Homoeopathy for the side effects of conventional medicine

Dr Riya Saxena

ABSTRACT
Conventional medicine ,while effective in treating various diseases using pharmaceuticals,surgery and other medical interventions, often comes with various side effects which can be debilitating and may cause human to suffer a lot.Homoeopathy , a holistic system of medicine , offers a natural, gentle and non invasive approach in reducing these side effects . By considering the whole person-physical,emotional and spiritual, homoeopathy empowers patients to restore their health. This review explores the potential of homoeopathy in alleviating adverse effects associated with conventional medicines thus enhancing patient’s quality of life.

INTRODUCTION
Conventional medicine is defined as a form of medicine that view health as the absence of disease, focuses on specific organ or tissue deviations for diagnosis and aims to suppress illness.Conventional medicine primarily focuses on treating symptoms and underlying causes of disease using pharmaceutical drugs and surgical interventions and on the other hand Homoeopathy operates on the principle of” like cures like” where highly diluted substances are used to stimulate the body’s innate healing ability.

MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOMOEOPATHY AND CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

• Homoeopathy focuses on treating the whole person,including physical,emotional and spiritual aspects,using highly diluted substances that stimulate body’s natural healing process whereas conventional medicine focuses on treating specific symptoms or diseases using pharmaceuticals,surgery and other medical interventions and ends with suppressing symptoms or managing rather than addressing the underlying cause.
• Principle of homoeopathy is” like cures like” where a substance that produces symptoms in a healthy person can be used to treat similar symptoms in a sick person but in conventional medicine, principle is evidence based and relies on scientific method to develop and test the treatments.
• Homoeopathy takes a holistic approach,considering the whole person whereas conventional medicine takes a simplistic approach,focusing on specific symptoms or diseases.

WHAT ARE SIDE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

A side effect is an unwanted symptom caused by medicinal treatment. They are also known as adverse reactions.

All side effects are not serious , but some are. Few examples are-

• Dry mouth
• Rash
• Nausea
• Upset stomach
• Bloating or constipation
• Headache
• Drowsiness

Some serious side effects can be –

• Allergic reactions
• Organ damage
• Drug interactions
• Antibiotic resistance
• long term side effects

ANTIBIOTICS
Causing foetal anomalies,neurological complications may develop , dermatitis due to penicillin following the external application of it, in treatment of skin disease.

SULPHA GROUP OF DRUGS
Erythema nodosum and exfoliative dermatitis, cyanosis due to its abuse , can produce fever if given in high doses  , hepatitis and myocarditis.

CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY
Long administration produces irreversible changes , it may lead to cataract formation

SEDATIVES, NARCOTICS,TRANQUILISERS
Hypotension most serious feature of meprobamate over dosage. Agitation , depression, insomnia and parkinsonism.

OTHER DRUGS
Excesive amount of Vitamin D taken by expectant mothers may cause cardiac malformalities.
Asthma and contact eczema have been ill effects of the anti histaminic agents.

RESEARCHES THAT PROVE HOMOEOPATHY BENEFICIAL FOR TREATING SIDE EFFECTS BY CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

• The preclinical research on homoeopathy has evaluated the beneficial effects of homoeopathic medicines against radiations. Ginseng 6x,30x and 200x and Ruta graveolens 30x and 200x were administered before and after exposure of 100 to 200 radiations of x ray to albino mice and then evaluated after 24,48 and 72 hours.Mice given any of these homoeopathic medicine experienced significantly less chromosomal and cellular damage as compared to placebo treatment.Ginseng 30x and 200x had significant benefit of repairing DNA after radiation exposure.
• In another study, albino pigs were exposed to small doses of X ray, it reddened the skin. Homoeopathic medicine Apis mellifica 7c an 9c showed protective effect and reduced the redness to much extent.
• A study suggested that patients who underwent total mastectomy suffered from postoperative seroma and bleeding.Homoepathic medicine Arnica Montana reduced the seroma and bleeding in those cases.

IN RELATION WITH ORGANON OF MEDICINE

ARTIFICIAL CHRONIC DISEASE ( APHORISM 74-76)
Disease produced artificially due to prolonged use of violent heroic medicines in large and increasing doses, by abuse of calomel,corrosive sublimate,mercurial ointment,nitrate of silver, iodine and its ointments,cinchona bark and quinine,sulphur and sulphuric acid etc, whereby the vital force is weakened to such an extent that sometimes if it do not succumb, in order to preserve the organism from complete destruction , it produce a revolution in organism and either deprive some part of its irritability or sensibility or exalt to an excess degree causing dilatation, relaxation or even total destruction of certain parts.

If they have progressed much then it becomes difficult to cure them but if the vital force has not been weakened too much by conventional medicine, then it can be cured by vital force itself.

In the footnote of aphorism 74, Dr Hahnemann points out the brousseau treatment as the most irrational and inappropriate allopathic method.

