Dr Biju S G
Within few months Kerala is going to welcome monsoon. Schools will be re-opened with new hopes, new books and new dresses. Homoeopaths are also in preparation to manage their clinics with more vim and vigor as they are expecting another “season”. RAECH (Rapid action epidemic Control Cell in Homoeopathy) is also revamping its armamentarium. Japanese Encephalitis and ChikunGunyea had already made a short visit at Alappuzha District.
Are we really prepared to face the health challenges of monsoon is the question of the hour. Modern medicine and health workers are doing their routine works and meeting regularly and making discussions routinely. New Govt. and health minister will take time to study things properly. But we have to get prepared at least in this monsoon to face health challenges effectively. Let us discusses the main monsoon visitors. Dengue Fever may be the villain of 2011 too. It may strike southern districts and that too with double strength of dengue hemorrhagic.
Dengue will extend its wings to Northern districts from Cochin. Alappuzha District will keep its tradition as the capital of Epidemics. Preparing the armamentarium with weapons against ChikunGunyea may make desperation as majority of population achieved natural immunity against CG. Gastroenteritis, dysentery, ADD (acute Diarrhoea Diseases) etc. shall also be expected.
Responsibility of a Homoeopath is very high as most of the expected diseases are viral. Bacterial diseases like tonsillitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and dysentery may occur sporadically. We, Homoeopaths must have a treatment protocol for the monsoon diseases.
To differentiate bacterial and viral diseases we shall send patient for a routine blood examination. If TC is increased it will be a bacterial infection and if it is coming down it will be a viral infection. Platelet count will be between 10,0000 and 1,500,000 in most of viral diseases.By this simple investigation technique one shall identify whether it is a case to be treated only by Homoeopathic medicine or shall be treated by any systems of medicines. If it is a viral disease it is to be treated with Homoeopathic medicines and Homoeopathic medicines only.
A treatment protocol for Monsoon diseases.
Better to select a plant remedy in viral diseases
Viral diseases will occur in sensitive patients. Sensitivity is the theme of plants. History of treatment of viral disease reveal the success story of plants.
ChikunGunyea – Eupatorium Perfoliatum. Dengue Fever – Eupatorium Perf.
Conductivities – Euphresia, Chicken Pox – RhusTox, Measles – Pulsatilla, Mumps – Jaborandi, Viral Hepatitis – Nux Vomica.
All are viral infections and all the effective medicines are plants.
In bacterial infections minerals are found effective.
Bacillary dysentery – Merc sol, Tonsilitis – Baryta Carb, Broncitis – Phos, Staphylococal diarrhea-Mag carb, Impetigo contagiosa/bullosa – Acid Nit etc. are few examples.
Selection of Preventive medicines:
One should be careful in selection of preventive medicines as members of other schools of medicines are still skeptics about the effectiveness of our preventive medicines. Simple protocol of selection of preventive is to consider only the initial symptoms of the epidemics. Whole totality of an epidemic may represent a curative medicine but not a preventive because we are producing an artificial disease of which can represent the initial stages of an epidemic. In almost all epidemic initial symptoms will be same or similar. After few hours or days symptoms will vary according to the miasmatic constitution of each individual. It is the duty of each and every Homoeopath to inform RAECH about local Genus Epidemicus. Then only the aims and objectives of RAECH will be fulfilled.
Red Flag symptoms of Epidemics: Certain conditions need Hospitalization and auxiliary management and even Antipathy treatment. Such conditions will always precede by” red flag” symptoms. Usual complications are occurring either in CNS or in Respiratory system in the form of Meningitis and pneumonias. Let us see some red flag symptoms
| CNS (Meningitis | Respiratory (Pneumonia) |
| • Convulsions: A life-threatening condition.• Any young infant with convulsion during the present illness should be considered seriously ill.• May not be tonic-clonic movements.• Repetitive jerky movements of the eyes, lip smacking, a staring look.
• BULGING FONTANELLE Look at & feel the anterior fontanel when the infant is not crying and held in an upright position. • A bulging fontanels may be a sign of meningitis.
