative studies to find out more precise information regarding the causative factors. Also the researchers are interested in figuring out what can be the strategic options that will work wonders for prevention of prostate cancer. Well, it’s always true that prevention is better than cure and we are always curious about the preventive aspects in the increasingly unstable world. Let’s have some more insight into the preventive aspects of prostate cancer:

1) Maintain an ideal BMI: the prostate cancer has high incidence in obese men. This adds prostate cancer to the list of diseases that occur due to excess weight. Therefore, maintaining ideal Body Mass Index and Waist Hip Ratio certainly reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Thus, good low-fat diet and exercise reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

2) Say no to red meat: High incidence of prostate cancer is associated with high intake of red meat. It is postulated that red meat eaters are ingesting higher levels of fats, which are harmful for prostatic health. Also grilled meat is said to add to the risk of prostate cancer. So, obviously avoiding such indulgence can reduce the risk of cancer.

3) Fruits and vegetables prevent prostate cancer: 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables reduce your risk of prostatic cancer. Especially people who indulge in tomatoes, pink grapefruits, and pasta sauce can significantly reduce the risk of cancer due to high amount of lycopene in it that destroys free radicals in the body due to its anti-oxidant properties.

4) Have foods rich in omega-3-fatty acids: fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring are said to reduce the prostate cancer risk by manifolds due to their high levels of omega-3-fatty acids.

5) Green tea, soy, legumes: the phytoestrogens contained in soy beans and some legumes fight against the cancers. Also antioxidants like polyphenols may help in preventing prostate and other cancers.

6) Chemoprevention: It is one of the modes of prevention in which certain natural supplements including vitamins D and E, difluromethylornithine (DFMO), isoflavonoids, selenium, and lycopene are administered in the hope to prevent prostate cancer.

However, a careful assessment by doctor is must before you proceed with the preventive measures.

Stand with Anna Hazare!

No responsible citizen can endorse a corrupt society! If you want a corruption-free society, sign the petition and stand with this man who is struggling to fight against corruption in Indian Politics!

Sign the petition here--
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_anna_hazare/?rc=fb

May India Blossom as a Corruption-Free Society for Our Children in Future!

Seek FREE Homeopathic Consultation for 9 Days at drshreya.com!

Hello All!

Here we at drshreya.com are celebrating Dr Hahnemann's Birth Day! We have been always indebted for the immense support of our colleagues, friends, and patients across the globe because of whom Dr Shreya's Homeopathy is a recognized brand today. If we want to recognize a person who made it possible, undoubtedly the first credit should go to the Founder of Homeopathy, Dr Samuel Hahnemann! He was the man of vision whose relentless efforts made homeopathy one of the widely used therapeutic systems today. He always regarded homeopathy as one of the safest, cheapest, and most scientific approach for any diseased person. His birthday is on 10th of April and to commemorate this great man, we at drshreya.com hereby announce 9 days of free consultation service for one and all!

From 07/04/2011 to 15/04/2011, each new patient at drshreya.com will enjoy absolutely free consultation and homeopathic prescription for any health problem. Patients can mail their health query at contact@drshreya.com and expect quickest possible response from us. The patients who will seek "Only Prescription" and Consultation will not be charged at all during this period. The patients who will like to have medicines through courier will have to pay just the transaction charges and they also will not be charged any consultation and prescription fees for this period.

There will not be any hidden charges whatsoever!

Let's celebrate our Master's Birthday Exquisitely with Miraculous Homeopathy!!

Don’t Just Smile… LAUGH!! It Reduces the Stress on Your Heart!

When I saw the neighboring uncle sitting gloomily in his porch early in the morning, I obviously asked him what was wrong. This question changed his expression and he smiled back to me saying, “Nothing beta, just back from the laughter club and thinking what to do ahead!” At the same time, saw aunt (his wife) entering house with a huge laughter that she seemed to share with her neighbor over some gossip issue! Well, even though uncle couldn’t, I could readily sense the controversy in his own statement. Why on the earth a person visiting a laughter club would sit sullenly as if he is the reason behind the world economic crisis?  

