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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

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 1,432 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 46 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.

From A Homeopath’s Viewfinder

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 1 Comment

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”.

Treatment for IBS

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 102 Comments

Do you frequently suffer from “too much gas” or cramping pain in the abdomen, or from loose stools immediately after you have your meals? Do you get diarrhea and constipation alternatively? Do you get mucus in your stools?

Are you very frequently bothered about by some or all of these symptoms? If so, then there are chances that you might be suffering from a disorder called irritable bowel syndrome or IBS for short. IBS is a functional disorder of the bowel (large intestine). This disorder affects the functioning of the large intestine. Some researchers believe that it affects the nerves controlling the muscles of the bowels. It does not cause any physical changes like inflammation or ulcers in the intestine. It does not also lead to any kind of cancer. Food allergy and stress play a major role in IBS

To understand how IBS affects, it is important to know about the normal functioning of the bowel. Under normal circumstances the muscles in the layers of the walls of the intestine contract and relax in a coordinated rhythm so as to push the digested food to the rectum. But in people who suffer from IBS, these muscles contract for a longer time and with more strength, causing diarrhea or pain. In some cases, reverse of this happens and the movements of the large intestines slow down, thus leading to the slowing of the passage of waste. The ultimate result is constipation with hard and dry stool.

A well-thought-out Homeopathic treatment can work miracles in IBS. Homeopathic medicines treat IBS by using the body’s own innate healing powers, thus making it very effective and completely side-effect-free. Homeopathic medicines Argentum nitricum, Asafoetida, Colocynth, Nux Vomica and Natrum Carb are best known for their great efficacy in curing IBS.

Argentum Nitricum leads the table and is more suited to the sensitive kind of people who at the slightest disturbance of emotions develop a sudden urge to pass stool. This urge to pass stool is usually accompanied by increased flatulence (gas) and strong crampy pains in the abdomen. Asafoetida is more suited for those who suffer from an increased gas problem and their abdomen gets bloated immediately after eating.

Colocynth works miracles to relieve the cramping pains accompanied by diarrhea or flatulence (gas).

Nasal Allergy treatment with homeopathy

By Dr. Vikas Sharma MD 42 Comments

Allergies are fast emerging as a major threat to our health. There are three basic reasons why one should prefer homeopathy for this problem.

One, it is the most natural and safest treatment. As it is based on the principle of ”like cures like” it forms a natural way of conditioning our healing responses also. The substances used in homoeopathy are in a highly diluted state and they act very safely – without any side-effect. Two, as it is a natural form of medication it does not suppress the disease. Three, the beneficial effects achieved with homeopathic medicines are lasting and do not vanish once the treatment is stopped.

What is allergic rhinitis?

It is nasal allergy which is also referred to as hay fever. This mostly affects our nasal path (nose tract) and the conjunctiva of the eyes. Its symptoms are frequent sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, congestion, and itchy eyes, nose, and roof of the mouth or the throat.

Allergic rhinitis is like any other allergy. The only difference is that the fight between the antigen and the antibodies takes place in the nose, eyes, etc.

As we breathe, we take in many substances along with the air. Substances such as pollens, animal dander and smoke (allergens), for some individuals, are countered by the body’s own defence system in our nose. They are attacked by the already developed antibodies in our system. This is called an allergic reaction, which also results in the release of an inflammatory chemical called histamine. It causes the swelling of the mucous membranes in our nose, sinuses and eyes, leading to a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing.

The most common allergens are pollens (released by trees, grasses or weeds.), animal dander, dust mites, molds, dust and smoke. For those who have seasonal allergies, pollens are the main culprit, and for those who suffer all the year around animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches and molds are the culprits.

But it is actually no fault of the person who suffers from this allergy. It is your body’s own watchdogs that have (by mistake) started fighting the substances that are not at all harmful to you. The hereditary factor plays a major role. If one of your parents is suffering from any kind of allergy the chances are that you would also develop an allergy of some sorts. If both parents suffer from allergy, the risk for you to develop allergy is 70 per cent.

The homeopathic medicines used in treating allergic rhinitis are Sabadilla, Natrum Mur, Arundo, Allium Cepa, Histaminum and Wyethia. Another medicine that has been introduced and has a great role in treating allergic rhinitis is Glaphimia Glauca. The medicines mentioned are for information only. Self-medication can be harmful.

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