Archives for March 2008

Digestion Problems and Homeopathy

Common digestion problems and their remedies
By Dr Vikas Sharma

SEDENTARY life-style, prolonged work hours, excessive mental strain and consumption of rich food stimulants such as alcohol, coffee and tea have made gastric problems like acidity into routine disorders. Not adding to the already “not-so-health-friendly” regimen that we follow, homeopathic medicines are non-toxic and by far the safest form of treatment available for such ailments.

Gas formation

Although some gas formation is considered normal during digestion, excess of it can cause great discomfort at times .Recent researches show that people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome have very low tolerance to gas formation. Thus, for some even moderate amount of gas can cause major symptoms. Signs and symptoms can vary – distension, bloating pain in the abdominal area, discomfort extending to the chest area, etc.

Carbo vegetablis (better known as carbo veg) is the most preferred homeopathic medicine for treating acute gas attacks. Carbo veg is made from vegetable charcoal. It can be used in cases that complain of immediate bloating after meals and also where the abdomen becomes hard and their are abdominal pains too. Everything that the patient eats seems to turn into gas. Three doses of 30c potency taken internally at an interval of 15 minutes each should help in relieving the distressing symptoms.

Acidity or heartburn

Acidity or heartburn is a burning discomfort that is generally felt in the chest just behind the breastbone. The burning sensation results when harsh stomach juices come in contact with and irritate the delicate lining of the esophagus, the tube-like structure that connects the mouth to the stomach.

Natrum carb is an important homeopathic medicine for the treatment of hyperacidity or heartburn. Three-four doses of natrum carb 30 c each taken at an interval of 15 minutes should be sufficient to relieve the acute suffering.

Please note that the treatment mentioned here is only for acute phase of the diseases. Self-medication should be avoided in chronic cases and also when medical help is easily accessible.

Digest this!
It is not only what we eat, but also how and when we eat makes the difference.

Schedule your meals
The basic purpose of having a digestive system is to break complex food substances into simpler ones for them to be easily absorbed into our body. So the stomach is selective in digesting things. For a simple bowl of dal and some chapatis may take not more than an hour to be digested, but a heavy meal such as a butter chicken can take even hours.

And also our digestive system needs rest. So when we sleep the process of digestion also slows down. Food left undigested can cause discomfort, so if you plan for a heavy meal in the evening, make sure that you have it in time. A simple walk after dinner may aid digestion.

Go slow
We usually tend to eat much more than we actually need to. Because the signals that indicate satiety to the brain from the stomach are slightly delayed. So, the best way to avoid overeating is to eat slowly and to stop just before the satiety level.

Break up your intake
Having 2-3 large meals is generally what most people like to have. It is not a very healthy practice and usually burdens our digestive system. Try and break your total food intake into many short meals.

Homeopathy- THE HOLISTIC CONCEPT

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 1 Comment

The Holistic Concept …. Dr. Vikas Sharma

A lot is usually said about the funny little questions that homoeopaths often ask. Even comedian Jaspal Bhatti couldn’t resist making fun of it about a decade back. Speaking from a patient’s point of view, frankly, a lot many questions do sound too strange. But the truth is that asking too many questions shows a lot of medical wisdom. It certainly helps in deciding the line of treatment.

Let us for a while consider a hypothetical situation where you have chronic skin and a nasal allergy and you visit a homoeopath for its treatment, and a physician starts asking about your nightmares or your response to anger, or if you weep very easily or about your worst moment in life, etc. The physician may also ask about the kind of diseases and lifestyle your forefathers had.

Surely, this is not what you expect when you visit a physician. More so, it makes you wonder what emotions and stress have to do with nasal and skin allergy.

Recent researches suggest that the human body stands as a single entity with the mind and body as an indivisible continuum, and the old concept of mind-body dualism seems more obsolete than ever. A whole new range of diseases called psychosomatic diseases have been identified in the last few decades.

In some disorders, a necessary biological component (eg the genetic tendency to asthma), when combined with psychological reactions and stress (e.g. depression, loss of a loved one), results in conditions sufficient to produce a disorder.

