Eupatorium Perfolatum Has Proved Its Effectiveness Yet Again!

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Abstract: §2 The highest ideal of cure is the rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way, on easily comprehensible principles.

Keywords: Dengue, Epidemic, Homoeopathic cure, Eupatorium perfolatum

Abbreviations: +=present; A=absent; <=aggravation; >= amelioration; S=Same; D=Decreased

Introduction:

Dengue virus has started showing its fierce face and is drawing many people into the jaws of death yet again. The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in the recent decade. About half of the world’s population is found to be at risk¹. In India, dengue is endemic in almost all states and union territories where around 1 lakh people are affected by each year².

Dengue fever presents with a high rise in temperature up to 104⁰F and is accompanied by two of the following symptoms: severe headache, pain behind eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands/ rash. Symptoms last for 2-7 days after an incubation period of 4-10 days after the bite from an infected mosquito. Severe dengue due to plasma leaking may have- severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums, fatigue, restlessness and blood in the vomitus.

In conventional medicine, there is no particular mode of treatment to date. There is only supportive therapy which may or may not help the patient to recover. But in Homoeopathy there is scope for the cure of dengue as the treatment is based on symptom totality and individualization of each person in disease. In the year 2015 CCRH announced Eupatorium perfolatum 30 as the preventive medicine for dengue³. Ever since it has proved and cured many cases whenever the totality indicated. Following is one such case where the cure occurred very rapidly.

Case report:

L	S	M	C
Generals Since 3 days	Fever Chills	<night	–
Musculoskeletal system Since 3 days	Soreness	<touch <lying <movement
Back	Pain	<fever
GIT Since 2 days	Nausea Vomiting Bilious	<fever <drinking water <eating food	–
Respiratory system Since 1 day	Cough dry (occ)	<fever	–

History of Chief Complaints:

The patient presented with complaint of fever with chills, severe back pain and body pains which was persistent for three days. She also had nausea and bilious vomiting with diffuse abdominal pain for two days. Occasional dry cough with scanty whitish expectoration was present. Also, there was generalized weakness.

Physical Generals:

Appetite: Decreased; Bitter taste in mouth.

Fig.1.

Thirst: Increased; Dryness of mouth.

Sleep: Disturbed due to pains and vomiting.

Physical Examination:

Abdomen

On palpation: tenderness is present in epigastric and right hypochondriac regions.

Skin turgor test: poor.

Chest

On auscultation: Clear.

Vital signs

Fig.2.

Pulse: 86 bpm

Bp: 100/60 mm of Hg

Investigations: Temperature: 103.4⁰F

Dengue spot test (fig1)

CBC (fig2)

Diagnosis: Dengue Fever- A90 (ICD-10)

The totality of symptoms:

1. Fever
2. Chills
3. Nausea
4. Fig.3. Bilious vomiting
5. Back pain during fever
6. Sore pains all over the body fig 3
7. Bitter taste in the mouth
8. Increased thirst
9. Disturbed sleep due to pains
10. Dry cough during fever

Conversion to rubrics:^{*reportorial result in (fig 3)}

1. Fever- Dengue fever
2. Fever- Chill- with
3. Mouth- taste – bitter
4. Stomach- nausea- fever during
5. Stomach- thirst- Unquenchable
6. Stomach- Vomiting- Type of- Bile- Fever, during the
7. Cough- fever, during
8. Generals- Pain- Sore
9. Back- Pain- Fever, during
10. Sleep- Disturbed pains, by

Justification of remedy selection and potency

On arrival of the patient after case taking Eup.perf 200-1P was prescribed based on the totality of symptoms. And the diagnosis was confirmed with Dengue spot test, which came positive for NS1Ag.  The patient was admitted in the IPD, temperature and vitals are monitored every 1hr. Follow up was taken TID. After the 1^st dose of Eup.perf the patient was feeling little better and the temperature was intermittent, vomiting episodes were decreased but still, the temperature was hitting high up to 102⁰F, hence the potency was increased to 1M after 24 hours. Only one dose of Eup.perf 1M was given and within the next 24 hours, there was a gradual decline in temperature. (fig 4)^{*temperature chart}

Follow-up ^{*numbers correspond to the totality}

23/04/2019 @ 7pm

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
P	D	P	P	S	S	S	S	S	P

Tem: 100.9⁰F

24/04/2019 @ 9am

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
P	A	P	A	S	S	S	S	S	S

Temp:100.2⁰F

RX– Eup.perf  1M -1P

25/04/2019 @ 9am

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
D	A	D	D	S	D	A	G	G	D

Temp: 98.4⁰F

RX- Eup.perf (0)- 1P

26/04/2019 @9am

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
A	A	A	A	D	S	A	G	G	D

^{*Blood investigation report (fig 5)}

Temp: 98.6⁰F

RX- Eup.perf (0)– 1P

27/04/2019 @9am

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
A	A	A	A	D	S	A	G	G	A

 Temp:98.6⁰F

Fig.4. DRX- Arnica 3O 3pills HS/ 1 week
At the time of discharge patient was relieved from all symptoms except for sore pains of the body. Hence Arnica 30 was prescribed based on the totality and the underlying pathology i.e extravasation of blood from capillaries (passive bleeding). Blood investigation is repeated after 10days which showed a rapid increase in platelet count and blood heamoglobin level. (fig 6)DRX- Arnica 3O 3pills HS/ 1 week
Fig.5. Fig.6.

Conclusion:

According to §73 Epidemic diseases are those acute infectious diseases which affect a group with similar suffering at the same time⁴. As these cases have an identical origin, they have an identical rapid and morbid process which when untreated may result in recovery or death. Hence such diseases have to be attended with the utmost care and treated accordingly before it could take many precious lives.

References

1. Dengue and severe dengue: WHO; 15 April 2019; https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue
2. Dengue; WHO India 2019; http://www.searo.who.int/india/topics/dengue/en/
3. Raj K Manchanda; Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy; 2015| Vol 9| Issue: 3| Page: 137-140
4. Hahnemann S. Organon of Medicine.6^th New Delhi: B Jain Publishers; 2010, page 160