Allergic Disorder's - Today's Epidemic
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2004 Nov / Dec VOL VI NO 6.
Dr Adil Chimthanawala

Since the time of Adam and Eve, man is faced with a number of hurdles practically in every sphere of life, the primary ones being food, fiber, shelter and health. Fortunately, he could satisfactorily prevail over the first three faculties.

But, sickness has remained an unconquered territory. In ancient times, sickness was considered the result of anger of the Almighty against the sins committed. For liberating one-self from this anger, Man was compelled to look upon the religious men of those times as God-sent saviors on this earth. This gave birth to the concept of Spiritualism as THE cause and the END for all sufferings. This concept was, is and will probably continue to dominate some sections of society.

When Hippocrates came, people started to think more rationally and logically. The concept of Causation of Diseases was redefined. Many environmental factors were identified as etiological agents that could produce diseases. As time passed, this concept gained a strong foothold.

Then came the era of Master Hahnemann. He placed before the medical fraternity the Constitutional (holistic) approach towards diseases. He could convincingly prove that the fundamental cause for all diseases lies within the Man himself (Aph 5,11). External factors only play the role of exciting and maintaining causes of disease (Aph 5,7). With the advent of this revolutionary concept, the entire Doctrine of Causation got sharply bifurcated into two distinctly divergent schools, one claiming material environmental factors as the cause, and the other advocating dynamic invisible factors in the human constitution as the basic cause for all diseases. Thus, the treatment methods were also directed on these two divergent lines.

In spite of vast progress made in other fields, man has failed to eliminate diseases in toto from this globe. Just the contrary: with advent of more powerful medicines, simple diseases of the past are rapidly getting converted into more complex and life-long ailments, eluding all cures. Modernization has made the human constitution weak and sensitive. Even benign and harmless environmental factors - living or non-living, have begun offending the economy. Psychological, psychosomatic, endocrinal, immunological (allergic), metabolic, neoplastic, iatrogenic disorders, etc are mushrooming at an alarming speed. Practically every third elderly male or female above fifty ys suffers from hypertension, Diabetes, hormonal disorders etc. Out of these, Allergies constitute about 50% of all chronic disease states. Allergy is the price we have paid for modern civilization. An estimated 270 million Indians suffer from allergies and alarmingly the incidence as well as the severity of this disease state is increasing every year.

Definition: Allergy literary means "Absurd". It is an abnormal reaction by the economy (body) to a substance which does not cause normal persons any harm. The response may vary in different individuals, different systems and different organs depending upon various factors. In popular language, Allergy has a very wide meaning. Individuals are said to be allergic to any thing which does not agree with them. Medically, the term is strictly applied to a condition when the economy reacts abnormally to otherwise benign factors.

Causation: According to Dr Hahnemann it is the constitution of an individual that becomes sick first. This sick constitution renders itself vulnerable to the various environmental influences. In other words, unless and until an individual's constitution becomes susceptible, no factor in the environment within normal limits - no matter whether living or non-living, can affect or initiate any form of response adverse or beneficial.

Dr Hahnemann found that the factor which renders the constitution sick and susceptible is an invisible dynamic disease producing potential (Aph 16). It deranges the Vital Force of the economy. This factor he termed as Miasm (Aph 78). They are three in number viz Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis. They are the Fundamental causes of all chronic and natural ailments - Allergy being no exception. But further we need to stress that, all allergies are the result of blending of the above three miasmatic states producing Psoro-syphilitic, Psoro-sycotic and Psoro-syco-syphilitic. All of these enlisted terms are called Tubercular Miasm. The hallmark of any allergy, which is of a tubercular disposition, is the characteristic pattern: when the disorders are relapsing, periodical, intermittent, alternating, diagonal, shifting and changeable in their form, site and intensity. Environmental factors like pollens, dust, sunrays, etc alleged as allergens act as exciting agents. Humid dwellings, polluted atmosphere, smoking, etc behave as maintaining causes. Thus to summarize, Allergy is the result of the interaction of all these factors -

Miasmatic Blend: That renders the constitution vulnerable.
Allergens: That act as exciting agents.
Surroundings: That maintain and develop the disorder.
Resistance of the Host: That decides the intensity of the expression.
So to summarize, all etiological factors which contribute to produce an allergic disorder can be
Fundamental Cause - Tubercular Miasm (Psorosyphilitic/ Psorosycotic/ Psorosycosyphillitic complex)

Exciting Factors-Allergens-Any and every agent, within or outside the body, living or non-living, known or unknown, seen or unseen present above, on or within this globe harbors the potential capacity to excite hypersensitive reactions in susceptible individuals. The most common examples being microorganisms, dust, pollen, synthetics, drugs, etc.

Predisposing Factors- Hereditary, Familial, Environmental (domestic, occupational, educational, social, etc), stimulants etc.

Maintaining Causes - Environmental, Habits and Addictions.

