Archives for June 20, 2008

Call Dr. Sharma's Clinic - From United States and Canada call 703-659-0873. Patients From rest of the world and India call +91-6283487321

Cervical Spondylosis And Its Homeopathic Treatment

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 32 Comments

Neck Pain? It Could Be Cervical Spondylosis

Dr. Vikas Sharma

Neck pain is very common and most of us do experience this at some point in our lives. It can last from few days to weeks and is usually caused by straining or overuse of neck muscles. Such acute strains are usually due to incorrect postures on work with computers or while reading or driving. Acute conditions of neck get over within few days or weeks and usually require little or no medications. Pain that lasts more than few weeks need to be considered seriously, as it can be a sign of chronic neck pain also called as cervical spondylosis.

Cervical spondylosis results from chronic degeneration of the cervical spine (bones of the neck), As one ages, the intervertebral discs( cushions between the neck bones) lose their elasticity and become drier this causes them to become more brittle .Along with the degeneration of disks, bony out growths also form on the vertebrae which are called as osteophytes. These changes collectively lead to the compression of the nerve arising out of the spinal cord. This compression or irritation of the nerve leads to symptoms of pain, stiffness and numbness in the neck, arms and shoulder. The main symptoms in cervical spondylosis are pain in the neck( which may radiate to arm and shoulder) ,loss of sensation or numbness or abnormal sensation in the arms, hands or shoulders, Neck Stiffness , sensation of imbalance while walking, headache in the back part of the head extending from the back of the neck.

Neck injuries are one of the major causes of early cervical spondylosis. Aging is also one of the major contributors to the degeneration of cervical bones and discs. Men are more prone than women to suffer from it.

Homeopathy offers a very effective solution in controlling and treating the mild to moderate cases of cervical spondylosis. The amount of degenerative changes determines the time it would take for the case to respond to the homeopathic medicine. Early stages of cervical spondylosis respond very favorably and may take only few weeks for the patient to become better. Moderate levels of changes can take few weeks to few months to show appreciable results. Severe cases may or may not show any changes at all.

As homeopathy is primarily a ‘symptom dependant system of medicine’; the kind of symptoms depicted by the patient determines the choice of medicine. Pain and stiffness in the neck are very effectively treated with Rhus Tox, Lachnanthes, Guaiacum and Cimicifuga. Numbness and tingling sensation in the arms responds very well to Kalmia and Paris Quadrifolia. Sensations of imbalance or vertigo are well treated with Conium Maculatum. Degenerative changes and osteophytes respond to Acid Phos and Calcarea Flour respectively. Hypericum is often required to ease out the effects of injury to the nerve.

Please remember that prevention of cervical spondylosis lies in preventing repeated stress to the neck muscles. Repeated strain on muscles that support our cervical spine slowly leads to spondylytic changes; thus an ergonomic posture and an active life style is must in maintaining a healthy cervical spine and also in controlling further damage if already spondylytic changes have started.

Call Dr. Sharma's Clinic - From United States and Canada call 703-659-0873. Patients From rest of the world and India call +91-6283487321

MIGRAINE HEADACHES AND HOMEOPATHY

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 5 Comments

Frequent Headaches . It Could Be Migraine  by Dr. Vikas Sharma

It is very common for each one of us to suffer from headaches couple of times in our lifetime; but for some, headaches are far too common and their recurrences become a major hindrance in leading a normal life. One such type of recurrent headaches is called as ‘Migraine headaches’. They show a typical pattern of recurrence and are characterized by severe to moderate head pain, both sides and one sided and which may or may not be present with nausea and vomiting.

For those who suffer from migraine, Homeopathy can be a boon in curing this disorder. Long term treatment with homeopathy can eradicate migraine headaches. It is also very important to understand that migraine is not an easy disease to do away with. Even with homeopathy, moderate to severe form of migraines take a while to get treated and gradually get better in a phased out manner; they usually don’t disappear in one go.

The symptoms of migraine can range from mild to very severe pain. The severity of the pain varies from case to case and can last from few hours to up to four days. It may be preceded by signs which are often called as ‘aura’ a signal that the migraine attack is about to come. The signs can be disturbances in vision like flashing of light, zigzag lines, blind spots, doubling of vision, black floating spots, tingling in limbs. The pain may affect one side and may gradually proceed to the other side too or affect both the sides. The pains are usually of throbbing or pulsating in character. Many patients complain of high degree of sensitivity to sound or light during the attack and prefer to lie down in a dark and a silent room. Vomiting or the sensation of vomiting also called as nausea are often present but migraine headaches can occur without them too. Some patients feel a great relief in pain after vomiting which may force the patients to induce one at times. Migraine headaches can last from 3 hours to 72 hours.

Although the actual cause of migraine is not very clear. The researchers believe that migraine is caused by drop in the level of a chemical serotonin in the brain which leads to the inflammation and dilatation in the blood vessels of the brain leading to a headache. The migraine can be triggered by many factors. The most common are hormonal (headache related to menses), stress, foods (alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, foods containing MSG), certain medications, changes in sleep pattern and excessive physical exertion.

Homeopathic treatment of migraine depends totally upon the symptoms presented and also the psycho-physical makeup of the patient. The character and the modalities associated with pain also the symptoms associated with it such as aura, vomiting, nausea and the trigger factors decide the choice of the homeopathic medicine that would help that particular case. Although there are plenty of homeopathic medicines used in treating migraine the most important ones are Glonine, Belladonna, Sanguinaria, Iris, Gelsemium, Nux Vomica, Epiphegus and Natrum Carb.

It is very important for those suffering from migraine to realize that lifestyle modifications like regular exercise and reducing stress in their life are very essential in controlling migraine. Identifying trigger factors (for example identifying foods that trigger your headache or exertion or situations that lead to stress) and avoiding these factors can be very helpful in controlling the recurrence of headaches.

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