Homeopathic Remedies: Safe and Effective for Children

A Healthy childhood is the greatest boon parents can give their children. Infants are gifts of nature, untouched by pollution - atmospheric or otherwise. Apart from a few disorders which they may have inherited from their parents, they are still free from the effects of chemical drugs. Therefore, the treatment given to these children should also be' the simplest and nearest to nature and its laws.

Most diseases, except accidents and malformations which are not really called diseases, originate due to a lack in a child's life: bad food habits, unhealthy surroundings, and so on. As long as these faulty conditions exist, any treatment can only provide temporary benefits. To obtain permanent relief, the faulty conditions must be removed, else, problems associated with them are likely to recur, leading to chronic diseases.

Nature produces certain symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, pain, and vomiting during the course of a disease. These symptoms are the reaction of the individual's body to cure himself of the disease: fever inhibits the growth of germs; vomiting and diarrhoea clean the bowels. Homeopathy follows the path shown by nature: it prescribes remedies that produce the same symptoms in the patient. This is a much safer way of ascertaining the nature of the actual ailment. Since homeopathic treatment is based on the constitution and symptoms of the patient, it is both preventive at the initial stage and curative at the full-fledged state of the disease.

Giving medicine to the child is not an easy task for parents. However, with homeopathy the story is entirely different. Children enjoy taking the sweet pills, which can be mixed in plain water or milk safely. The child is not even made aware of being given any medicines. Homeopathic medicines are safe and easy to dispense. At home or even in school, the child has simply to put the medicine directly on the tongue and allow it to dissolve. No water is needed. As a result children do not throw temper tantrums while taking homeopathic medicines.

As the doses administered are very small, there is no danger of over-dosing and no harm accrues even from administering incorrect medicines. In fact the great advantage of homeopathic remedies is that they do not have any side or bad effects. They are cheap to purchase and can be easily afforded by the common man.

Homeopathic medicine cures the problems of the child while simultaneously building his general resistance. Children who have been taking homeopathic treatment right from the beginning are less prone to illnesses. In order to escape the adverse effects of vaccination, homeopathic prophylactics can be relied upon. These provide immunity against dreadful diseases like diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, mumps, tetanus, and tuberculosis. Furthermore, in certain conditions like tonsillitis, hernia, appendicitis, piles and fissures, surgery may not be necessary if homeopathy steps in.

In some allergic conditions like asthma, skin problems, or respiratory conditions where no other system provides a satisfactory answer except palliation for a short time, homeopathy brings about permanent relief without making any harsh demands in the name of treatment.

Even when a child suffers from a minor injury, if the parent is well equipped with a knowledge and stock of homeopathic medicines such as Aconite, Arnica, Hyperican, Calendula, Ruta, Symphytum, Bellis Pessinis, Ledum Pal, he need not seek the help of any doctor.

This is not to say that homeopathy is the only answer to every problem of a child. But homeopathy is definitely a step towards leading a healthy life. Therefore, instead of administering antibiotics and other drugs, parents can turn to a safe alternative.

This book is designed to make the lay reader familiar with homeopathy. Ailments and disorders in children, common and infrequent, minor and serious - over 80 in number - have been discussed.

Part I of the book explains the basic principles of homeopathy. It traces the normal growth process from infancy to adolescence, emphasizing the nutritional requirements of the body. This information is mandatory for an understanding of child development.

Part II of the book - Tackling Childhood Ailments - follows an A to Z approach. Each ailment is discussed in a uniform manner.

Causes and General Symptoms provide an overview of the disorder.

General Management pin-points any diagnostic tests that may be required, treatment (apart from medication) that can be administered at home, as well as dietary and other regimen that should be followed. Safeguards are also highlighted.

Characteristic Symptoms and Medicines enumerate various groups of symptoms with medication advised for each group. The reader is advised to select the group of symptoms which matches those of the patient as closely as possible, and administer the medicine as advised.

