Dr. Vikas Sharma MD, Author at Homeopathy at DrHomeo.com

MIGRAINE AND HOMEOPATHY

Migraine is not a serious disorder but can seriously cripple one’s ability to live life normally. The unpredictable nature and the severity with which the headache comes on, affects one’s life in many ways. It brings about lower tolerance levels for frustration, noise and fatigue. Fiction writer Carol Lewis is said to have created those strange characters and bizarre sensation in her book, Alice in Wonderland,” during the migraine attacks that she suffered. Just a small comfort for those suffering from migraine. They join the club with many well-known intellectuals like Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Thomas Jefferson.

How does a migraine attack differ from an ordinary headache?

Common headache, often called tension headaches, are usually of mild-to-moderate intensity, and have no such symptoms as nausea and visual disturbances associated with migraine. They generally occur as isolated incidents. Migraine is a headache of a severe type and tends to recur. The pain is usually confined to one side of the head but may eventually spread to the other side. It may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Classical migraine is differentiated from common migraine by the presence of a condition called aura.

Aura is an occurrence of neurological symptoms 10-30 minutes before the classical migraine attack. Symptoms such as flashing lights, double vision, zigzag pattern, mental fuzziness and mood changes are a part of it.

What are the causes of migraine?

The pain during the migraine attack is usually caused by the dilation of the arteries (vessels carrying blood) and an increase in the blood supply to the particular area in the head. This is in response to an initial contraction of the arteries caused by the trigger factors.

What are the common trigger factors?

Stress, emotional disturbances, tobacco smoke, fasting-hunger, lack of proper sleep, excessive tea or coffee intake, foods containing monosodium glutamate, hormonal changes, weather changes. Genetic predisposition is supposed to play a major role.

Homeopathy can treat the disease effectively, though it may take some time before the recurrence of headache are completely stopped. It also depends on the factors such as patient compliance, medicine intake regularity, knowledge and avoidance of trigger factors and the chronicity of migraine attacks.

With the correct prescription, one may slowly notice the problem receding, the attacks becoming less frequent and also their decreasing severity. Sanguinaria, Nux Vomica, Iris and Spigelia lead the homeopathic table in treating this disorder.

Another medicine that needs a special mention is Epiphegus, because the symptom it treats are so often found in patients, especially women. Headache comes when one deviate from one’s normal routine. It is made worse by going out in the sun, by any exertion.

Prevention tips

Keep a headache diary: This may help you in identifying the trigger factors such as foods, activities and weather

Exercise regularly: Regular exercise, yoga and relaxation techniques such as meditation can also be of great help.

Keep regular sleep patterns: Sleep adequately. Sleeping too much or too less can trigger migraine.

Watch out what you eat:Foods such as caffeine and Chinese foods that contain monosodium glucamate and chocolates cheese are well-known trigger factors.

Eat regularly: Fasting is a very common trigger in many people. If it is such a factor for you too, make sure that you eat at regular intervals.

This feature ( authored by Dr. Vikas Sharma ) was earlier published in The Tribune(north India’s largest circulated daily newspaper). Dr. Vikas Sharma is regular Homeopathic columnist for The Tribune. mail him : vikas@drhomeo.com

Irritable Bowel Syndrome- treating it with Homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 71 Comments

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is one of the “functional intestinal disorders” – a general term for conditions that show no physical evidence of disease in the intestines on examination, and the cause of which does not show up in a blood test or an X-ray. People with IBS have colon that are more sensitive and reactive than usual. So they respond to stimuli that would not bother most people.

Sulphur, Argentum itricum, Colocynth, Pulsatilla, Carbo Veg, Nux Vomica and Lycopodium are a few of the important homeopathic medicines very frequently asked for in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Chronic forms of this disorder are treatable with Sulphur, where sensitivity to milk is a key factor and early morning diarrhoea is often a presenting symptom. Sulphur covers a huge variety of symptoms found under this disorder.

It is best prescribed with a rich experience in homeopathy. Pulsatilla is for sensitive individuals also where fatty food usually triggers off a variety of symptoms. When this disorder is a consequence of what is called modern living (excess intake of alcohol and rich food), Nux works as a panacea. If there is immediate bloating after eating and the abdomen swells up like a drum, Carbo Veg can do wonders.

