STRAMONIUM.

This remedy is derived from the plant called as Thorn Apple or as ‘Dhatura’ in India.

The entire force of this remedy is upon the brain.  It is useful in alcoholic delirium tremens.  It is useful in certain forms of Parkinson’s disease.  It is also useful in certain forms of Meningitis.  This remedy suits subjects who have chorea (graceful rhythmic movements due to brain damage), convulsions of the upper extremities in isolated group of muscles and constantly changing partial spasms.  This remedy is useful in trembling, twitching of tendons and in persons who have a staggering gait.

This remedy suits subjects who are devout and PRAYING ALL THE TIME, beseeching, ceaselessly talking, loquacious, laughing, swearing, seeing ghosts, hearing voices, talking about spirits. It suits subjects who rapidly change from joy to sadness and cannot bear solitude or darkness.  The subject MUST HAVE LIGHT AND COMPANY.

This remedy suits subjects, for whom the sight of water or any glittering object brings on spasms in the body, with a desire to escape. This remedy is suitable in Hydrophobia, where there is fear of water, when swallowing is difficult due to the constriction and spasm of the glottis, convulsions on the sight of water.

This remedy suits subjects who have pain in the head starting from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The headache is boring preceded by obscure vision, associated with auditory hallucinations, with a tendency to fall forward and to the left.

This remedy suits subjects whose eyes are prominent, dilated, associated with a loss of vision and the subject calls for light and feels that parts of his body are swollen.

This remedy suits subjects whose face is hot, red and have an expression of terror.

This remedy is useful whenever there is a dribbling of saliva associated with an aversion to water.  It is suitable in Tetanus, where the facial expression of the patient is peculiar, and is called as “RISUS SARDONICUS”.  This remedy is also suitable in stammering, and in subjects who cannot swallow on account of the spasm of the glottis.

This remedy is useful in subjects who vomit green bile and mucous with violent thirst.

This remedy suits male subjects, whose hands are constantly on the genitals, with indecent speech and in subjects who constantly dwell on sexual matters.

This remedy suits female subjects who have Metrorrhagia (bleeding from the vagina between periods), which may be associated with loquacity, singing and praying. This remedy is of paramount importance in Puerperal mania (occurring within six to eight weeks following pregnancy).

This remedy suits subjects who awaken terrified and scream with fright in sleep.  It is also a useful remedy for subjects who snore during sleep and in subjects who are constantly sleepy, but cannot sleep.

This remedy is useful in Scarlatina, which occurs as a result of suppressed eruption.

This remedy is also useful in high fevers, unrelieved by sweating.

This remedy suits subjects who are worse in a dark room, worse when alone, worse while looking at bright shiny objects, worse after sleep or swallowing.

This remedy also suits subjects who are better from bright light, company and warmth.

The remedies that follow STRAMONIUM well are HYOSCAMUS AND BELLADONNA.

TIPS FROM THE MASTERS…

 STRAMONIUM is most important when the pain is almost unbearable, driving to despair.  It ameliorates at once and hastens benign suppuration.

Dr. Raue, M.D.

 Stammering and stuttering, local forms of chorea may be greatly benefited by a prolonged use of STRAMONIUM.

Dr. Teste.

STRAMONIUM in pure tincture and 1x dilution, I have found successful in 3 very bad cases of Delirium tremens.

Dr. Dalzell.

 Over a period of 30 years, I have seen number of very serious case of Insanity and mania so of extreme violence, clear up under STRAMONIUM.  It is especially efficacious in Puerperal Mania when indicated and is frequently is indicated in these conditions.

Dr. Grimmer, M.D.

 I consider STRAMONIUM the nearest similimum we have for Hydrophobia (Rabies).

Dr. George. Royal.

 According to Dr Jeanus, STRAMONIUM is always indicated when the left hip is affected.  I have given STRAMONIUM with great success whenever abscesses form, if attended with violent pain, driving one mad.

Dr. Raue, M.D.

There has been a subtle shift of Medicine in the last ten years of so. Many doctors and institutions are recognizing the value of spirituality and medicine and it has been conclusively proved in many studies that, prayer and spiritual practices help the healing of patients.

There is a FOURTH DIMENSION to health, called as HOLISTIC HEALTH, where the body, mind and the soul are recognized as one entity.

In India we are singularly fortunate that spiritual practices like, meditation, yoga, prayer and many spiritual practices have been an integral part of our lives, since ages.

Recently, the understanding of the endocrine glands (ductless glands in the body) has increased and more is known on how they affect our health.  For example; under-development of thyroid glands can lead to many defects, such as, obesity, idiocy, certain skin diseases, lack of sexual development, defects in the hair and nails and many other problems.

Negative emotions like intense fear, can cause a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach. Some people even vomit. This is due to the over-secretion of bile.

