Homeopathy and Covid: A Case Series

Illustrative Review of The Diverse Scenarios of Interaction Between Corona Virus and the Vital Force in Covid-19 Cases Treated in October, November, and  December 2020 

Introduction

The aim of this illustrative article is not only to confirm the efficacy of the art and science of homeopathy in the treatment of Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19), as it is quite apparent to the profession actively engaged in the treatment of the ailing ones in the past ten months,  but to bring forth in a brighter light the tangible dynamics of the disturbed Vital force; the diversity of these pathologic patterns compared to the initial months of the pandemic when the picture of imbalanced vital force dominantly called for Camphora in our patients; and finally to emphasize on this fundamental principle of homeopathy that the disease will yield to a remedy which is meticulously selected through the correct and artistic individualization of each patient’s present state of disharmony in the context of an unprejudiced holistic understanding of the patient. Afterwards, the only requirement is a patient heart and a trusting mind to observe the marvel to unravel.

We selected these few cases among 94 who visited our clinic in Oct-Novand Dec of 2020 in different stages of the disease, as a representative of this diversity and also as a hint of the variety of the anchoring points through which the cases opened up. The successful treatment was the result of a flexible yet scientific practice of the principles.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my teacher, Dr. Rajan Sankaran, not only because my soul anchored in homeopathy through him one day in 2007, but also because of his support throughout all these years. During the time that we have all been closely involved with this recent pandemic, I cannot be thankful enough for his immensely supportive, constant presence and invaluable wisdom he shared selflessly.

Deeply grateful to the teacher who expanded our visions and taught us the ways and perspectives through which each case of disease can transform into a fascinating story of healing with homeopathy.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Gajanan Dhanipkar, who never hesitated to share his invaluable understandings and perspectives on treating the acute conditions of any form with homeopathy. A teacher and a friend whose contagious zeal and expertise in dealing with acute diseases is so empowering and illuminating that I utter the statement “You will be better within the next few hours” to the patients of acute diseases, confidently and trustfully.

Ethical declaration:

The patients’ information and pictures are shared with consent.

Positive Covid-19 case definition*¹

Clinical Criteria:

At least two of the following symptoms: fever (measured or subjective), chills, rigors, myalgia, headache, sore throat, new olfactory and taste disorder(s)

OR

At least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing

OR

Severe respiratory illness with at least one of the followings:

• Clinical or radiographic evidence* of pneumonia, OR
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

*Radiographic evidence for Covid: Multi lobular unilateral or bi lateral infiltration especially in the peripheral areas in CT scan or CXR, Ground glass appearance in CT scan.

And

No alternative more likely diagnosis

Laboratory Criteria:

Laboratory evidence using a method approved by designated authority:

Confirmatory laboratory evidence:

• Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ribonucleic acid (SARS-CoV-2 RNA) in a clinical specimen using a molecular amplification detection test

Presumptive laboratory evidence:

• Whole blood indicative of a new or recent infection

Epidemiologic Linkage:

One or more of the following exposures in the last 14 days before onset of symptoms:

• Close contact* with a confirmed or probable case of Covid-19 disease, OR
• Close contact with a person with:
• Clinically compatible illness AND 
• Linkage to a confirmed case of Covid-19 disease.

*Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet for at least a period of 10 minutes to 30 minutes or more depending upon the exposure.

Case Classification*¹

Probable:

• Meets clinical criteria And epidemiologic evidence with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for Covid-19.
• Meets presumptive laboratory evidence And either clinical criteria Or epidemiologic evidence.

Confirmed:

• Meets confirmatory laboratory tests

Note:

All of our cases presented with Covid-related clinical symptoms which rendered them to stay indoors due to the intensity of the morbidity they experienced. The typical clinical picture was confirmed either through CRP and/or PCR and/or CT scan. There were very few cases who denied to get any para-clinical confirmatory tests but considering their epidemiological linkage like being a member of a family whose other members have been tested positive or died for Covid were taken in and treated as Covid cases.

Risk Stratification Criteria*²

Adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe forms of Covid-19.  Severe illness from Covid-19 is defined as hospitalization, admission to the ICU, intubation or mechanical ventilation, or death. Hence special precautions and care were taken in these cases who were under our care with the intention of managing the morbidity in the least time to keep down the probable adverse effects. Examples:

• Cancer
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• COPD (Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Down syndrome
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Immunocompromised state (recipient of transplant or immunosuppressive therapy.
• Obesity (body mass index[BMI] of 30 kg/m² or higher but <40kg/m²)
• Severe obesity (BMI>/=40 kg/m²)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Note:

The prevalent risk factors among our patients were coronary artery disease, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, older age, obesity and hypertension

Staging the clinical spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 Infection*³

In general, adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection can be grouped into the following severity of illness categories. However, the criteria for each category may overlap or vary across clinical guidelines and clinical trials, and a patient’s clinical status may change over time.