After administering a medicine, the symptoms may be aggravated for a while; if the aggravation is of a mild degree, it will subside on its own. However if the aggravation is prolonged and the intensity of the symptoms increases, the medication should be stopped immediately and a qualified physician consulted for guidance. This dictum applies to all conditions treated by homeopathy.

There are certain diseases such as tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, meningitis, and tetanus which are not only highly infectious, but which should not be tackled at home. The child should be taken to the hospital immediately on the slightest suspicion of these diseases.

Over the past several years, a greater awareness about the adverse side-effects of allopathy, a more educated approach to better health, and a growing interest in alternative systems of medicine have generated an increasing interest in homeopathy - the gentle form of medicine which has a long proven history of success and no known harmful effects.

Dr Samuel Christian Hahnemann was the founder of homeopathy in the eighteenth century. A practicing German allopath, he was dissatisfied about drugs being administered to patients without a thorough understanding of their effects on the human mind and body. He was not willing to blindly accept prevalent medical beliefs. The method of healing at the time was based on the principle of Contraria Contaris: that is, healing by opposites. For example, the prescribed cure for constipation was the administration of laxatives. Dr Hahnemann wondered whether there were better and more permanent cures to treating constipation than prescribing laxatives, as any temporary relief obtained was wiped out by recurrence of the problem. Similar predicaments existed for other ailments. In his search for better alternatives he conducted repeated trials using numerous drugs and catalogued the results in a book called the Homoeopathic Materia Medica. This book is now considered the bible of homeopathy.

By the nineteenth century, homeopathy had spread to Europe, America, and the Indian subcontinent. Since then it has been successfully used by the world community.

Homeopathy, as described in Dr Hahnemann's medical treatise Organon of Medicine, is based on three fundamental laws:

Law of Similars: Hahnemann conducted numerous experiments on himself and others. He took China, a drug made from Peruvian bark. His feet and finger ends became cold; he felt sleepy, his heart began to palpitate, and his pulse grew hard and small. These symptoms were the same as the mental and physical symptoms of chill and fever, for which China was being prescribed as a cure. He realized that China, if taken in small doses by a healthy person, did produce symptoms of chill and fever, but also cured a person already suffering from chill and fever.

He experimented again, this time with lpecacuanha, and observed that when taken in small doses by a healthy person, it caused nausea, vomiting and other discomforts. However the same medicine cured the symptoms of nausea and vomiting if given to a sick person in the same doses. These experiments and many others carried out on people brought him closer to the belief propounded by Hippocrates years ago: Similia Similibus Curenter - the Latin for 'Let like be treated by like'. Ancient Hindu texts such as Vishasya Vishmaushadham have also discussed the same principle.

Law of Potencisation: While conducting his experiments, Dr Hahnemarm made another important discovery: the main sources of homeopathic medicines - plants, minerals, chemicals, animals, synthetics, and so on - could become homeopathic remedies only after they were specially processed through techniques of dilution and succussion to draw out their inherent medical properties and make them ready for use. He concluded that it is the energy of a substance and not its chemical properties that acts as the remedy. Each repeated dilution and succussion (vibration) actually enhances the power of a remedy while making it less concentrated.

Law of Individualization: In homeopathy, the patient is treated as a whole and not in parts. Individualization implies that every person is different from the other, howsoever minute the differences may be. For example, if two children of the same family are down with acute gastritis, it may not be necessary that they both require the same medicine. One may have high fever, loose motions, dryness of the mouth, but no thirst and restlessness: this patient will require Pulsatilla. The other child may have mild fever, loose motions, restlessness with a thirst for large quantities of very cold water, and will respond to Phosphorus. This is because notwithstanding the clinical diagnosis of acute gastritis, the usual symptoms of which both will exhibit, they will still differ in their response to the same disease. This is how individualization works.

These are the three basic principles of homeopathy.

