Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Epilepsy.

Epilepsy.
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D. I. Hom. (London)



I - INTRODUCTION

Epilepsy, also called seizure disorder, chronic brain disorder that briefly interrupts the normal electrical activity of the brain to cause seizures, characterized by a variety of symptoms including uncontrolled movements of the body, disorientation or confusion, sudden fear, or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy may result from a head injury, stroke, brain tumor, lead poisoning, genetic conditions, or severe infections like meningitis or encephalitis. In over 70 percent of cases no cause for epilepsy is identified. Some 40 to 50 million people suffer from epilepsy worldwide and the majority of cases are in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 2 million new cases are diagnosed each year globally.



II - TYPES OF SEIZURES

Epileptic seizures vary in intensity and symptoms depending on what part of the brain is involved. In partial seizures, the most common form of seizure in adults, only one area of the brain is involved. Partial seizures are classified as simple partial, complex partial (also known as psychomotor), and absence (also known as myoclonic or petit mal) seizures.

People who have simple partial seizures may experience unusual sensations such as uncontrollable jerky motions of a body part, sight or hearing impairment, sudden sweating or flushing, nausea, and feelings of fear.

Complex partial seizures, also called temporal lobe epilepsy, last for only one or two minutes. The individual may appear to be in a trance and moves randomly with no control over body movements. The individual's activity does not cease during the seizure, but behavior is random and totally unrelated to the individual's surroundings. This form of seizure may be preceded by an aura (a warning sensation characterized by feelings of fear, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, or strange odors and sensations).

Absence seizures, rare in adults, are characterized by a sudden, momentary loss or impairment of consciousness. Overt symptoms are often as slight as an upward staring of the eyes, a staggering gait, or a twitching of the facial muscles. No aura occurs and the person often resumes activity without realizing that the seizure has occurred.

In a second type of epilepsy, known as generalized seizure, tonic clonic, grand mal, or convulsion, the whole brain is involved. This type of seizure is often signaled by an involuntary scream, caused by contraction of the muscles that control breathing. As loss of consciousness sets in, the entire body is gripped by a jerking muscular contraction. The face reddens, breathing stops, and the back arches. Subsequently, alternate contractions and relaxations of the muscles throw the body into sometimes violent agitation such that the person may be subject to serious injury. After the convulsion subsides, the person is exhausted and may sleep heavily. Confusion, nausea, and sore muscles are often experienced upon awakening, and the individual may have no memory of the seizure. Attacks occur at varying intervals, in some people as seldom as once a year and in others as frequently as several times a day. About 8 percent of those subject to generalized seizures may have status epilepticus, in which seizures occur successively with no intervening periods of consciousness. These attacks may be fatal unless treated promptly with the drug diazepam.



III - DIAGNOSIS

In persons suffering from epilepsy, the brain waves, electrical activity in the part of the brain called the cerebral cortex, have a characteristically abnormal rhythm produced by excessive electrical discharges in the nerve cells. Because these wave patterns differ markedly according to their specific source, a recording of the brain waves, known as an electroencephalogram (EEG) is important in the diagnosis and study of the disorder. Diagnosis also requires a thorough medical history describing seizure characteristics and frequency.



IV - TREATMENT

There is no cure for epilepsy but symptoms of the disorder may be treated with drugs, surgery, or a special diet. Drug therapy is the most common treatment-seizures can be prevented or their frequency lessened in 80 to 85 percent of cases by drugs known as anticonvulsants or antiepileptics. Surgery is used when drug treatments fail and the brain tissue causing the seizures is confined to one area and can safely be removed. A special high-fat diet known as a ketogenic diet produces a chemical condition in the body called ketosis that helps prevent seizures in young children. Like any medical condition, epilepsy is affected by general health. Regular exercise, plenty of rest, and efforts to reduce stress can all have a positive effect on a person with a seizure disorder.

First aid for generalized seizures involves protecting the individual by clearing the area of sharp or hard objects, providing soft cushioning for the head, such as a pillow or folded jacket and, if necessary, turning the individual on the side to keep his or her airway clear. The individual having a seizure should not be restrained and the mouth should not be forced open-it is not true that a person having a seizure can swallow the tongue. If the individual having the seizure is known to have epilepsy or is wearing epilepsy identification jewelry, an ambulance should only be called if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes, another seizure closely follows the first, or the person cannot be awakened after the jerking movements subside.



ANTI-EPILEPTIC ALLOPATHIC DRUGS

TEGRETOL Carbamazepine

This is a powerful anti-epileptic drug with a wide range of activity. It is available as white tablets of two strengths (100 mg and 200 mg), and is usually given twice a day (say after breakfast, and then after the evening meal, around 12 hours later). An average sized adult usually requires between one and two tablets (200 mg size, twice a day).

If the dose is too high, the patient may appear to be "drunk", with drowsiness, lack of co-ordination in walking, etc. Reduction of the dose, based on blood levels, is all that is required.

Side effects (unwanted symptoms occurring in someone whose levels are correct) are common in the first few days or week or two, especially giddiness and light headedness, mild nausea, and dryness of the mouth. These usually disappear within a few days. They are less likely to occur if Tegretol is introduced in a gradual way. A measles-like rash sometimes occurs during Tegretol treatment, and in this event, Tegretol must be replaced by another anti-epileptic drug. Serious side effects are fortunately rare. They include jaundice due to liver involvement, and lowering of the white cell count of the blood, resulting in persistent ulceration of the throat and mouth.

The manufacturers recommend that blood tests (full blood count, tests of liver and kidney function) be carried out before starting Tegretol, and that the full blood count be repeated weekly for the first month of treatment, then monthly for the first year.

In practice, Tegretol side effects are usually mild, and disappear within the first week or two. It is arguably the most powerful and useful anti-epileptic drug currently available.



EPILIM Sodium valproate

This is another extremely useful drug with a wide range of anti-epileptic activity. It is thought to act by increasing the brain's levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA.

Epilim is presented as lilac colored tablets of 200 mg and 500 mg strength. These should be swallowed whole. It is also available as crushable tablets of 100 mg strength, and as syrup of 200 mg/5ml strength, and sugar free liquid of similar strength.

It is usual to give Epilim twice a day, with meals, with roughly 12 hours between doses. Since blood levels of Epilim are unreliable as a guide, adjustment of the dosage is made according to the patient's body weight, and the adequacy of seizure control. The usual dose range is 20 to 30 mg/kg body weight/24 hours.

Mild side effects, especially nausea and diarrhea in the first few days, are common. A fine tremor of the hands is often noticed in patients taking Epilim over the long term. Weight gain and loss of hair (usually reversible) can also occur.

Very rarely, Epilim may produce acute liver disease, and there have been instances of acute liver failure, some fatal. Small children and infants with serious underlying medical conditions are most at risk. The question of the safety of Epilim has received careful study by Australian health authorities, and its continued use has been endorsed, for it is in practice a widely used, effective, and well tolerated medication.

It is suggested that Epilim be avoided in patients with a history of liver disease, and that blood tests to check liver function and the level of platelets in the blood (sometimes reduced by Epilim) be carried out before starting treatment, and repeated after one month's treatment, and thereafter at intervals of not more than 6 months. Minor abnormalities of liver function are common in patients taking most anti-epileptic drugs, but evidence of increasing abnormality would require substitution of Epilim.

Symptoms of this rare complication of liver failure include severe nausea persistent abnormal pain, jaundice (yellowish discoloration of the skin), severe nausea, weakness and tiredness, and swelling of the face. Any of these symptoms should be reported to the treating doctor.



DILANTIN Phenytoin sodium

This is the oldest of the effective major anti-epileptic drugs. It is still one of the most potent in preventing major seizures of tonic-clonic and other types, but its troublesome side effects have meant that the other, newer drugs such as Tegretol and Epilim are usually selected instead. Dilantin has a powerful action in controlling seizures, and is very useful as an additional drug where seizures cannot be controlled by one drug alone, or when it is not intended to continue treatment over a very long period (for example, when anti-epileptic drugs are given routinely for a year or two after brain surgery).

Dilantin is presented in capsule form (100mg, orange and white capsules, 30mg, all white capsules), in liquid form (30 mg/5ml strength for children, 100 mg/5ml. "Dilantin Forte Suspension" for adults), and as chewable tablets for children (50 mg, "Infatabs")

The drug is slowly released, so that theoretically it would be possible to take the medication as a dingle daily dose; however, people's memories being what they are, it is recommended that the medication be taken twice a day (e. g. after breakfast, and after the evening meal as a routine). The usual dose for an adult of average size is 3 to 4 capsules of 100 mg strength per 24 hours.

Dilantin overdose produces symptoms similar to drunkenness, with drowsiness, unsteadiness on the feet, etc. Blood levels of Dilantin will indicate the true picture.

Short term side effects of Dilantin are not usually a problem, but side effects developing gradually over a period of years do present serious objections to its long term use, especially as other effective anti-epileptic drugs which do not have these problems are now available. These long-term side effects of Dilantin are the growth of hair on the face, arms and legs, especially in female patients of dark complexion, unhealthy overgrowth of the gums, with a tendency for them to bleed, and mental sluggishness and loss of memory.

If Dilantin is to be taken over a long period, special attention should be paid to brushing the teeth and generally maintaining good oral hygiene. An uncommon complication of Dilantin therapy is the development of an allergic measles like rash, which requires substitution of the drug with another.



ZARONTIN Ethisyxunudem

This drug is effective in controlling one form of epilepsy only, namely absence seizures (formerly known as "petit mal"). As this form of epilepsy begins in childhood, Zarontin is made available as a red syrup (250 mg/5 ml) and as capsules (250 mg). The dose required will vary according to blood levels and body weight, the average dose for a child aged 6 years being one capsule, 2 or 3 times a day.