A recent research in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology (a branch that deals with the relationship between our immune system, the psychological and physical aspects of our nervous system) has shown an interrelationship between reactions affecting the mind (brain) and alterations in immune responses mediated by lymphocytes and lymphokines. Thus, changes at our psychological level can make our allergies go berserk or even reduce our resistance to infections. So, it makes great sense when the homoeopath assesses your psychological stress levels in order to treat the skin and nasal allergy.

‘But what have my father’s smoking and drinking habits got to do with my skin and nasal allergy?’ Crazy as it may sound, but it does mean much more than you can think of. Researchers in the field of genetics found in a study conducted in Europe that the grandchildren of well-fed adolescents had a greater risk of dying from diabetes whereas those descended from the famine were less likely to die of heart disease. This suggests that factors such as lifestyle and diet not only influence our susceptibility to disease but also leave a trail of foot prints on our genome.

This means that the earlier belief that at the stage of fertilization the genome is completely reprogrammed is not true, and that some changes survive the process. So, the information on the illness and the kind of lifestyle of your parents and grandparents actually gives the assessment of the kind of impressions you have inherited which the homoeopath in his language calls “miasms” and can be one of the factors influencing the prescription.

With growing evidence, we now know that the diseases in our body exist in a bigger parameter. The earlier belief the disease is just confined to an organ is not true.

Homoeopathy has always looked at this broad parameter to treat the sick, and even though it has an unconventional outlook it surely is a science that tries to understand you at the deepest level.

Broaden your horizon

Understanding the holstic concept of health can help you in overcoming many chronic disorders like allergies.

Work together

Homoeopaths always require a close cooperation from their patients. The more information you give to your physician about your health, the better are the chances of your disorder being cured?

All in the family

Medical history of your family is equally important and in some chronic disorders it can form the basis for prescription in homoeopathy. Also today if you are what your grandparents ate and how they exercised, your generations too depend upon how you lead your life. So, improve your lifestyle

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IN a given situation, where one finds a hair in a bowl of soup, broadly four different types of human reactions occur. The first flies into a rage and throws the soup at the waiter. The second expresses disgust, shrugs it off, and leaves the restaurant. The third begins crying because bad things always happen to him. The fourth looks at the hair, picks it out and goes on eating. For many it may look like a humorous pantomime but for a skilled homeopath they are typologies – characters that fit into certain remedies.

Remedies, as homeopaths learn to realise them, step forth as personalities. For a homeopath this constellation of “body and mind types” haunts them everywhere they go – restaurants, trains, queues. They become creatures of temperaments – mental or physical. They have likes and dislikes craving and aversions, sensitiveness to meteoric conditions as well as to human interaction. They realise their terrors, real or imaginary – their strange obsessions.

Homeopaths acknowledge certain groupings of bodymind symptom patterns that a person has and which correspond with the sensitivity of a particular homeopathic medicine. The word “symptom” here is most broadly defined as any sensation that is discomforting or that limits a person’s physical or psychological functions. Homeopaths also enquire into factors (which homeopaths call “modalities”) that seem to aggravate or ameliorate these sensations. In addition to prescribing on these factors, a homeopath may utilise information about the person’s body type, temperament and disposition, and behavioural tendencies to determine the appropriate medicine.

There is, for instance, the “phosphorous type,” the “sulphur type”, the “arsenic type,” and the “natrum mur type”. Each of these typologies refers not only to a type of medical problem, for instance, but also to those factors that make it better or worse, other physical symptoms which may be related to it, various past or present symptoms and diseases, food cravings or aversions, sensitivity to temperature and weather, energy levels at varying times of the day.

Over the years many schools of homeopathic practice have come into existence. Some adhere strictly to the original principles laid down by Hahnemann while others have explored different methods of utilising homeopathic remedies Homeopathy is a rigorous discipline that demands both years of immersion and a commitment to its philosophy. Choosing a single remedy that is the most appropriate in any given situation can be very difficult. It depends on the practitioner’s understanding of which symptoms are the most significant.

Through a homoeopath’s viewfinder the set of most distinct, individual symptoms and also that are truly characteristic of the patient, form the basis of “constitutional prescribing”.

