Nutritional Support in Fever
By.Dr.G.Satheesh MD(Hom)

1.  Introduction

In the management of diseases diet and nutrition plays an important role. Well thought out nutritional
support is a valuable aid to any practitioner. This is particularly true about febrile cases because fever is a
common symptom of many diseases.  In fact, it is one of the early responses of our body to many harmful
agents. Also many patients with high and/or prolonged fever develop nutritional depletion, which in turn lead
to other complications. Hence dietary care plays an important role in the management of many cases of high
and prolonged fevers.

2.  Causes of nutritional depletion

Fever is produced by metabolic processes and muscular activity.  This accelerated metabolism leads to
breakdown of tissues and results in loss of calories and nutritional depletion.

Again, when you are hot, your body perspires to cool you down.  Increased perspiration result in water
and electrolyte depletion as in the cases of high fever.

2.1 Functional consequences of nutritional depletion (fig. 1)

1.  Reduced cellular or humoral responses to infection

2.  Impaired wound healing

3.  Bed sores and Ulcers

4.  Reduced haemopoiesis

5.  Muscle weakness; reduced ability to cough; susceptibility to bronchopneumonia.

6.  Dehydration-Dryness of mouth, herpes, Parotitis, oral infection

    Constipation

    Oliguria; dysuria; retention of urine.

2.2. Objectives of nutritional care

1.  Nutritional support to compensate energy loss

2.  Correction of fluid and electrolyte deficit

3.  Prevention of complications developing from the causes mentioned above

4.  To pave way for speedy recovery

3.  Principles

1.  Assess calorie and protein needs

2.  Mark out clearly the route of administration

3.  (Oral Route, Tube feeding, parenteral nutrition)

4.  Specify the frequency and rate of feeding

5.  Designate special restrictions (if any)

     (Na, Ca, K, fluid, gastric irritants, fibre, residue, gluten, fat, carbohydrate, protein, galactose, oxalate, lactose)

6.  Designate special additions (if any)

     (Fibre, vitamins, prepared nutrient supplements. etc.)

7.  Restrictions and / or additions according to the indicated Homoeopathic Medicine.

3.1 Diet

Generally diet should be easily digestible, soft and palatable.  In order to maintain a positive calorie balance,
it should provide 2500-3000 k cal / day.

3.2 Fluid intake

Unless contraindicated the fluid intake should be about 3000 ml/day - to prevent dehydration.  Fresh fruits
and fruit juices (rich source of K+ and Na+) and vegetable juices (eg- carrot juice) can be given to prevent
constipation associated ith fever.

Frequent sips of fluids and proper oral hygiene also helps to prevent herpes and Parotitis.

3.3 Caloric requirements

In hospitalized patients with prolonged febrile illness, the daily caloric requirements can be estimated
by using the Harris-Benedict equation for basal energy expenditure (BEE)
Men, k cal / day
BEE = 66 + 13.8W + 5H - 6.8A
Women, k cal / day
BEE = 665 + 9.6W + 1.8H - 4.7A
Where W = Weight in Kg, H = height in cm, and A = age in years
Average energy expenditure is 1.37 BEE - 312.  To maintain a positive caloric balance when energy expenditure
is increased as in prolonged fevers, burns, infections etc. the energy intake should be 1.5 -2 times this value.

3.4 Administration

Can be oral intake, tube feeding or parenteral.

3.4.1 Tube feeding

This is indicated in patients who are very sick and unable to take oral feeds.  Total amount of feed varies from
2000 ml to 3000 ml / day.  Each feed should not exceed 150-300 ml because rapid feeding may cause rapid
distension of stomach, nausea and regurgitation. Feeds should be at 380C. Food must be nutritious, in liquid
form containing milk, egg, cream, glucose, vegetable soup, rice water etc.

3.4.2   Parenteral nutrition

It is indicated when the patient cannot eat or deteriorate on oral feeding.  Partial or total nourishment can be
given through the parenteral route.

3.4.3 Parenteral feeding by a peripheral vein

Can be easily established for caloric and fluid support.  In order to prevent the development of phlebitis, the
concentration of glucose infusions should not exceed 10%.  Adequate total energy requirements cannot be
achieved from 10% glucose infusions alone.

3.4.4  Parenteral feeding by central nervous alimentation

Glucose infusions of higher concentration (25-35%) can be administered in this way.  It is best to give about
30% energy as intravenous fat emulsion, along with glucose, amino acids and micronutrients.

3.4.5 Total parenteral nutrition (TPN)

TPN is indicated in malnourished persons who cannot tolerate oral feedings.  In TPN all the essential nutrients
have to be given.  TPN should generally provide 2500 - 3000k cal / day.  Unless contra indicated, the total volume
administered per day should be around 3000 ml.

3.5   Restrictions and additions

Needs for special restrictions and / or additions to diet depends on diagnosis.  For eg. Protein and sodium
free diet in Hepatic coma and anemia.  High protein and high calorie diet in T.B., chronic fevers, infections and
in burns etc.

3.6   Diet and Homoeopathic Medicines

When patients are under constitutional remedies, they need caution about certain kinds of foods that are
known to disagree
with their constitutional remedy.  For example a patient taking Bryonia is often made sick
from eating vegetable salads.  It is wise to caution persons under the influence of pulsatilla to avoid the use
of fatty foods, as it will upset the action of the remedy.  At the same time increase in the intake of coffee in
diet will enhance the curative action of medicines like aconite, arsenic alb and colocynth.

There is no general rule on the dietetic restrictions for all the patients.  In other words, the foods that
should be avoided tempo­rarily and that should be taken by a patient differ from one patient to another
depending up on individuality of each case as well as that of the patient.

(Dr.Kent says “In accordance with a principle and not by rule... do not have one list of foods for your
patients, do not have a list of things for everybody. There is no such thing in Homoeopathy”).

