Complicated peptic ulcer and its homoeopathy treatment

Dr.Tanuja Mukhopadhyay

            ..and in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”

Some times one feel pain in upper abdomen which is burning in nature and usually happens early in the morning, between meals or after taking juice, alcohol or coffee. It may start after taking pain killers like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen etc. but feels relived after taking antacids.

If it is a known ulcer, then he may start having symptoms of anaemia, such as weakness, fatigue and paleness. The ulcer may be leads to bloody, black, tarry stool, even there may be vomiting which is bloody. There may be symptoms of shock like cold and clammy perspiration, extreme weakness and fainting. He may starts having acute backache due to perforating ulcer. In such cases, he should consult a physician and must go immediately for laboratory investigations like –

• Barium meal x-ray to spot the ulcer;
• Endoscopic examination or gastroscopy;
• during endoscopy, a biopsy may be done, if cancer is suspected.

Above symptoms evolves due to the complications of Peptic ulcer i.e. Gastric or Duodenal ulcer.

ACUTE complication is of two types, one is PERFORATION and other is HAEMORRHAGE, which is most common cause of death. There may be SUB-ACUTE type of complication also, that is, residual abscess (Periduodenum, Perigastric, Sub- diaphragmatic).

CHRONIC complication is of three types, one is due to Fibrosis – Pyloric stenosis, Hourglass & Tea-pot stomach; next is Penetrating – Cholecystoduodenal fistula, Penetrating ulcer; third one is due to malignancy – Gastric carcinoma.

Although treatment of this type of disease is immediately necessary but management is equally important as treatment for the furtherance of the process of cure.

For management of Peptic ulcer one is required to take fibre rich diet regularly, as it has cancer preventing substances. It also prevents development of duodenal ulcers. Food fibre increases secretion of mucin which helps in protection of duodenal lining. To avoid or to manage a case of Peptic ulcer one should –

• masticate everything very thoroughly,
• avoid overeating and eating too quickly,
• avoid remaining anxious or stressed particularly while taking meal,
• avoid added salt and hot spices, coffee and soft drink,
• avoid pain killers like aspirin, ibuprofen etc. and help of homeopathy should be taken for amelioration and to treat the cause of pain,
• should not depend on antacids for treatment of acidity and ulcers. They do not treat the cause of hyperacidity and in the long run actually stimulate the body to produce more acid thus requiring more antacids. Antacids have serious side effects like osteomalacia (softening of bones) because they deplete phosphate levels,
• avoid consumption of alcohol, if habituated, then it should be reduced step by step immediately,
• Stop smoking. Nicotine is known to suppress the pancreas from producing enzymes which help neutralize the acid in stomach,
• Iron supplements should be taken in moderation because too much or prolonged iron supplementation can cause irritation of stomach lining and ulcers

One should practice yoga regularly, as it helps minimize the stress and anxiety which are the major cause of hyperacidity in the stomach and thereby causes irritating ulcers. The patient who gets angry easily or is highly emotional should start doing yoga, which really helps soothe the nervous system.

In certain cases, where the pathological changes are gross and irreversible, the cure is very difficult, in such cases surgery indicates, the indications are –

(i) development of complication like peptic perforation, uncontrolled haemorrhage, pyloric stenosis, hourglass stomach, tea-pot stomach,

(ii) the symptoms persists for prolong period, in spite of conservative     treatment.

It is believed that Peptic ulcers is a lifestyle disease whose main causes are—food with too much spices and oil, having meal at irregular timings, lack of exercise and sedentary habits. Some patients may complain of bloating and belching. Many may say that the food is lodged in the chest and the digestion process has painfully slowed down. Some patients may complain of chest burn and feeling of uneasiness.

MASTER HAHNEMANN after discovering and practising Homoeopathic method of treatment for about 30 years (1790-1820 AD) found that Homoeopathy could not come out  to bring a real cure in some case of diseases, in the sense that though the diseases appeared to subside for a time under properly selected homoeopathic medicine, they always had tendency to relapse at some later on , i.e., the same vital force which is stimulated effectively to overcome the infection in acute diseases by Homoeopathic similimum, failed to rouse effectively against the chronic disease with the remedies which best cover their present symptoms. With regard to treatment of chronic diseases, Dr. Hahnemann stated that “its start was pleasing, the continuation less favourable, and the out come hopeless”.

Hahnemann had to ponder over this matter seriously which led him to discover the theory of chronic miasms. The concept of miasms and theory of chronic disease was conceived and elaborated by Hahnemann in his book “The Chronic Disease” in 1828.