Side effects are not common, but include nausea and digestive upset, drowsiness and sleep disturbance.



Benzodiazepine Drugs

These drugs have sedative and anti-anxiety properties as well as being anti-epileptic. They are in fact only fairly week drugs against epilepsy, while their tendency to produce sedation and dependency greatly limit their usefulness. In practice, these drugs should never be used as a first choice, but rather reserved for those situations where epilepsy remains uncontrolled despite treatment with adequate doses of other anti-epileptic drugs.

The benzodiazepine drugs include:

RIVOTRIL (Clonazepam).
FRISIUM (Clobazepam).
VALIUM (Diazepam).
MOGODON (Nitrazepam).

The main side effects of these drugs are sedation and drowsiness in the daytime. There is a risk of producing drug dependency. Also, patients may experience various unpleasant side effects, such as restlessness, sleep disturbances, etc. when these drugs are withdrawn after a long period of administration.



Barbiturate Drugs

These drugs were widely used in the 1950's and 1960's, but are now considered to be obsolete. They are not very effective in suppressing seizures, but they frequently cause slowing of the intellect and depression. Withdrawing these medications can be extremely traumatic, with anxiety, restlessness, tremors, insomnia, and an increased risk of convulsions being prominent as the drug leaves the system.

An effort should be made to change every patient still taking these drugs over to one of the newer anti-epileptic medications, difficult as this might be.

Barbiturate anti-epileptic drugs still available include:

PROMINAL (Methylphenobarbitone).
MYSOLINE (Primidone).
PHENOBARBITONE.



Other Drugs

OSPOLOT (Sulthiame, Bayer Pharmaceuticals)

This drug may have a special value in controlling epilepsy in intellectually disabled, aggressive children. It is not a very effective anti-epileptic, and is not widely used.



The Newest Anti-epileptic Drugs

These drugs are the outcome of research aimed at suppressing seizures by either increasing inhibition (through enhancing the activity of the natural inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, or simulating its action); or, alternatively, reducing the effectiveness of natural excitatory neurotransmitters, such as glutamate.



HOMŒOPATHIC TREATMENT

Calcarea carbonica.

The treatment of epilepsy should be directed to the underlying dyscrasia, as this is at fault in most, if not all, cases. Calcarea carbonica, with its rickety, tuberculous, scrofulous and flabby symptoms, its characteristic deficiency of lime assimilation, as shown in children by the open fontanelles and backward dentition, will frequently be the remedy with which to commence the treatment. The characteristic relaxation on falling asleep and the sweating of the head and neck are fine indications for its use. It has an excellent clinical record. A epileptic suffering continually from the dread of an attack will withdraw himself as much as possible from the outside world, brood over his affliction and become melancholic, and there is no other remedy so well adapted to this condition as Calcarea. Its anxiety, palpitation, apprehensive mood despondency, fretfulness and irritability, its weakness of memory, its loss of consciousness, its vertigo and convulsions are prominent and characteristic indications for its use in epilepsy. If epilepsy be caused by fright, suppression of some long standing eruption, onanism or venereal excess it will probably be one of the remedies to use in the course of the treatment, and here it would follow Sulphur well. The aura may begin in the solar plexus and pass upwards like a wave, or go from the epigastric region down to the uterus and limbs. Like Sulphur it has a sensation as if a mouse were running up the arm previous to the attacks.

Causticum, too, is closely allied to Calcarea, and is indicated in epilepsy connected with menstrual irregularities and also in epilepsy occurring at the age of puberty.



Bufo rana.

Epilepsy arising from fright, or self-abuse, or sexual excesses, will often find its remedy in Bufo rana. The aura preceding the attacks starts from the genital organs; even during coitus the patient may be seized with violent convulsions. In another form for which Bufo is suitable the aura starts from the solar plexus. Previous to the attacks, the patient is very irritable, often talks incoherently and is easily angered. It is especially in the sexual form, that brought on by masturbation, that Bufo is signally useful. It has also proved useful in severe cases in children where the head in the convulsion is drawn backwards. Indigo has epileptiform convulsions from the irritation of worms, but the patient must be low-spirited and sad-- "blue as indigo." It is the "bluest remedy in the materia medica." Dr. Colby, of Boston, considers it superior to the bromides. Flushes of heat seem to rise from the solar plexus to the head and there is an undulating sensation in the brain similar to Cimicifuga. Bufo, like Nux vomica, is vehement and irritable. These two remedies and Silicea and Calcarea have the aura starting from the solar plexus. Stannum is also a remedy for epilepsy arising from reflex irritation, as from worms and also from sexual complications.



Cuprum Metallicum.

Cuprum is a very deep-acting remedy, its well-known power of producing convulsions and spasms and its excellent clinical record make it a valuable remedy in epilepsy. We know positively that poisonous doses of Cuprum cause epileptic symptoms, and it is among the most curative remedies for epilepsy in child life. The convulsions start form the brain, though the aura, which is one of long duration, seems to center in the epigastrium. Owing to this long duration of the aura consciousness is not immediately lost, and the patient will often notice the contractions in the fingers and toes before they become unconscious. The face and lips are very blue, the eyeballs are rotated, there is frothing at the mouth and violent contractions of the flexors. The attacks is usually ushered in by a shrill cry and the cases are most violent and continued. It is also a remedy for nocturnal epilepsy when the fits occur at regular intervals, such as the menstrual periods. Epileptiform spasms during dentition or from retrocessed exanthema may indicate Cuprum. Dr. Halbert remarks that Cuprum will stop the frequency of the attacks more satisfactorily than any other remedy, it is his sheet anchor in old and obstinate cases.

Butler also claims his best results from this remedy. Argentum nitricum is also a remedy for epilepsy, the strong indicating features being the dilated pupils four or five days before the attack, and the restlessness and trembling of the hands after the attack. Menstrual and fright epilepsies often call for this remedy the characteristic being the aura, which lasts a number of hours before the attack. Moral causes may lead to an attack. Patient is low spirited, easily discouraged and frightened.



Œnanthe crocata.

Perhaps no remedy in the materia medica more closely pictures epilepsy than Œnanthe. Its use in the disease has been mainly from clinical data, but there is ample proof from studying toxic cases that it is homœopathic to many cases of epilepsy. The reliable and practical symptoms calling for its use may be summed up as follows: Sudden and complete loss of consciousness; swollen livid face; frothing at the mouth; dilated or irregular pupils; convulsions with locked jaws and cold exremities. Dr. S. H. Talcott, of the Middletown State Hospital, summed up his experience with the remedy as follows:

1. The fits decrease in number 40 to 50 per cent.

2. The convulsion are less severe than formerly.

3. There is less maniacal excitement before the fits.

4. Less sleeplessness, stupor and apathy after the fits and

the debilitating effects of the attacks are more quickly recovered from.

5. The patients treated with Œnanthe are less irritable, less suspicious and less fault finding.

6. The patients are more easily cared for.

The writer can add his testimony to the effect of Œnanthe in controlling attacks of epilepsy. It seems to act better in the 3X or 6X potency than in the tincture. Cases of cure of the disease are becoming more numerous. Artemisia vulgaris is another remedy which has been successfully used for epilepsy from fright or some mental emotion, where the attacks occur in rapid succession, and also in petit mal, where the patient is unconscious only for a few seconds and then resumes his occupation as if nothing had happened. Artemisia absinthium indicated in seizures preceded by vertigo, a warm sensation rising from the stomach, and by a slight impairment

of speech, and Solanum Carolinense are also remedies which in some cases have wrought cures, the latter according to

Dr. Halbert, of Chicago, also praises it. Melancholia seems to be an indication and also attacks appearing at menstrual periods. Verbena hastata is also recommended, but no special indications are to be found.



Kali bromatum.

This remedy should have no place in the homœopathic treatment of epilepsy; it is given here because it is the principal drug employed by the allopathic school, and because nearly all cases coming to us for treatment from old school hands are liable to be complicated by a previous treatment with the bromides, notable the Bromide of Potash. It is not a curative remedy, but a palliative one; it strikes at the attack and not the disease. It will often modify the attacks, and used as a prophylactic may avert the seizure, but its prolonged use works inevitable harm. It weakens the mental faculties and hastens imbecility. Camphora is useful to prevent the attacks, shorten the duration and lessen the intensity. It is indicated by all the characteristic of epilepsy and hence is a safer prophylactic than the Bromide of potash. Camphora, Nux vomica and Zincum are mentioned as antidotes for the abuse of the Bromide of Potash. Bromide acne is often present in cases coming to us from old school hands.



Silicea.

Silicea is one of our most valuable remedies in epilepsy. It suits especially scrofulous and rickety subjects. The aura starts from the solar plexus, as in Bufo and Nux vomica. Certain phases of the moon are said to affect the attacks, which are brought on by an overstrain of the mind or emotions. Nocturnal epilepsy, feeling of coldness before an attacks is also characteristic of the drug, and the fit is followed by warm perspiration. Cuprum is also a remedy for nocturnal epilepsy and must be thought of when attacks invariably occur in the night. When Silicea is required there is an exalted susceptibility of the upper spinal cord and the medulla and an exhausted condition of the nerves. The attacks occur about the time of the new moon. It comes in after Calcarea in inveterate chronic cases, and coldness of the left side of the body preceding the attack is very characteristic.



Nux vomica.

The characterizing feature of epilepsy is loss of consciousness, therefore, Nux vomica is not often a remedy in the idiopathic form. It suits cases arising from an excess of the reflex action caused, for instance, by indigestion. The aura in a case calling for Nux starts in the solar plexus, and among the most characteristic symptoms is a sensation of ants crawling over the face. The middle and higher potencies will be found more useful in the spinal form of epilepsy, and this is the form most suitable to Nux. Plumbum has caused epilepsy, and we may use it for these symptoms: the attack is preceded by a heaviness of the legs and is followed by paralysis; epileptic seizures from sclerosis, or from tumors of the brain, consciousness returning slowly after an attack is another indication and it is more suitable to the chronic forms of the disease. Constipation and abdominal pains further indicate. Secale is recommended for sudden and rapidly recurring convulsions, with rapid sinking of strength and paralysis of the spinal nerves.



