Significance of the cry in newborns, infants, children and its homoeopathic approach

Dr Uma Maheswari
Intern, Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College

ABSTRACT
This article tells about the importance of cry and its homoeopathic approach, a detailed explanation about cry, its type with clinical inquiry in newborn, infants and children, rubric from different repertorial reference included in this article that proves the importance in considering cry in treatment of children through homoeopathy. Also homeopathic remedies with its indications obtained from different literature sources thus help the physician in analysis and understanding different medicines.

METHOD:
Various old literature and homeopathic repertory about cry and its clinical significance in relevance according to homeopathy is reviewed and thus the importance of cry of children in homeopathic case taking and prescription been emphasized.

KEYWORDS: Cry, types of cry, clinical inquiry homoeopathy, repertory, rubrics, homoeopathic remedies.  

INTRODUCTON:
Babies are born with ability to cry, which is how they do most of their communication, for a while babies cries to indicate: babies stomach is empty, his / her nappy is wet, his / her feet is wet, baby might be tired, need to be cuddled and held ⁽¹⁾.Generally babies cry more and are more wakeful during late afternoon and evening, crying also tends to increase at 2 to 4 weeks, then decreases. Most of the babies spend less time crying, when they reach 3 to 4 month of age ⁽¹⁾

Homoeopathy has great scope in treating the clinical condition related to newborn and infants, children with repertorization based on type of cry and through materia medica reference, thus exact treatment for that particular case can be obtained. The scope of homoeopathy doesn’t depend upon the causative agent or ultimate, but in treating actual derangement of the vital process ⁽¹²⁾.

TYPES OF CRY:

HUNGER CRY: Short, low pitched (soft) and rhythmical ⁽¹⁾, infant need to eat more often when they are going through a growth spurt ⁽¹⁾.

PAIN CRY: Babies have different cry to communicate pain or discomfort.

PATTERN OF CRY	CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
High pitched striking	Abnormal CNS function, meningitis,               Hydrocephalus, malnutrition (2).
Gravel in mouth	Laryngitis(2)
Grunting	Pneumonia, sepsis (2)
Irritated- long, loud intense high pitched	Colicky abnormal pain (2)
Hoarseness	Hypothyroidism, trauma to pharynx,  Vocal cord paralysis (2).
Muffled	Epiglottitis
Stridorous	Foreign body, infection, larynx abnormalities(2)
Vigorous and lusty	Kernicterous (2)
Weak and whimpery	Muscle weakness, myasthenia gravis

CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF CRY: 
Sudden onset unexplained paroxysmal loud more or less continuous. Abdomen may be distended, tense and tight. Legs are drawn up to the abdomen through momentary extended feet may be cold, hands clenched. Each attach last for about 2 to 20 minutes, sobbing continuously for more than 30 minutes then falls asleep. During attack one may hear loud borborygmi. Temporary relief by passing flatus, stool, held upright, lying in lap, massage, breast feeding ⁽¹⁰⁾.

CLINICAL ENQUIRY: 

1. Onset, pattern and duration, time, associated signs and symptoms – GIT symptoms, RS symptoms, CNS manifestations, fever, trauma, vaccination history, aggravation and amelioration factors ⁽¹⁰⁾.
2. Physical examination: general – well look, not sick. Systemic- abdomen, CNS, respiratory system.
3. Investigation : not necessary- diagnosis established by history and physical examination ⁽¹⁰⁾    

Excessive crying is suspected surgical cases associated with respiratory distress. Intermittent colicky (short duration ) in infants <3 months mostly due to infantile colicky, older children due to intestinal, renal colicky, upper respiratory tract infection, otitis media, bronciolitis. Continuous colicky (long duration) occur due to immobile limb (trauma), recent DPT vaccination ⁽¹⁰⁾

ANGRY CRY: Anger is defined as an emotion in which the child makes an aggressive approach (either overtly or covertly) towards some person or objects. Stimulus to anger expressed by restraint, interference with children’s movements, wants to carry.

RUBRICS INDICATED FOR CRY IN REPERTORIES: 