• Asymptomatic or Pre-symptomatic Infection: Individuals who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 using a virologic test (i.e., a nucleic acid amplification test or an antigen test) but who have no symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19.
• Mild Illness: Individuals who have any of the various signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, malaise, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell) but who do not have shortness of breath, dyspnea, or abnormal chest imaging.
• Moderate Illness: Individuals who show evidence of lower respiratory disease during clinical assessment or imaging and who have saturation of oxygen (SpO2) ≥94% on room air at sea level.
• Severe Illness: Individuals who have SpO2 <94% on room air at sea level, a ratio of arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) <300 mm Hg, respiratory frequency >30 breaths/min, or lung infiltrates >50%.
• Critical Illness: Individuals who have respiratory failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction.

Note:

Cases with moderate disease were the main group who were treated. Severe and mild cases shared a closely similar ratio of prevalence. We didn’t get the chance to visit any case in critical condition, because these cases directly visit the hospitals.

Treatment:

The majority of our patients were treated with homeopathy only. There were patients (in any clinical stage of the disease) who were on allopathic medications including OTCs before visiting us without significant amelioration, in whom once they showed significant signs of improvement within a day or so, the allopathic treatments were tapered and stopped.

Opium 

Case 1:

Date: 6^th  Oct 2020

B.N: A 63 year-old male; Hx of Hypertension and reactive airway disease. His job involves close contact with plastic products and once or twice annually he gets allergic respiratory reactions and has to use inhalers.

The patient was unwilling to give his case by himself so the information was provided by his wife. The symptoms started approximately 10 days to 14 days prior to the initial case taking. He was prescribed multi vitamin, cough relieving syrup, Pinen Hydronoplacton Ribonucleic acid (PHR) inhaler, Hydroxychloroqiune, Dexamethasone IV. The medications were used for a week and as none made him better, he decided to only use oxygen therapy. Later in the course of the disease they started homeopathy.

To explain his unwillingness to communicate directly, his wife said when he gets sick, even the relatives know that asking or calling him directly is irritating so they call the wife, though this time she was also affected with Covid.

She said he sleeps in his room and the rest of the family, all Covid positive, are careful not to disturb him. He doesn’t like visiting doctors as he is afraid of hospitals and that is the reason he delayed in getting himself checked.

SpO2 was fluctuating between 82% to 84% while resting and he had to use oxygen therapy quite frequently during the day.  His complexion was darkened and the lips turn bluish since 5th Oct evening.

(The photo is taken from the CT scan paper hence the poor quality)

Analysis:

Rx: Bryonia alba 1M every 4 hours

No change after 24 hours; he needs oxygen therapy quite a lot and his lips turn bluish if he attempts to walk.

Retake case on 8th Oct 2020:

He was still unwilling to give his symptoms directly. The problem started with severe body pain about 10 days ago; he was only taking paracetamol; he was very busy at his work place; for a week he had body aches and after a week he developed fever and chill; after 10 days, symptoms not subsiding, with the insistence of the family, he went for a check-up.

When the doctor said he is in acute phase of the disease and that the lungs are involved, he froze and went silent. He is generally a very fearful person; he is afraid of hospitals, doctors; injections. The reason he was not going to get himself checked was that he said “If I step in the hospital I will die.”

When he heard the doctor saying that he doesn’t need to get admitted right away, he opened up a little bit but the doctor also said that he needs to get admitted immediately if the breathlessness increases. His eyes rolled round out of fear waiting for the doctor’s response but then he was relieved that he could stay at home.

Every time he is sick he becomes quiet, becomes sedentary and does not communicate and if he is asked to communicate he gets irritated. Even his brothers want to ask how he is, they ask me, because when he is contacted by phone he reacts irritated.

Now he is just lying down on the bed. On and off needs oxygen. Last night his complexion was very darkened. Lips bluish. Pulse oximetry reading was around 83%.  Despite his breathlessness, out of fear of being admitted to hospital he says he is well.

He has not had perspiration, but he had fever and chill even when he covered himself. Habitually, his home treatment is to put on many clothes and cover himself with many blankets to make himself sweat and when he perspires profusely the fever goes and he feels fine. He did the same this time. That is why he had perspiration, otherwise the perspiration was not because of the disease.  The fever and chill was throughout the day.

Thirst: He doesn’t say whether he is thirsty or not; whatever is offered to him, when we come back, we see that only little bit of it is drunk. If we offer him something or not he is just sitting very quietly; not really asking for anything. We offer him everything. But he is like a statue. He has switched his phone; eyes closed and just resting. I feel he doesn’t have the energy to do anything.

If we speak loudly, switch the TV on or etc., he doesn’t say anything. He just doesn’t have anything to do with us. He likes moderate weather but is generally inclined towards warmth. Now he feels more chilly and he persuades us to open the windows so that fresh air comes in but he has to really cover himself, or else he asks us to close the windows.

Analysis:

Rx: Op 1M  every 6 hours

Follow- up: He joined the family for the next day’s breakfast; within 24 hours he stopped using oxygen. Within 2 days he increased his in-home activities. Didn’t anymore stay alone in his room and became much more communicative.

