Reflecting the light on miasmatic approach to hypertension

Dr Sneha K

Abstract:
This article includes the clinical understanding of hypertension along with its miasmatic aspect.

ABBREVIATIONS: HTN: Hypertension; B.P.: Blood Pressure;

INTRODUCTION – Hypertension or high blood pressure is a serious health problem which currently affects nearly 1 billion people worldwide. According to the recent analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO), this statistic might rise to around 1.57 billion by the year 2025.

Abnormally high blood pressure and a combination of high psychological stress are known as Hypertension. Hypertension is diagnosed by measuring blood pressure. The Systolic pressure would be the first readings viz. a pressure by which the heart pumps blood through the body, and second readings would be the Diastolic pressure, meaning a pressure at which the heart relaxes and refills the blood.

Causes of Hypertension

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Kidney disease
• Adrenal gland tumors
• Thyroid problems
• Certain defects you’re born with (congenital) in blood vessels
• Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs
• Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines 

Types of Hypertension

• Primary hypertension
• Secondary hypertension 

Symptoms

• Dizziness.
• Chest Pain.
• Heart attack.
• Headaches.
• Bleeding Nose.
• Visual Changes.
• Shortness of Breath.
• Flushing or Blushing.
• Narrowing of blood vessels.
• Formation of plagues in the blood vessels

Hypertension Prevention

Hypertension or high blood pressure can be prevented by following a heart-healthy diet. This includes:

• Reduce salt intake
• Avoid consuming alcohol
• Consume more fruits and vegetables
• Avoid calories rich food

^{HOMOEOPATHIC APPROACH:}
In Homeopathy, health indicates harmonious functioning of vital/life force and disease is considered as deviation from health, when the harmonious functioning of vital force is obscured. Homeopathy treats the sick individual, not only his sickness as stated in Hahnemann’s writing “there is no disease, but sick people”. Thus in case of primary/essential HTN, homeopathy is concerned with the patient having high blood pressure rather than the hypertension itself. It is the sick man who has to restore to health, not his tissues, not his body.

Use of homeopathic remedies in the treatment of HTN is proved effective clinically, but more scientific researches need to be done. The success of treatment is based upon the selection of a drug similar in picture to the acute totality, followed by the administration of appropriate constitutional remedy. A strict guideline regarding diet and life-style modifications is very essential along with similimum, in order to get the best possible outcomes.

MIASMATIC APPROACH.
A broad understanding of the miasmatic influence in HTN is possible from the examination of the aetiological factors, pathology and clinical symptoms.

The essential one for homoeopathic treatment, to understand both the reversible and irreversible Hahnemannian drug disease. In some patients when the offending and implicated allopathic drug is stopped, the blood pressure rises for sometime and in many patients it is controlled after the constitutional homoeopathic treatment. A hypertensive patient is the sum total of psonic-syphilitic. psoric-sycotic or all the three classical miasms

Features of Psoric predominance

• Hypertension caused by emotional disturbances like anger, anxiety, worry, grief etc.
• Heart affections including hypertension form fear, disappointment, loss of closed one or over joy.
• Complaining of dizziness, dyspnea,plapitations etc which are better by lying down and keeping quiet and worse after eating.
• Neuralgic and stitching pains in the chest, > rest, and band like sensation around the heart.
• Sensations like rush of blood to the chest, weakness, fullness about the chest are common.
• Oppression and anxiety are worse morning and pain worse motion, laughing and coughing.
• Full bounding pulse with discomfort in the chest
• Violent hammering and beating about the head due to reflexes, such as gastric disturbances, flatulence
• Sudden onset of headache, short lasting and self limiting and violent in intensity
• Recurrent headache on slight exertion Marked fear and apprehension

Features of Sycotic predominance

• The dyspnoea is seldom painful as opposed to the psoric or tubercular miasm, there may be soreness and tenderness and pains radiating from heart to scapula or from shoulder to heart
• The pains are aggravated by motion, walking, riding or gentle
• The heart complaints may be accompanied by or there may be a Pulse-soft, slow and easily compressible
• Sycosis produces marked anasarca and dropsical conditions
• 1º Post-menopausal hormonal disturbances in females causing climacteric hypertension
• Frequently face becomes blue, cyanotic or opt to be venous congestion.