Sinus Problems and Homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 81 Comments

Sinusitis and Homeopathy … Dr. Vikas Sharma

THAT a cold is just a simple disease and would pass away without causing any harm is a misconception. Many a times this simple cold gets converted into a chronic disorder. Sinusitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the nasal sinuses-hollow cavities within the cheekbones found around the eyes and behind the nose.

The primary functions of these sinuses are to warm, moisten and filter the air in the nasal cavity. They also play a role in our ability to vocalise certain sounds.

Sinusitis, which is common in winter, may last for months or years if inadequately treated. It can affect the nose, eyes or middle ear, and may be indicated by profuse, thick, coloured nasal drainage, bad-tasting post-nasal drip, cough, head congestion and an accompanying headache. Symptoms may also include a plugged-up nose, a feeling of facial swelling, toothache, constant tiredness, and occasionally fever.

There are two types of sinusitis. Acute sinusitis, is often caused by a bacterial infection and usually develops as a complication five to 10 days after the first symptoms of a respiratory infection such as the common cold.

Then there is chronic sinusitis, which may also be caused by bacterial infection. Although colds are the most common cause for acute sinusitis, those with allergies may also be predisposed to develop this problem.

As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. To avoid developing sinusitis during a cold or allergy attack, keep your sinuses clear by:

Curing Nasal Allergies with Homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 9 Comments

Allergies with Homeopathy …. Dr . Vikas Sharma

WITH spring approaching, respiratory allergies are at their peak. hay fever, or allergic rhinitis as it is called, is characterized by bouts of sneezing, watery eyes, excessive thin discharge from the nose and, at times, difficult breathing. Homoeopathic medicines, Allium Cepa, Euphrasia, Sabadilla, and Arsenic Album, are a bunch of the effective ones that are rolled under the sleeves of an expert homeopath.

Symptoms asking for Allium Cepa are characterised by violent sneezing, burning watery discharge from the nose and watery eyes. At times, the problem may start in the left nostril and gradually shift to the right one. The patient feels more comfortable in the open. The symptoms are aggravated in the months of March and April and August.

Euphrasia is asked for when, along with the classical symptoms of hay fever, there is excessive burning and watery discharge from the eyes. The patient finds relief more when he or she is indoors. Many hay-fever patients are oversensitive to strong smell, to the odour of the hay field, to dying vegetable matter; so oversensitive are some patients to the odour of fruit that apples may have to be removed from the house. Such patients require Sabadilla. Another characteristic symptom that indicates its use is its sensitiveness to cold air, a cold room and cold food.

Symptoms indicating the use of Arsenic Album are: profuse watery discharge that burns a red streak over the upper lip and about the wings of the nose, with sneezing. The typical Arsenic patient is anxious, restless and often asthmatic; his worst hour is soon after midnight. If indicated, the 30 c potency of the above-mentioned medicine could be used four times a day during the acute phase. A constitutional treatment aiming at the thorough analyses of the chronicity of the disease is often required to stop the recurrence of attacks. Only a qualified homoeopath should handle such analysis and prescription.

Sleeplessness and Homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 4 Comments

Insomnia and Homeopathic Treatment Dr.Vikas Sharma

A few decades ago sleep was thought to be an insignificant activity in our daily life. But with recent advances in medical research, we now know that it is an active process and affects our physical and mental health in many ways.

Sleep is extremely essential for our nervous system to work properly. Some experts believe that sleep is more important for our nervous system. Unlike other organs, the nervous system cannot replace the neurons (nerve cells), so it shuts down during sleep and gives neurons (nerve cells) time to repair and remove the byproducts of their cellular activity.

A good sleep is not only defined by the hours one sleeps but by the quality of sleep too. An individual is said to be suffering from insomnia (sleep disorder characterizing inadequate sleep) when one or more of the following are present: difficulty in falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night with difficulty in returning to sleep, waking up too early in the morning, unrefreshing sleep.

