ABSTRACT
Allergic rhinitis is a global health problem that is often treated with homeopathy. The objective of this review will be to show the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment of allergic rhinitis.
INTRODUCTION – Allergic Rhinitis is also known as Hayfever, it causes inflammation of the lining of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity. This inflammation occurs when one comes in contact with something that one is allergic to. This could pollens or moulds or dust or smoke or any strong odour. This problem occurs more often in the autumn and spring season as the pollens are widespread at this time.
Allergic Rhinitis symptoms result in sleep disturbance, fatigue, depressed mood and cognitive function compromise that impairs quality of life and productivity [2]. There may be associated conjunctivitis, postnasal drip, Eustachian tube dysfunction, otitis media, sinusitis & in children, dental malocclusions & facial deformities also.
CATEGORIES OF ALLERGIC RHINITIS – Seasonal : Symptoms can occur in spring, summer, and early fall.
Perennial : Symptoms occur year-round and are generally caused by sensitivity to dust mites, pet hair or dander, cockroaches or mold.
AETIOLOGY – pollen from trees, grass and weeds (hay fever) house dust mites animals such as dogs and cats. Mould, wood dust, flour dust and latex
SIGN AND SYMPTOM – The common symptoms of allergic rhinitis are sneezing, running nose and watery discharge from the eyes. There is irritation in the nose which causes sneezing to start and then watery discharge from the nose begins. There is discharge from the posterior nares that drains into the throat. This is called post nasal drip. One tends to lose the sense of smell. In chronic cases, the nose stuffs up or gets blocked. One cannot breathe through the nose easily. Such patients are forced to breathe through their mouth and keep their mouth open. Night time is the most difficult for such patients as they find it difficult to sleep. The mouth dries up as they breathe through the mouth instead of the nose. Sometimes, ears also tend to get blocked.
- ALLERGIC RHINITIS – CONCEPT AND HOMOEOPATHIC APPROACH- PHILOSPHICAL BACKGROUND Homeopathy is best placed to treat all sorts of allergies or allergic disorders. The reason for this is that it does not try to treat the symptoms of the allergies. Instead, it works to root out the cause of the allergies. The root cause in allergies happens to be a hyperactivity of the immune system. This hyperactive immune system goes into overdrive when it comes in contact with certain things. These things may be harmless in themselves. But the immune system tends to look at them as offenders and tries to react in a defensive manner. It tries to wash them off by producing excess mucus. The homeopathic medicines repair the immune system and the hyperactivity is corrected. Then the body reacts normally to the same things that used to cause the allergies.
RUBRICS AND REPERTORIAL APPROACH– Summercatarrh; Ambro.,Aral.,Ars., Ars-i., Euphr., Lach., Naphtin., Psor., Ran-b., Sabad., Sangin-n.,Sin-n., Stict.
Inflammation, acute, catarrhal, ordinary cold in head; All-c., Acon., Ars., Ars-i., Arum-t., Bry., Camp., Dulc., Euphr., Lach., Naphtin., Pso., Ran-b.,Sabad.,Sangin-n., Sin-n.,Stict.
CORYZA; DRY (stuffy colds, snuffles);Am-c.,Calc., Cham., Hep., Kali-bi., Lyc., Nat-m.,Nux-v., Samb.,Stict.
Alternately dry and fluent:Ars., Lac-c.,Nat-ar., Nux-v., Sin-n.
Crazy, Fluent, watery (running cold);Ail.,All-c., Ambro.,Aral.,Ars.,Ars-i., Arum-t.,
Brom.,Euphr., Gels., Just., Kali-i., Merc., Nat-ars., Nat-m., Quill., Sabad., Sangin-n.
Lachrymation, sneezing:All-c.,Ars., Cycl.,Euphr., Gels., Just.,Kali-i., Nat-m.,Nux-v.,Sabad.
Inflammation, chronic atrophic (Sicca):Alum.,Calc-f., Hep., Kali-i., Lem-m.,Lyc.,Sep., Stict., Sulph.
Inflammation, chronic catarrhal:Alum., Am-m., Calc., Eucal., Hep., Hippoz., Hydr., Kali-bi., Nat-c., Puls., Sep.
Inflammation, purulent in children:Calc.,Kali-bi., Lyc.
TYPES OF DISCHARGES IN RHINITIS; Acrid, watery, fluent, hot, or thin mucus:All-c., Am-m., Ambro., Aral., Ars.,Ars-i., Gels., Iod., Kali-i., Merc-c., Nat-ar., Nat-m., Sabad., Sangin-n.,
ALBUMINOUS, clear mucus:Kali-m.,Nat-m
Bland mucus:Euphr.,puls.
Bloody mucus:Arum-t., Hep., Merc-i-r,Phos.
Green, yellow, fetid (purulent or mucus-purulent);Bals-p., Calc.,
Hep., Hydr., Kali-bi., Kali-s., Lyc., Merc., Puls, Dulc .
SENSITIVENESS of nose to air, touch; Aesc., Ant-c., Arum-t., Hep.
SNEEZING (sternutation); All-c., Aral.,Ars., Cycl., Euphr., Gels.,
Ip., Kali-i., Sabad., Sangin-n., Stict.
Sneezing, chronic tendency; Sil.
Sneezing, ineffectual; Ars.
Sneezing, worse coming into warm room; rising from bed; handling
peaches; All-c.
Sneezing, worse in cool air:Ars.,Hep., Sabad.
Sneezing, worse in evening;Glyc
Sneezing, worse in morning;Nux-v.
Sneezing, worse in immersing hands in water;Lac-d.,Phos.
STOPPAGE, Stuffiness;Acon., Am-c.,Arum-t., Aur., Cham., He Kali-bi., Lyc., Nux-v., Puls., Samb., Sin-n.,Stict.
Stoppage, alternating nostrils; Lac-can., Nux-v.
Swelling; Ars-, Aur., Kali-bi., Lem-m., Mer-c., Nit-ac.
CONCLUSION – Homoeopathy is efficacious in treating allergic Rhinitis when a detailed case taking is done. With the help of Synthesis repertory, Homoeopathic Materia Medica and Organon of Medicine and Philosophy Knowledge proper selection of similimum and its repetition were achieved with improvement of the patient. . Homoeopathic medicine helps to improve Immune System and thus allergic conditions can eliminate off. Various mind rubric study was done with their application in patients gave the correlation study of mind and body. While dealing with Allergic rhinitis caution should be taken of repeating the dose as well medicine should be prescribed in high potency cautiously.
REFERENCE –
[1] – Textbook of practice of medicine – Davidson, gollwala,
[2]Harrison of internal medicine.
[3]Synthesis repertory
[4]William boerick repertory
[5]Genius of homoeopathy- stuart clause
[6]Case paper
[7] www.google.com
[8]Pubmed.
Written by
Dr. Palak chouksey
MD Department of Practice of Medicine, govt. homeopathic medical college, BHOPAL