Cicuta virosa.

The indications for cicuta are sudden rigidity followed by jerks and violent distortions, and these followed by utter prostration. The prostration is characteristic, being equaled only by that of Chininum arsenicosum. There is

a tonic spasm renewed by touch simulating Strychnia; but in Cicuta there is loss of consciousness, thus resembling more the epileptiform. There is great oppression of breathing, lockjaw, face dark red, frothing at the mouth and opisthotonos. The reflex excitability under Cicuta is much less than under Strychnia. Another characteristic of Cicuta is fixed staring eyes; others are trembling before and after the spasm and strange feeling in the head preceding the attack. Bayes, however, regards muscular convulsions as a specially prominent symptom for Cuprum.



Sulphur

Like Calcarea, Sulphur is a constitutional or basic remedy, and it will act well where there is a scrofulous taint. It is useful for the same class of cases as is Calcarea; namely, those brought on by sexual excesses or the suppression of some eruption. The convulsions are attended with great exhaustion and it is suitable to the chronic form of epilepsy in children who are typical Sulphur patients. There is perhaps a tendency to fall to the left side. Sulphur is also a useful intercurrent remedy in the course of the treatment of an epilepsy. Psorinum may also be needed as an intercurrent.



Hyoscyamus

In epileptic convulsions Hyoscyamus is a most valuable remedy. There is much twitching and jerking and hunger previous to the attack, there is frothing at the mouth and biting of the tongue. A violent fright will produce an attack that will call for Hyoscyamus. The convulsions seem to have more of a hysterical nature, and there are illusions of sight and hearing. Stramonium has epilepsy from fright, sudden loss of consciousness and jerking of the head to the right, with rotary motion of the left arm. Stramonium is the opposite of Belladonna, for whereas the Belladonna patient shuns light, fears noises and is sensitive in the highest degree, the Stramonium patient fears darkness and hates to be alone; he acts like a coward and trembles and shakes. Agaricus 30 cured a case of epilepsy of 22 years' standing for Dr. Winterburn. He was led to its prescription by the unusual symptom of "great flow of ideas and loquacity after the attack."



Belladonna

Belladonna is especially a remedy for acute epilepsies, when the cerebral symptoms ar prominent, where the face is flushed and the whole trouble seems to picture cerebral irritation, and more especially if the patient be young. There is an aura as if a mouse were running over an extremity, or of heat rising from the stomach. There are illusions of sight and hearing, and the convulsions are apt to commence in an upper extremity and extend to the mouth, face and eyes. The great irritability of the nervous system, the easily disturbed sleep, the startings, the tremors and twitching and the general Belladonna symptoms will render the choice easy. Atropine, the alkaloid of Belladonna, has also been used successfully in the treatment of epilepsy. Hydrocyanic acid. Another remedy is Hydrocyanic acid, to which Hughes ascribes specific powers in the disease. In recent cases it perhaps our best remedy. the cases calling for it will be characterized by loss of consciousness, clenched hands, set jaws, frothing at the mouth, inability to swallow, and the attack is followed by great drowsiness and prostration. Children are disinclined to play and take but little interest in anything. It is one of our mainstays in epilepsy and its clinical record ranks it high.



Causticum.

Causticum is useful in Petit mal, also when the patient falls while walking in the open air, but soon recovers. It is said to be useful when the attacks occur at new moon. It menstrual epilepsy and that occurring at puberty Causticum is the remedy. Kafka recommends Hepar in nocturnal epilepsy. Causticum is perhaps better suited to recent and light cases. Another preparation of potash, Kali muriaticum, is a most useful remedy in epilepsy; it has an affinity for the nerve centers and it is a slow acting remedy.



Reference :

MS Encarta Encyclopedia 2002.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Childbirth.





Childbirth.
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D. I. Hom. (London)



Childbirth is the process by which a woman gives birth to a baby. A pregnant woman carries a baby within her body inside a hollow, muscular organ called the uterus. After about nine months, the baby passes out of the uterus and through the vagina, also called the birth canal. Childbirth can be painful, but the severity of the pain varies among women.

The birth process is called labor. The process begins when the muscles of the uterus start to tighten and relax in a rhythmic pattern. As labor progresses, these muscle contractions become stronger and more frequent, causing the cervix (lower part of the uterus) to open. After the cervix has opened about 4 inches (10 centimeters), the contractions gradually force the baby through the cervix and out of the woman's body through the vagina. Many women assist the process by "pushing" with their abdominal muscles in time with their contractions. The amniotic sac, a membrane containing fluids that surround the baby, breaks before or during labor. The fluids flow out through the vagina.

In most births, the head is the first part of the baby that comes out of the mother's body. But in some deliveries, called breech births, the feet or buttocks come out first. After the baby has come out of the mother's body completely, the umbilical cord is cut, and the infant starts to breathe. The umbilical cord is a tubelike structure that connects the baby to the placenta, an organ attached to the wall of the uterus. Food and oxygen from the mother's blood pass through the placenta to the baby during pregnancy.

After the baby is born, the muscles of the uterus continue to contract until the placenta separates from the uterus and is expelled through the vagina. The discharged placenta is also called the afterbirth.

The length of labor varies greatly among women. It averages 13 to 14 hours for women having their first babies and lasts 7 to 8 hours thereafter.

Some woman need an operation called a cesarean section to deliver a baby. In this operation, a surgeon removes the baby and the placenta through an incision in the abdomen and uterus. Cesarean sections are performed for a number of reasons, but chiefly because the baby cannot pass through the birth canal. The woman's pelvis may be too small, or the baby may be too large.

Methods of childbirth. Most women in developed countries deliver their babies in hospitals, which have specially equipped birth facilities. During childbirth, a woman may receive medication to relieve her labor pains. In some cases, a physician will administer a drug to induce (bring on) labor. Before delivery, the physician may widen the woman's vaginal opening by making a small incision called an episiotomy.

In many cases, physicians use an electronic fetal monitor to record the baby's heartbeat during labor. Disturbances in the heartbeat may signal that the baby is in danger and that a cesarean section may be necessary.

During the 1960's and the 1970's, many hospitals developed educational programs to prepare women for childbirth and parenting. These programs instruct both mothers and fathers on pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care. In addition, such programs as natural childbirth and the Lamaze method teach relaxation exercises and breathing techniques to lessen the discomfort of labor, thus reducing the need for painkilling drugs. Many such drugs pass to the baby through the placenta, so some women choose to avoid them. Some women also avoid drugs so they can remain alert throughout labor.

A type of anesthesia called an epidural is another popular method for relieving labor pain. This form of pain relief does not affect the baby or reduce the mother's alertness, but it must be given by a specially trained doctor. Epidural anesthesia is injected through a small tube that is inserted into the back next to the spinal cord. When the anesthesia is absorbed by nerves that go from the spine to the uterus, it almost completely eliminates labor pains.

At many hospitals, birthing rooms offer an alternative to traditional labor and delivery rooms. Most birthing rooms resemble a home bedroom and are used for labor, delivery, and sometimes recovery. Birthing rooms provide a relaxed and intimate atmosphere where the hospital's facilities are still at hand if complications occur.

For convenience, following is the Pregnancy Table for expected date of delivery:



Pregnancy table for expected date of delivery



Find the date of the last menstrual period in the top line (light-face type) of the pair of lines.

The dark number (bold-face type) in the line below will be the expected day of delivery.


I have come across with an article published on 16 Mar 2004 in "KID’S HEALTH" Magazine, which is reproduced below to assist new mothers.


Steps to Recovering From Delivery

That Every Woman Needs to Know

You have spent the last nine months of your life preparing, anticipating, writing out lists of names, picking out the perfect home from the hospital outfit and stocking up on diapers while waiting for that tiny precious life to arrive and now the moment has come. After the excitement and family visitors, it’s a special bonding time for you and your baby.

You’re filled with love every time you look at your baby, yet you are feeling a mix of new and unexpected physical and emotional experiences. Lamaze classes, and advice from your mother and friends who have had children, may have prepared you for childbirth, but not for this.

First, the important thing to realize is that these feelings are normal and the key to dealing with them is acknowledgement, then finding a coping strategy. The following list compiled by the Kid’s Health magazine offers what physical and emotional symptoms to expect after childbirth:



Physical symptoms

* Tenderness in the breasts: Your breasts may become painfully enlarged when the milk comes in and your nipples may become sore.
* Constipation: The first bowel movement is usually delayed to the third or fourth day after delivery and you may feel sore due to sensitive hemorrhoids.
* Episiotomy: If your perineum (the area of skin between the vagina and the anus) was cut by your doctor during the birth, it may be difficult to walk or sit because the stitches are healing.
* Hemorrhoids: These are very common yet usually unexpected and not noticed initially.
* Hot and cold flashes: Your internal thermostat is fluctuating trying to adjust to the new hormone and blood flow levels.
* Urinary or fecal incontinence: Coughing, laughing or straining can cause you to inadvertently pass urine due to the muscles that were stretched during delivery, particularly long vaginal deliveries.
* "After pains": Contractions caused by the shrinking of your uterus may worsen when your baby is nursing.
* Vaginal discharge: Your periods may be heavier, with clots sometimes the size of golf balls, but will gradually taper off and stop altogether after two months.
* Weight: Before you start losing weight, your postpartum weight will be around 10 pounds below your full-term weight.
*

Wide-range of emotions

* "Baby blues": As a result of hormonal changes such as exhaustion, unexpected birth experiences, adjusting to new roles and feelings of loss of control over your life, makes up about 80 percent of what new moms feel. Emotions such as sadness, crying, or anxiety can happen days or weeks after delivery.
* Postpartum depression: 10 percent to 20 percent of new moms may experience mood swings, anxiety, guilt and persistent sadness. This is considered more serious than the baby blues and can occur several months after delivery.
* Postpartum psychosis: A severe and fairly rare condition that may become life threatening to you and your baby and you should call your doctor immediately if you experience any feelings of harming yourself or your baby.
* What to expect after a cesarean section

* This is a major surgery and takes a much longer time to heal.
* The worse pain will be the day after the surgery and will gradually begin to subside.
* Don’t scratch the area of the incision and take sponge baths for the first several days.
* If you notice any redness or swelling around the incision, call your doctor to make sure it isn’t infected.
* To help the recovery process, start gentle exercises such as abdominal tightening, bending and walking, (with assistance initially) as soon as possible.
* Drink lots of water, preferably eight to ten glasses a day.
* Expect vaginal discharge.
* Avoid stairs and driving until you have healed properly.