Among the chronic disease,artificial chronic disease produced by the allopathic mal practice is the most incurable one (aphorism 75) especially if the treatment continued for long time. These artificial diseases have to be remedied by the vital force itself and it is possible only when the vitality of vital force is not deranged totally.

HOMOEOPATHIC POINT OF VIEW FOR ADVERSE EFFECTS OF DRUGS
According to fundamental law of cure, medicine that has to be given to treat a particular condition has to be the one that can produce similar state of symptoms in healthy person .In homoeopathy extremely minute doses are considered more powerful than large doses of medicine prescribed by orthodox physicians and thus produce artificial chronic disease which are more difficult to cure.Thus our master has included many homoeopathic medicines in materia medica to either antidote or cure the effects of these  drugs and also other pioneers also worked upon this and included this in their literatures.

DR  SUNIRMAL SARKAR’S CLINICAL APPROACH OF ALLOPATHIC UNDERSTANDING AND DRUG SIDE EFFECTS
According to Dr Sarkar, there is another way to approach to a case where the patient is heavily  allopathically medicated, we can treat the side effects with great success.

He mentioned about two great homoeopathic remedies which works like magic in such cases-

ARISTOLOCHIA CLEMATITIS
When there is past history of the use of contraceptive pills, this remedy can be thought of.
This is a mixture of Pulsatilla+ Sepia+Arnica.

NATRUM SALICYLIC ACID
With the history of fevers,ingestion of many allopathic medicines like crocin and when the state of dullness, drowsiness appears with thirst, this remedy can be thought of.This is best remedy for prostrating after effects of influenza.

DIFFERENT RUBRICS COVERED –

SYNTHESIS REPERTORY

• Chest palpitation of heart medicine;after abuse of allopathic-nux vom,opium
• Stomach indigestion abuse of drugs after- nux vom
• Stomach nausea medicine after allopathic chemotherapy after- sepia
• Rectum constipation drugs, after abuse of- agar,ant-c,Bry,chin,Hydr.
• Skin eruptions corticosteroids; after use of-Nat mur
• Skin eruptions antibiotics;from-rhus ven
• Generals history;personal antibiotics;of use of- carb veg
• Generals medicine allopathic abuse of- agar,agn,Aloe,bry,camph,Hydr,Lob,nat-m,nit-acid,Nux-v,sep,sil,Sulph
• Generals analgesics;from am-c,bell,lach,opium
• Generals purgatives,abuse of-hydr.,Lyc,Nux-v,sulph
• Generals anesthesia ailments; from acet-ac,caust,nux-v, opium,phos.

PHATAK REPERTORY

• DRUGS,abuse of in general
• Alo,Ars,Cam,Carb-v,Cham,Colo,Hep,Hydr.,Nit-ac,NUX-V,Pul,Sul.

BOERICKE REPERTORY

• Abuse of enemas Opium
• Abuse of purgatives – Aloe, Hydr.,Nux-v,Sulph
• Abuse of Mercury- Ant-t,Arg-m,Asaf.,Aur,Caust,Chin,Dulc,Hep,Iod.,Podo,Puls,Sulph.
• Abuse of drugs in general- Aloe,Hydr.,Nux-v,Teucr.

HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES

NUX VOMICA
One of the best medicine to antidote the side effects of allopathic medicines when there are gastrointestinal complaints like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea .

ALOE SOCOTRINA
Considered as a wonderful antidote to allopathic medicines when there are abuse of purgatives and when patient has complaint of gastrointestinal tract.

SULPHUR
Sulphur covers the skin conditions like rashes, acne , dermatitis caused due to abuse of allopathic medicines or trigerred by it or the skin affections that are being suppressed by ointments for long standing periods.

GELSEMIUM
Gelsemium covers Dullness, drowsiness, fatigue caused by sedatives and antidepressants

RHUS VENENATA
Eruptions like erythema nodosum with nightly itching with gradual swelling extending over body causing erysipelas appearance.

CUPRUM METALLICUM
Twitching, muscle cramps spasms are very well covered by this remedy caused by dieuretics and other allopathic drugs.

CONCLUSION
Treating a specific disease with conventional medicine which is given in large and subsequent increased doses does not guarantee full safety and harmlessly treating the specific disease but suppress it and lead to the formation of artificial disease which is more difficult to cure . The subsequent use and frequency should be monitored because its judicial use can lead to great morbidity and mortality. Dr Hahnemann has always criticized against use of conventional medicine as he very well know about the consequences and has always taught to use single simple remedy to cure a disease state  in minimal dose, thus acquiring perfect cure. Hence proved Homoeopathy is cost effective and gentle treatment and can be used to eliminate and reduce the side effects of conventional medicine to a great extent.

REFERENCES

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Dr Riya Saxena
PG Scholar , Department of Practice of Medicine
Bakson Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital , Greater Noida
Email Id- dr.saxenariya@gmail.com