RUBRICS	REMEDIES
Crying children	Ars, bell, bor, bry, camph, caste, caust, CHAM, chin, cina, coff, graph, hyos, ign,  kali.c, lyco, nit.ac, PULS, RHEUM, seneg, sil (3)
-Birth since	Acon, carc, cham, syph (3).
-Cries piteous if taken hold or carried	Cina, sil(3)
-Dentition difficult from	Phyt(3)
-His will not done when	Calp.p, cham, CINA, tub
-Infants	Acont, ars, bell, bor, calc, cham, coff, ign, ip, Jal, puls, rhod, sen, syph, thuj(3).
-Night	Arund, bor, lac.c, psor, rheum(3)
-Quiet only when carried	CHAM, cina
-Toss all night	Ars, psor, rheum (3)
Cries whole day, sleep whole night	LYC(8)
Cries whole night, sleeps whole day	Jal, psor(8)
Cries soon after birth, much unless carried	Med, sulp (7)
Cries rapidly can be comforted by rapid rocking	Cina (7)
Cries as from colicky	Aeth (7)
Cries in cradle or bed child wants to be nursed on arms	Benz acid (7)
After a fall slightest motion of arms or neck	Hyper (7)
If moved in fever	Bry (7)
After nursing screams ,	Bor(7)
suddenly child cries out	Hyos (7)
Inhibited anger response crying	Rheum, ant.t, kali.c, puls.(7)
Mind –weeping-child –illness with senseless prattling :	Calad(12)
Mind –weeping-children in (trifles-children)	Acon, aeth, ant t, ars, arnd, aur, bell, borx, calc, camph, carc, caste, caust, cham, chap, chin, cina, coff, dulc, graph, hyos, hyosin, ign, ip, jal, kali-c, kreos, lac-c, lyc, med, mat-m, nit-ac, phyt, psor, puls, rheum, rhod, seneg, senn, sep, sil, spong, stann, stram, thuj (12)
Mind –weeping-children in- night:	Arund, borx, kali-c, kreos, lac-c, lyc, psor, rheum, sil, stram, thuj(12)
Mind- weeping-children in- babies:	Ars, bell, borx, calc-c, camph, caust, cham, chap, chin, coff, hyos, ign, ip, jal, kali-c, lyc, nit-ac, psor, puls, rhod, seneg, senn, sil, syph, tritic-vg, vanil.(12)
-birth-from birth on	Carc, syph (12)
–birth-immediately after	Syhp(12)
Mind- weeping-children in-difficulty dentition from:	Phyt(12)
Mind- weeping-children in-nursing, when:	Aeth, borx, lac-c(12)
Mind- weeping-children in-sick, when:	Aeth(12)
Mind-weeping-children in-will is not done(contradiction; opposition; refused)	Cina, dilc, spong, tritic-vg, vanil(12)
Mind-weeping-continuously-children            in (newborn):	Syph, thuj(12)
Mind-weeping-rating-while-children, in:	Bell ,lac-ac, staph(12)
Mind-irritability-children, in –crying and weeping:	Bamb-a, cortiso, mux-v, plat(12)
Bladder-urging-painful-children grasp the genitals cry out:	Acot, mrec(13)
Bladder-frequent-infant scream before the urine passes :	Bor, lach, lyc, nux-v, sars(13)
Bladder-urination, dysuria, painful, child cries before urine starts:	Bor, lach, lyc, nux-v, sars (13)
Cough ,SPRINGS up, child, and clings to those around ; calls for help in a hoarse voice, bends backward and grasps at larynx :	Ant-t (13)

HOMOEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS:

ABROTANUM: They are cross, irritable, depressed and peevish. It is suited to affections of new born especially little boys, hydrocele, epistaxis, emaciated, oozing of blood and moisture from navel (delay in the healing of umbilicus after it was cut). The abrotanum face has a peculiar look during cry which can be identified easily in day to day practice, i.e. cold, dry and wrinklrd, pale, hollowed eye, distended veins on forehead and blue ring around the eye.⁽⁸⁾

ACONITE: hot, dry, full pulse, restlessness. ⁽⁶⁾Dose- dissolves six globules in half a glass of water and gives teaspoonful every one, two, or three hours according to circumstance. ⁽⁴⁾

AETHUSA: Hallucination, delirium, sees cats and dogs, wants to jump out of bed or out of window, Irritability especially in open air. There is great anguish and crying ⁽⁸⁾

ARSINICUM ALBUM: Cries after nursing, as soon as child feed with food. ⁽¹¹⁾

ARNICA: Cries every time when the child starts coughing, earache, colicky abdominal pain. ⁽¹¹⁾

ANTIMONIUM CRUDUM: Cries when washed with cold water, when touched. ⁽¹¹⁾  

BARYTA CARB: The child is scared of being left alone. He has strange and imaginary fears. They often get night terrors, without any clear idea of what the terror is, and they always have a fear of people. Child is touchy, easily irritated, cries due to even slight interference ⁽⁸⁾

BELLADONA: Crying without apparent cause, heat on the head, sparkling eyes, flused cheeks, starting during sleep, constipation. ⁽⁶⁾ Dose – dissolve six globules in half a glass of water and give teaspoonful every one, two, or three hours according to circumstance. ⁽⁸⁾

CALCAREA PHOS: These children have pale, waxy face, Cold perspiration on the face and swollen upper lip. They are sleepy in day time and evening, sleepless after going to bed until midnight or later very sleepy in the morning. Vivid dreams, children cry out in sleep. ⁽⁸⁾

CAMPHOR: After chamomilla when cham. Proves insufficient and the child seems in great pain (Dose- one or two drops upon a little loaf sugar, after crushing it well, a small portion of the powder may be placed on the tongue )⁽⁶⁾