Taking time for yourself

One major area of new mothers’ lives that is thrown off kilter once the baby arrives is allowing time for you. Experts say that it’s important for moms to know that if you feel like you need some time for yourself, that you not only deserve it but are entitled to it.

Making time in your schedule whether that be through the help of a significant other, family member or friend, will help with giving you the feeling of having control over your life and gaining some sense of self.

Experts recommend beginning a self-care program early on after having your baby and always remember that good mothering does not mean perfect mothering. Formulating a self-care program involves developing a sense of balance between yourself and family members and pursuing your own interests and goals that you set for yourself. Not only are your needs important to the development of the family, but also are fundamental to their happiness.

The following exercise is a great way to help you set your priorities after motherhood:

Make a list of five activities, goals, hobbies or interests that are important to you to pursue in the year following childbirth.

Next, make a promise to yourself that you will look at this list a few months after your baby is born. By doing this exercise, you can integrate your interests with motherhood.

Keeping a strong relationship with your partner

Having a baby always puts relationships to the test and it’s up to you and your partner to determine if your relationship will get stronger or weaker as a result of this experience.

As it was before the baby, keeping an open line of communication, especially if there’s a problem, is even more critical now because you don’t have as much time to spend together and you have many more responsibilities.

Try to put aside some time in the day for alone time and share your feelings as honestly and supportively as you can. Come up with solutions together as a couple.

Keep your romance alive by scheduling "date nights."



HOMŒOPATHIC TREATMENT

Complications of Labour

* If labour delayed owing to rigid os. ----- Gels.

* Pains are mild, irregular, do not come on with vigour after first show, nausea present ----- Puls.

* Headache, restlessness, flushed face and eyes, delirium. ----- Bell.

* Unbearable pain. ----- Cham., Coff., Gels.

* After severe pain, all pains suddenly disappear, eyes and face get flushed, breathing is hurried and stertorous, lost consciousness ----- Op.

* Severe convulsions, patient crying out. ----- Hyos.

* Other parts of child than head may be born first to prevent it ----- Puls.

* Rigid os. ----- Bell.

* Difficult labour. ----- Arn.

* Fits of unconsciousness during or after labour, body cold, pulse feeble ----- Camph..

* Placenta nor expelled or detached within an hour of delivery ----- Puls., Sec.



Complications of Delivery

Rupture

The space between the vagina and rectum is ruptured or lacerated mostly in cases of first delivery. It requires the help of a skillful surgeon to mend it ----- Calendula Lotion.



After Pains

These are sometimes troublesome. ----- Arn.

But if the mother is irritable or neurotic in temperament. ----- Cham.

If Arnica fails. ----- Coff., Gels., Sec.



Hæmorrhage

Keep the patient lying down with head low and feet raised. Firmly knead the uterus and give an intra-uterine douche or water at 120 degree F ----- Sabin., Ham.

For weakness. ----- Chin.

For headache. ----- Fer.



Unconsciousness

If associated with collapse. ----- Rubini’s Spt. Camphor Q

If unconsciousness comes on after slight movements or is associated with cold sweat on forehead ----- Ver-a.

If fits of unconsciousness comes on pretty frequently or last long. ----- Stram.

If due to trauma. ----- Arn.

If due to fear. ----- Acon., Coff.

If patient cannot swallow medicines, let her inhale them. Give light nutritious diet (milk and barley etc.).



Convulsions (Eclampsia)

This is a terrible complications and is characterized by repeated convulsions of increasing frequency and severity and sleeping coma. Its cause is not known: probably toxæmia of pregnancy.

During premonitory stage. ----- Hyos.

During fits. ----- Bell., Hydr-ac.

After fits stop, and if mental derangement persists. ----- Op.

If the convulsions are preceded by fever and thirst. ----- Acon.

If convulsions are associated with cold clammy sweat, full ----- Ver-vir.

quick pulse and delirium.

Sudden stoppage of perspiration. ----- Cham., Dulc.

Weakness. ----- Chin., Ph-ac.

Insomnia (without any apparent cause). ----- Coff.

If no urine is passed within 12 hours. ----- Acon. (Every 10 minutes)

If 4 doses of Acon fail. ----- Bell. (Every ½ hr. upto 3 doses) then Equisetum.



Constipation

If absolutely no stool within 48 hours and if pain is felt in abdomen ----- Collin. or Ver.

Diarrhœa. ----- Hyos., Puls.

Piles. ----- Puls. internally and Ham. Q locally.



Lochia

Usually bright red blood is passed in the first two or three days; then it becomes pale, then watery and finally purulent matter comes out before the discharge ceases – about 3 week’s time.

If however this discharge (called lochia) persists unduly long. ----- Sabin.

If scarlet blood is passed for a long time. ----- Sabin.

If lochia suddenly ceases. ----- Acon.

If it smells ill. ----- Kreos., Carb-v. internally and Calendula Lotion Q (1 in 20 of water) to irrigate thrice daily.



OTHER SUGGESTED REMEDIES

Cimicifuga Racemosa

This remedy may be given three or four months before delivery to ensure safe and painless delivery. It checks false labour pain also. Cimicifuga also ensure living birth in women who have previously delivered only dead children.



Pulsatilla

To avoid false labour pains and to ensure safe delivery in due time the medicine may be given in 1M every 15 minutes – three doses only at the time the delivery is expected. It also puts the child in right position if it has changed its position in the womb, if given before the membranes are ruptured.



Aur-Mur-Nat.

It should be given to syphilitic mothers to prevent diseases in their off-springs.



Arnica

An excellent remedy for pains after delivery.



Caulophyllum

Complementary to Pulsatilla in cases where the fœtus is in unfabourable position in the uterus. Given in 30 potency one dose a day for two or three weeks before delivery will make the delivery easy and prevent false labour pains. It also helps when the movements of the fœtus have ceased.



China

After profuse bleeding in delivery. A dose of 1M will recoup the strength of the patient.



Stramonium

Nymphomania (excessive or intolerable desire for sexual intercourse) in lying-in-women i. e. during confinement. It is also used in 200 potency for insanity during pregnancy.



Ruta

Prolapsus of rectum after confinement.



Cuprum Met.

During the course of labour the patient suddenly becomes blind. The labour pains cease and the convulsions come on, commencing in the fingers and toes.



Nux Vomica

Hiccough during confinement, preventing eating, drinking and sleeping.



Platina

Nymphomania. Great sexual desire in lying-in-women.



Kali Carb

Hæmorrhage due to atonic condition of blood vessels and bleeding starts after one week of labour.



Causticum

Retention of urine after labour.



Viburnum Op.

For false labour pains which may render a woman’s life a torture for weeks. For after-pains a dose after every pain will give relief. Also in pain or cramps in the abdomen and legs during pregnancy.



Crocus

When the movements of fœtus are too violent and painful.



Thuja

Violent movements of the child during the seventh or eighth month which disturb her sleep with urging to urinate.



Sulphur

Fœtus in uterus as if hurting by fists.



Anacardium

This may be given in 200 potency for sleeplessness in pregnancy.



Coffea

If Anacardium fails, this remedy in 200 potency may be tried at bed time for sleeplessness.



Aconite

For sleeplessness if caused by fright, fear or anxiety.



NOTE :

Any information given above is not intended to be taken as a replacement for medical advice. Therefore, it is very important that the patients should avoid self-treatment and rather consult the most abled and qualified classical homœopath and take the treatment under his proper guidance and advice.



References:
World Book 2003

Mosby’s Medical Encyclopædia

The Homœopathic Family Practice, published by M. Bhattacharyya & Co., Ltd., Calcutta.

Select Your Remedy by Rai Bahadur Bishambar Das.





