Role of Homeopathy during the Coronavirus pandemic (Part 2)

Limitations of conventional medicine in Covid-19

There are millions of viruses, bacteria, fungi existing out there. With each new epidemic, Pharmaceutical companies rush to create vaccines targeted for that particular pathogen.

 But even a vaccine can be a hit or miss, as the nature of viruses mutates from year to year. For example, influenza vaccines from last year, may not be effective this year, as a new viral strain may be predominant this year.

Since there is no drug specifically available for Covid-19, people are resting their hopes on a vaccine which may or may not materialize in the near future. In such a scenario, shouldn’t we take the help of the one thing, which fights against all invading pathogens, without prejudice – our Vital Force?

While a Vaccine will be made in the indeterminate future, after spending millions of dollars on R&D, Homeopathic medicines are available in the here and now!!

The medical establishment all over the globe, including Doctors, Nurses and Health administrators are fighting a heroic war against the Coronavirus pandemic.

Their courage, dedication and perseverance in such a situation is absolutely commendable. Would it be too much to ask these heroic health givers, to allow Homeopathy to be given as a Complementary therapy for Coronavirus victims?

After all, medical Doctors take an oath to alleviate the suffering of people, not to maintain the supremacy of a particular healing system.

It is interesting to note that Allopathy does not recognize the concept of Vital Force. Except Allopathy, almost all healing systems have a concept which is equivalent to the Vital Force in Homeopathy. Ayurveda talks about Prana, while Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the fundamental concept of “Qi’. The concept of Vital Force recognizes that it is the body which is doing the actual healing, and not any administered drug.

This non-recognition of the Vital Force, gives rise to a big lacuna in Allopathy. In Allopathy, there are very few drugs which actually promote healing. The majority of drugs will work to alleviate your symptoms temporarily. And for most degenerative diseases, Allopathy does not offer any solutions at all.

Even for infectious diseases, antibiotics do not strengthen the organism so that it can fight the infection itself, nor do they make the organism less resistant to future infection. Conventional drugs that are given to treat infections like antibiotics, antiviral, antihistamines and steroids have many side effects on the human body. On one hand, they hamper the digestive power of the system and on the other hand, lower the immunity of the body.

Progression of symptoms in Covid-19

Let’s try to understand the symptomatology of Covid-19, so that we can get an idea of this pandemic, prevalent viral disease of today.

Covid 19 specifically affects the upper & lower respiratory regions.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention, Covid-19 has the following different stages:

MILD: Mild fever, Dry Cough, Sore throat, Nasal congestion, Weakness, headache, muscle pain or malaise, Anosmia (loss of smell) and Dysgeusia (loss of taste). Difficulty in breathing is NOT present in this stage.

(According to the CDC, China, about 81% of cases have these symptoms)

Moderate: Cough with onset of shortness of breath

Severe: Fever with difficulty in breathing. Fever can be moderate/high. Clinical measures required to find intensity of chest infection especially Pneumonia which affects both lungs (about 14% of cases).

ARDS: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome is critical stage which requires intervention of Ventilator. ARDS can be acute/ moderate/ severe depending upon clinical parameters. (5% of cases)

Sepsis: Life threatening organs dysfunction leading to Septic shock (Death)

Possible Homeopathic Remedies:

As Covid 19 has different stages of progression of symptoms, a number of Homeopathic medicines can be used depending on the stage of the disease. Homeopathic remedies taken during mild to moderate stages, can prevent the suffering individual from entering severe/ critical stage.

Let us look at possible remedies for Covid-19, as per stages of progression of disease.

Mild Stage:

• Bryonia 200: It can be given when characteristic symptoms of fever are associated with dryness of throat, cough with increased thirst for cold water at longer intervals, body pains < any motion > by rest/ lying on painful side.
• Arsenic Album 30: It can be given when characteristic symptom during fever include dryness of mouth with increased thirst for small quantities of water, restlessness, anxiety, fear of death, feeling that it’s useless to take medicines. Marked weakness.
• Baptisia 6/ 30: It can be thought of in fever with great muscular soreness with extreme malaise. So much weakness that patient falls asleep while being spoken to or in the midst of his answer.
• Gelsemium 30/ 200: It can be thought of during fever when there is dizziness, drowsiness, dullness & trembling. NO THIRST esp. during fever. Great muscular soreness, doesn’t want to talk to anyone, desire to be quiet and left alone
• Eupatorium Perf 200: It can be given when there are characteristic BONY PAINS, general & severe all over body pain during fever associated with CHILL & extreme thirst for water during & before the CHILL. Knows chill is coming, he can’t drink enough water.

Moderate Stage:

• Arsenicum Album 30/200: This remedy is still indicated in this stage because of its vast action on human body. Cough with sense of suffocation < lying down on bed with sense of constriction of chest. He feels better by taking warm drinks in general.
• Bryonia 200: DRY, HARD, VERY painful Cough with stitches in chest. Cough with feeling as if Chest would fly to pieces, presses his head to chest . Difficult quick respiration< every movement. Frequent desire to take long breath, must expand lungs.
• Justicia Adhatoda 6/30: Long paroxysms of violent cough as if chest would burst with suffocative obstruction of respiration. Cough with sneezing associated with LOSS OF SMELL & TASTE. Severe breathing problems with cough.
• Phosphorus 30: MUCH HEAT IN CHEST. Hard, dry, tight, racking cough. Tightness across chest. Sharp stitches in chest, quick respiration. Pneumonia with oppression of chest < Lying on LEFT SIDE. Nervous cough < strong odors, presence of strangers.

Severe Stage:

• Aspidosperma Q: It stimulates the respiratory centers & increases the oxygen in blood. WANT OF BREATH DURING EXERTION is the guiding symptom.
• Carbo Veg 30: Wheezing , rattling mucus in chest, occasional spell of long coughing attacks. Spasm of cough with bluish face, neglected pneumonia. Breath COLD, MUST BE FANNED. Persons whose vital powers nearly exhausted.
• Pyrogenium 200/ 1000: This medicine can be helpful in high fever esp 103-106 F due to septic origin where PULSE abnormally rapid, out of all proportion to temperature. Occasional doses of this medicine seems to be helpful in controlling infectious fevers…

Conclusion:

Homeopathy has clinically proven data in treating various kind of infectious diseases, even during times of great pandemics. It has numerous, time tested, and effective remedies which can help in clinical ailments of acute as well as chronic diseases.

Homeopathy treatment should be given its due opportunity to prove its efficacy in at least checking/controlling the 1^st, 2^nd stage of COVID 19 globally. Govt. of India should give ample opportunity to qualified Homeopathic physicians to take care of most prevalent disease on Earth today – COVID19.

Dr Hemesh Thakur is a practicing Homeopathic physician, with over 26 years of clinical experience. He has also worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator, in Florida, US. He was associated as a Senior Physician with Dr Batra’s Clinic for over 5 years.

Piyush Kumar is an Engineer from IIT Kanpur, with a deep interest in Complementary systems of Healing. 3 generations of his family have relied on healing through Homeopathy. He blogs on sustainability issues at Greenspirits.in.