Homeopathic medicines are prepared in liquid or solid form. Substances soluble in liquids are made into solutions or mother tinctures by being diluted in water or a mixture of alcohol in varying proportions, or even in glycerin.

For drugs which are prepared in a liquid form, the strength or potency of the remedy is measured by using the Decimal or Centesimal scale.

The Decimal Scale - This is based upon the principle that the first potency should contain one-tenth part of the original drug which is succussed with nine parts of the diluent. Each succeeding potency should consist of one-tenth of the potency preceeding it. This method was introduced by Dr Hering. The potency in this scale is denoted by suffixing the Roman numeral X to the number indicating the potency, as in Bryonia 30X, or more commonly, by merely using the numeral, as in Bryonia 30, Arnica 30, and so on.

The Centesimal Scale - This method was introduced by Dr Hahnemann. This scale is based on the principle that the first potency should contain one-hundredth part of the original drug which is succussed with ninety-nine parts of the diluent. Each succeeding potency should consist of one hundredth of the potency preceeding it. The potency in this scale is denoted by suffixing the Roman numeral C to the number indicating the potency, as in Ars Alb 200 C, or more commonly, by simply using the numeral, as in Ars Alb 200.

Substances which are not soluble in liquids are ground to a fine powder form with sugar of milk through a process known as trituration. The potency of the remedy is denoted by suffixing a small x to the number of the potency, as in Kali Phos 6x.

Homeopathic medicines are generally used in the form of globules or dilutions. Six to eight globules comprise an adult dose, and two to four globules, a dose for a child. Homeopathic medicine may be placed directly on the tongue and allowed to dissolve naturally, or it can be dissolved in water. When the medicine is to be taken in water, then ten to twelve globules or two to three drops of dilution are dissolved in a glass, half-filled with water, and one teaspoonful (tsp) given to a child as a dose. Adults should take two teaspoonfuls of liquid as a single dose.

Repetition of the Dose: In simple cases such as cough, coryza, headache, minor chest complaints, indigestion, mild fever, and so on, the child can be given medicine every two to three hours or four times in a day. But in acute situations, the dose can be repeated very often - every 30 minutes or even at 15-minute intervals as needed. Once a visible improvement starts showing, the dose should not be repeated. But if and when further improvement ceases, another dose should be given.

For external application, the tincture of a medicine such as Arnica, Calendula, Echinaceae, and so on, should be diluted in water in a 1:10 ratio and then applied. Selection of potency depends on the nature of illness and the constitution of the patient.

Generally speaking, homeopathic medicines are quite safe and do not produce any side-effects or undesirable action. Even then these should not be used indiscriminately and without due care, as sometimes, they may cause harm in very sensitive patients or grave illnesses if administered in very high potencies or too frequently.

Preserving Homeopathic Medicines: All the medicines should be kept in well-corked bottles and in a dry place away from any strong-smelling substances and light. One vial should be used for one medicine only.

One has to avoid many things while undergoing homeopathic treatment. Some people may find it difficult to follow these instructions strictly. Raw onions, garlic, coffee, alcoholic drinks and other such items, that have their own medicinal actions and strong perfumes are to be avoided. Nothing should be eaten half an hour before or after taking the medicine.

Unlike allopathy, merely the diagnosis of an ailment is not the basis for prescribing homeopathic medicine. In homeopathy it is the symptomatic picture of the individual patient that guides the doctor towards prescribing a particular remedy.

Even so, laboratory investigations play an important role in homeopathic management of the patients. Laboratory investigations and their reports guide the doctor in the prognosis of the patient. For example, if a patient is suffering from a stone in the gall-bladder and is under homeopathic treatment after sometime he may feel symptomatically relieved although the stone may still be intact and may have merely changed its position. We may be misguided and feel elated if 'we do not get him properly investigated. Therefore, the success or prognosis can be confirmed through these investigations whenever required.