Colocynth and argentum Nitricum have a different indication – anxiety, stress and emotions. Patients asking for Colocynth have diarrhoea associated with cramping pain in the abdomen before passing stool. For an Argentum Nitricum patient, sweets can trigger off the complaint and loud belching often forms a major presenting symptom. Lycopodium is generally indicated for people with chronic digestive discomforts and bowel problems. Bloating and a feeling of fullness come on early in a meal of shortly after, and a large amount of gas is usually produced. Heartburn and stomach pain are common, and the person may feel better after rubbing the abdomen. Symptoms are typically worse between 4 pm and 8 pm. Despite so many digestive troubles, the person can have a ravenous appetite, and may even get up in the middle of the night to eat.

HOMOEOPATHIC medicines Natrum Carb, Podophyllum, China and Croton Tig are another set of important medicines often asked for treating chronic gastric conditions like IBS. Natrum Carb is indicated for people who have trouble digesting and assimilating many kinds of food and have to stay on a restricted diet. Indigestion, heartburn and even ulcers may occur if offending food is eaten.

The most important indications for its use is that the person often is intolerant of milk, and drinking it or eating dairy products leads to gas formation and spluttery diarrhoea with an empty feeling in the stomach. The patients may have a craving for potatoes and for sweets (and sometimes also milk, but has learnt to avoid it).

Podophyllum is indicated when abdominal pain and craming with a gurgling, sinking, empty feeling are followed by watery, offensive-smelling diarrhoea – alternating with constipation, or pasty yellow bowel movements containing mucous. Symptoms tend to be worse early in the morning and the person may feel weak and faint or have a headache afterwards. Rubbing the abdomen (especially on the right side may help relieve discomfort.

China (Cinchona officinalis) is often asked for treating conditions where weakness has resulted from the excessive loss of fluids. It can be used in both acute and chronic conditions. it is also indicated where distension of the abdomen is associated with colic (pain).

Croton Tig is indicated in chronic diarrhoea as well as acute diarrhoea. There is a constant urge to pass stool followed by sudden evacuations. A swashing sensation in intenstines is common. Pain in the anus, as if a plug is being forced outwards, is experienced. Copious watery stools with much urge, then profuse and sudden gushing of yellow water, have to be encountered. Water has to be drunk judiciously.

MY GRANDAUGHTER IS NEARLY OUT OF AUTISM

My granddaughter was seven years old when we got her to Dr. Sharma. She was having strong symptoms of autism and was diagnosed by Dr. Sharma on the autism testing scale to be suffering from moderate level of autism. She hardly had any speech. Her symptoms of hand flapping and other fixations were also very prominent. She has improved a great deal ;She is now quite verbal and attends a normal school although she still has some issues but has improved a great deal.Dr. Sharma’s treatment protocol has helped in neraly curing her autism.

Mrs Meenakshi ( Chandigarh , India)

AUTISM My son is getting cured

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 50 Comments

Autism getting cured

autism is getting better Says Sangeeta goel….My son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was 2 ½ years old. I was told by doctors that there is no cure for it and we just need to be deeply involved in his development. He has been getting speech and occupational therapy at school since he was three and has shown great improvement in his speech and motor skills due to early intervention.

He is very intelligent and grasps things very quickly but it used to be very difficult for him to explain himself. The main reason for concern for me was his very small attention span. His teacher used to send me an email everyday that he was not able to focus in the classroom and did not finish his morning work and she is sending the work home. I used to dread to see his teacher’s emails that another day of complaints.

Autism treatment , One day I was just browsing the Internet to find some cure for him when I came across an article published by Dr. Vikas Sharma in The Tribune. I took his email address from the article and wrote to him asking if a long distance treatment was possible. I was elated to know that it was possible and I asked Dr. Sharma to send me the evaluation form. Dr. Sharma was kind enough to call me several times to get clear picture of my son’s symptoms. The treatment was started soon after the evaluation. I got my son started on the medicine and within a week I received an email from his teacher saying that he finished his morning work without any help or reminders. I have only good things to hear about him from that day. He used to stammer while talking, but soon he started to talk with less difficulty. His hyperactivity has decreased a lot and he started to follow the directions. His bowel movements have become regular and he gets less irritated. I have seen tremendous improvement in him ever since I started his treatment with Dr. Sharma 6-8 months ago. Dr. Sharma is very prompt in addressing any health issues I have had with my son. He has always made sure that the medicines are dispatched in a timely manner.