Insomnia can be classified as transient (short term), intermittent (on and off) and chronic (constant). Chronic insomnia can result in a combination of physical and mental disorders. Depression is the most common cause, although physical causes such as night pains caused by arthritis, kidney and heart disease, restless legs syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and hyperthyroidism can also be the causative factors for insomnia. In addition, some other factors also have a role in insomnia: excessive caffeine (tea, coffee) intake, taking of alcohol before bedtime, smoking cigarettes before bedtime, disrupted sleep schedules and excessive sleeping in the afternoon. At times it is the worry of having difficulty in sleeping that causes it. Though insomnia is found in both sexes, it seems to be more pronounced in women after menopause. It is also more in the elderly

Treatment

Whereas the conventional system treats this disease by giving drugs to induce artificial sleep, which frequently may cause side-effects or addiction, the homoeopathic approach is totally safe and natural. It treats insomnia by giving a tiny dose of a substance that in large doses may cause sleeplessness in a healthy person. This tiny dose helps in optimising the sleep regulatory mechanism in the body.

Coffea Cruda is a homoeopathic medicine that is most often used for treating insomnia of acute origin. As the name suggests, it is made from coffee beans. It is indicated when insomnia is due to the mind being overcharged by an excessive inflow of thoughts and ideas at the time of sleep. Nux Vomica is more suited when insomnia is due to the abuse of stimulants, e.g. alcohol, coffee, smoking, etc.

Chronic insomnia needs to be treated according to the cause and also evaluated on the constitutional scale. The high efficacy homoeo-treatment for depression needs a special mention as it is the most common cause for chronic insomnia.

Fighting sleeplessness

The underlying cause: The key is to find out what’s causing insomnia so that it can be dealt with directly. Simply making a few changes in the sleep habits helps many people.

Set a schedule: It is important to set a schedule for sleeping. Sleeping and waking according to a set schedule can help in overcoming insomnia.

Relaxation: Make restful activities a part of your bedtime habits. Any activity – such as bathing, reading and music – which relaxes you should be made a bedtime ritual.

Regular exercise: Set a regular exercise schedule, and for maximum benefits exercise 5-6 hours before sleep time.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine: Caffeine drinks – coffee and tea – should be avoided after evening hours. Alcohol and smoking before bedtime should be completely avoided

Wake up with the sun: Make sure that you get up with the sun. Let enough sunlight enter your bedroom in the morning as sunlight helps set the body’s internal biological clock each day.

Don’t lie in the bed awake: If after 30 minutes of lying in the bed you are not able to sleep, it is better that you do something else till you feel sleepy.

Pigmentation and Homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 452 Comments

Protecting our skin from sun
Dr.Vikas Sharma

Come summer, and sun begins to take its toll on Indians, their skin to be precise. As the temperatures soar to 44`B0C in the season, several people complain of skin-related disorders, all caused due to exposure to sun. While an exposure to sun harms people across all age groups, those with highly photosensitive skin and children are most susceptible to skin damage during summers.

The strong rays of the sun are undoubtedly damaging to human skin while its ultra-violet radiation is all the more harmful to us. Cases of dryness of the skin, spotting or pigmentation, itching, more non-painful acne on the face are common ailments people have been complaining about after an exposure to sun. Patients particularly complain of freckles, skin pigmentation, sun tanning, appearance of reddish elevated patches on the exposed parts and lip pigmentation. Photodermatitis is the most often noticed outcome. Photodermatitis is an abnormal skin response to ultraviolet (UV) rays, particularly sunlight. It can be acute or chronic. Signs and symptoms of photodermatitis are itchy bumps, blisters, or raised areas. Lesions that resemble eczema, hyperpigmentation, darkened discoloration compared to one’s normal skin tone, outbreaks in areas of the skin exposed to sunlight, pain, redness and swelling.

Who is most at risk? (1) Skin type may influence the likelihood of a photodermatitis reaction. Those with fair to light skin, or those with red or blond hair, and green or blue eyes tend to be most sensitive regardless of their racial or ethnic background. This is categorised as the skin type I. (2) Exposure to UV rays for 30 minutes to several hours increases the risk of photodermatitis. (3) Exposure to UV rays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. also increases the risk of photodermatitis since 50% of UV radiation is emitted during this time.