No wonder this uncle has recently undergone a bypass surgery for the closed tubes of his heart and is therefore doing everything possible to avoid the future attacks. But unfortunately he is unable to change his temperament!

I am sure he needs a good homeopathic prescription! :)

With the growing number of people visiting laughter clubs every morning, it is evident that people know the importance of laughter. Gone are the days when people used to share their happiness with those living around and the entire muhalla (lane) used to enjoy the festive atmosphere for days to come. “Things were so good then”, we hear so many times or say ourselves. But do we realize what we are jeopardizing in an attempt to seclude ourselves from societal openness? The most important thing that we have forgotten is to laugh! Sadly…

If you google, you would find hoards of quotes and SMSes related to “Smile” but there are very few comparatively for “Laugh”! It is true that smile is the concept that emerges from the heart, from the deepest of our emotions! But many times (especially in today’s corporate world), smile can be fabricated. It may be used as a weapon to avoid conversation and stay away from questions. But the person who smiles knows whether it’s genuine or not. On the contrary, laughs are usually non-fabricated. One cannot laugh heartily without really feeling like laughing.

Actually this is the reason I don’t like Laughter Clubs (no offense meant). In these clubs, what people do is ‘try to laugh’ for the sake of it. This is just decisive movement of your laughing muscles and larynx in an attempt to make a sound like laughing! Laughter clubs boast about utility of these clubs to help one with heart problems. Does it really? If this needs to be done, laughter clubs should have some genuine joke-tellers or some fun-games that would evoke natural laughter from the participants.

But still there is a problem!

Have you seen people criticizing the best of the jokes? May be either they don’t understand it or they feel too proud to laugh at a joke! Their grim faces ooze proud (or foolishness!?) that they took even the joke lightly and didn’t allow their face to budge! Now that makes me laugh… I am sure this pride is going to sit around their heart and make their arteries go fatter!

Why can’t we allow ourselves to enjoy the most natural expression ‘laughter’? Is it bad to express? If tears are the expression of joy, sorrow, sympathy, empathy, and love, laughter is an expression of sheer joy!! If tears are important in our life to shed the heavy weight on heart, laughter does the same task more easily and subtly. Laugh at every instance you can. Your family is your best friend. Share your ideas with them. Pick out on your own inhibitions, inferiorities, and feel proud to make fun of it. It is said that there is no as good catharsis as talking about one’s own inadequacies. Why hold back ourselves? Read fun books, read fun jokes, create your owns and send your friends, and enjoy the feeling of laughter you spread around! Make it contagious!

No need of scientific evidences to tell us the importance of laughter and that it helps our heart to function smoothly! Laugh and you will find that your chest is expanding like never before and you can feel the rush of fresh air that enters your body with each laugh!

Laughter that comes from heart and helps the heart is truly worth! Try it!

The Homeopathic Cough Remedies! Let’s Differentiate a Few!

As we know, more than the diagnosis of any given case, symptoms of the case are important while treating any case homeopathically. You do not attribute the successful case taking to considering the signs and symptoms of the disease per say but the characteristic symptoms on physical, mental, and emotional planes of the sufferer. This makes homeopathy more of an art, as the homeopathic physician has to possess tact to seek these details from the patient with the help of careful history taking.

Here we are going to see one of the common symptoms “COUGH” in its various aspects and homeopathic approach to a patient of cough.

Cough as a Protective Reflex-

The “COUGH” is one such symptom that can be associated with variety of disorders ranging from common cold to asthma. Primarily ‘cough’ is a protective reflex instituted by higher centers in brain. So, actually coughing means that you are driving out the unnecessary toxins present in the body or the body is trying to get rid of those toxins by forceful and natural expectoration. Therefore, this discretion, whether the cough is due to some kind of reflex activity by the body or an exaggerated form of this reflex, needs to be verified before treating any patient with cough.