The Homeopathic Materia Medica contains over three thousand remedies whose effects have been carefully studied on human beings, and are now being used effectively. We are able to select a medicine which produces the same effects as those being manifested in the diseased person whom we wish to cure. Given here is a list of commonly used medicines which can be kept as a kit at home. These medicines are most commonly used in a 30 or 200 potency and are easily available.

Remedies Abbreviations

Aethusa Cynapium Aeth

Aconitum Napellus Aco

Aloes Socotrina Aloes

Arsenicum Album Ars Alb

Arnica Montana Arnica

Belladona Bell

Bryonia Bry

Cantharsis Canth

Calendula Calend

Cina Cina

Colocynthis Colo

Drosera Rotundifolia Dros

Eupatorium Perfoliatum Eup Per

Euphrasia Euph

Ferrum Phosphoricum Ferr Phos

Gelsemium Gels

Glonoine Glo

Hepar Sulphunis Hep Sulph

Ipecacuanha Ipecac

Kali Bichromicum Kali Bich

Mercurius Cor Merc Cor

Mercurius Sol Merc Sol

Natrum Munriaticum Nat Mur

Nux Vomica Nux Vom

Phosphorus Phos

Podophyllum Podo

Pulsatilla Nigricans Puls

Rhus Toxicodendron Rhus Tox

Sulphur Sul

Thuja Thuja

The Growing Years

Growth is an essential feature of the life of a child. The process of growth starts from conception till the child grows into a fully mature adult. Children born to tall parents are usually tall, while those born to short parents are usually short. The size of the head, and shape of the hands and feet are also closely related to those of the parents. Parents with a high intelligence quotient (IQ) are more likely to have children with a higher level of IQ. However, the environment also contributes to the IQ level of the child. Children of certified mentally retarded mothers have a lower IQ than the average. Pubertal growth occurs earlier in girls but at full maturity, their mean height and weight are usually less than that in boys of corresponding ages. Daughters often start their menstrual cycle at a similar age as their mothers. They may even have a similar length of menstrual cycle.

During pregnancy the foetus grows in the natural environment. Malnutrition during pregnancy is associated with intrauterine mal-development and the small size of the foetus. Medical illnesses in the mother also result in poor growth of the foetus. For example, German measles in the first trimester of pregnancy leads to malformation in the foetus. Children born to mothers suffering from either overt or latent diabetes mellitus have a high birth weight.

After the birth of the child, certain environmental factors play a major -role in the pace and pattern of growth and development. Malnutrition results in anemia, rickets, and beriberi, while overeating causes obesity. A head injury may cause brain damage and seriously jeopardize the mental development of a child.

Age Weight Age Weight

(Months) (9m) (Months) (9m)

At Birth 2500 Seven 6100

One 2900 Eight 6450

Two 3500 Nine 6800

Three 4100 Ten 7150

Four 4700 Eleven 7500

Five 5300 Twelve 7850

six 5700

Normal Growth in an Indian Child

Activity Age

Holding of head 4 weeks

Hearing 1 month

Chin slightly off ground 8 weeks

Chin at 45⁰ angle from ground 12 weeks

Chin at 90⁰ angle from ground 16 weeks

Sitting with support 20.5 weeks

Standing with support 22 weeks

Sitting without support 26 weeks

Crawling on belly 26.3 weeks

Crawling on knees 32.4 weeks

Standing without support 34 weeks

Making sounds (Da-da, Ma-ma) 9 months

Can be placed on the toilet seat 10th month

Understanding 10th month

Walking with support 45 weeks

Clear speech 1 year

Walking without support 52.4 weeks

Walking to the toilet 15-18th month

Makes sentences 21-24 months

Toilet trainable 2 years

Repeated infections and worms usually reduce the growth of a child. Children kept in hygienic conditions are less prone to infections and vice versa. The velocity of growth is usually higher in spring and lower in summer. Anxiety, lack of security, emotional support, love, a broken home - all affect the growth of a child. Parents who have had a happy childhood are more likely to have children with happy natures.

