Disease Index Homeopathy Papers

Examining the Current E. Coli Outbreak

Written by Leela D'Souza

The article discusses the recent superbug threat with E.coli in Germany, India and many other countries. A possible set of homeopathic remedies covering the known symptom set of the superbug infection are mentioned.Prevention and Homeopathic Treatment of the E. coli superbug.

Prevention and Homeopathic Treatment

The World Health Organization reports that the recent outbreak of E. coli first identified in northern Germany has now spread to eleven other nations, including the U.S. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the U.S. has identified this particular strain as  Shiga Toxin producing E. Coli  0104:H4 (STEC 0104:H4).  As of this writing, there were 1,700 cases with 9 deaths, and 502 of the cases included hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure.

Government agencies were trying to identify the source and cause of this supertoxic hybrid E. coli.  The source was eventually identified as contaminated sprouts. Some had speculated that the superbug resulted from the use of antibiotics in livestock. However, in January ’06, the European Union banned the practice of feeding antibiotics to livestock for growth promotion. The overuse of antibiotics in general may still be a factor.

Other strains of E. coli have become resistant to Tetracycline, but this new breed is resistant to eight or more types of antibiotics. Conventional treatment includes the use of rehydration therapy and electrolyte replacement. When needed, peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis as well as blood transfusions, have also been used.  Anti-motility drugs for diarrhea are not recommended and may worsen the situation.  Antimicrobials may increase the risk of developing HUS.

So where does that leave us?   The first step would be to avoid consuming  contaminated foods. Choosing food grown locally and washing it thoroughly, or cooking it, is one way to do that. You have to cook food to 160 degrees Farenheit  (71 C) to kill E.coli. When preparing food, wash your hands thoroughly after handling uncooked food, especially meat.

Since this superbug resists conventional treatment, let us consider the homeopathic approach. The approach in homeopathy is twofold:

1.   Ancillary treatment –
IV fluids to maintain hydration and correct electrolyte imbalance
Blood transfusion for excessive haemorrhage
Watch for oliguria and early renal failure

2.      Prescribing the similimum or series of similimum’s based on homeopathic

characteristics and the evolving symptom pictures.

The common symptoms of STEC include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea  (often bloody), and vomiting. There may also be a low fever. The more serious cases develop HUS, which symptoms include : bloody diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain/ cramps, pale skin, fatigue, irritability, low fever, bruising, bleeding from nose or mouth, decreased urine output, swelling of face, hands, feet or entire body, confusion and sometimes neurological symptoms (one recent patient experienced numbness in the limbs), seizures and kidney failure.

Repertorization for an accurate homeopathic remedy requires a keen observation of characteristic homeopathic symptoms of each individual case, apart from the common symptoms. The choice of remedy should have a tubercular miasmatic background as most of these cases present with bleeding in some form or other and this is an infective illness. The remedy should have a definite sphere of action on the pathological picture of this disease. In some cases the characteristics are not easily obtained, especially in severe cases. In those situations, Boger’s method of choosing a pathological similimum is best for remedy selection.

Observing the characteristics indicating the simillimum, depends on accurate observation of modalities of aggravation and amelioration that modify the common symptoms of the dysentery, or the concomitant symptoms associated with it. In some situations, the concomitant symptom may be a physical one – bleeding from the nose or mouth, or else a characteristic mental state – fear, anguish or peculiar delusion with fever or a dream, etc.

If complications have set it in, such as renal failure or seizures, an acute phase remedy may be required to overcome this stage before the indicated acute similimum is prescribed. An experienced homeopathic physician would be able to demarcate the different phases and observe a change of picture that would require a change of remedy. Needless to say, management is demanding, watching both for remedy response and evolving symptom picture, as well as observing vital signs of the patient and need for ancillary supportive measures. Cases previously treated with antibiotics may need intercurrent prescriptions while on the acute similimum.

