A Homoeopathic Treatise on Homoeopathic Help, Research and Allied Work – Part III

Dedicated to my late parents and other family members who reared me and the teachers who taught me to help mankind.

This book is the outcome of my association with the Homoeopathic System of Medicine as a teacher, practitioner, and researcher for nearly 25 years. Although most of the text of the book has already been published in the past in various journals and dailies, it was imperative to compile all the published and unpublished work in book form. I am therefore pleased in presenting the same to you. The contents have been bifurcated into two parts. Part I deals with the description of 30 drugs. Part II contains mainly research and other Allied work.

In the end I am grateful to Mr.Upendra, Ravindra, and Mrs. Shashi Kala who are my son, daughter and wife for helping me directly and indirectly in bringing out this small contribution of mine for Homoeopathy.

ARGENTICUM NITRICUM

Argenticum nitricum is the common Silver nitrate, generally used for cauterization. This homoeopathic medicine is recommended to shrivelled (dried up) children who often look like withered old men.

Also, for those persons who are irrational in their reasoning and do things in hurry. Since they are nervous and anxious, they believe the least delay will spoil everything. They are especially anxious when about to perform for an audience, to meet an engagement, when going to a wedding, to office or school etc. The anxiety (over excitability of mind) is often attended with fear and diarrhoea.

Such persons may feel an impulse to jump into water or kill themselves from a height, particularly while crossing a bridge or looking out of the window or a high building. At times, these patients actually jump from these places and commit suicide.

Sometimes they may also become the victims of perceptive errors, i.e. long or short sightedness owing to imperfect coordination of eye muscles. The result is, that while walking through the street they dread the corners of buildings which seem to be projecting out and they are afraid of bumping against them. Likewise, the feel the houses on both sides of the street would converge and crush them.

Argentum nitricum is an effective medicine for giddiness when it is accompanied with buzzing in the ears, great weakness and trembling, either when the patient closes the eyes or looks up or down.

Argentum nitricum is a great remedy for the removal of examination funk experienced by students anxious about failing tests. It also removes the fear of being in an enclosed place (claustrophobia), where the patient always wants to be near the door, whether in a bus, railcar or any other confined place.

It is a useful medicine for nightmares, when dreams are full of all sorts of strange, horrible, vicious and violent things, especially of a departed friend. The patient wakes up in excitement with a start.

Argentum nitricum is very effective for inflamed eyes, particularly purulent conjunctivitis of new borns and others when there is profuse, thick mucus discharge from the eyes. The whites of the eyes look beefy red. The lids may be swollen and are found stuck (agglutinated) together when waking up in the morning. The trouble gets worse from light, noise and heat and better from cold application of water and ice. Argentjum is also indicated when the cornea is found ulcerated and opaque in patients having a history of suppressed gonorrhoeal discharge.

It is a good medicine for sore throat when there is a feeling of splinter (sticks) like pain in the gullet accompanying slight hoarseness. Thick and sticky mucus is normally expectorated when patient is obliged to hawk up.

Argentum nitricum is an exceptionally good medicine for gastric ulcer, particularly of sugar and jaggery eaters. Such patients have irresistible cravings for dainties. The pain is felt in a spot at the pit of the stomach and radiates from this place in all directions. The onset of the pain may be gradual and when it is of severe intensity the patient vomits ingesta, mucus, bile or blood.

At times, sweetmeat makes nursing infants sick, as they cannot digest it. Sometimes, this indigestion occurs through the mother’s milk, if she is fond of such things and takes them regularly. The child passes loose motions (diarrhoea) where the stool is generally green like chopped flakes of spinach or it turns green when allowed to remain on the diaper for awhile.

Argentum nitricum is an effective medicine for stopping recurrent attacks of Angina pectoris, particularly when patient experiences intermittent and irregular throbbing all over the body, which is worse on lying on the right side and at night.

Argentum nitricum is a good medicine for dyspepsia when there is much gas formation and enormous distension of the belly especially in the afternoon and at night. The wind rumbles in the abdomen. The patient is scarcely able to release it either by passing flatus downward or through belching (eructations) upward.

Agentum n. is thought of in epilepsy and other convulsive diseases when attacks are preceded by dilatation of pupils – for hours or days. The patient feels great restlessness and experiences trembling of hands following the attack.

ARNICA MONTANA

Arnica Montana “fall herb” or Panacea lapsorum is an herb which grows plentifully in the mountains of Europe. The tincture is prepared from the whole flowering plant. Because of its wider use in the injuries of muscles, fractures of bones and haemorrhage due to mechanical injuries or fall, it is called the king of traumatic remedies.

This homoeopathic medicine suits those diseases where any injury of any duration seems to have caused the present trouble. The acute manifestations are soreness, lameness, bruised feeling all over the body as if beaten and aching all over the body. The patient does not like lying down as everything on which he rests seems hard and uncomfortable. He therefore constantly keeps on changing position from one side to another in search of a soft place. There may be ecchymosis (black and blue spot) caused by a fall or accident with or without fever. It has been found effective when there is intracranial haemorrhage due to a fall or blows and it can help absorb the clot.

Arnica is also thought of when the patient avoids being touched or even approached on account of the pain, particularly in inflammatory conditions of gout and arthritis.