4. In acute fevers.

Apart from all this, in acute febrile conditions, plenty of fluids (as much as the patient normally can)
preferably isotonic will be the best advice. Juices of citrus fruits, tender coconut water, soups etc are all
very good and also readily available at home.

Also, in acute cases restriction of dietary items is not advisable unless some food items are strongly
contra indicated in the malady.  As the master himself said “In acute diseases, on the other hand-except
in cases of mental alienation - the subtle unerring internal essence of the awakened life preserving faculty |
determines so clearly and precisely, that the physician only requires to councel the friends and attendants

to put no obstacles in the way of the voice of nature by refusing any thing the patient urgently desires in
the way of food or by trying to persuade him to partake of anything injurious”.  ($262, Organon of Medicine).

5. Conclusion

Serious illnesses are associated with chance of severe nutritional depletion because patients may be
unable to take, digest or absorb their food and also due to the loss of large amount of Calories.

The major problem in the nutritional support is to provide water, calories and proteins to the patient.

The type of diet, its ingredients, quantity, concentration rate and route of feeding depends up on the
requirements of the pa­tient, nature of his illness and the ability of the GI tract to absorb sufficient nutrients.

The basis of dietary additions and restrictions is according to the precise diagnosis.

(A Homoeopath should impose dietary addition and restrictions not only according to the diagnosis
but according to the similimum also).

6.   References
1.       Rudman.D- Diet Therapy Chapt.74
2.       Jeejeebhoy K.N., Baker J.P- Parenteral Nutrition Chapt.75
3.       Braunwald.E, Isselbacher K.J ET al- Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine 11th Ed.       
          Companion Handbook.
4.       Park .K- Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine 15th Ed.
5.       Santwani M.T- Practical Diet Guide in Homoeopathy. B.Jain Publishers New Delhi
6.       Teachers of M.C. Calicut- Doctors Pocket Companion
7.       Debora Tkae-The Doctors Book of Home Remedies Rajendra Publishing house Pvt.Ltd., P 258-264.
8.       Edwards C.R.W, Bouchier IADET al- Principles and Practice of Medicine 15th edition.  Churchill Livingstone
9.       Krishna Das K.V- Textbook of Medicine 3rd edition Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers
10.
       Kent, James Tyler- Lectures on Materia Medica. B.Jain Publishers New Delhi.
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Abrus precatorius; An Image yet to be formulated
By.Dr.P Sunilraj BHMS.

When we think about valuable therapeutic agents of various ho­moeopathic materia medica available at present and comparing it with the possible advanced types of materia medica in the future, we would be astonished to see that our present treasure of medi­cines is much less than what is really required for dealing with the ever increasing human ailments.  The number of new homoeo­pathic medicines which will be added in our pharmacology are beyond limits because, anything which can make a change in the healthy state is something which is surely to be considered as an agent which is therapeutically effective.  Nature creates diseas­es and as a compensation it also creates materials which can conquer these disturbing, debilitating and destructive forces effectively.

Each and every nation has abundant treasure of indigenous thera­peutic agents.  The question regarding the origin, nature and market value of these drug substances are not the primary matter of concern, because even a member from a precious stone family may not provide much help as pure flint do.  Here let me quote P.B. Bell’s emphatic statement, “whether derived from purest gold or purest filth, our gratitude for its excellent service forbids us to inquire or care.”  The only thing one has to do is to explore the therapeutic possibilities of these agents effective­ly.  Here comes the need of observations, pharmacological experi­mentations and clinical trials of the suspected and apparently useful medicinal agents.

Dr. Samuel Hahnemann elaborately described various sources of information regarding the pathogenetic powers (and thereby the curative powers) of medicinal substances in the aphorisms 105-145.  Among this we know that drug proving on healthy human beings is the most important, reliable and recommendable source.  He wrote that every medicine exhibits peculiar actions on the human frame, which are not produced in exactly of a different kind (apho.118).  He also told that anyone who has a thorough knowledge of, and can appreciate the remarkable difference of, effects on the health of man of every single substance from those of every other, will readily perceive that among them there can be, in a medical point of view, no equivalent remedies whatever, no surrogates (foot note of apho.119)-ie, no medicine can be used as a substitute for another one.

He said that morbid lesions which resulted from medicinal sub­stances when taken into the stomach of healthy persons, either in large doses given by mistake or inorder to produce death in themselves or others, or under other circumstances, accorded very much with his own observations when he was experimenting with the same substances on himself and other healthy  individuals.  In addition to these accidental, homicidal and suicidal poisoning cases, Dr. Hahnemann also described about Idiosyncrasy as a source of information regarding the disease producing properties of substances (apho.117). Eventhough the hypersensitiveness is a constitutional peculiarity, the basis of such manifestations cannot be attributed to the peculiar constitution alone, because the power of producing such manifestations lies with the particu­lar substance itself.

The therapeutic use of more and more agents from vegetable, animal and mineral origin and also from various energies should be discoverd and systematically arranged so that these can be used as valuable medicines.  Among these sources vegetable group play an important role especially when we think about the pos­sibility of the additon of new medicines because of the avail­ability of a large number of plants both cryptogams and phaner­ogams around us.

Now let us think something about the plant ‘Abrus precatorius’, which is commonly seen in India, but the medicinal properties of which is not well known, especially in the Homoeopathic point of view.  Our traditional system of medicine namely Ayurveda ex­plained about the plant regarding the parts used and also the individual therapeutic properties of these parts in the angle of ayurvedic approach.  In Homoeopathy we know that it is not a well proved drug substance and is using ayurvedic instructions of medication. Well, it will be far away from classical Homoeopathy.  So it is high time to prove this drug on healthy human beings in non-toxic doses and obtain a portrait of the pathogenetic ef­fects.