Copyright © Dr. Sayeed Ahmad 2004

Monday, May 17, 2010

Petit Mal Seizers were seized by Artemisia Vul. and Cup. Met

Be Proud of Being a Homeopath

Petit Mal Seizers were seized by Artemisia Vul. and Cup. Met

Mr. Manzoor Hussain, a resident of Kahuta was dispirited in view of the illness of his 27 years old wife suffering from Petit Mal (Minor epilepsy) seizures for the last 9-10 years. This was diagnosed through EEG (Electroencephalography) carried out at PIMS, Islamabad in 2008 on the advice of a neurologist. The patient had the complaint of continuous headache and profuse menstruation. RIVOTRIL tablet twice a day is being given to her for the last 2 years. Despite taking this medicine regularly, the fits have not been controlled as yet. During these seizers, the patient is gone in a brief interruption of consciousness accompanied by jerks of the hands 4-5 times a day. As reported, the patient during the attack which happened all of a sudden stares into space and whichever is in her hand is dropped on the floor. The situation becomes very awkward when the patient is about to serve tea or soft drink and poured it down on the clothes of the visiting guest with sudden jerking of the hands. The disheartened husband pleaded to pull him out of this agony by offering a ‘good treatment’. Artemisia Vul.30 alternated by Cuprum Met-3X was dispensed for one week with the advice to continue taking RIVOTRIL as advised by the neurologist. On the next visit, much relief of headache but with the same frequency of seizers was reported. Same medicines for another week were given to the patient which showed some improvement by reducing the occurrence of the fits. On the 3rd visit, I asked the patient to take Rivotril once a day alongwith homeopathic medicines. On revisiting for the 4th time, the report was very encouraging as the attacks were further reduced to once or twice a day. As the homeopathic medicines were now successfully on their way to withhold the Petit Mal Seizers, it was therefore advised to stop taking Rivotril tablets completely and continue with the homeopathic medicines. Presently, the husband of the patient is satisfied and happy as he can now rely on her spouse to serve the guests with drinks comfortably.


Homeopathic Dr. Sultan Mahmood,
Hill View Avenue, Adyala Road,
Rawalpindi
E-Mail:- hdrsmahmood@hotmail.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Normal values.

Normal values.
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D. I. Hom. (London)



HÆMOGLOBIN --- Men --- 14-16 g/100 ml.
HÆMOGLOBIN --- Women --- 13-15 g/100 ml.

RED CELLS --- Men --- 4.5-6.5 Million/mm3.
RED CELLS --- Women --- 4.0-5.5 Million/mm3.

WHITE CELLS(Total) ----- 4000-10000/mm3.

SERUM IRON ----- 50-180 g/100 ml.

TOTAL PEOTEIN ----- 6-8 g/100 ml of serum.

ALBUMEN ----- 4-5.5 g/100 ml of serum.

NON-PROTEIN NITROGEN ----- 25-38 mg/100 ml of plasma.

UREA NITROGEN ----- 8-20 mg/100 ml of plasma.

URIC ACID ----- 2-6 mg/100 ml of serum.

GLUCOSE ----- 80-120 mg/100 ml of blood.

CHOLESTEROL ----- 140-215 mg/100 ml of serum.

AMINO ACIDS ----- 35-65 MG/100 ml of serum.

TOTAL LIPIDS ----- 570-820 MG/100 ml of serum.

CALCIUM ----- 9-11 MG/100 ml of serum.

CHLORIDES ----- 355-376 mg/100 ml of serum.

IRON BINDING CAPACITY ----- 300-450 g/100 ml of serum.

PROTEIN BOUND IODINE ----- 4-8 g/100 ml of serum.

MAGNESIUM ----- 1.2-3.9 mg/100 ml of serum.

MANGANESE ----- 2.5 g/100 ml of serum.

PHOSPHORUS (Inorganic) ----- 3.0-4 mg/100 ml of serum (Adults).

----- 4-6 mg/100 ml of serum (Children).

POTASSIUM ----- 14-20 mg/100 ml of serum.

SODIUM ----- 315-340 mg/100 ml of serum.

ZINC ----- 120-130 g/100 ml of serum.

VITAMIN A ----- 25-90 g/100 ml of serum.

VITAMIN B12 ----- 100-800 g/100 ml of serum.

ASCORBIC ACID ----- 0.3-1.4 mg/100 ml of serum.

BLEEDING TIME ----- 1-3 Minutes.

CLOTTING TIME ----- 6-12 Minutes.

BLOOD UREA ----- 10-50 mg/dl.

FASTING BLOOD SUGAR ----- 60-100 mg%.

POST PRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR ----- 70-140 mg%.

SERUM UREA (BUN) ----- 15-50 mg%.

SERUM CREATININE ----- 0.5-1.4 mg%.

SERUM BILIRUBIN ----- 0.2-0.8 mg%.

SERUM TRIGLYCERIDES ----- 35 - 165 MG/DL.

HDL CHOLESTEROL ----- MORE THAN 45 MG/DL.

LDL CHOLESTEROL ----- UP TO 130 MG/DL.

VLDL CHOLESTEROL ----- 7 - 33 MG/DL.

HEMATOCRIT ----- 37-47 %.

MCV ----- 77-93 CU. MICR.

MCH ----- 27-32 Pg.

MCHC ----- 31-35 %.

PLATELETCOUNT ----- 150000-400000 cu. mm.

ERYTHROCYTE COUNT ----- 4.0-5.5 Mil/cu. mm.

TOTAL LEUCOCYTE COUNT ----- 4000-11000 /cu. mm.

ESR-WESTERGREEN METHOD ----- 0-20 mm/hr.

DIFFERENTIAL LEUCOCYTE COUNT :

NEUTROPHILS ----- 45-68 %

LYMPHOCYTES ----- 20-40 %

EOSINOPHILS ----- 0-8 %

SERUM ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 67-190 U/L (Adult)

AST/SGOT ----- 12-32 U/L.

ALT/SGPT ----- 4-36 U/L.

SERUM TOTAL PROTEINS ----- 6.0-8.3 GM/DL.

LACTIC ACID ------ 1.0-2.0 m mol/L.

TOTAL IRON ----- 59-158 mcg/dl.

TLC ----- 4,000-11,000/Cumm.

DLC - Adults Neutrophils 40-75% (2000-7500/Cumm.)
----- Lymphocytes ----- 20-45% (1500-4000/Cumm.)
----- Monocytes ----- 02-10% (200-800/Cumm.)
----- Eosinophils ----- 01-06% (40-400/Cumm.)
----- Basophils ----- 1% (20-100/Cumm.)

PLATELET COUNT ----- 1.5 Lakhs - 4 Lakhs/Cumm.

ESR Westergren Method (upper Limits)
----- Men ----- 17-50 Yrs. 10 mm.
----- Men ----- >50 Yrs 12-14 mm.
----- Women ----- 17-50 Yrs. 12 mm.
----- Women ----- >50 Yrs 19-20 mm.

SPERMATOZOA ----- 150-200 Million per cu. cm.

URINE SP. GR. ----- 1010-1020 or 1025.





Copyright © Dr. Sayeed Ahmad 2004

Friday, May 7, 2010

HIV / AIDS is speeding up.

HIV / AIDS is speeding up.
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D. I. Hom. (London)



As per The Guardian dated 7th July, 2004, the lethal spread of the HIV/Aids pandemic across the globe is speeding up, in spite of intensifying efforts on the part of UN agencies, the US, Britain and other European governments to turn the tide. A record five million people were infected by the virus last year and nearly three million died.

The UN's latest bi-annual report on the state of the pandemic made it plain yesterday that the HIV virus that causes Aids is defeating man's best efforts to contain it. There are 38 million people carrying the virus, sub-Saharan Africa is being devastated, and the fastest spread is in Asia and eastern Europe.

"More people than in any previous year became infected with HIV. That is clearly a failure to reach the people who need it with prevention methods. More people than ever before died of Aids. That is a failure to reach them with treatment," said Peter Piot, executive director of Unaids, at the launch of the report in London yesterday. The epidemic, he said, is reaching its global phase, and is no longer is a problem largely confined to sub-Saharan Africa.

One in every four new infections is occurring in Asia, where huge populations are at risk, said the report, published just before the international Aids conference in Bangkok which opens this weekend. There have been sharp increases in the numbers infected in China, Indonesia and Vietnam, while India alone has 5.1 million people with HIV - the second largest number infected in any country, after South Africa.

In eastern Europe and central Asia, 1.3 million have the virus, spread largely by injecting drug use. Russia, with more than three million injecting drug users and 860,000 with HIV, is one of the worst hit.

It is a dispiriting picture, because more work and money is going into the battle against the world's worst disease outbreak than ever before, both in helping people to protect themselves against contracting the virus and more recently in efforts to get drugs that can prevent HIV developing into Aids to people in poor countries.

But still not enough is being done, said Dr Piot. "The world is falling short on prevention. Preventing new infections will at the end of the day stop this epidemic," he said. "Only one in five who need it have access to HIV prevention - [such as] education of children in schools, access to condoms and access to clean needles for those who are injecting drugs."



What Is AIDS?

AIDS stands for Acquired imunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) Syndrome. It results from infection with a virus called HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This virus infects key cells in the human body called CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells. These cells are part of the body's immune system, which fights infections and various cancers.

When HIV invades the body's CD4+ T cells, the damaged immune system loses its ability to defend against diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic organisms. A substantial decline in CD4+ T cells also leaves the body vulnerable to certain cancers.

There is no cure for AIDS, but medical treatments can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventing complications.

AIDS affects women differently than it does men, and it presents unique issues related to sexuality, childbearing, and side effects of treatments.



What Is The Difference Between HIV And AIDS?

The term AIDS refers to an advanced stage of HIV infection, when the immune system has sustained substantial damage. Not everyone who has HIV infection develops AIDS.

When HIV progresses to AIDS, however, it has proved to be a universally fatal illness. Few people survive five years from the time they are diagnosed with AIDS, although this is increasing with improvements in treatment techniques.

Experts estimate that about half the people with HIV will develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected. This time varies greatly from person to person, however, and can depend on many factors, including a person's health status and health-related behaviors.

People are said to have AIDS when they have certain signs or symptoms specified in guidelines formulated by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).



The CDC's definition of AIDS includes:

All HIV-infected people with fewer than 200 CD4+ T cells per cubic millimeter of blood (compared with CD4+ T cell counts of about 1,000 for healthy people).

People with HIV infection who have at least one of more than two dozen AIDS-associated conditions that are the result of HIV's attack on the immune system.



AIDS-associated conditions include :

Opportunistic infections by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Opportunistic infections are infections that are rarely seen in healthy people but occur when a person's immune system is weakened.