I am thankful to God that I found Dr. Sharma and cannot express enough gratitude towards Dr. Sharma as he has helped my son a lot in getting him where he is today. … Sangeeta goel (US)

This mail was sent To Dr Sharma BY Sangeeta and has not been edited or restructered.

CURING-IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 141 Comments

ALMOST everyone experiences an occasional bout of abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation. However, if you are having either of these problems very frequently or if it has become chronic, chances are that you may be suffering from the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is one of the most common gastro-intestinal disorders and although it is not a serious one, its impact on one’s life can be tremendous. Chronic and recurring symptoms of IBS can disrupt personal and professional activities, upset emotional well-being and limit individual potential.

IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is not a disease. It is a functional disorder, which means that the bowel (large intestine) is not functioning properly, though physically there is nothing wrong with it. With IBS, the nerves and muscles in the bowel are extra-sensitive. For example, the muscles may contract too much when you eat. These contractions can cause cramping and diarrhoea during or shortly after a meal.

The exact cause of IBS is not known. Symptoms appear to result from a disturbance in the interaction between the gut, the brain, and the nervous system that alters the regulation of the bowel motor or the sensory function. IBS is not caused by stress. However, because of the connection between the brain and the gut, symptoms can be exacerbated or triggered by stress. Certain things like milk and caffeine are also known to have a disturbing effect on IBS patients.

IBS is characterised by abdominal pain or discomfort and the abnormal bowel function, which may include chronic diarrhoea, chronic constipation, or an alternating pattern of both. Patients may feel the sensation of not being able to fully empty their bowels. Other symptoms may include gas formation, bloating as well as nausea.

IBS is a spectrum disorder, which means that there can be a great variety of symptoms and also that their intensity can range from very mild to severe. Primarily, homeopathy is a method where the individual symptoms of patients are given more preference than the labels of the disease and are matched with those of the drug. Thus, treating diseases like IBS with homeopathy in an effective manner becomes easier. However, it may take a while before appreciable results are achieved. One must keep in mind that the goal is not to have a temporary relief but a permanent one.

Homeopathic medicines like Nux Vomica, Colocynth, Aloes, Sulphur, Carbo Veg, China and Lycopodium are among the very effective ones that are often employed by experts for treating irritable bowel syndrome. However, please make sure that such conditions are not treated without the help of a professional homoeopath

Managing IBS

Experiment with fibre

When you have IBS, fibre can be a mixed blessing. Although it helps reduce constipation, it can also lead to diarrhoea, gas formation and cramping worse. The best approach is to gradually increase the amount of fibre in your diet over a period of weeks.

Avoid problem foods

If certain foods make your symptoms worse, don’t eat them. Common culprits include alcohol, chocolate and caffeinated beverages such as coffee and sodas.

Eat at regular times

Don’t skip meals and try to eat about the same time each day to help regulate the bowel function.

Beware of dairy products

They usually are the biggest culprits in IBS. If you’re lactose-intolerant, try substituting yoghurt for milk.

Exercise regularly

Exercise helps relieve depression and stress, stimulates normal contractions of your intestines and can help you feel better

ANXIETY DISORDER IN KIDS HOMEOPATHY

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 14 Comments

If your child’s poor performance in the examinations or his changed behavior has left you feeling low, what you really need to do is to evaluate your child’s mental health. Because psychiatrists now believe that many such children could be having a form of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder, although quite common, is most often overlooked or misjudged in children and adolescent .Which otherwise can be treated with medicines and therapies.

An important reason for them to be identified and cured early in life is due to a general consensus among experts that psychiatric disorders in adult life can have their first manifestations in childhood in the form of such anxiety problems.

How can parents come to know if their child is suffering from the anxiety problem?