Anyway we are lucky to have so many toxicological effects of this plant and its various parts which will help us to know about its Homoeopathic therapeutic aspect upto cerain extent.  It also gives an idea about the part or parts which is to be used for the preparation of our medicine, about the nature and strength (dilu­tion) of the extracts to be used and also about the precautions to be taken during drug proving.  So let us now consider about this plant in a systematic way.
Botanical name  :        Abrus precatorius
Synonyms         : Abrus aaculatus, Abrus minor; Abrus pauciflorus; Abrus squamulosus; Indian liquorice; Jequirity.
Names in different languages
English              : Crab’s eye vine
Malayalam        : Kunni
Sanskrit             : Gunga, Kakachinji; Kakanandi; Kakadanee; Kakavallari; Kakacheelu; Rakthika;
Hindi                 : Rati, Ghungchi
Tamil                : Kunti
Telugu               : Guriginja
Kannada           : Galaganji
Bengali              : Kunch
Marathi             : Gunj
Family              : Leguminosae
Distribution      : All over India, in land up to 1000 metres high; also cultivated in gardens.

Description

Macroscopic:-

Abrus precatorius is a beautiful deciduous, creeping or climbing plant.  Stem is about 1.2 cm. in diameter; branches slender, flexible and tough.

Leaves 5-10 cm. long compound, paripinnate; Leaflets narrow, 10-20 pairs, opposite, increasing slightly in size from the base, 7.5 to 23mm by 3.6 to 6 mm, linear or linear oblong, thinly depressed, silky beneath.  Rachis produced beyond the last pair of leaflets as a soft bristle.  Leaves may taste sweety when chewed.  Inflorescence one sided, usually leaf bearing, axillary, pedunculate raceme, 5-10 cm long.  Flowers may be red, purple, yellowish, pink or white and are like the flowers of pea,1.0 to 1.25 cm long, clustered on tubercles arranged along the rachis of raceme.  Seed pot (fruit) have more or less the shape of beans (pod), borne in clusters, 2.5-4.5 by 1.0-1.25c.m, turgid, thinly pubescent, having a sharp deflexed beak, green when immature, becoming brown and dry later, splitting open and remaining on the branch with 3-6 seeds exposed.  Seeds egg shaped (ovoid), hard, smooth and polished.  The colour of the seed may be either of these-bright scarlet red with a black spot at the hilum; white with black spot; all white; all black; all yellowish or all blue.  Seeds are odourless and tasteless.  Each seed is about 8 mm long and 6 mm broad and average weight of each seed is about 105mg.  They were used by Indian goldsmiths for weighing silver and gold.

Microscopic:-(Seed)

Seed coat:-  Testa and tegmen fused.  From outer to inner there are 5 types of cells.
(a)   Epidermis; single layer of tangentially elongated thick walled cells.
(b)   7-10 layers of red colour bearing (towards proximal portion) and black colour bearing (towards distal portion) thin walled tangentially flattened cells.
(c)   A zone of 1-2 layers of rectangular cells.
(d)   8-10 layers of highly sinous thick walled sclerotic cells
(e)   Single layer of hyaline sclerotic palisade cells.

Cotyledon:-  There are two types of cells.
(a)   Epidermis of 1-2 layers of thin walled angular cells.
(b)   Cells of ground tissue having conspicuous beaded cell walls and full of starch granules.

Toxicological aspects

Abrus precatorius is mainly an organic irritant poison.  All parts of the plant are poisonous.  Seeds contain a variety of poisonous proteins, among which the most important one is abrin, a thermolabile toxalbumin, which is very similar to viperine snake venom in their physiological and toxic properties.  In addition to abrin the seeds contain a fat-splitting enzyme; Abrine, an aminoacid, haemagglutinine in the cotyledons; Abralin, a glycoside; Abrussic acid and urease. The root and stem also contain an active principle, glycyrrhizin.  The shell of the seed contain a red colouring matter.

Abrin, the most important active principle of Abrus precatorius seed is a tasteless, amorphous, pale grey solid substance.  It dissolves readily in cold water, and the solution which is of slight yellowish in colour froths on agitation. Abrin is also soluble in glycerin.  When taken internally by mouth, the gas­tric juice has some inactivating action on it.  Abrin loses its activity on boiling, and therefore the seeds when cooked can be taken without any harmful effects.  It is said that the powdered seeds in 60-200mg doses boiled with milk are used as a nervine tonic.

Method of extracting abrin from the seeds

First remove the seed envelope and the inner portion is taken and rubbed in a mortar with 4% sodium chloride solution in which abrin is soluble.  It is allowed to settle when the sodium chlo­ride solution of abrin is separated out.  This process is repeat­ed twice or thrice.  The combined extracts are filtered and concentrated in vacuo.  They are then acidified with acetic acid and saturated with sodium chloride to precipitate the abrin.  The precipitate is separated and purified by dialysis in a parchment dialyzer for several days.  Lastly the residual abrin is dried in vacuo over sulphuric acid when an amorphous powder is obtained.

Identification tests of Abrin

(a) Physiological:-

A watery infusion of abrin or a decoction of the seeds, if dropped into the eye causes purulent ophthalmia.

(b) Agglutination test:-

If one or two drops of abrin solution made by dissolving 0.1gm of the substance in 10ml of 4% sodium chloride solution are added to 2ml of defibrinated blood in a small test-tube, the red blood corpuscles agglutinate into a mass resembling sealing wax.

Fatal dose of abrin:- 
90-120mg.
If injected subcutaneously abrin is 100 times as toxic as by oral route.
A dose of about 0.0001mg-0.0002mg of abrin per kilogram of body weight, injected subcutaneously said to be poisonous.

Fatal period:- 24 hours to 5 days.

