Avoid self medication

Most of us take medicines ourselves when we suffer from problems like headache, cold, and others. We do this from hearing from a friend or from a book and perhaps due to laziness to consult a doctor. We often do this at our convenience without knowing the correct dosage, timing and the time gap between each dose or time to stop taking the medicine.  Some pills promise miracles like diabetes  reversal or weight loss which may  lead to few problems:-

1. Very dangerous. One may misdiagnose the illness and take the wrong medicine which could be fatal.
2. Insufficient dosage. Large dose may lead to the damage of liver, kidneys.
3. Drug interaction. some medicines will react adversely with the other medicine which can lead to death
4. Not suitable medicine. People react differently to medicines. Some people may be sensitive to some medicine or some may have allergy to some medicine.
5. Antibiotics. Powerful antibiotics are often taken over the counter (otc).  Two / three tablets may kill 90 percent of the germs. However, the remaining 10 percent will multiply and cause the symptoms to reccur. This will lead to increase anti-microbial resistance and therefore is less effective or ineffective in the long term.
6. Dependency.  Some medicines like sleeping pills,taken for a long time may lead to habituation and  dependency.
7. The type of medication and dosage may need to be changed over a period of time based on the patients response, effectiveness on the disease and side effects.
8. Over deposition of vitamins and minerals taken without prescription.
9. Better medicine. A doctor might have prescribed you a more effective medicine which might have cured you in a shorter time frame. By self medicating one may be actually delay ing the cure.

Self medication can prove costly, not only in terms of money but also in terms of your health.

Skin Ailments : An Overview

Skin diseases are peculiar by their nature and may cause a great amount of grief, anguish  and even economic loss. There are numerous misconceptions about skin ailments and the social stigma associated with it often proves more damaging to the individual than the disease itself.  There is a popular but incorrect maxim that skin patients are never cured and never die. The notion that all such ailments are contagious too, is totally untrue. The success rate of homeopathy in dermatology places it as an excellent therapeutic option, that offers a simple but sure line of treatment . In this post I don't intend to discuss the preventive / treatment aspects of homeopathy, but merely give out a synopsis of the various skin conditions possible.

A high degree of relative exposure makes the skin one of the most vulnerable organs of the body. Skin diseases, though not life-threatening, can be chronically troublesome. They may affect any of the three layers of the skin i.e. epidermis, dermis and hypodermis along with the sebaceous and sweat glands. The peculiarity of skin complaints is that its conspicuous nature can easily lead to psychological stress.

Various surveys suggest that approximately 50% of observed skin disorders are caused by infection, 15% by climate, 10 % by allergies and 25% by miscellaneous causes like Alopecia, Vitiligo etc. Here is an overview of the range of possible skin ailments:-

Acne.  It is a skin condition that causes pimples, white/black heads and red inflamed patches of skin that usually appears on the face and shoulders, but may also occur on the trunk, limbs and buttocks.

Dermatitis.     It is a non-contagious itchy inflammation of the skin with redness and         oozing. There are various types of dermatitis, the common ones of which are Atopic, Seboerrehic, Contact/Allergic Dermititis. It is a chronic condition and symptoms may persist for a longer time.

Infections.      Skin infections could be caused by a variety of reasons to include Bacterial (impetigo, ecthyma, erysipelas and cellulitis), Fungal (dermophytosis, candidiasis and tinea versicolor) or Viral (Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster, Molluscum contagiosum and warts).

Psoriasis.       It is a chronic non-infectious immune mediated condition. It causes redness and irritation with thick silvery scales. The commonly affected areas are scalp, back of elbows, front of knees, legs and lower back.

Rosacea.        It is very common chronic benign acne like skin condition, which is non-infectious and characteristically seen on face, forehead, chin and lower half of nose without much itching or irritation.

Hives or Urticaria.     They are pale red raised itchy bumps that can appear anywhere on the body and are caused by allergic reaction or for unknown reasons (idiopathic). They cause itching and sometimes even burning and stinging.

Sebacious Cysts.      They are painless epidermal cysts, which appear as small bumps just under the skin that contain ‘cheesy’ and ‘pasty’ keratin with a foul odour. They are caused as a result of skin trauma or swollen hair follicles.

Seboerrhic Keratosis.          It is a painless non-cancerous skin growth on the face, chest shoulders or back, that may be brown, black or pale in colour.

Skin Cancer.  This is caused by direct exposure to UV rays and is of three main types, i.e. basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.        

Dry Skin (leading to ichthyosis).    It shows up as rough red itchy patches on the limbs and abdomen, triggered by environmental factors like extreme heat or cold.

Corns and Calluses. They are areas of thickened skin on the feet that develop to protect that area from irritation due to constant rubbing against a surface. They are not contagious but may become painful if they get too thick.

Moles. They are growths on the skin that are usually brown or black. They can change slowly, become raised or change in colour or may gradually disappear over time.

Lichen Plamus.         It is a disease in which there is an itchy patch on the skin or in the mouth which leads to rough scaly plaques on the skin. The cause is unknown and likely to be related to allergic or immune reactions.

Erythrema Nodosum.           It is a type of skin inflammation located in the fatty layer of the skin and results in reddish painful tender lumps, especially in the shin area. It is a hypersensitive, immunological response to a variety of different causes.

A Guide for parents : Be prepared before consulting a Homeopath

Many parents a opting to consult a homeopath to tide over common childhood illnesses as well as persistent chronic conditions in their kids. The positive response of their brave hearts to homeopathic remedies, which  are simple, effective & yet entirely safe for children including infants, induces faith & lures the parents. The fact that the medicines are palatable and willingly accepted by children (being mildly sweet pills, powders or liquids) is a big positive. Apart from acute conditions such as colds, fever, cough, sore throats, vomiting, stomach pains etc. and chronic persistent conditions  persistent conditions like allergies, asthma, eczema, convulsions etc. homeopathy is extremely effective in conditions peculiar to children like teething, growth related problems, psychosomatic problems like bed wetting, hyper activity and poor concentration. In addition to the above mentioned positives, homeopathy helps in raising immunity levels of the child, providing preventive care and gives support through out life, without any harmful side effects.

A homeopath endeavours to cure or treat the individual and not merely subdue the symptom. It is therefore important that the phycisian completely understands the patient before prescribing. This is the tricky part especially when dealing with kids and this is why the parents role becomes important when consulting a homeopath. Given below are a few aspects that parents must be prepared to divulge to their physician. They may look petty or irrelevant but may turn out to be extremely important in arriving at the right homeopathic remedy.

• Family Medical History.   Heredity or genetic inheritance could be indicative of certain medicines for children (eg:- medicines like tuberculinum, medorrhinum, carcinosin, syphilinum). It is therefore important that the medical history of parents and grand parents is conveyed to the doctor. In addition, if the child resembles a parent in some aspects, studying the constitutional make up of the parent will assist the physician in arriving at a remedy for the child.

• Emotional state of mother during pregnancy.  In some cases an emotional upset or acute illness during pregnancy may be relevant. eg. sudden fright of mother which had a great impact on the growing baby.

• Birth injury / delayed feeding calls.   An observant mother or nurse can give these inputs which may have resulted in a specific med condition in an infant. 

• Affection  craving.  

• Preferred sleeping position.    

• Preferrence for warm / cold food. 

• The time of the day at which the child is more cranky, fear of movement (downwards or rocking), sensitivity to noises.

• Excessive flatulence (may be dependent on diet and feeding habits).

• Excessive perspiration, its distribution, nature, odour, at any particular time like before or after sleeping or on any parts like head, tip of the nose , palms etc.

• Response and reaction to the surrondings.