Do not treat each and all cases presenting with mild to moderate cough with medicines. Understand the necessity behind this cough reflex. Many times, physicians do a big mistake of treating a protective cough that is insinuated by the lungs to throw off the sputum produced as a result of some infection or allergy. This cough if helps the person to reduce his chest congestion when in moderate degrees. The fine line of demarcation to recognize between a patient protected by cough reflex and a patient needing cough treatment comes with the academic qualification and practice; one who possesses that excels no doubt!

Classification of ‘Cough’-

Most rough classification of cough can be- (1) Dry cough and (2) Wet cough. Most obviously dry cough is the one in which there is little or no expectoration while coughing; however the cough reflex can be severe enough to bother the patient through his day to day activities. If sputum comes, the patient has to try hard to evacuate his lungs in this dry variety. In wet variety, usually easy sputum production occurs and the patient spits many times to feel at ease. In either case, there can be wheezes depending upon the patient’s constitutional tendencies. Crepitations are usually heard with wet variety.

Though varied causes of cough can be given ranging from seasonal bronchitis to low immunity due to AIDS, when we treat homeopathically, rarely we need to consider the diagnostic aspect in any patient, because we have our exceedingly powerful weapons ready in the form of similarly acting homeopathic medicines. These medicines however have to be chosen very carefully to end the spells of cough in the patient and impart a lasting relief.

Let’s consider some of the most important “Cough-Remedies” homeopathy offers—

(1) Spongia-

-         This is one of the crucial remedies for dry coughs

-         Gasping cough with feeling as if he is breathing through sponge

-         Great anxiety accompanying cough with heavy breathing, palpitations

-         Hollow sounding cough without sputum associated with fullness in chest

-         Tight croupy varieties with sawing, barking cough

-         Worse- talking, touching larynx region, signing, swallowing, cold drinks, thinking of cough, night after head touches the pillow (or worse after sleep/ sleeps into aggravation), sweets, mental excitement

-         Better by eating, drinking warm drinkss

(2) Antimonium tart-

-         Cough resulting after eating sour fruit, especially in a child

-         Huge secretion of mucus; mother tells his chest makes wheezy sounds at night

-         Despite lot of secretion, has to exert a lot to expectorate

-         Whining and moaning before coughing

-         Clinging tendency in the children suffering from recurrent colds coughs

-         Craving for apples

-         Icy cold finger tips

-         Excessive sleepiness and drowsiness

-         Incessant sweating with suffocative feeling in chest

-         Coughing and yawning alternately

-         Worse- anger, warm room, lying down, mornings, overeating

-         Better- expectoration, vomiting, sitting erect

(3) Ipecac-

-         Loose cough with rattling in chest

-         Bronchopneumonia with bloody sputum

-         Entire system pervaded by a nauseating feeling that gets aggravated as he coughs

-         Tightness pf chest and larynx with spasm of vocal cords

-         Gasping for breath with asthmatic breathing

-         Incessant suffocative cough with paroxysms of retching, vomiting

-         He kind of stiffens with each paroxysm of cough, with each breath, turns red or bluish and finally gags and vomits but nausea still prevails

-         Marked periodicity

-         Worse- warmth, dampness, pork, rich food

-         Better open air

(4) Arsenicum album-

-         Alternate dry and wet cough

-         Must sit up and bend forward as he is short of breath

-         Whistling inspiration with wheezy chest

-         Excessive restlessness with cough or asthmatic breathing

-         After an attack, extreme prostration out of proportion to the illness

-         After 12 o’clock at night, springs out of the bed due to shortness of breath and then inability to lie down for fear of suffocation

-         Associated with cold sweat and debility

-         Worse- cold drinks, cold food, cold air, after vegetables, bad meat, suppressed eruptions, tobacco, exertion