Symptoms and signs of Abrus precatorius poisoning

[Pathological Drug Proving,
Partial Proving]

Symptoms may be delayed from a few hours to 2-3 days. If uncooked seeds are taken, the following signs and symptoms develop.  They include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, sunken eyes, cold perspiration, trembling of the hands, dyspnoea, weak, rapid and irregular pulse, vertigo, faintness, rectal bleeding, oliguria and features of uraemia.

If injected subcutaneously in man, at the site of injection painful swelling and ecchymosis develop with inflammation and necrosis; generalised septicemia and haemolysis can occur.  There may develop convulsions and death may occur from cardiac failure (cardiac paralysis) within 3-5 days.

A decoction of the decorticated seeds or a watery infusion of abrin if instilled into the eyes will produce purulent ophthalmia and may cause fatal poisoning due to its absorption through the conjuctiva and here also certain features of generalised poison­ing can occur.

An extract of the seeds if injected subcutaneously in an animal causes inflammation, oedema, oozing of haemorrhagic fluid from the site of puncture and necrosis surrounding the site of injec­tion within few hours.  There is disinclination to take food and three or four days later it drops down and is unable to move.  Then it becomes cold, drowsy and comatose or may develop tetanic convulsions and dies within the next 24 to 48hours.  The symptoms resemble those of viperine snake bite, so one may think that the animal died from the effects of snake bite.

Autopsy studies in man shows ecchymotic patches under the skin, pleura, pericardium and peritoneum.  The mucous membrane of sto­mach and intestine is highly congested with numerous haemorrha­gic patches on its surface as well as in the interio r of the organs, such as lungs, liver and spleen.

History and authority as regards to Homoeopathic use.

First mentioning and few symptomatology of Abrus precatorius as a homoeopathic medicine is done by Dr.William Boericke in his Homoeopathic Materia Medica under the heading Jequirity.

Parts used:-  Seeds

Boericke mentioned certain conditions where Abrus precatorius can be used. They are epithelioma; lupus; ulcers; eye complaints like purulent conjunctivitis-inflammation spreads to face and neck; granular ophthalmia and keratitis.  Here we find that there is no rare, striking, singular, uncommmon or characteristic features which can help us to individualise this particular medicine and select it as a remedy, when a patient is brought to us with the above mentioned pathological conditions. This is because of the fact that the drug is not well proved.  So here comes the need of thorough drug proving of Abrus precatorius seeds.  We can also conduct drug proving using the active principle Abrin alone.  [The drug picture of the entire seed and abrin alone may not be the same.  So here we can have even two different medicines.] While conducting drug proving we should not forget that the seed as such is poisonous and we should not select potencies below 3x.

Preparation of the mother tincture
To prepare one litre of the mother tincture, take
Fine powder of Abrus precatorius seed-
100gm
Purified water-320ml
Strong alcohol-700ml
Drug strength of the mother tincture is 1/10 or 1x

Preparation of potencies
2x and higher potencies can be prepared using dispensing alcohol as the vehicle.
Caution:- Mother tincture should not be taken internally as it is highly toxic and abortive.

Potencies to be used:-

In classical homoeopathic prescriptions one can freely use 30th potency and above.

More clinical conditions where Abrus precatorius can be used:-

Based on the toxicological effects (Pathological drug proving) let me mention some of the clinical conditions where this drug can be used in addition to those mentioned by Boericke.  They are cholera, gastritis, dysentery, typhoid, cellulitis, gangrene, purpura, hypertension, nephritis, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, valvular insufficiency, cardiomyopathies, epilepsy, brain tumour, septicemia and septicemic shock, tetanus and late sequelae of viperine snake bite.

In additon to drug proving we can also conduct clinical trials using the drug in 30th potency and above and try to have an idea about the therapeutic use of it.  Anyway thorough drug proving is essential so that this medicine can have a better position both in our materia medica and in our mind

References:-
(1)  Text book of Homoeopathic Pharmacy:Mandal and Mandal
(2)  ‘Oushadha Sasyangal’:Dr:S.Nesamony
(3)  The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology:Dr:K.S. Narayan Reddy
(4)  Hand book of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology (Medical Jurisprudence) : Dr:P.V. Chadha
(5)  Modi’s Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology:N.J.Modi
(6)  Encyclopaedia of Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia; Vol II:P.N. Varma & Indu Vaid
(7)  Materia Medica with Repertory : Boericke
(8) 
  Organon of Medicine:Dr:Samuel Hahnemann.
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Two Rare Drugs Beneficial In Angina.
By.Dr.Kavitha Sunilkumar MD. (Hom)

Diseases of heart and circulation attributes to 50% of deaths.  Angina pectoris, the name itself depicts a picture of intense agony and the mere mentioning of such a case often steals a beat out of even the most experienced physician’s heart.  It is in such tricky situations that rare drugs come of help.

Here we are going to discuss about two rare drugs those come from two different kingdom viz.animal and vegetable.