The basic Hahnemannian concept and its application in the cases of symptoms related to G.I.T (as well as peptic ulcer) with that of miasm(s) can be realised from the following –

Symptoms	Miasm(s)
Weak, “all gone” sensation in the stomach.	Psora & Tubercular
Hunger at night.	Psora
Hunger soon after eating.	Psora
Fullness, bloating, great distension due to accumulation of gases.	Psora
Want of appetite.	Psora
Sour eructation, not infrequently they accompanied with heart burn; with nausea.	Psora
Faint feelings at the pit of the stomach, with a conflux of salivations to the mouth, acid eructation with burning in oesophagus with or without hunger.	Psora
Constant gnawing at pit of stomach. Cold or hot sensation.	Psora
Epigastric tenderness. Sensation of weight.	Psora
Eating causes pain, colic, nausea, vomiting.	Psora
Aggravations are after eating (mostly).	Psora
Fear of being touched even slightest pressure can’t be endure.	Psora
Stomach symptoms are temporarily better by eating.	Psora
Stomach symptoms are temporarily >by hot drinks, belching of gas, gentle motion.	Psora
Pain in the stomach, as if sore, when eating even the most harmless kinds of food.	Psora
In hypochondria or epigastrium they have pain of a cutting or colicky nature.	Psora
Want of appetite; only a sort of gnawing, turning and writhing in the stomach urges her to eat.	Psora
After meals, pressure and burning of stomach, or in the epigastrium, almost like heart burn.	Psora
Development of ulcer (structural changes occur).                     “Psora never develops ulcers of itself, but the syphilitic taint is very prone to this manifestation”— H.A.ROBERTS	Syphilis
Silent ulcer of stomach (with out perceptible symptoms & signs)	Sycosis
Stomach pains are always colicky, crampy, paroxysmal in nature.	Sycosis
Aggravation- eating any food; better by lying on stomach or pressure over stomach.	Sycosis
Better by violent motion, walking, rocking, and shaking.	Sycosis

So, the symptoms of peptic ulcer are predominately PSORIC, intermingle with SYPHILIS; but some time it also belongs to SYCOSIS. J.H. Allen said – ‘An organ of so complex a function as the stomach has, of course, many symptoms that acknowledge the presence of Psora in the organism’.

The homoeopathic system of medicine is based on the Natural Law of Cure, “Similia Similibus Curenture”, that is ‘maladies are cured by similar remedies’. Homoeopathic system treats the patient as a whole and not the specific disease he is suffering with. The drugs used in homoeopathy are proved on healthy human beings. The effects of the systemically administered drugs are noted on many healthy individuals. The minutes changes produced by the drug(s) are recorded which included changes in the appetite, desires, aversions, thirst, excretions (stool, urine & sweat), thermal reactions, menstruation in case female, mental state apart from the physical symptoms. On the basis of these obvious signs and symptoms, the drugs are prescribed to patient having similar general symptoms.

The disease cured/ relieved by one particular drug is noted with its specific symptomatology which is further verified on experimental basis. All such signs and symptoms are recorded in the form of drug pictures in the Materia Medica. The physician is required to identify and record all the signs and symptoms of the patient in detail which include general nature of the patient, the appetite, desires, aversions, thirst, sweat, urine, stool, thermal reactions, sleep etc. All the signs and symptoms are evaluated on the basis of the significance and predominance of each one of them. The final selection of the drug depends upon the ‘Totality of the symptoms’ of the individual patients. This may vary from patient to patient with the same disease. Thus several homoeopathic drugs are available for the treatment of a disease.

The selection of drugs in homeopathic system of medicine depends on many factors which include presentation of the disease, characteristic , general – mental, physical as well as  rare, peculiar, strange / miasmatic symptoms.

There are certain drugs which are often prescribed on the basis of the symptoms similarity pertaining to the individual case of disease.-

Although Peptic ulcer is a vital health problem especially in our third world country in association with modern stressful life but there is a major scope in homoeopathy in the treatment in this field, only we should get major outcome. If we considered the most probable exiting cause, totality of the symptoms, patients constitutional makeup, miasmatic background, as well as dietary and life style management then it’s cure can be possible, but we have to be very cautious about the sign of danger sign, emergencies and about homoeopathic limitations.

Proper homoeopathic treatment is not only curative mode of treatment but also safe and cost effective, but while treating such type of patients, homoeopathic physician should be well coversent with the proper referral time i.e. when the patient should not be treated at clinics.

Bibliography:

• Principles Of  Internal Medicine – Harrison
• Principles And Practice Of Medicine.- Devidson
• Pathologic Basis Of Diease – Robbins.
• Text Book Of Pathology- Harsh Mohan,.
• The Cronic Diseases- Dr. Samuel Hahnemann,
• The Chronic Miasms – J.H. Allen.
• The Principles And Art Of Cure By Homoeopathy – H. A. Roberts.
• A Comparison Of The Chronic Miasms –   Phyllis Speight