Acids In Diabetes Mellitus.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1995 Sep / Oct Vol IV No 5.
Dhillon M S & Avtar Singh.
Materia Medica.

Standardization of Treatment

INTRODUCTION:

(Definition and Aetiology)

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder associated with an increase of blood glucose due to deficiency of insulin. Ketoacidosis is the most important immediate danger, and an increased tendency to micro-angiopathy that provides the most serious long-term risk. Over nutrition and hereditary tendency are the most important aetiological factors, repeated pregnancies, and administration of certain drugs may also be responsible in people over 40 years of age. Steroids are obvious diabetogenic agents, but some other drugs have also been incriminated. Trauma and shock do not cause diabetes directly but may exaggerate blood sugar temporarily or by changing latent diabetes to overt disease. Normal glucose level in blood depends on an interaction between a number of substances known directly or indirectly to raise blood glucose i.e. pituitary and adrenocortical hormones; adrenalin, glycogen, Insulin and then there are other insulin antagonists. Insulin which alone lowers blood sugar (BS). There are three main theories to explain the action of insulin -

1. It is necessary for adequate utilization of glucose within the cell.
2. It prevents the over production of glucose by liver.
3. It facilitates the transport of glucose across the cell membrane without acting on the glucose metabolism within the cell.

Classification:

The majority of diabetics fall into two groups -

1. The old and fat tend to have mild symptoms with an insidious onset. Most often presenting with complication due to long lasting disease. These are the Maturity onset type Diabetes.
2. The young and thin more often have abrupt onset, more liable to Ketoacidosis and it is called Juvenile onset Diabetes. As these patients can go into complications early, the use of insulin is justifiable as there might be no time to prescribe.

All Acids in the Materia-Medica are closely allied with the classical symptoms of Diabetes. Hence prescription of remedies from the Acid group seems to be indicated one in 3 cases, either to control the acute episode or as a constitutional ie curative. A majority of the acids have great thirst, polyuria, polydipsia with great prostration, emaciation, loss of weight in addition to their own peculiar symptoms to prescribe on.

Material and Methods:

370 patients were received between January 1992 to January 1994 for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus at three different hospitals viz-

1. The Government Skin and Cancer Treatment Hospital, Jalandhar (Supervisor - Dr. Charanjit Lal and Dr. Tejwinder Singh)
2. The Baba Vasakha Sing Charitable Homoeopathic Hospital, Anandpur Sahib (Supervisor - Dr. Avtar Singh Vilkh).
3. The Dhillon Homoeopathic Hospital, Dhilwan, Kapurthala

(Supervisor - Dr. M.S. Dhillon).

The study is based on pre-planned supervision duties with monthly meetings in Homoeopathic Study circle to evaluate progress in the project and select similia for any difficult case by all the members of the circle. Patients have been treated purely on classical methods with one remedy in 200 or 1M potency at long intervals with short acting drugs for acute complications.

All Patients who received acid remedies were divided into 2 groups -

Group 1 received Acid-phos and Lactic-acid on the basis of their clinical symptomatology, past history and miasmatic background.
(Total Number of patients 124).

Group 2 received other remedies of the Acid family ie - Benzoic-acid, Boric-acid, Carbolic-acid, Acetic-acid, Flouric-acid, Nitric-acid and Muratic-acid (See Table No.1) (Total number of patients = 60).

The treatment was started only in patients with their blood sugar level above 200 mg-100 ml, prescribed with restriction of carbohydrate rich foods and treatment was discontinued when blood glucose level remained 120 mg-ml or below for at least 60 days with normal diet. The average duration of treatment was 5 to 6 months. (See Table Number 4).

It is to be noted that during the study the maximum number of patients were between 30-60 years of age. (See Table No.2).

It is also to be noted that 57.6 percent of the total 184 patients were sedentary workers, either businessmen or office workers, and the remaining 42.4 percent were hard working laborers and farmers (See Table No.6).

82 patients (i e, 44.56 percent) were fat, flabby and had lax muscles and 63 patients (i.e. 34.24 percent) were thin and lean, other 39 (i.e.

21.19 percent) were of average body build. (See table number 7).

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