1.   Latrodectus mactans
It is a spider of genus Retitelariae under the family Theridide.  It is a native of America.  The females, after copulation eat up the male; hence they are also known as ‘Black widow’.
The venom is often lethal and a bite can produce tetanic effects that lasts for several days.  Its pathogenesis and effects were published in 1933 by Hering proving committee.
It causes cramps of muscles, haemorrhage of black blood, vascular spasms of extremities and the precordial region seem to be the centre of attack.  Coagulability of blood is lowered considerably.  Angina pectoris, Vasomotor ataxia, constriction of chest muscles with radiation of pain down the axilla, left arm and forearm to the fingers are the main indications.
Mother tincture is prepared from the live insect.  Trituration from 6x and higher dilutions are highly advisable in Angina pectoris.
Symptoms which often indicate the drug includes:
Anxiety with intense fear of death
Violent constrictive pain of precordial region radiating towards armpit along the left arm to fingers with numbness of the extremity (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10). Later most violent precordial pain & pain in  left arm which seems about to be paralysed (1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10).
Sinking sensation at abdomen and cramping pain from chest to abdomen (10)
Coldness of body with rapid soft thready pulse (4,6,8) Pulse so frequent that it can’t be counted and so feeble that it can’t be felt (1,2,3,4,5) Pulse 130/mt. (1,2,3).
With intense distress patient cries out, screams with pain.  Pain in precordium with apnoea.  Screaming fearfully (4) exclaiming that she would loose her breath and die (1, 6 ,7) with sensation of severe thoracic constriction (4)
Hesitating speech with weeping
Coldness of whole surface.  Skin cold as marble (3, 7, 10)
Blood, when cupped flows like water; will not coagulate (1,3,4,5,8).  Haemorrhage of black blood; black vomit, stool copious & black.  Vomiting of black blood which ameliorates
Vascular spasm of the extremities.  Shivers, Vascular hypotonia (4)
Complaints of thermal regulation.  Shivers with temperature and profuse perspiration
Trembling tongue with great thirst, vomits what he drinks.
Itching  and redness of the part bitten, at first without pain
Cold sweat and above all pains like those of angina pectoris(4,5,6,7)
Loss of vital heat
Puffiness of face

Blood: Leucocytosis (4,8) Bleeding increases, clotting time increased blood pressure decreased (8)
General aggravation- by least movements, in the afternoon
General amelioration- by sitting still, cold bath. Over all, its action is comparable to that of Nitroglycerine.

2. Haematoxylon Campechianum

Common name:Logwood. 
Order Leguminosae Habitat-West Indian Is­lands.

It is useful in Angina pectoris where the sensation of constric­tion is characteristic (10)

The main indications of the remedy are as follows
Sensation as if a bar lay across the chest, (9,10) across the region of heart with acute pain in left upper portion of chest (1,6) (The bar sensation has been frequently removed by haema­toxylon and in a case of zona with agonising pain as if a bar lay across the chest, arresting breathing, Haematoxylon served bet­ter)
Angina pectoris with soreness in cardiac region with anguish redoubled by throbbing.  Small pulse, burning in hands and shiver­ing of the body (1).
Sensation of weakness and palpitation
Palpitation with diminished sensitivity of feet. (1)
Palpitation with diminished sensitivity of feet. (1)
Painful sensibility of limbs with lassitude (1)
Convulsive pain in heart region with oppression (10)
Painful dysentery with colic & tympanitic distention
Bellyache with inclination to vomit (1)
General uneasiness with anxiety and anguishes
Painful digging from abdomen to throat causing sore bruised pain in the region of heart with oppression aggravated by touch (10)
Better open air (6)

Mother tincture is prepared from the heart of the wood.  Use of Q, 1-10 drops or 3rd potency is often beneficial.

References
1.     Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica-JH Clarke
2.     Gibson D.M. Studyof Homeopathic remedy
3.     GrimmerA.H. Collected works
4.     Materia Medica of New Homoeopathic Remedies - Julian O.A.
5.     Concise Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicine - Pathak S.R.
6.     Homoeopathic Materia Medica of Graphic Drug Pictures- Pulford. A.
7.     Samual . Key Notes
8.     Materia Medica and Repertory- Stephenson.J.A.
9.     Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica - Allen T.F.
10.  Pocket Manual of Materia Medica with Repertory - W. Boerike

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A Study of Rheumatic Fever
By. Dr.K.K.Anoob. BHMS

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease occurring as a delayed sequel to pharyngeal infection with group haemolytic streptococci. It involves principally heart, joints, central nervous system, skin, subcutaneous tissue etc. Clinically it is characterized by
Fever
Polyarthritis

Carditis

Chorea
Skin manifestations
Pleurisy etc.

The classical work in the field of acute rheumatic fever was published in 1836 by Jean –Bapite Builliard and in 1889 by Walter B Cheadle.

Ludwig Aschoff described specific rheumatic lesions in the myocardium in 1904.

John’s criteria for the guidance of the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever were published by T.Ducket-John MD in 1944 and have been revised byAmerican heart association.

Etiology and Pathology

The association between septic throat and rheumatic fever was noted in the 19th century and in 1930 there were many reports of outbreaks of rheumatic fever following tonsillitis or scarlet fever especially in closed communities

The development of serological tests for streptococcal infection established the role of Group –A-Haemolytic streptococci

The way in which the streptococci causes rheumatic fever is still only partially understood. The characteristic of streptococcus is critical and the organism must be able to attach firmly to the pharyngeal cells and produce brisk antigenic response.

Impetigo producing strains do not cause rheumatic fever. Pharyngeal root of infection is necessary to initiate the rheumatic process.

The direct relationship to pathogenesis is however unproven, and streptococcus induced autoimmunity as a mechanism to explain the rheumatic process remains a popular concept.

The disease represents a damaging immune response on the part of host to an antecedent group-A- streptococci infection involving microbial agents cross reacting with the target organ.

Incidence and Epidemiology.

Acute rheumatic fever is common in developing countries and in poor socio economic groups.

Group-A-Haemolytic streptococci may occur as a commensal in the throat in smaller population of people, some time they will become virulent and produce outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection especially in children living in closed communities like school and dormitories.

Since over-crowding and poor living conditions predispose to the spread of infections rheumatic fever is more common among the poor socio economic group

Risk of developing rheumatic fever after an attack of streptococcal tonsillitis is 0.3-5%.

The most vulnerable age group is 5-15 yrs.

Both sexes are affected but there is a female predisposition noticed in many cases.

Environmental, bacterial and host factors appear to play roles in the development of rheumatic fever Factors like lassitude, altitude, dampness, overcrowding, economic factors and age affect the incidence of rheumatic fever.