-         Better- elevating head, sweating, movement, hot food and hot drinks

(5) Argentum met-

-         Hoarseness of voice with cough of professional singers and speakers

-         Total loss of voice

-         Throat of larynx feel raw or sore on swallowing or coughing

-         Laughing excites cough and produces profuse mucus

-         Has to hem and hawk while talking

-         Cough with easy expectoration of gelatinous mucus with too much  viscidity that looks like boiled starch

-         Great weakness of chest worse on left side

-         At the bifurcation of trachea, feels a raw spot

-         Worse- using voice, mental strain, noon, 3 to 5 am

-         Better- coffee, wrapping up, movement

(6) Squilla-

-         Stubborn coughs with rattling

-         Associated frequently with sneezing, coryza, watery discharge

-         Urine spurts while coughing

-         Cough ends in a gag

-         Easy heavy expectoration with stitches in chest

-         Pleurisy

-         Heat in chest

-         Absence of sweat

-         Worse- early morning, evening, movement, uncovering

-         Better by wrapping up

Homeopathic Posology (Potency Selection) as Perceived from Stuart Close’s “The Genius of Homeopathy”

Many homeopaths while practicing come across many hurdles. Right from the method of convincing people about the depth of homeopathic science, they often face difficulties while applying the different potencies (powers) during treatment process. I have met some homeopathic physicians who have propensity to choose certain potencies all through their practice. I have seen patients, who while self-treating homeopathically choosing 30C potencies invariably, as they think it is somewhat middle potency and will neither do any harm (as high potencies might do according to them), nor will they be too small to elude action!

Well, certainly as you can guess, choosing the potency is a very important decision when you want to give or take any homeopathic medicine. There are many chapters on posology (art of applying dosage) in homeopathic literature. Many views have been expressed in different books and one might find some remarks confusing wile searching for the right tool to believe in.

While reading Stuart Close’s “The Genius of Homeopathy” while in homeopathic college, I felt at ease. The reason behind this feeling was simple. The guidelines given by him are according to the homeopathic principle and are corroborative of Hahnemannian Classical Homeopathy. They are easy to comprehend and one can apply these guidelines in day to day homeopathic practice, rarely facing any failure while clinging to them. Therefore, this is an effort to put forth these guidelines once again in simpler fashion-

Let’s derive some points out of it--

(1)   Simply put, the posology is a science of dosage. In homeopathy, as with its eternal principle, we can add a word “art” too. Thus, it is a science and art of dosage. Many people come forward for homeopathic treatment with the notion in their mind that homeopathy means small doses. It is pleasant way to treat oneself without large tablets to be taken with harsh preparations. In right sense, it is true; however, it is necessary to impart knowledge in public regarding the depth of homeopathic medicines and their smallness of dose implying greater strength should be insisted upon for broader understanding of the science!

(2)   Dose is one thing in homeopathy that needs greater emphasis. Even while teaching homeopathy in schools and colleges, this aspect is not well-stressed. Dose is one of the essential elements of homeopathic system, the other two being the principle and the remedy. Even Hahnemann at one time, in order to bring an end to an endless debate on potency selection, proposes to treat most cases with the thirtieth potency; such was the controversies, confusions, and misunderstandings on the subject. Many homeopaths therefore try to solve this mystery by adopting what can be said as “Self-Law” when it comes to potency selection, which is not good for sure.

(3)   The fact of apt therapeutics however says that every practitioner should be free of prejudice when it comes to potency selection too. This is stated so because- “Under homeopathic principles, any potency may be required in any case. It is as unreasonable to expect to cure all cases with any two or three potencies as it is to expect to cure all cases with any two or three remedies. In either case, those who follow such a course are governed more by the love of ease and their prejudice than they are by their desire for efficiency. One must remember that a well-selected remedy may fail utterly, or even do injury, because of wrong dosage. Dose as well as the remedy must be adjusted to the patient’s need.”