The development of certain cancers (including cervical cancer and lymphomas)

Certain autoimmune disorders Autoimmune disorders are illnesses that result when the immune system attacks an individual's own tissues or cells.

Most AIDS-associated conditions are rarely serious in healthy individuals. In people with AIDS, however, these infections are often severe and sometimes fatal because the immune system is so damaged by HIV that the body cannot fight them off.



The History Of AIDS :


The symptoms of AIDS were first recognized in the early 1980s:

In 1981, a rare lung infection called Pneumosystis carinii pneumonia began to appear in homosexual men living in Los Angeles and New York.

At the same time, cases of a rare tumor called Kaposi's sarcoma were also reported in young homosexual men. These tumors had been previously known to affect elderly men, particularly in parts of Africa. New appearances of the tumors were more aggressive in the young men and appeared on parts of the body other than the skin.

Other infections associated with weakened immune defenses were also reported in the early 1980s.

Groups most frequently reporting these infections in the early 1980s were homosexuals, intravenous drug users, and people with hemophilia, a blood disorder that requires frequent transfusions. Blood and sexual transmission were therefore suspected as the sources for the spread of the infections.

In 1984, the responsible virus was identified and given a name. In 1986, it was renamed the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).



Need To Know :

Because many of the first cases of AIDS in the United States occurred in homosexual men and intravenous drug users, some people mistakenly believe that other groups of people are not at risk for HIV infection. However, anyone is capable of becoming HIV-infected, regardless of gender, age, or sexual orientation.



Facts About AIDS :

As of the year 2000, nearly one million people in the U. S. were confirmed to be HIV-positive.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 2.2 million Americans now carry the HIV virus but do not yet have symptoms.

About one out of every three people with HIV infection in the U. S. is a woman.

AIDS is a leading cause of death for American men and women between the ages of 25 and 44.

Since 1992, AIDS has been the fourth leading cause of death among U. S. women between the ages of 25 and 44.

Through June 2000, 438,795 people in the U. S. had died from AIDS (374,422 men and 64,373 women).

By the end of 2000, 36.1 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS, with the vast majority living in developing countries.

Through 2000, 21.8 million people worldwide have died from AIDS.

Between 1991 and 1996, there were more new cases of AIDS among people older than 50 than those between ages 13 and 49. Today, 11% of all new cases of AIDS in the U. S. are now in people over the age of 50.

The HIV carrier rate in the U. S. is now 1 carrier for every 100 to 200 people.

Teenage and young adult women currently make up half of all new HIV infections reported in people 13 to 24 years old.



Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions related to AIDS And Women.



Q: What if I'm attracted to someone I don't really know? What should I do?

A: Know the sexual history and health status of partners. Avoid anonymous sexual contact and learn about safe sex practices, such as the use of condoms.



Q: Are my children going to get AIDS if I have it?

A: Research indicates that HIV is NOT transmitted by casual contact, such as touching or hugging; sharing household items such as utensils, towels, and bedding; contact with sweat or tears; sharing facilities such as swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs, or toilets with HIV-infected people; and coughs or sneezes. HIV transmission requires intimate contact with infected blood or body fluids (vaginal secretions, semen, pre-ejaculation fluid, and breast milk). Activities that don't involve the possibility of such contact are regarded as posing no risk of infection.



Q: Is an AIDS test required of new job applicants and/or employees?

A: Probably not. In fact, under most state laws, employers cannot ask whether applicants or employees have AIDS - only if they can do the job.



Q: Should I avoid sharing personal hygiene items, like razors or toothbrushes?

A: Yes. These devices might be contaminated with blood. However, this is an unlikely mode of transmission for the AIDS virus.



Q: Does everyone who has AIDS die from it?

A: When scientists first recognized AIDS in 1981, most people died within a year or two. Now, with numerous drugs available to help suppress HIV's attack on the immune system and prevent or treat AIDS-related opportunistic illnesses, many people with AIDS are living longer and healthier lives. However, AIDS still is considered a fatal illness. Few people survive five years from the time they are diagnosed with AIDS, although this is increasing with improvements in treatment techniques.



Q: How can a person tell if she is infected with HIV?

A: A blood test can determine whether or not a person is infected with HIV. The most commonly used test detects antibodies (disease-fighting proteins) against HIV. It may take as long as three to six months for HIV antibodies to reach levels that are measurable in standard blood tests.



Q: Can I keep my test results private?

A: People can have the procedure done at HIV testing centers that offer anonymous HIV testing.



Q: Can HIV be spread through kissing?

A: Although studies have found tiny amounts of HIV in the saliva of some people with HIV, researchers have found no evidence that HIV is spread to other people through kissing. However, the CDC recommends against "French" or open-mouthed kissing because of the possibility of contact with blood if the people kissing have any cuts or sores in the mouth.



Q: Can HIV be transmitted during oral sex?

A: Although the risk of infection during oral sex is considered lower than during vaginal or anal intercourse, HIV may be transmitted during oral sex through contact with vaginal secretions, semen, pre-ejaculation fluid, and blood.



Q: Is a home test kit for HIV available?

A: No approved HIV test kit will give you a result at home. There is a kit available that is designed for you to collect a sample of your blood at home. Then you send the sample to a laboratory where it is tested for HIV.



Q: How likely is an HIV-positive woman to infect her baby?

A: Approximately one-quarter to one-third of all untreated pregnant women infected with HIV will pass the infection to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth. But this risk is significantly reduced if the mother is treated with AZT (during pregnancy, labor, and delivery) and her baby receives AZT during the first six weeks of life.



Q: Can HIV be transmitted in breast milk?

A: HIV can be transmitted from a nursing mother to her infant through breast milk. Women who live in countries where safe alternatives to breast-feeding are readily available and affordable can eliminate the risk of transmitting the virus through breast milk by bottle-feeding their babies. In developing countries, however, where such safe alternatives are not readily available or economically feasible, breast-feeding may offer benefits that outweigh the risk of HIV transmission.



Q: How effective are latex condoms in preventing HIV?

A: Health authorities say that latex condoms are highly effective when used consistently and correctly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using latex condoms (or dental dams ) whenever having oral, anal, or vaginal sex. If a lubricant is used, it should be a water-based lubricant.



HOMŒOPATHY AND HIV / AIDS

In his Article, "AIDS: The Real Cause", Dr. George Vithoulkas views are described as under:

I think that a controversy has already started between two main and opposing points of view:

a. That Aids is caused by the HIV virus and

b. That AIDS is the result of drug overuse

As I think I have already contributed a lot to such arguments through my writings, I believe Nature will give me the privilege to express my views in a nutshell.

It seems to me that both the above assumptions are over-simplifications of a much more complicated issue.

In case (a) the final phenomena, which is the appearance of a virus in the body, is considered as the cause of the disease when in effect it is actually the result of it.

In case (b) only part of the truth is stated. Not every one who takes antibiotics will risk developing the AIDS symptomatology - though they may risk developing other syndromes like the post-viral syndrome (the chronic fatigue syndrome). Only those individuals who have been repeatedly infected by venereal diseases and who have used repeatedly and for long periods of time antibiotics are in the risk group.

The whole of the above argument has been dealt with in a hypothesis I wrote in 1986 with all the supporting evidence I could find at the time. The title of this book was "A New Model for Health and Disease, the real cause of AIDS" published first in Dutch in 1988 by Elmar, in Italian in 1989 by the Editora Cortina and in English in 1991 by North Atlantic Books in the U. S. A. I first spoke about these ideas in a congress in Burlingame in California as early as 1984 as well as in different other seminars.

The main points that I support through this hypothesis about the specific AIDS syndrome are the following:

1. The AIDS virus first appeared in the promiscuous group of homosexuals. The research, at least in the beginning, showed clearly that these individuals had already been infected several times by venereal diseases and treated repeatedly with antibiotics.

Actually the high-risk groups (promiscuous homosexuals, prostitutes, promiscuous heterosexuals or bisexuals, Haitians and finally the African people during their sexual liberation era) were all people with repeated exposure to venereal diseases and consequent treatment with antibiotics. Actually, promiscuous homosexuals with AIDS had confided to me and to my students that they would take antibiotics every day, before their casual encounters and for long periods of time as a preventive measure.

2. The initial appearance of a specific virus in the human body was only the result of a depleted and harassed immune system and not the cause of it.

It is a similar phenomena with worms eating up a dead body. Every stage of degeneration of a human organism has its own particular microbes, bacteria, virus, etc. thriving on it. The appearance of the virus took place initially because the immune system was degraded to a specific degree through a series of repeated assaults of antibiotics in a considerably short time, while it was already under the stress of a venereal disease - mainly syphilis and/or gonorrhœa. It seems that the combined stress of an organism, which is repeatedly infected with venereal diseases and treated with antibiotics, develops a state that resembles the AIDS syndrome.

3. The virus must have initially developed through an endogenous process of repeated mutations. After staying in the bodies of the victims for long periods of time it became stronger and stronger as if in a friendly incubator. This fact had a two-fold effect:

a. That the sick individual was quickly destroyed and

b. That the virus became stronger and more virulent during this incubation. Research will most probably show in the future the different states of the virus and its different virulence in different stages of the disease and in different individuals. At the moment there is confusion because of these issues.

4. Once the virus had become mature -virulent- through such nurturing, it could then infect other organisms more easily.

I believe that we are actually witnessing in our times the maturing of different viruses with unknown consequences. We are observing a part of a process and we are confusing it for the cause.

5. The severity of the infection depends on the predisposition and the state of depletion of the immune system during the time of infection. I believe that soon some genetic parameters will be found accounting for a predisposition in the severe AIDS cases. Some people with great susceptibility were infected and immediately developed the disease, culminating speedily in a fatal outcome, while others with not such a great predisposition will either develop a milder or a similar disease or will not develop the disease at all..