Pathology 

Pathological process consists of  Exudative stage, seen in acute stage and a Proliferative stage which is a more prolonged process.

In exudative stage fibrinoid necrosis of connective tissue is seen. Inflammatory lesion is followed by oedema of collagen fibres, which later undergoes fragmentation, and there is alteration in the staining properties.

Hallmark of proliferative phase is Aschoff bodies, a proliferative lesion with a central core of necrotic material surrounded by large cells polymorphic nucleus and basophilic cytoplasm and an outer layer of lymphocytes. These bodies have widespread distribution in connective tissues including joints, tendons, and blood vessels .In the heart, they are found in myocardial tissues.

Heart

Heart is the site of most characteristic and consequential involvement, all its layers ie endocardium, myocardium, and pericardium may be involved, generalized involvement give rise to the term rheumatic pancarditis.

Myocardium

The most characteristic and specific pattern of rheumatic inflammation is found in the myocardial Aschoff’s bodies, a granuloma which is  pathognomonic of rheumatic fever.

In many areas the inflammatory lesion is accompanied by swelling and fragmentation of collagen fibres and alteration in the staining properties of the ground substances of connective tissues called the fibrinoid necrosis of the collagen.

Aschoff’s bodies with less exudative and more proliferative changes may persist for many years as a lingering traces of chronic rheumatic inflammation in patients with rheumatic heart diseases, long after the rheumatic fever is clinically quiescent. Eventually the Aschoff’s bodies are converted into a spindle shaped or triangular scar lying between muscle bundle and surrounding blood vessels.

Endocardium

Affects valvular and mural endocardium and produces verrucous valvulitis of acute rheumatic fever which leads to the most serious cardiac damage. It may heal by fibrous thickening and adhesion of the valve commissures and chordae tendinae leading to variable degrees of valvular regurgitation and stenosis.

Deformity resulting in functional impairment of the heart occurs most commonly in mitral and aortic valves less frequently in tricuspid and almost never in pulmonary valves. The scarring after mural endocarditis may be seen as Mac callum’s patches in posterior wall of left atrium

Pericardium

Rheumatic pericarditis is a fibrinous inflammation. Pericarditis shows a bread and butter appearance on microscopy. Pericardial effusion may also develop.

Extra cardiac lesions

Involvement of joints is characterized by exudative rather than prolifarative changes and healing occurs without any structural changes and deformity.

Subcutaneous nodules are seen in acute phase of the disease. These nodules are composed by granulomas with localized areas of fibrinoid swelling of subcutaneous collagen bundles and perivascular collection of large cells with pale nuclei and prominent nucleoli.

Pulmonary and pleural lesions are less specific and less characteristic. 

Clinical features

The major clinical manifestations by which rheumatic fever can be recognized are

Polyarthritis 
Carditis
Chorea

Erythema marginatum
Subcutaneous nodules .

Prodromal symptoms

Epistaxis
Erythema nodosum
Vague discomfort.
It starts with remittent or intermittent pyrexia with characteristic sweating, followed by polyarthritis and carditis.

Arthritis
Classic attack of rheumatic fever starts as an acute migratory polyarthritis accompanied by signs and symptoms of an acute febrile illness.
Large joints of the extremities are most frequently involved with acute inflammation and exquisite pain, which makes the subject immobile.
Knees and ankles are most commonly involved followed by hip, elbows, wrist, shoulder etc.
Small joints of the hands and feet and axial joints are rarely involved.
As pain and swelling subsides in one joint other joints tend to become involved.This type of migratory nature is not a must Some times several joints may be involved at one time.

Carditis

There may be clinical features of
Endocarditis
Myocarditis
Pericarditis in varying combinations.

Endocarditis

This is evidenced by the appearance of murmurs or change in quality of already existing murmurs.
Mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonary valves are affected in the order of frequency.
Acute valvulitis may lead to mitral and aortic regurgitation; some times a low pitched middiastolic murmur may be heard in the mitral area due to acute mitral valvulitis called cary-coombes murmur. It is transient and disappears as the valvulitis subsides.
As the valvulitis heals fibrosis occurs and these distort the valve apparatus resulting in stenosis and regurgitate lesions.

Myocarditis

Clinical manifestations include
Tachycardia out of proportion to fever.
Arrhythmia.
Gallop rhythm and
Congestive cardiac failure.
Arrhythmias includes
Frequent ectopics
Paroxysmal tachycardia
Atrial fibrillation
Heart block.

Pericarditis

Clinically manifested as
Chest pain
Presence of pericardial rub
Small pericardial effusion.
Rheumatic Chorea

(Sydenham’schorea,St.vitus dance,minor chorea)
This is a disorder of central nervous system characterized by sudden aimless irregular movements often accompanied by muscle weakness and emotional instability
Chorea sets in much later than the other manifestations of rheumatic fever but in many cases it may be the only abnormality encountered.
It is most common in females.
Involuntary movements, which are quasi-purposive, nonrepetition, rapid and jerky characterize this chorea, and these involve many distal joints.
Upper limbs are most commonly involved but lower limbs, face and tongue may also be involved to a lesser extent.
Emotional disturbances aggravate the chorea.
Limbs are hypotonic and when hands are outstretched they assume a characteristic posture called choreic posture.
Movement disappears in sleep.
Chorea is self-limiting and disappears completely with in weeks or months without leaving neurological sequelae.
Subject developing chorea having higher chance of cardiac involvement.                                      

Skin manifstations

Subcutaneous nodules
Usually small, peasized painless swelling over bony prominence and frequently go unnoticed by patients. The skin moves freely over them.
Characteristic lesions on extensor tendons of hand and feet, the elbows, margins of patellae, scalp and over spinous process of vertebrae.
Usually appear in patients with long standing carditis
Erythema marginatum
These are erythematous non pruritic annular lesions having clear centres with  serpiginous borders
Seen over anterior aspect of the chest, abdomen and thighs
They spread peripherally and spread with centre cleaning. The rashes usually fade within 24 hrs, but occur over a period of months, this may also occur in drug reactions and in acute glomerulonephritis.