The treatment

Today we find ourselves being cautious and protective of everything around us. There are some effective and natural ways to eliminate the worries of summer time. Homoeopathy is one of the safest forms of the first-aid available. It uses a unique approach to health and healing by addressing both the symptoms of the problem and the person concerned. It also has a unique ability to treat chronic as well as acute skin disorders very effectively. Homoeopathic medicines do not suppress these skin conditions but try to treat them from its source, thereby annihilating the disease in totality

Burning sensation on the skin is one of the first symptoms of sun-induced skin disorders and should be attended to at the earliest, lest it manifests into other skin disorders. The initial reddening of the skin might further lead to pigmentation and stay until one takes medication. Homoeopathic medicine Belladonna is very beneficial for treating the initial stages when burning starts. 30 c potency of Belladonna can be used internally three-four times a day when such sun-induced skin disorder starts till a substantial relief has occurred.

If blisters form, then homoeopathic medicine Cantharis 30 c should be used. Sulphur is a very important homoeopathic medicine when skin disorder results from an exposure to sun. It is also very helpful in chronic skin disorders like eczema, psoriasis, etc, which aggravate in summers. But for Sulphur to be used in acute and chronic cases of photodermatitis, an evaluation by a professional homoeopath is a must.

IBS AND HOMEOPATHY

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 216 Comments

Treating IBS with Homeopathy Dr. Vikas Sharma

If you have frequent bloating of abdomen, recurrent pain in your belly, and if you get loose stools or get constipated very often; then there are good enough chances that you could be suffering from IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the intestines; this means that it does not cause physical changes in your gut, but only affects the functioning of the intestines. Though it is a functional disorder, but it can seriously affect ones quality of life. Homeopathy offers a very effective solution to deal with ibs and can completely eradicate it from the body.

So what exactly is IBS and what causes it? IBS is referred to a condition when one or more of these symptoms are present in an individual. The main symptoms are abdominal pain or cramping, a bloated feeling, Gas (flatulence), Diarrhea or constipation (sometimes alternating with each other) and mucus in the stool .The symptoms in IBS can vary a great deal from an individual to an individual. Mostly IBS affects individual in a mild to moderate way, but in some patients, severity of symptoms can completely jeopardize their day to day life. For most of the people, IBS (when untreated) is a chronic condition although it may vary in intensity from time to time.

Although the cause of IBS is not very clear but it is widely believed that IBS is caused by disturbances in the nerve ending in the wall of the intestines, which control the muscles of the intestinal wall. Under normal circumstances these muscles in the walls of the intestines contract and relax alternatively to push the digested food forwards towards the rectum (terminal part of the intestinal canal). These muscles work in a rhythmic and a coordinated way. But for those who have IBS these muscles start working in an erratic fashion. The muscles may suddenly start contracting in a very strong manner casing the digested food to move out in a very speedily manner leading to diarrhea and cramps. On the other hand if the contractions become slow the bowel movements become constipated. Bloating is thought to be caused by the heightened sensitivity of the intestinal wall. Even small amounts of gas can give a feeling of distension (‘full of gas’ feeling in abdomen) due to the heightened sensitivity when intestinal walls are stretched even slightly by gas.

People suffering from IBS can have their symptoms triggered by external as well as internal factors. External factors are food substances like milk, alcohol eggs carbonated drinks etc. Stress is a major internal factor for triggering and affecting the symptoms of IBS. Trigger factors can hugely vary from an individual to individual.

Homeopathic medicines are very effective in managing and curing IBS. They work by using body’s own restorative abilities to counter the disease thus giving a gentle and a permanent cure .The treatment is best handled by a professional homeopath as choosing the right homeopathic medicine for IBS can be a very challenging job. This is because; homeopathic prescribing in such disorders is dependent upon the physical symptoms as well as the psychological aspect of the patient. Homeopathic medicines that have been found to be most effective in treating IBS are Asafoetida ,Colocynth, Argentum Nitricum ,Nux Vomica , Lycopodium and Carbo Vegetablis .