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· Fast Breathing:· Respiratory Rate · Age < 2 months 60 or more· Age 2 mo – 1 year 50 or more
· Age 1 yr – 5 yrs 40 0r more · This indicates pneumonia. · Chest In drawing: The definite inward movement of the bony structure of the lower chest wall with inspiration. A useful sign of severe pneumonia. NASAL FLARING – Widening of the nostrils when the young infant breathes in. |
If you are able to diagnose Meningitis and pneumonia in proper time then you won’t be blamed by other schools and patients. It can be done without any laboratory investigations and invasive procedure if you are able to observe the signs and read it along with the symptoms of patients.
- Infections of the CNS may present clinically with 1 or more of the following 5 neurological findings.
- Presence of any one should stimulate the search for the other 4.
- Altered consciousness
- Convulsions
- Severe Persistent vomiting (raised intracranial Pressure)
- Paralysis:Focal paralysis, Unequal pupils, Facial paralysis & ocular paralysis in TB meningitis
- Signs:NECK RIGIDITY, BRUDZINSKI NECK SIGN, BRUDZINSKI LEG SIGN,KERNIG’S SIGN
Pneumonia:Auscultation is not a major component for diagnosis of pneumonia. The sensitivity of diagnosing pneumonia by auscultation is only 50%. Auscultation is useful to diagnose complications like pleural effusion & pneumothorax.Inability to breast feed ,drink, Drowsiness( abnormally sleepy/ difficult to wake)
Noisy Breathing/ stridor,Wheeze,Cyanosis,Grunting are pointers towards pneumonia.
One must get ready to face the challenge of Meningitis & Pneumonia or refer patients in time. In this epidemic monsoon we must won the heart of people by increasing our cure rate.
We must offer a little Extra
Any patient reaching at our clinic with an upper respiratory viral infection should get one guarantee, “it should never go down for a LRTI (lower respiratory tract infection). NAJA 30 and Dulcamera 200 are effective medicines to prevent LRTI. Or one may go to MURPHY’s Repertory Chapter nose and rubric.
Nose – CORYZA, general – descending – then select the best similimum out of 9 medicines.
We must focus on cough too because immediately after cold and fever cough will appear. PULS 200 and Sangunaria Nit 30 are found effective in controlling cough after fever. Though these things are minute things comparing with potentials of Homoeopathy, these are the acid tests for general public to decide the effectiveness of Homoeopathic Medicines.
Auxiliary methods :Never hesitate to use auxiliary methods as it is not the monopoly of any system of medicine.
Fever:,Increased fluid intake, Sponging or hydrotherapy.
| Environmental modifications | Increased fluid intake | Sponging or hydrotherapy |
| Minimal clothingDress the child in only one layer of clothingThis enhances heat loss.
Do not cover the child with too many clothes or blankets. The most common mistake made by the parents is to bundle the child in heavy clothes. Keep the child in cool & airy environment Open a window slightly or turn off the heat in the room or use a fan Coolness will bring the fever down |
• Extra fluid intake is advised in febrile patients• Give plenty of cool, clear liquids to replace the water loss.• For each 1C of increase in temperature, a 10% increase in fluid intake is recommended.• Gently massage the body to dilate the cutaneous blood vessels.
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• The mainstay of non-pharmacological antipyretics.• Tepid sponging with lukewarm water is very beneficial to reduce fever.• Studies have shown that tap water is the best as it is physiological, less discomforting, causes less crying• Sponging should be done by continuous wiping of the body from head to toe for 15-20 minutes.
• Tepid sponging acts by conduction of heat from skin to cooler water.
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Temperature > 41degree F ( > 106 degree F ). Rapid cooling is very important by immersion of the child in cold water or by gastric lavage / enema with ice cold saline.
Fever is of course a good sign but it is our duty to get patients out of panic going to create by media.
Wish all my brothers & sisters a nice monsoon practice!
Hari Om Dr.Biju,
Your sharing shall be a good revision for practising doctors at Soham Foundation clinics (vadodara) and number of healers associated with the foundation.
We run 7 free clinics in Vadodara and serve around 45 villages around Vadodara.
I support the foundation as a Trustee.