Physiopathogenesis

1. In response to any allergen - like dust pollens the miasmatically affected constitution, expresses various types of pathological changes (secretion of IgE, ICAM -1, leukotrines, etc), functional in character, in target organs like skin, GIT, RS, etc.
2. Initially, there is inflammation - redness, swelling with or without discharges, which may be watery or viscid.
3. On the skin, there occur vesicular eruptions which itch profusely. This results in the rupture of vesicles leading to watery exudation. After sometime, either scabs form or secondary infection supervenes, leading to pus formation, with regional lymphadenopathy. Constitutional symptoms like fever, body ache may also occur. If these eruptions are suppressed then the internal target organs are affected.
4. In the nose there are signs of inflammation with profuse watery discharge. In the Bronchial tubes there is a thick viscid discharge, associated with oedema of bronchial mucus membrane, blocking the lumen either partially or totally.
5. Likewise the other target organs when affected also show similar changes.

Clinical Manifestations

1. Allergy may occur in any age and both sexes. Signs and symptoms depend upon organ involved.
2. Common target organs: Skin, GIT, RS, Eyes and Blood.
3. On Skin: produces Urticaria, Eczema, Contact dermatitis, Drug reaction, Lichen planus, etc.
4. Respiratory System: Expresses as rhinitis, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, hay fever, pharyngitis, laryngitis, etc. Homoeopaths have long known that there is a link, a continuum between upper and lower airway diseases. This has led to the concept of "United Airways". Thus allergic rhinitis can evolve into asthma and when curative treatment is adopted then vice versa is true.
5. GIT: Expresses as diarrhoea, oral ulcers, nausea, vomiting, colics.
6. Eyes: Produces conjunctivitis, pterygium, phlyctens,etc.
7. Blood: Manifests as Eosinophilia, Allergic Thrombo-cytopenic purpura, Raised ESR etc.

Management
The Royal College of Physicians, London in a report, analyzed and welcomed the role of alternative systems of medicines particularly homoeopathy in current day management of allergic diseases. Basically Allergy is a Constitutional Disorder and all attempts must be directed to that aim of correct the constitution. After a detailed case taking, when suspicion is towards allergy then a scientific homoeopath shall perform a meticulous physical examination followed by relevant investigations for documenting the case.

Common Investigations essential for nosologically diagnosing an Allergic condition are:

1. Blood Examinations - TLC, DLC, ESR, Bleeding Time and Clotting Time. In majority of cases the ESR and Eosinophil count are increased.
2. Stool Examination for reducing sugars in allergies as Lactose intolerance in infants and new-born babies.
3. Skin Test For Allergy - Done to identify the exciting allergens. In this test, concentrated solutions of known allergens in prescribed quantities are injected subcutaneously on the forearm and thighs. The response is noted after 24 to 48 hours. Any redness or swelling at site of inoculation is positive and the individual is said to be allergic to that particular allergen. In this manner he is tested for all the known and identified allergens - about 400 in number. The total number of allergens to which he is found sensitive are listed. Factually speaking, this test has only a limited value. Because any and everything, seen or unseen, existing on this globe has an inherent potential to excite an allergic response. Thus it goes without saying that to test all the factors is humanly impossible. So too, to avoid all allergens will prove difficult, if not impossible.

Once diagnosed, then the actual management procedure begins. General measures include rest (mental and physical), exercise and regularization of daily routines (eating, bowel, bladder, sleep and work) habits. All those known factors that aggravate the complaints have to be chiefly avoided including those that are restricted in every homoeopathic management like coffee, stimulants, strong aromatics, etc. Items in the diet or environment that ameliorate symptoms need to be encouraged.

Regarding Medicinal treatment, initially the acute distressing symptoms as sneezing, vomiting, loose motions, dyspnoea, itching must be tackled with the help of short acting drugs like Aconite, Ars-iod, Ars-alb, Aralia-racemosa, Allium-cepa, Arum-trif, Bry, Pothos, Kal-iod, Sabadilla, Mezerium, Rhus-ven, Senega, Hepar-sulph, Ant-tart, Just-adh, Cimicifuga, Aloes, Podophyllum, Nat-carb, Dulcamara.

After the acute episode subsides,the most appropriate deep acting antimiasmatic remedy, selected on the basis of Essential Totality, is administered in required potency and dose. The case is monitored for at least 6 mths to 2 years.

Commonly indicated constitutional remedies are Calc-carb, Lyco, Graph, Causticum, Nat-sulph, Kali-sulph, Kali-carb.

Inference
Taking into account all the aspects of allergy it has been proved beyond doubt that if an appropriate homoeopathic management along scientific lines is carried out, along with a good and sustained follow-up, then Homoeopathy can claim to achieve a highly greater percentage of cure. A point worth mentioning is that, at this juncture practically all cases had undertaken number of methods of treatment suggested by the traditional school of medicine.

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