Homoeopathy meets successfully ever growing new challenges of diseases of newborn, infant and child. The question is what are the new challenges and how is Homoeopathy meeting them successfully. The world around us is fast changing.
The impact of science and technology has not spared any walk of life.
New knowledge and information is pouring in every minute. School going age has come down from five to even two. Toddlers are made to learn and grab things beyond their capacity. Children are under pressure to perform better to keep pace with the fast world. Today?s child is not carefree but burdened irritable and frustrated one. Because, both parents are working and joint family system is replaced by nuclear families, the child is lonely and sad in his world. He feels neglected and sometimes to draw attention shows abnormal behaviour, in the form of anger, nocturnal enuresis, bouts of cough, convulsions etc.
Industrialization and population boom is causing pollution of every kind. Infants and children are being exposed to harmful pollutants causing respiratory allergies, asthma, tuberculosis, and carcinoma of lungs. Exposure to electronic media has affected the health of the children. They are just glued to the T.V.or computer, munching their snacks and getting obese.
Homoeopathy has stood the test of time for about 200 years. It is based on infallible laws and principles. As the totality of symptoms is the only guide to selection of the similimum our remedies meet the purpose successfully.
Prescribing is practically diagnosing the remedy. The family history, constitution, temperament, previous history mode of onset all offer clues to proper remedy. Homoeopathy is a great friend of newborn where objective symptoms are the only guide to selection of the appropriate medicine. His temperament, feeding habits, sleep, skin conditions, reaction to external stimulus all indicate the required remedy. Homoeopathy can alter the susceptibility of the child towards diseases like uberculosis, allergic conditions and recurrent infections.
In Nov.issue of the journal, Vital Informer, there was a report by Dr.V.P.Bansal from a small village Surajganj of Dewas Dist. that 35 children between the age group of 5 to 15 have been affected by excessive fluoride content in water. Homoeopathy can definitely play a vital role to stop the progress of the disease in already affected children and also as preventive for the unaffected with the remedies like Calc. Flour. and Fluoric Acid which have pathogenetic effects on bones and teeth.
Chronic ailments in children usually have a hereditary background and follow disease pattern of their parents. Problems faced by the mother during pregnancy like stress, faulty nutrition smoking or alcohol intake may affect the baby.
Irrespective of the physical illness, behaviour and temperament of the child always point to a similimum.
Syphylinum or Thuja will quiet a new born infant who is crying continuously.
For cyanotic newborn we have remedies like Borax, Cactus, Digitalis, Lachasis, Laurocer.
Oedema of the feeble delicate newborn effecting eyelids, dorsum of hands and feet, progressing, involving entire cutaneous surface as a result of feeble heart muscle where kidneys are normal, Kali.Carb.is best indicated.
Sulphur 30, single dose helps to clear the rash or small eruptions from the skin of the newborn caused due to infected passage during delivery.
Calcarea Phos. And Lapis alba. are useful in cretinism.
Phytolacca calms down the weeping infant due to difficult dentition.
Homoeopathic remedies serve to remove the remote effects of previous illness e.g. Sulph. After pneumonia, Pulsatilla after abuse of iron tonics, Nux.Vom.after purgatives and cough mixtures.
Nosodes play important role for bad effects remaining after diseases like ? Morbilinum after measles, Diphtherinum after diphtheria, Variolinum after smallpox or chickenpox, Thuja after vaccination Typhoidinum after typhoid.
Medorrhinum for inherited complaints of infants and children of sycotic background like emaciation, marasmus, asthma, dwarfishness, ringworm of the scalp.
For easily discouraged children, Lycopodium comes in to encourage.
Baryta.Carb. helps children to grow mentally and physically.With every cold the size of their tonsils keep increasung.
Angry children need Acon., Cham., or Hep.
Borax, Calc.Carb., Calc.Phos, Cina, Gels., Kali.Carb. are moaning children.
Aethusa, Baryta carb., Graphitis, Lach., Acid Phos., Zinc. help children to concentrate in studies.
Calc.Carb., child is so sensitive that he can not bear to see cruelty in cinema.
Bell. child has a tendency to bite.
Borax child is anxious during rocking.
Lachesis and Zinc. correct the children who play dirty tricks and tease teachers, friends and elders.
Tuberculinum 1M single dose has cured a child of 7 yrs. Of nocturnal enuresis and his lascivious habit of looking at nude photographs which was because of great worry to his mother.
Children who remain sad need Abrotanum Ars. Alb., Calc.Carb., Caust.Lach. Lyco. Rhus.Tox. Or Sulph.
We hear a lot about ADHD in children these days. Such type of children are hyperactive, they can not sit at one place for a longer time. Homoeopathy
helps them by remedies like Tuberculinum, Kali.iod., Tarentula Hispanica.
For jealousy among siblings we have Ars.Alb., Nat.Mur., Nux. Vom., Sep.
Habit of striking others in children can be treated by Cham., Cina, Lyco. Children who have inability for learning to write can be helped by Caust. or Sil. .
A loving, reciprocative child, who returns the kiss requires Phos.
Atheusa, Baryta Carb., Graph., Lach., Phos.Acid. enable the child to concentrate in studies.
Calc. children are afraid of everything.
A 12 year old girl, who was suffering from opaque, turbid urine containing calcium oxalate crystals, on case taking was reported having a great fear of cats.
Tuberculinum cured the problem.
Glottony and obesity in children can be met with Calc.Carb.
Baryta Carb., Graph., Lach., Phos. Acid. enable the child to concentrate in studies.
Mathematics is a horror for most of the students. Calc.Carb., Lyco., Nat.Mur., Sil, Sulph., Staphys., remove this horror and Bell., Calc., Kali. Carb., Lyco., Syphilinum develop an aptitude for maths in children.
Apprehension in children going to school for the first time need Arg.Nit.
Examination fear is met with Gels. and Arg.Nit.
Capsicum helps thechildren in boarding school to overcome the feeling of homesickness.
Ars.Alb. child is very tidy,does not like mess around and always puts his toys and books at proper place.
Causticum is a sympathetic child who can not see other people upset or crying.
Ignatia is a bright, precocious child.
Too much burden of studies causing headache would need Acid. Phos. Phosphorus children are observant and watch everything that go around them. Their eyes will follow every movement of the doctor. They are warm and do not hurt anybody.
Puls. are attention seeking, shy, demanding children.
Silicia child is timid, frightened, give up in any difficult situation because of fear of failure, very sensitive that even when spoken to kindly, burst into tears.
Sulph is a curious child, boastful of his belongings. He is philosphical, selfish, dirty looking with hot sweaty hands.
Gels. is dull and tired child.
Asthma in children always has a sycotic background and antisycotic remedy like Natrum Sulph, plays an important role in curing the disease completely.
The list is quite exhaustive.
I conclude by saluting our great master Dr. Hahneman and all those who have contributed to enrich homoeopathy.
Dr.Poonam Batra
B.H.M.S., Delhi
Near LML Showroom, Marris Road
ALIGARH
Tel: 0571-250 7903