Arnica is a great muscular tonic for sportmen, farmers, labourers and cyclists etc, who are doing heavy physical work, when they feel limbs sore and aching. The joints also feel sprained. It simply relieves discomfort when people have been worn out after a day’s shopping, travelling, and other physical activities.

Arnica along with other sports medicines if taken under the guidance of an experienced physician, may replace the use of the drugs (anabolic steroids) generally taken for building up stamina.

It is a great standby for threatened abortion due to fall or shock. It removes the bad effects of labor, promotes contraction of the uterus and expels retained portions of the placenta or the membranes.

It’s a good drug for uterine haemorrhage from mechanical injuries, particularly after coition. It prevents mastitis and the formation of tumors in a sore bruised breast which may at times lead to cancerous affections. It also removes soreness of pelvic parts after labor, stops post partum haemorrhage, puerperal complications and septic fever. If the urine is retained or there is incontinence after labor, Arnica corrects that as well.

It is an excellent medicine for soreness of gums and useful to stop haemorrhage and pain after tooth extraction.

After a rail or road accident when there is a horror of instant death with cardiac distress night after night, and the patient calls for the doctor’s help (there is no problem during daytime), Arnica is also suitable.

There may be a strange mental state, such that when the patient is desperately ill, he/she states “I am not ill, I do not need the help of the doctor.” At times, when there is involuntary discharge of urine and stool in an unconscious patient, or when the patient is asleep, Arnica is the remedy. It also removes the ill effects of charcoal gas poisoning.

Locally Arnica has produced extraordinary growth of hair and has also been considered useful in baldness.

For external use, Q or IC potency used as liniment in a ratio of 15 or 20 drops to a pint of water.

For internal use, up to 1M or higher may be required, and cn be repeated as per the situation. Arnica should be kept in every house and everybody should know its indications in case of emergency.

ARSENICUM ALBUM

Arsenicum album is trioxide of Arsenic, a tasteless, highly brittle metal of steel grey colour, commonly known as Sankhavisha or Sankhiya, occasionally misused for homicidal purpose. The therapeutic power of this drug was visualised by its power to irritate various mucous linings of the body organs during the poisoning state and the same was harnessed by Dr. Hahnemann, the founder of Homoeopathy in the treatment of sick people.

This homoeopathic medicine is generally recommended to those weak and anaemic persons whose troubles whatsoever, are either arising or getting worse during cold of winter, or after taking any cold substance in any form. They get relief in all such complaints from warmth, warm applications like heat of the sun during daytime or in the summer months. Such patients may be feeling freezing all the time and hover around the fire or remain in bed all the time to keep them warm.

When such people get sick they may show great anxiety and restlessness. In a really critical state of the illness, the patient may become despairing and depressive. At times he thinks it is useless to take the medicine, as his disease is incurable and shall prove fatal to him. He is disgusted with life and develops suicidal, especially to kill himself by hanging. Occasionally these persons will be misers, malicious or timid but always exceptionally fastidious.

Arsenic album is very effective in acute gastric disorders, whether it be food poisoning, gastroenteritis or cholera, and worse after taking cold drinks, dainties like ice cream, ice candy, ice water, sour beer, bad sausages and alcoholic drinks. Owing to irritability of the stomach and the intestine, the patient vomits the food and water whenever taken in whatever amount. He may pass loose motions where the stool is brownish or dark in colour, emits a foul odor like that of carrion and which weakens the patient. It is also a good medicine for overcoming

ill-effects from taking decayed food, vegetables, melons and other watery fruits.

Arsenic album is an effective medicine for those persons who take excessive tea and smoke a lot. The result is cardiac irritability and other heart problems leading to ascites and generalised body swelling.

It is an excellent medicine for the gangrenous condition of mouth and throat, noma, aphthae and diphtheria etc. It is also indicated for internal organs and external body parts after injury, when there is a sudden redness and shrivelled condition of the mucous lining and the skin shows an ashen grey or black colour. The patient may like to keep the affected part covered. It is found useful in carbuncles and other spreading ulcers which ooze a watery discharge.

Arsenic album acts wonderfully as a palliative medicine for those intolerable cancerous problems where the patient writhes with burning and stinging pain, along with great mental and physical agony. It is the chief remedy for angina when it is of purely neurotic origin.

Arsenic album is a prime medicine for acute or chronic asthma which may often be associated with emphysema and cardiac problems. The suffocative attacks come on about midnight. The patient sits in bed and holds the chest. There may be wheezing and panting respiration along with sweat over the face and forehead. Owing to difficult breathing, the patient may be anxious and fearful of a fatal outcome of the disease.

It is also a good medicine for nocturnal stuffy cold, which threatens suffocation and difficult breathing at night whether in children or adults.

It is indicated in tuberculosis of the upper one-third of the right lung, where the patient feels frequent but sharp stitches under the right clavicle (collar bone). It may be accompanied with a sense of constriction in the chest, particularly noticeable on going upstairs, or uphill.

Arsenic album is an invaluable medicine for malarial fever when the patient gets attacks between 1 to 2 a.m. or p.m. There may or may not be the chill stage, but the patient desires a tumbler full of hot water during heat stage. It is an excellent medicine for those lingering cases of malarial fever taking typhoid form.

In skin troubles like dry itch, dandruff of the head or psoriasis of any part of the body, when there is severe itching and smarting afterwards, the patient scratches the affected part until it is raw and bleeds. At times, when scratching may lead to anxiety (dil kala panda), Arsenicum album has been found effective.