To an extent, some levels of anxiety are considered normal. Like facing a new situation, talking to a stranger and fearing darkness, thieves, animals, etc. It is when the symptoms take a form of greater magnitude that they are called anxiety disorder. This shows up in different forms and is classified according to the pattern and quality of the symptoms. The most common one is the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD may show up in a variety of symptom patterns: restlessness, being easily fatigued, always worrying, irritability and inability to relax; difficulty in concentrating or having the mind go blank, muscle tension, difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, or restless sleep, specific fears, social phobia, too much worrying before even things happen, too many thoughts and fears about safety, refusal to attend school, frequent stomachaches and headaches and other physical symptoms. Although GAD can hamper the child’s performance in school, some may have this disorder even though they would be doing well in their studies.

Another form of anxiety which is often mild and seen more during the examination days is “exam anxiety or test anxiety”. This can develop during or before the exams with symptoms of anxiety and fear of failure.

What causes anxiety disorder?

In nearly 50 per cent of all the anxiety disorder cases, there is a strong genetic factor. Anxiety and fear can also be learned from family members and others who frequently display increased anxiety around the adolescent. For example, a child or an adolescent with a parent who worries too much may also learn to worry too much. Environmental factors such as domestic and social violence can also cause such anxiety problems. A traumatic experience like a death or loss of a loved one can be one of the causes.

Treatment

Anxiety disorders are treatable in homeopathy. The treatment is based on a complete evaluation of the child/adolescent’s symptom pattern and intensity of symptoms.

For homeopathy, every case is an individual case and the medicine is decided on these individual symptoms.

Causative factors are more important than the symptoms. If they are identified clearly and the prescription is based on it, this can lead to a faster clearance of the disorder.

For kids developing symptoms of fear and acute anxiety before the exams homeopathic medicines Gelsemium and Argentum Nitricum can do a real great job in giving instant relief.

CERVICAL PROBLEM & HOMEOPATHY

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 67 Comments

As the modern civilisation advances, it finds itself in the grip of new stress-related diseases. Stress, whether physical or mental, has its toll on our body.

Long working hours, miles of driving and working excessively on computers are some of the factors causing a rise in stress-related cervical problems.

The most common problem of this nature is cervical spondylosis (cervical osteoarthritis). Cervical spondylosis results from chronic degeneration of the cervical spine, including the cushions between the neck vertebrae (cervical disks) and the joints between the bones of the cervical spine. There may be abnormal growths or “spurs” on the vertebrae (the bones of the spine).

These accumulated changes caused by degeneration can gradually compress one or more of the nerve roots. This can lead to increasing pain in the neck and arm, weakness and changes in sensation. In advanced cases, the spinal cord becomes involved. This can affect not just the arms, but the legs as well.

Progressive neck pain is a key indication of cervical spondylosis. It may be the only symptom in many cases.

An examination often shows limited ability to flex the head toward the side (bend the head toward the shoulders) and limited ability to rotate the head. Weakness or sensation losses indicate damage to specific nerve roots or to the spinal cord.

Homeopathic treatment is effective in both situations whether it is a mild cervical strain or cervical spondylosis. There is no single specific medicine for this problem; the treatment is purely symptomatic. In milder cases where no damage has been done to the vertebras and only the muscles are involved, medicines such as guaicum, lachnanthes and cimicfuga are of great help. They are usually indicated when the patients complain of stiffness about the cervical muscles and also when there are no signs of nerve involvement. When there are signs of nerve involvement (numbness, loss of sensation, etc) as in advance cases, kalmia latifolia, paris quadrifolia and colocynth are often the most effective homoeopathic medicines. In advanced cases of degeneration, acidic phosphoric is of great value. Calc phos works very effectively for bony overgrowths. Medicines mentioned above are only for the purpose of self-assessment. Consult your homoeopathic physician for an appropriate dosage. Avoid self-medication.

Some good habits

Take frequent breaks: Don’t sit in one place for a long time, such as your car or at your desk. Arrange some of the items in your office in a manner so that you are forced to get up, stretch yourself or walk around After some time.

Maintain good neck posture:

Adjust the seat of your computer or desk chair so that your hips are slightly higher than your knees – your head and neck will naturally follow in the correct position.

Travelling in a car, airplane or train? Place a small pillow or rolled towel between your neck and a headrest to keep the normal curve in your neck.

How are you sleeping? Avoid sleeping with too many pillows.

When on the phone: Use a speakerphone or headsets – do not cradle the phone in your neck.