Other rheumatic manifestations include Pleurisy, pneumonitis etc.

Cuurse and prognosis

Rheumatic fever tends to subside spontaneously over a period of weeks or months. At times the arthritis subsides but the cardiac manifestation may progress.
The course of this disease extends over several months or a few years with remissions and relapses.
Mortality in acute phase is due to cardiac failure or heart block.
Risk of developing cardiac lesions and worsening of the existing lesions is increased with successive relapses.

Diagnosis

            Clinically rheumatic fever should be considered in all cases of prolonged fevers in India.Rapid pulse, arthritis, skin manifestation and carditis are suggestive of the diagnosis. Streptococcal infection may be demonstrable either by throat swab culture or by serological methods.

Serodiagnosis
1.    Anti streptolysine O (ASO)
2.    Antistreptokinase (ASK)
3.    Anti deoxy riboneucleotidase B (Anti DNASeB)
4.    Anti nicotinamide - adenine dineucleotidase (Anti NADase)
5.    Anti Hyaluronidase (AA)
6.    Anti Streptozyme test.
ASO titre has been widely accepted as one of the more easily available diagnostic test and any value?
Above 250 Todd units in adults and 333 Todd units in children is suggestive.
About 20% of patients in the early stages of acute rheumatic fever and most patients who present with chorea, have a low or border line ASO titre. In these cases it is advisable to obtain a different streptococcal antibody test like Anti DNA seB or Anti Hyaluronidase.
Anti streptozyme test is a haem agglutination reaction to a concentrate of extracellular streptococcal antigens absorbed to red blood cells. This is a very sensitive test.

Acute phase reactants.
These are lab tests that are helpful in the acute phase of the illness.
Values of ESR and C- reactive proteins are elevated.
There may be neutrophill leucocytosis.
Presence of carditis is suggested by ECG abnormalities which may show sinus tachycardia, ectopic beat or first or second degree heart block-Voltage of QRS is low,ST elevation,T wave depression.

Modified Jone’s criteria (1965) is the accepted criteria for diagnosis.

Major criteria denote more specific lesions, were as Minor criteria are nonspecific
For diagnosis of a case of rheumatic fever two major criterias or one major and two minor criterias should be present In Indian subjects polyarthralgia is also taken as a major criteria if supported by an evidence of streptococcal infection.

Major criteria
1.   Carditis
2.   Polyarthritis
3.   Chorea
4.   Subcutaneous nodules.
5.   Erythema marginatum.

Minor criteria
1.   Previous rheumatic fever or history of rheumatic heart diseases.
2.   Fever
3.   Acute phase reactants
4.   Prolongation of PR interval.

All these major and minor criterias should be associated with the evidence of preceding streptococcal infection.

Differential Diagnosis.

Acute rheumatic fever should be distinguished from other form of poly arthritis.
Gonococcal polyarthritis.
Subacute bacterial endocarditis
Persistent viremeas.
Rubella
Hepatitis B   etc.
Migratory nature and absence of deformity suggest the diagnosis.

Treatment.

Strict bed rest until the acute phase   is over. Reactants are normal for two successive weeks. Treatment should be continued till ESR becomes normal.

Medicines like Rhus tox, Pulsatilla, Aconite, Calc carb, Chamomilla, Colchicum  etc are very important in treatment. Medicines like Medorrhinum, Tuberculinum, Syphillinum are useful as intercurrent remedies.

Repertorial study

In most of the repertories we can see rubrics related to rheumaticfever,some of them are direct and some are indirect.
On many instances we can’t get a direct rubric for rheumatic fever so we have to search for rubric related to the symptomatology of rheumatic fever.

In Kent’s repertory:
Chest, inflammation, Heart, endocardium, rheumatic, Pericardium,
Pleura, rheumatic.
Chest, murmur.
Chest, pain,
Heart, rheumatic.
Generalities, Chorea, rheumatic.
Generalities, Pain, wandering shifting.
Skin, Induration, nodule etc.

In Boeninghausen’s Characteristics and Repertory:

Fever, pathological types, Rheumatic fever.

Circulation, Palpitation, Rheumatic metastasis from. Etc.

In Murphy’s repertory
Fever Rheumatic fever.
Heart, Valvular diseases.
Rheumatic pain in.
Murmurs.
Pericarditis, rheumatic.
Myocarditis.
Endocarditis, rheumatic.
Nerves, Chorea, rheumatic.  Etc.
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Miasm And Its Relavance
By. Ms.Kalpana Sekhar S.  

(This is the first prize winning article in a essay competition by Homoeopathic Medical Panorama for Students. Excerpts are only given here. Full Article is available only on request)

“Health is a crown on man’s head, which no one can see, but the sick man.”  Egyptian Proverb.

    This proverb is true in its full sense and has greater importance in this first step of the 21st century, a time, where countless number of ‘disease’ rule the human body.  It is high time to find out the root cause of illness; else our generation would be re-christened as walking and talking pharmaceuticals! Here comes the relevance of Hahnemannian theory, which is probably the only true theory that is able to explain the original cause of every manifestation of the human body or rather the human spirit and its deviations. Even at the summit of advances in the field of science and technology, one should dare turn back to the theories-I should call the truths-explained by Dr. Hahnemann from the western corner of the globe, a couple of centuries back, and should be wise enough to understand and follow it.  This theory, the theory of chronic diseases includes, all sorts of deranged manifestations of our vital energy during illness.  To understand how far our perception should be found on miasm,  a fair understanding of the origin of diseases of would help.