Features of Syphilitic predominance

• The syphilic incidence in HTN leads to wide spread destructive changes in the vital organs like heart, kidney, retina and brain.
• Fibrinoid necrosis of the vascular wall
• Left ventricular hypertrophy
• Many of the life threatening complication of hypertension, like cerebral and myocardial infarction, malignant hypertension etc.
• Very little mental disturbance in heart troubles even at critical periods of the disease.
• In long standing cases, left ventricular failure, which express as exertional dyspnoea, orthopnoea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, suggest syphilitic miasm.
• Desire for Strong stimulating things like alcohol
• Associated Diabetes Mellitus, ageing or premature old age identifiable by degenerative changes

Features of Tubercular / Pseudo-Psoric Predominance

• Pulse – small thread like and quick.
• Wide fluctuation in blood pressure to very high levels of systolic and diastolic pressure.
• Along with hypertension, haemorrhagic manifestation like epistaxis, retinal haemorrhage, cerebral haemorrhage are present.
• Vertigo and palpitation are greater than that seen with psoric predominance and are accompanied by rust of blood to heart and chest.
• Pain in chest is worse on sitting, better by lying and is so severe that it is associated with dimness of vision, ringing in the ears and great weakness.
• The patient wants to keep still and is much aggravated by higher altitude, climbing stairs or ascending.

Management

Homoeopathy offers successful treatment for the all stages of Hypertension. homeopathy focuses on treating causes behind the condition. These may include poor dietary habits, stress, obesity, tobacco use, alcohol abuse, and a sedentary lifestyle.

1.      Belladonna

While good for throbbing and violent conditions that start suddenly, it can be useful for high blood pressure as well. It’s one of the main remedies in a hypertensive crisis, with flushes of heat, pounding headache, and impending stroke.

2.     Glonoinum

This one is helpful for high blood pressure that may be accompanied by a pulsating, congestive headache that worsens in the sun. The headache is worse from the sun. Your face is flushed. Along with hypertension, you may have angina that causes a hot sensation in the chest. Sometimes known as glonoine, it is also typically used to relieve high blood pressure symptoms such as breathlessness, extreme weakness, irritability, vertigo, and confusion.

3.     Allium Sativa

Allium sativa, otherwise known as garlic, is a powerful homeopathic tool for lowering high blood pressure. It is primarily used in patients diagnosed with high cholesterol in addition to high blood pressure. Allium may also relieve the headaches, heavy head sensation, and hot flashes that can accompany rising blood pressure.

4. Amyl Nitrosum

The chemical compound amyl nitrosum is often used with high blood pressure symptoms of shortness of breath; choking fits; anxiety; pulsations; extreme sweating; and red, hot skin on the face.

It helps to extend the walls of the blood vessels and allow for better circulation and a lower rate of blood flow.

5.     Rauvolfia Serpentina

The roots of the Rauvolfia serpentina plant offer alkaloids to assist neuro-depressive and blood pressure-lowering activity. A tincture made with the roots may alleviate common signs of irritable behavior, depression, restlessness, and emotional distress. You may also experience an irregular heartbeat or palpitations.

6. Baryta mur

This drug is highly effective in systolic hypertension where arterio-sclerosis is the main aetiological factor. Increased tension of pulse where a high systolic pressure with a comparatively low diastolic pressure is attended with cerebral and cardiac symptoms. Best remedy for senile heart where other remedies seem to act too little. Emptiness and faintness in precordial occurring in old people. Bradycardia presents in the heart block. Palpitations lying on left side and which recurs on thinking about it. Old age alterations in vascular system. Baryta seems to induce paralysis by causing degeneration of the coats of blood vessels.

Bibliography.

1. Mayo Clinic. 2022. High blood pressure (hypertension) – Symptoms and causes. [online] Available at: <https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410> [Accessed 2 February 2022].
2. Thebar J, Bandhu B. Hypertension & its homoeopathic management. stroke.;5:8.
3. Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J. Harrison’s manual of medicine. McGraw-Hill; 2009.
4. Krishnamurty PS. Hypertension-The Place of Homoeopathy.

Dr.Sneha K
PG Scholar, Practice of medicine
Father muller homoeopathic medical college,Mangaluru