Exercise: Treat your body to a consistent regimen of stretching and strengthening to balance your muscle groups. This protects your neck as well as helps your whole body. Walking at any pace is an excellent exercise for your neck. The rotation of the spine provides a great natural workout for the neck muscles.

Eat smart and drink water: Good nutrition and staying well-hydrated are not only important to stay healthy, but also vital for the healing process

SUMMER DIARRHEA

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 7 Comments

SUMMER-time woes get the better of the best of us. It needs no mention how horrifying summer diarrhoeas can be. Thankfully, homoeopathic medicines are of a great help in such cases. Here are some of the best bets available for treating summer diarrhoeas fast and effectively.

Veratrum album is one of the most frequently prescribed homoeopathic medicines in violent cases of gastroenteritis. Sudden diarrhoeas with large evacuations and profuse, violent vomiting associated with great weakness and coldness in the body is most characteristic of veratrum album. When such symptoms develop after eating watery fruits (melons), veratrum is the best bet. It also works well in the treatment of severe cases of cholera.

If diarrhoea is caused by sudden chilling of the stomach with ice water or ice-cream, arsenic album is the right choice. In such conditions stools are attended by very distressing heartburn, burning pain and sometimes burning in the stomach. These are followed by great weakness and coldness. There is a feeling of intense thirst. The patient’s condition worsens after midnight.

Podophyllum is a very frequently used medicine for summer diarrhoeas. It helps greatly in cases of gushing diarrhoea, wh en stool comes out like water from a hydrant, hurrying the patient out of the bed early in the morning.

When diarrhoeas are attended by gripping, cutting pains in the abdomen area while passing stool, colocynth is the right medicine. Taking food or a drink, even in a small measure provokes evacuations as also pains.

Summer diarrhoeas can be very distressing. So, if the symptoms correspond, three doses of 30c potency of the indicated medicine can be taken. Although a repetition will depend on the intensity the disease, the safest way is to take a dose after every hour. It is always better to consult a physician.

Skin allergy & homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 46 Comments

It is now an accepted fact that homeopathy works miraculously for skin disorders, and skin allergies are very effectively treatable with homeopathic medicines. Even if the skin disorder is chronic and has been in the body for many years, the biggest advantage that homeopathic treatment has is that it can completely eliminate the allergy from the body, so that the symptoms do not keep coming back again.

The big question, however, is: “Why it is so that homeopathy is successful in treating skin allergies?” The answer lies in the medical fact that in skin allergies the problem does not lie in the skin but in the body’s immune system which becomes overactive.

The efficacy of homeopathy is due to the fact that it takes a holistic view of our body and does not treat the skin as a single organ. It believes that such skin allergies are a part of our disturbed internal state and allergies on the skin are a representation of the disturbed state. The medication is aimed at removing the internal cause or the internal pollution which has resulted in the skin becoming hypersensitive.

Homeopathic philosophy strongly believes that the treatment of skin disorders by applying ointments, creams, etc, is suppressive in nature and that the disease needs to be treated from within the body, or else it will reoccur or change its shape and appear in some other form.

Skin allergies can vary greatly in the type and intensity of symptoms. They can range from a simple rash to a condition where the skin all over the body is intensely inflamed, with severe itching all over and the oozing of watery fluid. Skin allergies broadly incorporate two types of problems: atopic dermatitis. and contact dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disorder categorised by rashes that itch and are of a scaly nature. People with this kind of skin allergy often have a family history of allergic conditions like asthma, nasal allergy, or eczema. It is more common in infants, and 50 per cent of all cases are all-right okay by the age of three years. In adults it is a chronic problem that keeps coming back. The symptoms include intense itching, blisters, rashes more on face, behind the knees, folds of the skin, etc. The most common allergens are eggs, peanuts, milk, fish, soy products, and wheat, dust mites, mold and pollen.

Contact dermatitis is a kind of skin allergy where the reaction develops when the skin comes in contact with the allergens (allergy causing substances) or the irritants.

Skin allergy & homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 1,434 Comments

Contact dermatitis is a kind of skin allergy where the reaction develops when the skin comes in contact with the allergens (allergy causing substances) or the irritants.

Autism getting cured

Pin It on Pinterest