(4)   The drugs in physiological doses create some set of symptoms; the same symptoms are cured by the smaller infinitesimal doses. Therefore, it is stressed that the physiological doses have nothing to do with their homeopathic use. Means, if you are using a drug in physiological dose, you aren’t using it homeopathically, because homeopathic medicines are never used in physiological doses. More appropriately, we can say that the homeopathic medicines are never used for their physiological effect. This is so because; the ‘physiological action’ of a drug is not its therapeutic or curative action. It is exactly the opposite of a curative action, and is never employed in homeopathic practice for therapeutic purposes.

(5)   On the contrary, therapeutic dose means curative, alleviating, healing. Depending upon the size and strength of the dose, susceptibility of the patient and the principle upon which it is given, action of the drug, whether pathogenetic or therapeutic is decided. Pathogenetic doses may be given to healthy subjects in order to make a proving. When we treat patients homeopathically, we do not want to produce the symptoms but want to remove them. This is therefore possible only with the help of a similar remedy in the minimum dose.

(6)   The temporary aggravation after giving homeopathic medicine is truly temporary, so much subtle that many times goes away unnoticed. If there are new symptoms after giving a dose, it is obviously indicative of either wrong medicine or wrong dosage.

(7)   If we come across cure of a particular person after giving certain remedy, we should take it as- ‘The medicine was right and the dose given is the maximum dose consistent with safety.

(8)   Homeopathic dose is always given in sub-physiological or sub-pathogenetic dose (minimal dose), because—

·         We intend to remove symptoms that are already existing and not producing more symptoms

·         Disease already renders the affected part sensitive. Large doses can add to the agony of the patient; however the least dose can modify the affection without any bad effects

·         Also the homeopathic drug is given (or should be given) singly so that the action is complete, unmodified by other drugs; so the small dose!

(9)   To all those people who ridicule the smallness or infinitesimal scale of homeopathic medicines, Stuart Close reminds that infinitesimal is a quantity and it cannot be thought as nothing. He quotes Hahnemann who says, “How so? The smallest possible portion of a substance, is it not an integral part of the whole? Were it be divided and re-divided even to the limits of infinity, would there not still remain something,- something substantial,- a part of the whole, let it be ever so minute> What man in his senses would deny it? And if this be in reality as integral part of the divided substance, which no man in his senses can doubt, why should this minute portion, as it is certainly something, be inactive, while the whole acted with so much violence?” Truly Hahnemann’s statement is indisputable!

(10)                      To stress the importance of proper dose, he states further that any curable disease may be cured by any potency, when the indicated remedy is administered; but the cure may be much accelerated by selecting the potency or dose appropriate to the individual case.

(11)                      Thus, in conclusion, five considerations are stated that influence the choice of the dose—

·         The susceptibility of the patient

·         The seat of the disease

·         The nature and intensity of the disease

·         The stage and duration of the disease

·         The previous treatment of the disease

Thus, one who masters the art of dose selection along with the remedy selection in homeopathy is the true healer!

Arnica Montana- Lot More than Mere an Injury Medicine!

The credit of most widely used drug by lay people and non-homeopaths should go to Arnica Montana! I have seen innumerable orthopedic surgeons, physiotherapists, and general physicians prescribing Arnica in 200 or higher potencies for different types of bruised and contused wounds. Yes! This is what Arnica is famous for. Only the person who has experienced the magic of this wondrous drug can understand its therapeutic efficacy.

Just recently I had a skeptic comment to one of the articles in which use of Arnica was stressed. The commentator had ridiculed its use and said it is nothing more than a placebo in keeping the patient’s hope high after its intake. Well, as usual I had ignored it! The point of telling this here is the fact that the same skeptic after a few days wrote to me, (This is what he says exactly; have taken his permission to put this in his own words), “My son aged 6 years had a contused wound made by the hit of a stone to his right index finger 3 days back. I had given him the best of analgesic but he was still wailing in despair. There was marked swelling and he couldn’t move his terminal phalanx. While wondering what to do, I remembered about the bottle of Arnica 200CH I had bought on one of the occasions on insistence of my wife (but didn’t find it useful at all in one of the instance, so had kept it aside). Gave my son 3 globules of Arnica and miracle happened. Within next 2 hours, his swelling substantially reduced and next day he was absolutely free from pain. Perhaps, I had used it in wrong place earlier; so please excuse me for my earlier skeptic comment on it”. Certainly not too many skeptics have this big heart!