The reduced frequency of stools, reduced bleeding, decreasing colic, improved sense of wellbeing and increased appetite are some of the indications of a good prescription. Some of the remedies that are commonly indicated include:

Ars Alb, Argentum Nitricum, Phos, Lachesis, Crotallus horr.,Cantharis, Merc Sol, Merc Cor, Terebinth, etc.

About the author

Leela D'Souza

Leela D'Souza-Francisco, MD (Hom), CIH (Cardiology) is a Mumbai-based homeopathic professional whose experience includes intensive graduate medical training at India's leading homeopathic medical institution in Mumbai, completed in 1990. She completed her MD (Hom) from MUHS, Nashik in 2008 with a Dissertation entitled "Emergency Management in Homeopathy". She obtained a post graduate MSc (Homeopathy) degree from UCLAN, UK in 2009 with a Dissertation entitled "How Can We Develop Suitable Clinical Trials for Research in Classical Homeopathy". Her present interests include management of in-patients in homeopathic hospitals, and clinical research in classical homeopathy. She has been in practice for over 20 years and is online at www.homeopathy2health.com for the last 15 years. Presently she is Consulting Homeopathic Physician, with specialization in Cardiology at Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai.
Visit Dr. Leela D'Souza at her website : http://www.homeopathy2health.com/member.htm
and contact her at: [email protected]

4 Comments

  • Hi Mona Anisa,
    Thank you for adding these remedies to the list – Yes China is a very good suggestion and should have been included in the list above. China Ars is another.

    Aconite and Apis must have had their typical indications as well?

    X-ray as a remedy you suggest worked as preventive?

    Good work!

  • Dear Mrs. D`Souza

    your article is very reliable to current EHEC and Noro-Virus cases. i would like to add a few comments from my practice.

    i am user of the very good Open-rep-pro software (only missing a german translation) and also user of the bilangual Radar-easy-light software.

    Yet in epidemics a few medicines filter out for most of the acute cases without thorough repertorization .The most remedies we used were Ars.alb ,Apis mell, Aconite, phosphorus,China and once ipecacuanha

    a noticeable thing was that the Illness recurred in most of the cases after two weeks in a less severe form. (natural illness or remedy effect?)

    a lady,54 years of age , with astrozytom Grade II, whose tumor was operated and who received 21 days radiation therapie ,did not get any infection or loss of hair in time period april to june after having received a dose of x-ray c200 ,repeated after 2 weeks. Her family had Sinubronchitis that time.

    i wonder if this EHEC has something to do with leakage of nuclear material from the Reactor in Fessenheim (France) on 8.4.11 into the rhine River ( see the german link .

    one female case , 44 years old ,received on 28.3.11 pulsatilla c 200 because of psychic symtoms of depression in the climacteric . She developed new symtoms on 11.4.11 (! before the outbreak of EHEC in northern germany) which were intermittent lowgrade fever , chills and severe weakness,soft tissue pain, slight kindney pain,haematuria,burning micturition and heavy blueblack eye rings ,anxiety and fear of dangerous disease.she lives in southern germany near the french border .

    CHIN-re ESBL (multiple resistant escherichia Coli )100 000 /ml were isolated in urine culture, and the microbiologist was very worried ,calling me more than once .She was and admitted 4 days to hospital and her urine was clear yet on discharge she had still the same symptoms. .A new urine culture revealed once more ESBL 100/ml.She received China c 30 and improved .Her Family members (husband ,three daughters, one son) did not get the infection.
    14 days later the infection recurred in a milder form regarding symptoms.The culture showed again 100 000/ml esblthis week . She received ars.alb c 30 .i shall see her in two weeks again

    i hope these comments are helpful to you

    with kind regards
    .

    Mona Anisa

  • dear dr I read your article and found it very knowlegeable for me. I am also a homeopath and practicing in Pakistan. Its true homeopathic treatment that cures the patient. wish you good luck

  • Having trouble in urine last 20year started after detected by kidney stone in 1994 in urine culture ecoli grown is detected rightnow using AUGMENTIN 1000 antibiotics . If i dont use there’s blood in urine

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