Sustained anger causes a release of chemicals from the kidney and raises the blood pressure, via the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Renal Angiotensin axis.   It also alters the biochemistry of the body and causes an unfavorable Lipid profile level and this can lead to Coronary artery disease.   Sustained negative emotions can even cause cancers.

The body is the most perfect chemist imaginable and constantly tries to maintain perfect health. The food that we eat is transformed to blood; the blood provides nutrition to the tissues. The mind regulates the endocrines.   A calm silent mind can help harness the energy of the ‘soul force’.  The soul force is connected to the Cosmic Creative Spirit’ and this helps the body regain its youth and positive health.

A proper understanding of spiritual practices is important, because it helps us in changing the negative thinking and emotions. When we begin to tune in with the cosmos, we become healthy and realize the purpose of our creation.

STAPHISAGRIA.

This remedy is derived from a plant called as Delphinium Staphisagria and the mother tincture is prepared from the ripe seeds.

This remedy is useful in nervous affections with marked irritability.  This remedy is useful in persons, who get affected by suppressed anger after being insulted, which makes them speechless, sleepless nervous and finally they get a colic or IRRITABLE BLADDER OR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME.  This remedy suits subjects who are impetuous, violent, with outbursts of temper, hypochondriacally oriented, sad and very sensitive about what other persons say about him or her.  This remedy suits subjects who dwell a lot on sexual matters, prefer solitude and are peevish.

It is useful in Genito-urinary and skin diseases, where the ailment often comes on, due to the ill effects of suppressed anger and insults.

This remedy is also useful after subjects indulge in sexual excesses.

This remedy is useful in healing lacerated wounds and killing pain after tooth extraction.  This remedy is also useful when the teeth become black and crumble easily, with salivation and spongy gums that bleed easily.

This remedy suits subjects who have a stupefying headache and the brain feels as if it is squeezed, with a sensation as if a ball of lead is in the head.  This remedy is also useful in Lice infestation of the head, where the mother tincture is diluted with water in a proportion of 1:4.

This remedy is also useful whenever subjects have itching and eruptions above and behind the ears.

This remedy is useful in recurrent sty, chalazion cysts on the lid margins that itch.  It is useful for lacerated or incised wounds on the cornea.  This remedy is useful in bursting pain in the eyeballs associated with iritis.

This remedy is useful in pain in the ears, which is worse on swallowing.

This remedy suits subjects who have a desire for stimulants like tobacco, and who have a tendency to eat something even after the stomach is full.  This remedy is useful in subjects who complain of nausea after abdominal operations.

This remedy is also useful in colic pain in the abdomen after anger and severe pain in the abdomen after abdominal surgery.  This remedy is useful in diarrhea, which comes on after drinking cold water associated with an ineffectual desire to pass stools.

This remedy is useful in male subjects, who have an obsession for masturbation and for subjects, who constantly dwell on sexual matters.  It also suits subjects who have emissions with backache and weakness and breathlessness after coitus.

This remedy suits young female subjects, who are recently married and suffer from an irritable bladder, leucorrhoea and aching around the hips.  This remedy is very useful in Cystocoele, Cystitis (infection of the bladder) and in ‘Honey-moon Cystitis’, with a sensation as if a drop of urine is going to roll down the urethra, associated with urging and pain after urination.

This remedy is very useful eczema of the head, ears, face and the body, when the eczema is associated with thick scabs, which are dry and itch violently.  This remedy is also said to cure Fig warts that are pedunculated.

This remedy suits subjects who have a bruised feeling in the muscles, associated with a backache and a sore back, which is worse before rising in the morning. This remedy is useful when the extremities feel beaten and painful.

This remedy suits subjects whose symptoms aggravated after suppressed anger, indignation, mortification, after loss of fluids, after sexual excesses, tobacco abuse, and the least touch of the affected parts.

This remedy suits subjects who are better after breakfast, warmth and rest in the night.

This remedy is inimical to RANUNCULUS BULBOSIS, a remedy that does not follow or precede it well.

CAUSTICUM & COLOCYNTHIS are remedies that follow this remedy to complete the cure.

TIPS FROM THE MASTERS…

 STAPHISAGRIA is required when an abdominal or other operation wound is unduly painful for no obvious reason.

Dr. Foubister, M.B., Ch.B., D.C.H., etc.

 STAPHISAGRIA given before the incision for Circumcision allays the pain following incision and prevents inflammation.

Dr. Stearns, M.D.

 STAPHISGRIA is sometimes to be substituted for COLOCYNTHIS in the effects of violent emotion in women and children when the violent abdominal cramps fail to yield to the latter remedy.

Dr. E. A. Farrington, M.D.

 In nausea of pregnancy, STAPHISAGRIA has to be taken at the moment when the dizziness and nausea commenced before the vomiting sets in.

Dr. Teste.