6. If the above assumptions are correct then there must be several other viruses that will be discovered soon to account for similar symptomatology, in different predispositions. It may not come as a surprise that in the future we will be creating newer and newer species of viruses through mutations if we do not stop unwisely intervening in to the human organism with stronger and stronger chemical drugs.

The whole argument cannot be expostulated here but one can read it in my book ''A New Model for Health and Disease - the real cause of AIDS''.



Conditions under which the correct homeopathic remedy is found

To find the right homeopathic remedy means to save a lot of suffering to the individual, it means that you give him the greatest boon, that you give him the possibility to be happy. A healthy person is one who feels free, with a sense of well being. You give him something, which has immeasurable value.

Let us now consider the difficulties and the conditions that should prevail in order for such a fortunate change to take place.

We all know the difficulties encountered by the practitioner in order to strike the right remedy. In the beginning of a case taking everything looks blank, everything is possible and as you proceed towards the investigation and the evaluation your brains speeds up in analysing and combining the symptoms.



The greatest difficulty that you will encounter is the evaluation of symptoms.

Which are the symptoms that you will take into consideration? Which are the symptoms that you will ignore?

The struggle is difficult mainly because you do not know whether the patient is giving you the whole story:



Is he omitting some small but strange and therefore important symptoms?

a. From lack of care?

b. Or lack of observation?

c. Or out of shame?

d. Or out of false thinking that certain of his ailments or discomforts do not concern you?

e. Or he feels that a symptom is insignificant or irrelevant to the case, yet this very little symptom constitutes the clue to the case?

f. Or he is not aware of the most important thing that is happening in him, which is perhaps an excessive fear of death, a fear that he is going insane but that he does not want to acknowledge or to admit to himself?



Intellectuals will give you a false impression about their overall health condition most of the time.

It is strange that so many times intellectuals have told me that as they understand (and surely they are fast to understand) that homeopathy is very difficult to practise as it requires "intelligent" people (like themselves) to be able to describe their symptoms correctly. The truth is the opposite. Simple uneducated people describe their symptoms much more intelligently than them because they express their feelings directly without filtering them as the intellectuals do. They express nature as it is while the others distort nature interpreting it according to their whims.



For all these reasons I consider that finding the right remedy is like accomplishing a miracle.

So our investigation should be: what are the inner conditions when two people meet -the practitioner and the patient- that enable the miracle of the balance of health of the patient to take place?

If you want to see the true picture of a person's soul, that person has to undress in front of you. The idea of the old doctor undressing the patient, never mind what the problem was, was symbolic of materialistic medicine. The doctor wanted to see everything he could with his eyes, on the physical/material level.

The homeopathic practitioner who deals with the subtle energies of the human being wants to see the subjective symptoms, wants to see the patient's inside structure. The idea is of confession. The individual has to stay naked in front of the practitioner in order that he will see the whole picture.

There are some requirements, as everybody understands, for someone to undress in front of you and allow you to see his soul, his sorrows, his hurts, his fears, and his unnatural desires and perversions, in order to allow you to see him totally naked in physical ailments, mind and soul.

The first is the desire of the healer to do well, to help the person who seeks help to restore his health.

The second is a mutual sympathy or homogeneity, which can be created instantly, or as the taking of the case progresses, which allows communication on another level not simply the verbal.

Once this communication is established then the patient can decide whether he can trust the practitioner or not.

The patient perceives the inner intentions of the healer and if they are egotistical or of self-interest, he will not open up, nor will he "undress", never mind how hard you may try.

Do not be lured into thinking that because you have cured some patients without all these requirements, you can bluff the patient. Quite simply, the patient has had no other occasion or no other way of comparing, as he has not experienced the warmth of the really interested healer against the coldness of a logical examiner with a white coat.

Yet this must not be mistaken for familiarity and cheap exhibition of affection or love. I would say that if this sympathy takes a turn towards the erotic, there is no chance that the individual will be helped by the healer, as the healer is then seeking out to take things from the patient and not to give.

The third condition is respect for the freedom and the integrity of the patient. Do not try to intrude and rape his soul by rude force just because you want to find the remedy quickly.

The fourth is a silent moment of meditation when you have been given all the information from the patient. You have taken all the pieces and you are putting them together, and through the process of constructing the picture it suddenly clicks and you arrive at the right remedy. The miracle has been accomplished! This is a great moment, which gives great satisfaction to the healer even before he has seen the actual result of his prescription.

Do we have today in our settings all these conditions? Surely not.

In order to have these conditions you first of all need a quiet environment, an environment that will be pleasing and will give the patient a feeling of safety. Do we have this environment?

I want to show you the art of taking the case under the situation in which we find ourselves today. I want to communicate to you my thoughts during every step of the process. This automatically stops the continuity and the rapport with the patient and makes the whole process extremely difficult and tedious.

I need absolute respect for what we are doing, because I am not doing it myself, we are taking the case together. Your good intentions will be crucial to the outcome, whether positive or negative.

If we could synchronise out feelings and intentions, I can assure you that you could be learning in those few hours we will be together more than you could learn in a thousand hours.

I know that in the class there are people who have all these qualities and they exercise them but there are others who are still learning, who are disbelievers.

Is it possible??

During my 4-year course on Alonissos I have shown the art of taking a case under the situation in which we find ourselves today. I communicated all of my thoughts to the students during every step of the process and I honestly believe that if they have followed the whole process with full attention, they will have learned in these few hours, which we had together, more than they could learn by themselves in a thousand years!



Over and above, Dana Ullman, M. P. H., describes this subject in his Book "Consumer’s Guide to Homeopathy" with a heading "A Homeopathic Perspective on AIDS" as follows:

As horrific as the AIDS epidemic is, it has had one silver lining: it has implanted into the awareness of the medical community and the general public the importance of the body's immune system. Prior to the emergence of AIDS, few people were familiar with or cared about the immune system.

Now more than ever, the general public is interested in exploring ways to bolster immune response to prevent the progression of AIDS, as well as to reduce the number and intensity of opportunistic infections and to improve the overall state of their health. The medical community, however, has focused its AIDS resources on creating antiviral medications, which despite great hope and expectation have not achieved the results anticipated. In fact, the leading AIDS drug, AZT, has been found to prolong the lives of people with AIDS by only seven or eight months,1 but due to its side effects, the quality of life during this time is not high.

What is yet to be understood by the medical community is that they need to direct more attention and research to ways to augment immune response, rather than ways to inhibit viral replication. By strengthening a person's own defenses, the body is best enabled to defend itself.

Homeopathy is one way to do this. Although no therapy can or will help every HIV+ person or everyone with AIDS, homeopathy is beginning to develop a reputation for helping people at varying stages of this disease. To understand what homeopathy has to offer, it is necessary to learn something about a different approach to infectious disease than simply attacking a pathogen.

Louis Pasteur, who initially suggested that bacteria cause disease, later realized that bacteria may not necessarily be the "cause" of disease as much as the "results" of disease.2 Like Claude Bernard,3 the father of experimental physiology, Pasteur came to realize that the susceptibility of the individual, the "host resistance," was a greater determinant of the development of disease than the infective agent itself.

Despite the later recanting by Pasteur, he had already set in motion a medical mind set that focused entirely on eliminating pathogens and that ignored exploring ways to augment immune and defense response. Just as physicians and scientists are finally realizing the limitations and problems inherent in antibiotics as antimicrobial agents, antiviral drugs will inevitably suffer a similar fate. While physicians tend to know this both rationally and intuitively, they ignore these obvious problems in their clinical practice, in part because they don't know what else to do and in part because their biomedical paradigm limits their vision of alternatives to antimicrobial therapy.

As increasing numbers of physicians learn about homeopathic medicine, they will be exposed to viable alternative treatments which can play an integral role in the care and treatment of people with HIV and AIDS. A recent survey of physicians in the Netherlands verified this possibility. The survey showed that 50% of Dutch physicians instigated and supported the use of homeopathic and natural therapies in the treatment of people with AIDS.4



Preventing AIDS

The best and most certain way to prevent AIDS is to avoid exchanging bodily fluids with people who are HIV+. Exposure to these bodily fluids most commonly occurs through sexual activity, sharing needles, or receiving blood transfusions. However, just because an individual is exposed to a person with HIV does not necessarily mean that the individual will get the virus. And further, just because an individual becomes infected with HIV does not necessarily mean that he or she will get AIDS.

The various factors that influence whether exposure leads to infection and whether infection leads to disease remain unknown. However, as with many infectious conditions, a stronger immune system reduces the chances of getting the disease or at least decreases the chances of complications from the infection. It therefore seems prudent to avoid the factors that inhibit immune response and to utilize those that augment it. The factors that inhibit immune response include an unhealthy lifestyle (i. e., smoking, poor diet, significant stress, sedentary habits) and the use of therapeutic and recreational drugs, while those that augment immune response tend to be a healthy lifestyle and utilizing natural therapeutics, including homeopathic medicines.

While the precise mechanism of action that leads to AIDS isn't known, a new and significant study suggests that homeopathic medicines may have a dramatic effect on some people with HIV. A study performed by a government research center in India with 129 asymptomatic HIV+ patients (120 male and 9 female) showed that during homeopathic treatment over a period of 3 to 16 months, 11 patients changed from HIV+ to HIV-.5 No conventional drugs of any type were prescribed to these patients.

The medical literature has on rare occasions reported individual patients who for unknown reasons converted from being HIV+ to being HIV-. This study is the first to report more than one.

