Words: Dr Naveen Kumar BOGGARAPU
GJ [34] presented with common symptoms: weakness and frequent headaches, for over eight months, with increased appetite and excess thirst. In spite of eating well, he reported, during our video consultation, that he’d lost a good 7kg. He had lost interest in work too — all he wanted was to lie down and relax. His sleep was much more than usual — yet, he never felt energised. His blood sugar reports were constantly high. His HbA1c was something like 9.5 per cent.
His conventional physician had prescribed him anti-diabetic drugs. He took the meds regularly for 7-8 months. There was improvement, yes, but it was not ‘adequate.’ His blood sugar was far from normal. He started exercise routines and began to ‘exercise’ control on his diet; yet, the result was far from impressive. He thought of holistic homeopathy as a useful adjuvant in diabetes. Not as a standalone therapy. This is logical, also appropriate. He decided to give it a chance.
GJ book an appointment with me through video call. He reported that he was under enormous stress at work. His boss, he said, was unreasonable and insulting. Things had gone out of control in numerous ways, he underlined, and he unquestionably had more than his share of pressures. For a sociable and friendly individual, GJ, it appeared, had become subdued and aloof. He got hooked to sweets, to beat his blues, a dangerous thing at that. He developed a great craving for chicken and excess salt in his food too.
His medical and emotional history provided clinching details and I prescribed GJ the homeopathic remedy, Phosphorus 200C. He responded adequately to the remedy in 3-4 months’ time. His blood sugar was monitored regularly. He was given a simple anti-diabetic diet — which included green leafy veggies, brown rice, quinoa, millet, beans, walnuts, chia seeds, curd, along with fruits such as orange, grapefruit, and lemon — and, advised regular walking, five days a week. I asked him to continue with his conventional medications and follow-up with his diabetologist on a regular basis. His sugar levels have now stabilised. He says he is glad that he opted for homeopathy as a supportive line of treatment at the right time.
A Case Of Seborrhoeic Dermatitis
VS [28] ‘presented’ with seborrhoeic dermatitis. He reported, during our online video conversation, that the problem existed on the ‘skin of his thought’ too for over two years. He had taken steroidal medications, under prescription, on and off, with good effect and also with relapses occurring especially during fall every year. He dreaded weather changes, not just the so-called winter, but also summer. He highlighted that his annoying symptoms would return with a certain ‘revenge.’ The disorder was conspicuous on his scalp, chest, nasolabial folds and eyebrows.
His case history — in his own words — suggested a likely chest infection and possibly a bout of jaundice at age ten, and, perhaps, a likely pneumonia at age 15. He also reported of a family history of asthma. It was deduced that his father was diabetic. The patient’s other complaints were a recurrent cold, also allergic rhinitis, and cough at every seasonal change, hyperacidity, possibly because of excessive work-related stress, and pain in the knee joints.
Seborrhoeic dermatitis is a skin disorder that affects the scalp, face and torso. It often presents with scaly, flaky, itchy red skin. It primarily affects the sebaceous gland. The symptoms appear progressively; the first signs are a flaky skin on the body and scalp. Symptoms occur most often on the face, behind the ears, and skin folds. The flakes may be yellow, white, or grey. Redness and flaking may occur concurrently on the skin near the eyelashes, on the forehead, around the sides of the nose, chest and upper back. In severe cases, yellowish to reddish scaly ‘pimples’ may also appear. Some patients may experience mild redness and scaly skin lesions — and, in some cases, hair loss. As a rule of the thumb, symptoms of seborrhoeic dermatitis may last from a few weeks to years, but not necessarily in that order.
I analysed VS’ case and put him on the homeopathic remedy, Calcarea sulphuricum 200C. This was principally because of his classical symptoms — distinctive skin indications, dandruff, mucous membrane discharges with thick, yellow-coloured catarrh, accompanied by a ‘cold,’ thick, yellow lumpy phlegm with cough.
VS’ temperament was yet another ‘keynote’ to the said remedy. He appeared docile on the surface, but he ‘sounded’ to be argumentative deep down.
He reported good progress within six weeks of taking homeopathic treatment. It took about five weeks, thereafter, for him to feel significantly better, following which the disorder resolved uneventfully.
