Wednesday, June 13, 2007

CHIKUNGUNYA :HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY

Chikungunya & its causes –
Chikungunya is a contagious, continuous fever which spreads through mosquito bite, especially the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is a viral disorder caused by alpha virus (also called chik virus). Chikungunya is named after the posture of a person who suffers from this severe type of fever (i.e. doubling up due to severe joint pains - in the local language of Tanzania). Sources say that chikungunya was first identified in Tanzania (1952) and in India by 1963. It had also a violent outbreak in India by 1971.
Aedes-type mosquitoes are smaller than other mosquitoes and they breed only in artificially stagnated fresh water, i.e. water tanks, water stored flower pots, buckets filled with water, etc. Aedes aegypti is the more common type. It is also called Asian tiger mosquito as it has white stripes in its black body and legs. It bites chiefly during the daytime.
Symptoms - Usually symptoms differ from place to place / patient to patient depending upon the age and stamina of the sufferer. The common symptoms are
§ Sudden rise in temperature above 101°F
§ Continuous fever with restlessness
§ Nausea and vomiting
§ Headache and severe body pain
§ Painful joints, especially knee and ankle
§ Swelling in the joints (occasional)
§ Redness and soreness of eyes
§ Glare of vision / sensitivity of eyes on seeing bright objects (occasional)
§ Itching, blotches and burning skin rashes (occasional)
§ Coated tongue with loss of taste
§ Ulcers or blisters in mouth
§ Diarrhoea (occasional)
§ Bleeding internal or external (in skin, brain and kidney) (occasional)
§ Neurological complications due to bleeding in brain (occasional)
Generally fever takes 5-7 days to subside (if properly treated), whereas other symptoms (if developed) take longer to go. For example - joint pains / swelling take at least 10-15 days to subside, sometimes even months.

Homeopathic approach - In Homeopathy, we treat the patients (symptoms of the patients) and not the disease. In Homeopathy, medicines are usually selected with the mode of onset of complaints, characteristic symptoms of the patient with respect to appetite, thirst, sweat, shivering, mental restlessness, sleep, urine, stool habits, and the character of the disease and its exciting cause, etc. A well-selected remedy quickly supports the body mechanism and clears the complaints at the earliest.
In Homeopathy, the medicines are not going to act against the disease or kill the bacteria or virus directly; diagnosis with lab investigations and causative factor (bacteria or virus) are less important. So, a lot of patients being diagnosed (?) as having chikungunya or 'PUO' can also be easily treated by increasing the immune mechanism with Homeopathy medicines. Homeopathic remedies make the patient more comfortable during treatment by supporting the healing process and stimulating the immune response.
Most often, chikungunya sufferers get hospitalised with high temperature, severe body pain, swelling of joints and redness of eyes. Even after treatment, the symptoms will not completely disappear and they will not feel the well-being sensation even after completion of the treatment. This most feared, communicable, tough in treating, chikungunya fever with its symptoms can be treated/controlled well with effective Homeopathy treatment. Homeopathy plays a major role by increasing the resistance power. The resistance is sought to be improved by giving no chance for occurrence or recurrence due to re-infection of the same bacteria or virus. One can feel the well-being sensation while / after being treated with Homeopathic medicines.
For treating chikungunya fever/suffering - Homeopathic medicines commonly used are Aconite, Apis-mel, Ars alb, Baptisia, Belladonna, Bryonia, Eupatorium Perf, Ferrum phos, Gelsemium, Nat mur, Rhus tox, Pulsatilla, Pyrogen, etc. It is better to have these medicines under the advice and diagnosis of a Qualified Homeopath since symptoms presentation of each individual varies and often calls for different type of medicines even for the same chikungunya fever. So, without consulting a doctor, one cannot take the right medicine for any ailment.
For prevention - One can buy the following medicines from Homeopathic pharmacy and take as per instructions for a week:Rhus tox 1M / 4 pills / daily morning and evening &Eupatorium perf 1M / 4 pills / daily afternoon and night
For post-fever effects
§ For joint pains and tiredness -Arnica 1M/ only one dose / 4 pills of 30 size globules - at bed time, followed with Rhus tox 1M / 4 pills / daily morning, afternoon, evening & night for a week
§ For joints swelling and pain-Bryonia 1M / 4 pills / daily morning and evening & Apis 200 / 4 pills / daily afternoon and night for a week
§ For headache -Gelsemium 200 / 4 pills / daily morning, afternoon, evening and night for a week
If any of the complaints happen to persist or seem not to get improved, it is better to consult your health professional immediately.

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