My experience with Tb
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2000 Sept / Oct VOL II NO 5.
Dr Anwar Amir Ansari
'Bacil / Ars / Nat-m / Tub / Stann / Bacil / Lyc / Merc-sol / Stpah / Tub / Phos / Bacil / Mezer / Kali-c / Plat

Introduction: I have been fortunate to be associated with masters like Dr S K Dubey and Dr Prakash Vakil who, by their clinical acumen and good use of the available Homeopathic armamentarium, have instilled confidence in me to handle major pathological cases including Tuberculosis cases. Dr Vakil in particular handled numerous such cases at the Government Homoeopathic hospital. Of course many a times we vociferously questioned his approach. But in the end his diligence and experience reigned supreme.

To cite one such case: He was a thin scrawny enfeebled constitution with Pulmonary TB and low susceptibility- the totality pointed to Phosphorous but sir was skeptical in using it due to the cautions given by Kent and other masters. But finally, no other remedy being indicated, we cautiously gave it in 30 potency and we succeeded without any aggravation. Encouraged by the above success, I started treating even Acute Pulmonary TB, albeit low doses cautiously with infrequent repetition.

I encourage others also to treat Tuberculosis.
There were two ways to approach a case:

1. Give a dose and call for follow up after a long time. Remain isolated in our AC chambers. Be satisfied that we have done something Homoeopathic. Be least concerned about what has happened in between all this time and what other medication has been taken in between.
2. Or to give the dose and be in constant touch with the ups and downs of the case. This will cost you a lot of time and patience and much, much botheration.

Case 1
Mr LYS, 38y. Seen on 30/5/98
Past h/o Koch's in '83. Re-infection Jan '97; AKT for 10 months Fibroinfiltration Koch's cavity (R) apex
Hb-10.8 Gm%; WBC total 7300 N- 57 L-37 E- 4 M-2 B-0 ESR-56 at the end of 1 hr
VDRL / TPHA -ve, Urine (R)-N
CC: Apthous ulcers in mouth - cannot eat though hungry. Bloating after eating.
Burning in the stomach. Burning from mouth to abdomen with burning eructation. Cannot eat anything.
Cough, fever, body ache, congestion chest, weakness, cannot breathe. Throat stuck together. Cannot close fist. Pain from hair to nails.

High-grade fever: sensation as if eyes will fall. Heat emanates from mouth, eyes, vertigo, crawling sensation on face. Cannot sit, walk or sleep - wakes frequently.
Profuse expectoration on coughing - thick balls after 6 to 8 bouts of cough; every spasm gives pain in abdomen. Pain hypochondria to navel < coughing.
Mouth and throat dry, must have water with every morsel of food. Food sticks in throat. Dry sensation in pit of throat.
Does not like people talking. Irritable, Doesn't talk to me, he says. When people talk, the words fall like hammer on my head. Let me be as I am.

Can you treat me fast? He asks the doctor.
Weak and out of breath.
Cough < rising in night. (Restless, Fearful, anxious)

Breathlessness	< lying Rt side
	< lying back on < lying Lt side

Chill < 2.30 - 3.00 pm
Thirst, frequent, small - every 10 mins
Cravings: meat, fish, spicy
Perspiration: profuse < exertion < sitting < face < axilla

1/6/98 - Bacill 200/ 1
The remedy was selected on the symptoms of cough with severe congestion and bubbling rales in the chest; difficult breathing / dyspnoea. It often relieves congestion and paves the way for other remedies in TB (As advised by Boericke)

13/6/98 - S Q SL
20/6/98 - S Q SL
22/6/98 - S Q Arsenic 30/1

Ars-alb was selected on the following rubrics:

1. Talk indisposed to
2. Talk of others <
3. Irritability spoken to when
4. Desire to be carried fast (The patient asked whether the doctor can treat him fast)
5. Restless/fearful/ anxious
6. Dry sensation in throat
7. Chill midnight after
8. Thirst, frequent, small quantities
9. Head pain hammering
10. Perspiration profuse/ exertion from slight
11. Eructations hot
12. Burning in GIT

This case was followed up for 1½ yrs till he shifted to native place in UP.
Has received infrequent doses of Arsenic 30 to 1M over long intervals, although there were no acute symptoms.
His other parameters including ESR and X-ray became normal, but I could not ascertain the detailed reports, as he is not in contact now.