“We used to take his food to his room but after the first 3 doses, he joined us in the living room.” In 3 days his appetite came back completely. SpO2 reading was done after 3 days of homeopathy treatment, 93-94% without oxygen despite exertion.

He continued to progressively improved and we didn’t encounter any fluctuations during the treatment.  He was kept on Opium 1M every 6 hours for 7 days and then BID for another 5 days. After 14 days he returned back to his work, initially 2-3 hours daily and in the 3rd week he was fully active.

Scan is not repeated due to the unwillingness of the patient.

Note: 

As physicians we can be taken away by the state of the patient or the family and fail to see the complete picture of the disease which was there since the first day. It is very possible that in the urge to find a solution quickly our senses tend to be prejudiced and only grasp the partial picture.  This case emphasises the need to ground ourselves when we are sitting with a patient, as well as making sure to ground our patient and create a plain slate on which the complete picture of the disharmony unfolds.

Case 2:

Date: 8th Dec 2020

A 74 year-old male; diabetic (poorly controlled)/ hypertensive/ chronic kidney disease with Cr=3.8/BUN=99/ PTH=778(max=87)/ Smokes one pack of cigarettes per day for the past 53 years.

The patient is sick for the last 12 days. One day in the morning he went to the yard to smoke a cigarette, and clean the yard. After returning to the house he complained of shivering. The same day he started coughing. Two days later the coughs increased and he started to complain of general body ache. They visited a doctor who diagnosed the condition as a common cold and in that visit his SpO2 was 95%.

On the 5th day since the start of the symptoms he grew worse. He had very severe cough that could linger for two hours. On the 6th day the CT scan was obtained:

A day after the CT scan, he grew much worse and lost his appetite. He would sleep all the time with extreme prostration. He was even denying drinking so he was getting IV fluids daily.

He has not eaten anything, and is lying down on his right side mostly. He needs aid to go to the WC and when held by two people he literally puts all his weight on helpers. And apart from that he doesn’t do anything. When spoken to he responds but with eyes closed and other times he is asleep. He had episodes of confusion about time which concerned the family.

He would suddenly start to cough and it would be so severe it would make him suffocate. Very productive yellowish-greenish coughs.

When I spoke directly to the patient, he kept his eyes closed. He was communicative but whatever asked about his symptoms he denies having any and says he is feeling very well and that it was days ago that he had symptom for a few insignificant hours.

The daughter said that in the morning he complained of headache and asked for a pain killer. When the nurse came to inject IV fluids and reminded him of his request for pain killers due to the headache, he denied having any headache and said he is feeling perfectly fine.

He was taken to a pulmonologist and I asked about how he made the rapport with the physician: He didn’t object going to visit the doctor; he was calmly sitting but whenever the doctor asked about his symptoms he said he is feeling fine despite that  he didn’t have enough energy to sit.  When he sits he doesn’t have the energy to keep his eyes open.

His SpO2 saturation was 82% without oxygen in lying position. He was advised to be admitted but there was no empty space in the hospital.  No fever -No perspiration

Generally, he is a hot person but he chooses a place close to the heater to rest. Still when asked him about his thermal change he says anything feels okay for him.  He had several episodes of diarrhoea daily for the last 4 days which made him even weaker.  He has lost 7 kg in around 2 weeks.

Analysis:

Rx: Op 1M every 6 hours

Follow-up: 24 hours after commencement of the treatment, his sleepiness was reduced. He would sit and keep his eyes open when spoken to and then he would say “I am tired and I need to sleep”. No appetite at all.

48 hours after: he has asked for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also asked to be taken out to their garden. Diarrhoea stopped.

The family just provided pulse oximetry to check on 02 saturation level. The reading on the first day without aid and during rest has been fluctuating between 85%-89%. On the second day his readings were less fluctuating and more steady at 89%-90% and on one occasion it was 93%.

Day 4: His appetite is good. He doesn’t doze off while sitting. There is a clear distinction between the time he is active and when he is resting. He prefers to go out to his garden and has even suggested to take care of the plants and trees in the garden. He prefers cooler air like his healthy times. SpO2 89%-91%.

Day 8: A week later, his SpO2 is 93%-94%. He is able to take care of his needs by himself completely. He daily leaves home for a walk. He is not sleepy nor tired any more.

Further treatment is focused on his chronic pathologies; educate and support the patient to correct his diet and life style.

The patient was advised to use oxygen therapy but before the purchase, homeopathy treatment was started and because of rapid improvement the family decided not to use oxygen therapy.

Note:

8^th Dec 2020

Despite that he has been a smoker and his tongue resembles the ‘smokers’ tongue this was his first time experiencing his tongue in this shape. This pattern had sustained for the last 2 weeks since the early days when he fell sick. In healthy times, his tongue often has a thin, white coating. 48 hours after the commencement of the treatment the tongue pattern also changed.

 10th Dec 2020 

Belladonna 

Case 3