In short, Arnica Montana is a darling medicine for homeopaths and non-homeopaths alike, as it rarely refuses to act positively when homeopathically applied.

However, the purpose of this article is not to elaborate on the “INJURY” aspect of Arnica Montana but the other aspects of it other than injury! Yes, it is one of the very useful polychrest remedies in homeopathic material medica that needs to be studied in depth to utilize its finest of properties.

Let’s see—

• One of the most important symptoms of Arnica one should remember is- pain in the part that is used more. It is thus not only the contused wound pain but pain in any organ that is being used a lot. The fatigue from this over-use leads to sore pain. For example- if a person develops sore throat after talking incessantly for long hours, Arnica will help him get rid of this soreness almost immediately. If there is sudden rise of blood pressure in a person who has done loads of hard work, a dose of Arnica will help lower his blood pressure and no anti-hypertensive drugs will be necessary! This thus applies to any part or organ.

• Arnica is one of the important remedies also for depression! In many cases, the remedial diagnosis comes of Arnica when a homeopath might miss out on this wonderful drug to rouse the patient from his dreaded depressive spirits. The patient dreads to be talked to, hates any sort of conversation, imagines he is suffering from some heart problem and remains frightened; alternating with the state of fearlessness when he says there is nothing the matter with him! Lots of nightmares are usually present with fearful dreams. This usually happens is people who have gone through some sort of physical and/or mental shock. The depression is almost always associated with great soreness of body, because of which he dreads the thought of touching anyone. This painful uneasiness with restlessness permeates through all Arnica patients.

• Arnica is one of the good remedies for bleeding tendencies. Bluish red spots come suddenly on skin or on mucus membranes or any inflamed part tends to bleed easily. The expectorant is dotted with tiny red blood clots at times. Urine even is bloody especially after an accident and there can be bleeding from various orifices of the body. Arnica is the remedy that helps in early clotting of blood when given at right time.

• One of the great remedies for rheumatic diathesis. Bruised lame feeling in joints is the marked feature. Usually associated with mental despair and agony. History of joint injury can be traced back as early as in childhood. Sudden turning of joints with blue-black appearance is also one of the hallmarks of Arnica.

• Also the old cases of gout with extreme soreness and enhanced sensitivity respond very well to Arnica.

• Any inflammatory condition in the body pertaining to liver, kidneys, bladder or lungs (of course irrespective of the diagnosis) with sore bruised feeling all over the body responds well to very few doses of Arnica. Never doubt the use of Arnica in such cases (for example pneumonia), as the doubt might arise because possibly Arnica has very little sphere of action on lungs. That’s the beauty of holistic medicine like homeopathy that caters any and all symptoms effectively if the remedy selected is based on Law of Similars.

• Some gastric symptoms are very prominent in Arnica that one should never miss. There is marked aversion to meat, broth, and milk! Many inflammatory conditions in abdomen respond well to Arnica including appendicitis. Dr J T Kent says, “It is only deplorable ignorance that causes appendicitis to be surrendered to the knife. You need not run to a surgeon for every case of appendicitis if you know Bryonia, Rhus tox, Belladona, and Arnica!”

• Also, nightly diarrheas with very offensive smell respond well to Arnica with offensive eructation and flatus. Stools are usually mixed with blood with soreness of anus.

• During pregnancy, Arnica is one of the chief drugs to be thought of when the pregnant lady is overtly sensitive to carrying her fetus within her womb. Uterus, abdominal viscera and surrounding organs feel bruised and movements of the fetus worsen the soreness. After long labor, when the woman has dribbling urination, Arnica is one of the amazing drugs. Usually associated with coldness of the body with hot head.