CHAMMOMILLA: Constant crying, with drawing up of the leg, pain in or distention of the abdomen, looseness of the bowel. ⁽⁶⁾ The irritability is also expressed through whines and cries and sputter about everything. It refuses everything that he has asked for, capriciousness. The child wants to be carried all the time which keeps him cool or ameliorates his complaints. ⁽⁸⁾ Piteous moaning because child can’t have what he wants. ⁽¹⁰⁾ When child cries, restless with frequent starting or there is reason believe it has earache or head ache and cries when child moved. ⁽⁴⁾

CINA: A little excess in eating at night causes dreams throughout. Jerks and twitches in sleep, rises up in fright, he talks excitedly about dreams thinks it as real, the dreams are prolonged into wakeful hours, screams and trembles with much anxiety on waking. ⁽⁸⁾ Screams and cry immediately after meal, nightmares, wakes up frightened. ⁽¹⁰⁾

COFFEA CRUDA: If the child appears to be nervous and very restless, with heat, and tossing about. Dose- three globules every hour until the child is better. ⁽⁸⁾ Nervousness with sleeplessness throughout night ⁽⁶⁾

COLOCYNTH: Cries hard can’t be pacified writhes, curls up double with colicky better when pressing hard in abdomen. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Pain much better with pressure rather than not application, becomes quite when mother takes him near her chest in transverse position by which his abdomen gets pressed. ⁽⁴⁾

CUPRUM METALLICUM: Breathing ceases when crying, afraid of everyone approach the child. ⁽¹¹⁾

LYCOPODIUM: Basically cranky child get aggravated in evening with much rumbling of abdomen , ameliorated by passing flatus, open air.⁽¹⁰⁾Child starts crying when lights off and    while passing stool. ⁽⁹⁾

MAGNESIUM PHOSPHORICUM: Pain >3 with hot application, >2pressure on abdomen. ⁽¹⁰⁾These children are prone to get spasmodic condition and neuralgias which are very violent that affect nerves and organs cramps that come in fingers from writing, playing musical instruments, screams and cries with intense pain. ⁽⁸⁾

MEDORRHINUM: Easily (weepy ameliorates the child sadness) hypersensitive can’t sit still, nasty, can’t concentrate especially after eating uncontrolled. ⁽⁹⁾

NATRUM MURIYATICUM: Little infant they cry little and talk little, try to keep less communication.⁽⁹⁾Child is nervous, irritable, prostrated. They are greatly disturbed by excitement, extremely emotional. The child is in the state of fret and irritation, slight noise, the slamming of door the ring of bell causes startling in child and starts crying.⁽⁸⁾

PHOSPHORUS: The child is anxious, fear being alone, twilight, ghosts, thunderstorms, quickly prostrated by unpleasant impression and starts crying. ⁽⁸⁾Cries when seeing insect, bees and spider if the child falls gets fright start crying and run to parents crying and wanting of hugs and kisses but consolation aggravates the child. ⁽⁹⁾ 

PULSATILA: From shame of enuresis crying continuously and easily, the complaints and the mood are marked by changeability and shifting the child does share the symptom with chamomilla which is expressed as too crying and capriciousness, but pulsatilla child is hot, has a pitiful cry whereas chamomilla child has a snarling cry. ⁽⁸⁾

RHEUM: Child is sour, impatient, colicky they are always screaming and crying with urging and sour stool, they are impatient, desire many things and cries, dislike even playthings. They suffer from colic which causes severe crying with sour sour stool and nor relieved by passing stool. The colicky returns back uncovering the part, the stool is characterized by poppy, sour, brown, green, fermented, slimy or acrid stool, associated with shivering, aggravated by eating unripe food. The child is restless, irritable, and peevish with pale face. He cries and tosses about all night the mouth is covered by offensive mucous after sleeping, and after sleeping there is bad taste and offensive breath, unable to collect her sense for long after waking. ⁽⁸⁾

STANNUM METALICUM: Cries with colicky abdominal pain, better by caring the baby on abdomen. ⁽¹¹⁾

SILICEA: The child lacks stamina, fear he might fail, dread appearing in public and there is no self confidence. They are irritable, touchy and don’t like any interference. A sticking feature is the sweat about the upper part of the body and the head. ⁽⁸⁾

SULPHUR: Child starts crying while passing motion. ⁽⁸⁾

THUJA: Extremely obstinate child throw things in anger and starts crying. ⁽¹¹⁾ Child is hasty and anxious, can’t concentrate, child is ill humored and has fixed ideas. ⁽⁸⁾

ZINCUM METALLICUM: Cries during sleep with night terror, fright. ⁽¹¹⁾ 

CONCLUSION: This article thus proves the significance of treatment of children through homoeopathy and the significance of cry and its type in selection of right similimum.

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