It should be noted that this writer acknowledges that it does not initially make sense that people can turn from HIV+ to HIV-, because the tests that determine this status are simply evaluating a person's antibodies, not the disease itself. It is generally assumed that people who become HIV+ will remain that way throughout their lives. It therefore seems obvious that the work by the Indian researchers should be more carefully studied to evaluate this potentially significant clinical result. It should also be noted that these researchers have elsewhere published more up-to-date data which shows significant improvement in immune panels and blood work in HIV+ and AIDS patients as the result of homeopathic treatment.6

These same researchers also conducted a study on the immunological status of 34 HIV+ patients.7 After six months of individualized homeopathic treatment, 23 (67%) of the 34 subjects' immune profiles improved. Thirteen patients experienced a 0-10% increase in CD4 lymphocytes (a higher number of CD4 lymphocytes suggests a stronger immune response) and 10 patients experienced a greater than 10% increase. Because there is a tendency for people with HIV to have continually decreasing CD4 lymphocytes, this study suggests that homeopathic medicines provided a benefit to the subjects.

A San Francisco Bay Area homeopath, Lawrence Badgley, MD, reported on a six month study of 36 patients with AIDS or HIV whom he treated with homeopathic and other natural medicines. He observed a 13% increase in T4 helper cells and an average weight gain of two pounds.8 AIDS tends to have increasingly degenerating effects on the body, and improvement in the immune profile and weight gain seem to be rarely experienced under conventional medical treatment.

In addition to what homeopathy offers in the prevention of AIDS, other natural therapies that strengthen the body's own defense should also be considered. For instance, a recent study of HIV+ patients who were given only a multivitamin/mineral supplement were found to develop AIDS at a substantially slower rate than those who did not supplement their diet. If this simple addition to one's prevention program is so effective, it isn't hard to imagine what more individualized nutritional and natural medicine programs can do to slow down onset of this dreaded disease.



Treatment of Acute Illnesses During AIDS

Because of the seriousness of this disease, the treatment of people with HIV or AIDS requires professional health care, even when their ailments are seemingly minor. Ideally, they should receive treatment from a homeopath who is an M. D. or a D. O., but otherwise the best care is one that integrates homeopathic treatment with appropriate medical diagnosis and, in emergency situations, with appropriate medical treatment.

People with AIDS are prone to opportunistic infections due to their immunodeficient state, ranging from fungal infections in the mouth to respiratory infections. The use of conventional drugs can provide valuable temporary relief; however, occasional or repeated use of these drugs takes its own toll on their health and immune system, and thus provides short-term relief but longer-term immune complications. Safer therapies that are not as physiologically disruptive as conventional drugs are necessary for the long-term improvement of people with AIDS. Homeopathic medicines can play an important role in the treatment of these opportunistic infections.

One of the advantages of using homeopathy in treating people with AIDS is that they tend to get various unusual symptoms, diseases, and syndromes which evade immediate diagnosis. A homeopath, however, can prescribe a remedy before a definitive conventional diagnosis is made. Because homeopathic medicines are prescribed on the basis of a person's unique pattern of symptoms, a conventional diagnosis is not necessary for a curative remedy to be prescribed.



Treatment of People with AIDS

Despite the seemingly positive results that homeopathic medicines provide for people who are HIV+, for those with early onset of AIDS, and for those with nonextreme cases of AIDS, most homeopaths do not observe significant improvement in treating people who have advanced stages of AIDS. That said, it should also be noted that there are exceptions to this general rule, and numerous homeopaths find that select patients with advanced stages of AIDS experience dramatic improvement in their quality of life.

The experience of Bill Gray, MD, a homeopath in Davis, California, is typical of many homeopaths. He has had 33 AIDS patients, only three of whom have survived. The remaining three patients were the only ones who insisted on avoiding AZT and ddI (another popular AIDS drug). Dr. Gray has also had 30 HIV+ patients for an average of five years, only one of whom developed AIDS. Although this one patient has suffered from two bouts of pneumocystis pneumonia, he is actually doing quite well under homeopathic treatment.

Dr. Gray and most homeopaths utilize classical homeopathy in the treatment of people with AIDS, using a single remedy prescribed individually to the unique pattern of symptoms experienced by the patient. This highly individualized treatment generally includes the use of homeopathic medicines which are highly potentized (usually higher than the 200th potency).

Because of the urgency of some AIDS patients' situations, some homeopaths experiment with new homeopathic remedies and with nonclassical approaches to homeopathy. For instance, Dr. Elliot Blackman, an osteopathic physician in San Francisco, occasionally prescribes Cyclosporin in homeopathic doses as an intercurrent medicine (an intercurrent medicine is one that is prescribed after another medicine which is individually determined). In conventional doses, Cyclosporin is an immunosuppressing drug, thus suggesting that it can be effective in homeopathic doses for treating people who have an immunosuppressed condition (this prescription is not "classical homeopathy" because each immunosuppressing drug creates its own unique pattern of symptoms, and the classical use of this drug would be more individualized).

In addition to the nonclassical approach, some homeopaths have been experimenting with giving AIDS patients homeopathically potentized doses of their own blood. The clinical benefit of this approach, however, has not yet been systematically tested.

Alan Levine, MD, a San Francisco physician who integrates homeopathic and other natural medicines with occasional prescription of conventional drugs, has one patient who was so sick with AIDS that he developed dementia, a state of mental deterioration that tends to occur in late stages of AIDS. This patient refused all conventional drugs from Dr. Levine and from all other physicians. Using homeopathic medicines, acupuncture, and herbs, the patient is now very healthy, has no signs of dementia, and has not had a single opportunistic infection in several years.

This case is mentioned because, despite the small chances of surviving late stages of AIDS and despite the generally accepted experience that dementia represents an irreversible neurological change, it is inspiring to know that significant and even substantial improvement is sometimes possible.

It should be noted that people with AIDS occasionally develop a fever shortly after taking the correct homeopathic medicine. This fever is considered a beneficial response of the body to the remedy and should not be suppressed. Physiologists recognize the therapeutic value of fever as a response to infection, and homeopathic medicine seems to be one way to augment this healing response.



Homeopathic Treatment of Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders

In order to fully appreciate the potential of homeopathic medicine in the treatment of AIDS, it is useful to get some historical perspective as well as to investigate what homeopathy has to offer in the treatment of viral and immunological disorders.

Homeopathy has an impressive history of successes in treating infectious disease, including many of the most serious and potentially fatal infectious diseases known to humankind. The significant successes of homeopathic treatment of the infectious diseases that raged during the 1800s in the United States and Europe created tremendous support for this natural therapy. Death rates in homeopathic hospitals from cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, scarlet fever, and pneumonia were commonly one half to as little as one eighth those in conventional medical hospitals. Besides hospitals, prisons and insane asylums that employed physicians who specialized in homeopathy experienced a similar success rate compared to other institutions under the care of conventional physicians.

Just as homeopathy became known in the 19th century for its successful treatment of infectious diseases of that era, based on growing clinical and laboratory evidence, it is likely that it will become known in this era for its results in treating contemporary viral infections.

Although homeopathic medicines are not considered to have traditional antiviral action, their ability to augment the body's own defenses suggests that they have antiviral effects. One study on chicken embryo viruses showed that eight of ten homeopathic medicines tested inhibited the growth of the viruses by 50 to 100%.9 A similar study done by the same researchers did find, however, that none of the four homeopathic medicines tested for their effects on a mouse virus had any effect.10 Taken together, these studies suggest that homeopathic medicines can have significant antiviral effects, but it is necessary to find the individualized remedy for each situation.

Despite this preliminary work, it is conjectured that homeopathic medicines do not have traditional antiviral effects but have immunomodulatory effects ("immunomodulatory effects"

refers to a tonification of the body's immune system--that is, an ability to augment immune response when it needs to be stimulated and to depress an already overstimulated immune system). One laboratory study showed that the homeopathic medicine Silicea had dramatic effects on stimulating macrophages, an important part of the body's immune system, by 55.5% to 67.5%11. On the other hand, another clinical trial showed the efficacy of individualized homeopathic medicines on the treatment of people with rheumatoid arthritis,12 an autoimmune disease, which is when a person's immune system is overly active, leading the body to attack itself. This study suggests that homeopathic medicines decreased the overly active immune system.

Other studies have shown the immunomodulatory effects of homeopathic medicines,13 though their description is too technical for this book (See P. Bellavite and A. Signorini, Homeopathy: A Frontier in Medical Science. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1995).



In Summary

The history of homeopathy's successes in treating infectious disease epidemics, the research that suggests the immunomodulatory effects of homeopathic medicines, and the clinical research on HIV+ and AIDS patients that indicates beneficial response to homeopathic medicines should command attention by physicians, scientists, and public health officials. Despite this body of work, it is both surprising and depressing that homeopathic medicine has been consistently ignored as a viable part of a comprehensive program in treating HIV+ and AIDS patients.

Homeopathy is not the only alternative that is being ignored by the AIDS medical community. Even though a large number of people with AIDS, especially long-term survivors, are using one or more alternative treatments, there is little data on their use or success. The leading AIDS organizations are likewise ignoring any serious investigation of their use. Until AIDS activists, the concerned general public, and open-minded health professionals start insisting that research on alternatives be performed, the potentially valuable therapies will continue to be ignored, and the AIDS epidemic will continue to devastate our society. When these alternative therapies are integrated within a comprehensive program which includes public health measures that seek to prevent infection, the AIDS epidemic will finally begin to recede.



Reference:

1. Above information has been taken from various sources in the best interest of the general public awareness to know much about HIV / AIDS and Hompœopathy so that they can protect themselves from this deadly disease. I express my thanks and gratitude to the contributors of the valuable information.
2. "AIDS: The Real Cause" by Dr. George Vithoulkas.
3. "A Homeopathic Perspective on AIDS" by Mr. Dana Ullman, M. P. H.





Copyright © Dr. Sayeed Ahmad 2004