    The state of disease dates back to the time when man was incarnated in the image of the Almighty.  Man was created as holy and to be holy, but disobedience, which is the first sin, committed by the first man had reaped the seed of evil, in the soil of human spirit.  This evil was transmitted generation after generation only to become complicated and to manifest in a more complex form.  Thus we see that all sickness is a perversion of law and the symptomatology of all disease is the symptomatology of the broken law.  Since sin is the transgression of law, the wages of sin is death.  Likewise if disease force, whose root is the first sin, dominates over the vital force, it will finally cause the decline of the person.

    It was during the Anno Domini centuries, that diseases were studied seriously.  Many revolutionists sprung up, but could not shine due to lack of evidence to explain the CAUSE of disease. Then came our great master, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a prodigy of homoeopathic philosophy.  He utilized a lion’s share of his lifetime searching and researching on what he has seen and experienced, about the disease manifestations, which later became a turning point in the history of medical science.

    At the time of Dr. Hahnemann, the term miasm, which originated from the Greek word ‘miasma’, was used for morbid emanations or efflua arising from the bodies of those affected by certain diseases. It only meant polluting exhalations or malarial poisons.  The term was purely materialistic to show that there could be some agent, probably very small, which turned to be disease causing.
....................................................................................................................................................................    As explained by Dr. J.H. Allen, it is through the mind that man sins; therefore it’s frequently through it that he becomes diseased.  Man thinks, wills and he acts, as out of that triad comes the visible physical manifestation of venereal disease.  The mind is the vice regent of the body, the government, the ruling power.  The body is subject to it in many ways, therefore subservient to it.  But if with the mind, we violate a law or principle of life, the body cannot shield it, for our body too is under the same law. Therefore we sets the witness against itself.  We can hide nothing from the law.  A broken precept cries through out until it is made right.  Like wise, miasm the internal quality if disturbed, manifests at first in the less important organs and if by any chance this manifestation is suppressed, it will be more violently expressed through more important organs.

    The correction of the disturbance is to be done by administering an antimiasmatic remedy, which should, no doubt be the similimum.  If the disturbed vitality of a person is compared with a musical instrument, which is out of tone, the person will have no perfect rhythm; the notes, even the whole scale of movement is interfered with, and the action of the sickness depends upon the perverted vibratory changes. Hence no question arises in the administration of similimum, for every remedy has its own peculiar mode of action, of motion of vibration.  When the prescription is based on the miasmatic background, the deranged vital force is corrected, the harmony is restored and the person is brought back to perfect rhythm.
...................................................................................................................................................................    Next is the prevention of manifestation of diseases before its occurrence.  For example, in infants many a condition can be avoided, if we know the derangement that runs in their families.  If psoric miasmatic manifestations predominate in the family, we can prevent the functional and thereby the pathologic manifestation that disturbs the inner man.  This is the distinctive quality of the homoeopathic system of medicine.  Thus those parents with a history of tuberculosis, for example can prevent the pathology in their children, if people antimiasmatic remedy is given to the child at the right time.  We can also avoid the worse influence of the active miasm, by giving antimiasmatic remedy to the expectant mother. Dr. Kent in his lectures say that the best time to prevent the worse effect of the active miasm is by giving the similimum during pregnancy. A case can be illustrated, where a female child of ten years of age presented with a lot of functional disturbances.  She used to be very frightened, watching violent scenes on television and used to be become violent.  She was by nature very afraid and was so scared of walking alone.  No underlying cause for this was known, except that the mother developed a similar type of fear while she was pregnant with the child.  She was very scared of crossing roads and the child now shows the same fear.  No medical man would give importance to such complaints except a homoeopath.  If we search for the cause from our philosophical or logical thinking, it is very easily understood that, it is that quality, that trait which was active in the mother while she was pregnant, which was transmitted to the child.  It would have been dormant for 10 years, but became active due to some exciting cause of which the mother would be probably ignorant.  This condition could have been better avoided if proper antimiasmatic remedy was given during pregnancy. A generation with better qualities could be molded, if they are nurtured, right from embryonic life.

    By learning the miasm, prediction of diseases that would occur in later life can be done.  As we are very sure of the different manifestation of the existing miasm, a physician out of experience could predict what new change will be found in the patient.  We see that the disease occurs from centre to periphery, but the manifestation of disease begins from the less important organs and later shift to the more important vital organs.  This is because, the vital force will expire the internal derangement to the more exterior.  We also know from the Hering’s law of cure, that cure occurs from the reverse order of its appearance.  Thus from a detailed case taking, ordinal number of symptoms could be easily elicited.  Again we can also predict the worsening effect or further derangement of our vital energy that would occur in the absence of proper treatment.  An example for the condition would occur in the absence of proper treatment.  An example for the condition would suffice in which, it is often found that those with uterine fibroid are often found to develop warts on dorsum of their palms, around the neck etc., by the diminution of the size of the growth.  No pathology can explain this, but a scientific explanation of the underlying miasm.  It is often interesting to see that an experienced physician after case taking would ask the patient about certain diseases that were already present in his family, even before him mentioning about it.  This is because; a proper study of miasm will help us plot a graph of the previous symptoms and the symptoms that might occur, against the time axis.  
...................................................................................................................................................................   What more do we need? It is as if we are back to square one! The greatest scientists of the world speak about what our master has said a couple of centuries back! Yes, it is credit, that what Dr. Hahnemann said during his times is acknowledged in this 21st century.  Let us remember what apostle Paul said to be Galatians “Let us not become weary in doing what is good, for at the proper time we will reap the harvest, if we do not give up.” Let us hope, this is the proper time to reap the harvested of that Dr. Hahnemann sowed in the field of homoeopathy.

    Every physician who sincerely wishes to make cure rapid, gentle and permanent should never forget our master’s motto. “DARE TO BE WISE”
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