Case 2: HIV + Koch's Abdomen
A colleague referred Mr V V, aged 22 on 23/6/97 for HIV

Chief Complaints:
Fever every 1-2 weeks, since 1½ years
H/o tuberculous cervical lymph nodes - 1995, Excised. AKT for 6 months. Irregular Hom treatment but with appreciable improvement.
Reported on 17/5/99 with:
Swelling of abdomen / legs
Severe Backache < sitting < walking > lying on hard ground. Weeps whole night due to pain
Pain - soles / ankles < walking.
Fever. Breathlessness on exertion. Admitted for tapping

Diagnosis: ?Koch's abdomen
Fever at night with chilliness < 3 - 4 am and 7 - 8 pm
Thirst extreme, during heat 5/6 glasses at night 8/ 10 times during day.
Unquenchable THIRST with dryness of mouth / lips / throat.
Weakness, feels like falling down. Weakness more in legs.
Chilly under fan but > in open air
Urination - sudden urge during sleep, but no urge when he gets up to urinate.
Feels like sleeping all the time. Aversion to going out though > open air
No stools since 2 days. Eructation frequent after food.
Loss of Appetite. Eating little cause fullness in abdomen.
Desires: spices 3 salty, cold drinks, sour, ice cream3

The following rubrics were selected.:

1. Weeping when alone.
2. Weakness/weary-weakness of lower limbs
3. Pain, lumbar region> lying on something hard
4. Thirst extreme-large quantities/ heat during/unquenchable
5. Mouth-dryness with thirst
6. Bladder-urging ineffectual at night
7. Fever with morning chills
8. Desires salty, spicy and sour food
9. Tendency to dropsy/oedema-fluid retention

He is doing extremely well till date. Does routine work. No complaints. Good general improvement. Normal CD4 count / ESR etc as seen from the reports enclosed.

Case 3
Miss ANS

Complaints:
Fever - off and on since 1 month
Cough - since 15 days. Expectoration little and difficult
< night, on lying down.
< lying on Lt side Rt side
Vertigo < morning, on waking
Headache with heaviness in vertex and pain along blood vessels.
Pain in the neck with headache; cannot sit; must lie down
Weakness. There is throat pain and therefore cannot eat.

Nausea since previous day.
Loss of appetite since past few days
Back: Lt scapular pain < coughing
Leg pain but cannot precisely locate the pain. Chilly pt and covers with a shawl.
Irritable, averse to talking. Weep from intolerance of suffering
Irritable < noise. Cannot concentrate < noise. Desires silence/ quietness.
Weeping from anxiety and apprehension that she would not get well. Something will happen to her.

A constant symptom she had was fear of death, that something bad will happen to her and that she will not get well; restlessness and intolerance of pain and the prevalent mental state led to selection of Ars-alb.

Rx Arsenic 200/1
Investigations on 20/12/99
Hb 12.4; ESR 110mm; X- ray chest - Koch's LU and Mid zone
31/12/99 No fever since last 3 / 4 days.
No throat pain - can eat food now
Chilliness slightly better but persists. Loose Expectoration + sweetish 3 thick, and yellow. Chest feels very weak - empty sensation Rx Stannum 200/1

5/1/2000 - cough >>> 75%. No fever. No throat pain. Vertigo + weakness + loss of appetite + nausea
XR chest 4/1/00: Regression in size of lesion since previous one.
Please note duration treatment and pathological improvement along with clinical improvement. Rx: SL
12/1/00 No fever. No throat pain
cough >>>> other symptoms > but +

Appetite - Improved, weakness +
Rx :Stannum 200/1- Rptd as weakness persisting.
Strong family history of tuberculosis.
Bacillinum 200, a dose about 4 times afterwards, at intervals of about 1½ months. She is free of all symptoms and her pathological reports are encouraging. (Reports attached but not reproduced).
Note: She needed Allopathy twice or thrice for acute problems. Each time the GP wanted to start AKT in spite of the constant improvement, but somehow Homoeopathy prevailed.

Case 4
Master MUDS, 3 yr, came on 8/8/97
Lt Cx glands small, mobile soft for 1 yr.
Skin: Vesicular eruptions < summer.
Discharge leaves a hardened area
H/o repeated infections
HOT PT 4 - thin, tall, skinny and emaciated about neck

Profuse perspiration on whole body.
Loss of appetite3- not eating well. Aversion - milk
Heat of palms / soles.
Sharp/ active / good memory/
Speaks a lot; Mixes easily
Family h/o Pulm TB

Rx Tub 0/3 BD/15d
21/8/97 All glands disappeared within a week time - no Medicine.
(Editor: In this case the diagnosis NOT fully established. Normally Tuberculous glands are hard and matted).

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