For a child who makes a pretense of weeping but without tears, this is almost certainly the remedy: STAPHISAGRIA 30 or 200.

Dr. Foubister, M.B., Ch.B., D.C.H. etc.

 STAPHISAGRIA is well known for its effects when there is a strong sense of injustice. A number of remedies have this listed in Kent’s repertory under ‘Mortification’ but STAPHISAGRIA is most often needed when this is the leading symptom in my experience.

Dr. Foubister, M.B., Ch.B., D.C.H.

 STAPHISAGRIA is an excellent remedy for sty’s, which is normally given when PULSATILLA fails.  In my experience, I have found this remedy effective in all cases of sty’s whether chronic or otherwise or whether in lower or upper lids; recurrent sty’s.

Dr. R.B. Das.

Introduction:

Every year Malaria affects several million people. The problem is compounded by the fact that malarial parasites are rapidly growing resistant to single drugs such as chloroquine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine combinations and amodiaquin.  According to the World Health Organization about 300 to 500 million people develop malaria each year out of which 1.5 to 3 million children die every year.   In Africa alone, the 28 million reported cases of malaria are believed to represent only 5-10% of the total malaria incidence on the continent (Hamoudi & Sachs, 1999).

Even in India the prevalence rates of the dangerous form of malaria called as Plasmodium falciparum has gone up from 38.8% in 1995 to 47.5% in 2003.  The urgent need of the hour is mosquito control, better pesticides, a vaccine for this disease, genetic manipulation of the mosquito so that the parasite cannot invade the mosquito, genetic manipulation of the parasite to make it ineffective, introduction of certain form of fish that eat larvae and finally development of better and newer drugs.

Obstacles to the eradication of malaria

Malaria is clearly a worldwide challenge and it is different from other infectious diseases like AIDS, which can be eradicated by behavioural modification and education. Malaria is caused by the climate and ecological factors that are peculiar to tropical and subtropical regions.  What is frightening is that malaria is also seen increasingly in wealthy countries like UAE and Oman.

It is imperative that malaria should be looked with seriousness because it directly affects a country’s economy.  It takes away an individual workers productivity and creates a great burden on the GDP of already struggling economies. (Shepard, 1991; Bloom & Sachs, 1998).

The malarial parasite and its vector are both very complex. There is a constant mixing of genes and both the mosquito and the parasite acquire drug resistance, making eradication impossible. (Hamoudi, 2000).

The species-specific behaviour of mosquitoes in some regions, however, has allowed for the success of malaria control programs in those areas, while mosquitoes in other regions have posed significant obstacles to those attempting to prevent malaria infection. In some temperate regions where malaria has been eradicated, mosquitoes spend their winter in hibernation or a non-reproductive state. Control programs have used this fact to their advantage by using insecticide and drug treatments during the mosquito “off-season”.

In tropical zones, mosquitoes do not lie dormant as a result of this; individuals often receive multiple malaria infections. In African and sub-Saharan populations there is no immunity among the population to malarial disease. . (Hamoudi & Sachs, 1999).

The only way of preventing malaria is through educational prevention programs. Introduction of bed nets substantially control malaria, but distributing these nets do not offer a foolproof system to control this disease.

The other problem is the failure of Drug Treatment Programs. We first had quinine to combat malaria. It was replaced with chloroquine, which was cheap, safe, and effective. Soon worldwide resistance to chloroquine was reported. Even newer drug therapies with drugs like mefloquine, atovaquone have shown drug resistance. This is because the parasite constantly mutates.

Promising Newer drug therapies:

There are newer drugs, which combine a drug called as Artemisinin with a drug called as Lumefantrine.

Artemisinin is extracted from a Chinese herb called as Qinghao. The biological name of the plant is Artemesia Annua.  It is also called as sweet wormwood and has been used by the Chinese to kill parasites such as worms and flukes. Artemisinin has also proven itself as a safe and effective treatment for malaria. It causes a rapid reduction of the parasite biomass. It is useful against drug resistant parasite. It inhibits the sexual forms of the parasite and thus blocks its transmission. However, it has a short half-life and that factor may be responsible for development of parasite resistance.  It is surprising to note that Artemisinin is effective against a wide variety of cancers as shown in a series of successful experiments. The most effective is leukemia and colon cancer.  Lumefantrine on the other hand has a long half-life of 4 to 6 days. It also has a slower onset of action, so when combined with Artemisinin they supplement each other and there is a negligible chance of re-infection or drug resistance. No major side effects were noticed in this promising combination.

Conclusion:

Malaria is a dreaded disease and it is here to stay.  Despite resistance to drugs, some newer combinations have shown promise.  The eradication of this disease will depend on how quickly we find a new vaccine, which would be safe, inexpensive, easily administered and which conferred a life -long immunity against the disease. The other way of eradicating Malaria would be through mosquito control programs.