Adolescence: Adolescence starts from the onset of puberty and extends till sexual maturation is complete. Puberty usually -begins around 10 years in girls (8-13 yrs) and around 12 years (10-13 yrs) in boys. There is a rapid spurt in height and weight.

Girls:

Enlargement of breasts.

Appearance of pubic hair a little after the onset of breast development.

Appearance of auxillary hair a few months before the onset of the first menstruation (menarche).

Secretion of a clear or whitish fluid from the vagina, a few months before the menarche.

Appearance of pimples on the face.

Development of feminine body contours. During the first few menstrual cycles, the flow may be irregular.

Boys

The testes begin to enlarge and become pendulous around 11 to 12 years of age. The penis enlarges to a length of over 7 cm when stretched.

The prostrate gland becomes larger.

The pubic hair becomes dark, pigmented, and wavy.

After 15 years of age, the testes enlarge further.

The penis also enlarges, more than 13 cm when stretched and 8.5 cm in circumference.

Nutrition and Diet

The old saying 'A Man is what he eats', holds true even today. Food plays one of the most important roles in maintaining good health. The right kind of food is the single most important factor in the promotion of health, while the wrong kind of food is the single most important factor in the promotion of disease.

Food supplies energy for physical activity and other metabolic needs. This is essential for the growth of the individual and repair of worn out tissues. Mothers need additional food energy supplements during pregnancy for the foetus and during lactation for milk secretion. Only human milk appears to supply all the essentials to a child till he attains a stage when oral foods can be given. The essential components of a balanced diet are fats, proteins, minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins. These nutrients are provided by the food we eat.

1. Milk and related products

2. Meat, eggs and meat alternatives

3. Fruits and vegetables

4.Cereals and food made from cereals and potatoes

There is a varying requirement for calories for different age groups. Upto 12 years of age the energy requirements for the body are as follows:

Age Calories

1-3 yrs 1300 Approx.

4-6 yrs. 1800 "

7-9 yrs 2200 "

0-12 yrs; 2400 "

Boys 2600 "

Girl 2500 "

A vegetarian diet supplies all the essential nutrients when the vegetables are selected from different categories. Vegetables are rich in fibre contents, vitamins, and minerals. They are easier to digest as compared to non-vegetarian food. Vegetarians usually have a faster gastro-intestinal transit time than their non-vegetarian counterparts. A vegetarian diet results in bulkier stools and low serum cholesterol levels. The child has less chances of getting appendicitis. Nursing vegetarian mothers must take added vitamin B12 to prevent further deficiency in their infants.

There is a confusion among laymen as to whether vitamins can be taken along with homeopathic medicine or not. I would like to make it clear that since vitamins are part of our diet, there is no harm in supplementing them. Homoeopathic medicines can be safely taken along with the intake of vitamins. But it is always better to supplement these deficiencies through diet. Do not make it a habit to eat vitamin tablets after meals because excess intake of vitamins is rejected by the body and goes waste in the stools.

Fibrous Food: Fibre is the digestive part of vegetables, fruits, and grains which provides bulk to the food and plays a vital role in facilitating proper bowel function. Almost all the fibre in the diet comes from natural, unrefined, unprocessed food such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grain products.

These days much stress is being laid on the consumption of soya bean, as it contains a high level of nutrients. The nutrients present in soya bean are protein(43%), carbohydrates(30%), fats(50%), water(10%), and ash(2%).

In comparison to other foods, soya bean contains a significantly higher percentage of protein.

Food items Protein

Soya bean 43%

Pulses 25%

Meat 18%

Egg 30%

Cheese 13%

A varied and well-balanced diet should provide the adequate amount of nutrients required . for good health. The correct intake of food is a sufficient source of the proteins, minerals, vitamins, and fibre needed by the body, and helps to keep the consumption of fat, sugar, and sodium within healthy limits.