Introduction
COVID-19 or SARS COVID 2 infection has been declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.1 The COVID-19 infection emerged as a Global Health emergency Spreading over 210 countries around the world. Earlier when the covid strain was found in the different parts of world in December 2019, various homoeopathic physicians from different countries predicted the use of certain homeopathic medicines on the basis of some symptoms commonly found in COVID 19 patients Like ARS ALB, Bryonia, Gelsemium, Influenzinum, Pulsatilla, RHUS.TOX.2
Ayush health department announced arsenic alb 30 as preventative medicine for COVID-19. But the dilemma is how can arsenic alb be used as genus epidemicus without proving on certain group of people? But by the use of it we have witnessed that it helped to cope up with panic and anxiety created due to this infectious disease.3 All the suggestions given by different physicians around the world were very premature just the form of guess work. When the actual COVID-19 wave hits us all hard that is humungous number of people were affected, we came to know that prevention was not really as per our expectation. Then we started with dealing patients individually as suggested by doctor Hahnemann in organon and certain medicine proved to be very useful in treating the affected patients by the method of individualisation. In the first and second wave most patients came with sore throat, dry cough, nasal watery discharge, sneezing, fever some patients with severe body ache and backache, diarrhoea, loss of taste and smell and last but not least too much weakness. We as homoeopathic physicians noted down all the complains and then we framed different questions for individualisation. We would like to present some of the cases which we found common during 1st and 2nd wave.4
Homoeopathy and Immunity
We get sick not just because of micro- organisms. Many microorganisms, both pathogenic and non- pathogenic, are always present in our body or regularly entre our body through the nose, mouth, or other routs of entry or opening. We do not get sick when our immune system is strong enough to fight them, keeping our body healthy. But when our immunity goes down, the micro-organisms multiply in our body and cause sickness. So, the basic cause of sickness is the decreased or deficient immunity or body resistance. Micro-organisms like bacteria and viruses are only secondary factors, expect in occasions like epidemics in which a large number of organisms enter the body simultaneously and become the cause of the disease condition. In such a situation, the micro-organisms gain dominance and destroy the immunity in the process of their fight for the upper hand.
In all the above conditions the homoeopathic treatment is the most beneficial since the destructions of the immunity has already taken place & needs to be stimulated to the healthy level of existence for the cure to take place & for the complete restoration of health. Hence, in order to get a complete cure, it is most essential to increase or correct our immunity or body resistance, rather than just kill or destroy the micro-organism. This is the situation in which conventional antibiotic therapy fails to attain the goal. Antibiotics are able to kill the micro-organisms (only bacteria), but they are not able to increase immunity of the body. This is one of the reasons why patients who get relief after the antibiotic therapy suffers secondary infections because the immune system still remains deficient in strength. So, when such individuals get exposed to organisms, the latter enter the body & multiply, producing secondary infection.
On the other hand, when the patient gets cured with homoeopathic medicines, the patient regains immunity, strength & vitality completely & there is less or no chance to get a secondary infection unless…
The patient exposes themselves to conditions which can decrease the immunity of the body.
The maintaining cause like the inhalation of toxic gases or fumes etc. in the case of occupational diseases persist.
A large number of micro-organisms enter into the body, which are beyond destruction, capacity of the immune system, as in the case of epidemic diseases.
But it is important to remember that homoeopathic medicine has already established its supremacy in curing epidemics all over the world, e.g.: the epidemics of the 19th century like cholera, particularly in Europe.
Genus Epidemicus Remedies & Significance of Homoeopathy in Epidemics
Dr Samuel Hahnemann has described investigation of epidemic disease & also the selection of Genus epidemicus after studying the nature epidemic prevalent in the given aphorisms 100, 101,102 in organon of medicine. These remedies are chosen by the totality of the symptoms of an epidemic as reflected in a group of patients. This offers specific protection against epidemic, endemic & pandemic disease. In a country as large as ours, the occurrence of epidemic is not infrequent, and they usually spread like wild fire creating chaos. And it is in this chaos that homoeopathy hopes to restore order. When there arise situations where the cause of the disease appears to be an enigma and every other system of medicine is clueless regarding what preventive / curative medicine is to be given, Homoeopathy has been able to solve the problem.5
In epidemic of such nature that are transmitted only through bites of infected insects, the most important preventive step is vector control.6 However due to practical problems like large population, poverty, poor hygiene & lack of man power this becomes a long-drawn procedure. Hence the best solution is to administer preventive medicines in the fastest & the most extensive way.
An epidemic (epi = upon, demos = people) is the unusual occurrence in a community or region, specific health related behaviour or other related evert, clearly in excess of expected occurrence. The term expected occurrence is one of the keywords in the definition as in one locality where no cases of a particular disease is reported even one case should be potential epidemic.7 Where as in another locality when hundreds of cases of that particular diseases in endemically prevalent it requires lot many cases of it to be considered as an epidemic.
Even when in the course of the epidemic there can be changes in the strains of the causative organisms & the new drug cannot be found out in time, homoeopathy can overcome the crisis. This is possible because unlike the commonly used medicines, which are directed towards the destruction of causative organisms, homoeopathic medicine aims to improve the immune system of the individual. Here the basis of selection of remedy is not dependent upon the nature of organism, but on the signs & symptoms of the diseased individual.8
The age-old aged “prevention is better than cure” holds good here. When few cases of epidemic disease are studied carefully in all their aspects a single medicine can be selected which will correspond with the characteristic symptoms of the disease as well as that of the patient. Homoeopathy gives importance not only to the symptom of the disease but also that peculiar symptoms exhibited by the patients & that is why they differ even when the disease is the same. The climatic conditions during the time of epidemic also plays role in remedy selection.
History of Homoeopathic Prophylaxis
In 1801 Dr. Hahnemann used Belladonna as a specific prophylactic remedy for Scarlatina (Cure and prevention of scarlet fever in published pamphlet – 1801) (Lesser Writings).
In 1974 during outbreak of meningococcal infection disease in Brazil 18,640 children protected homeopathically against meningococcal by use of homoeopathic prophylaxis.
1800-Purpura Miliaris > Aconite
1801- Scarlatina > Belladonna
1817- Asiatic Cholera > Camphora
1957- Polio > Lathyrus Sativa
1918- Influenza (flu) > Gelsemium
1996- Pertusis >Drosera
2009- Swine Flu > Influenzinum
2014- Chiken guniya > Bryonia alba
2020- Corona (SARS) > Arsenicum.alb
A study published in American journal (2010) of infectious disease by researchers of Calcutta’s School of tropical medicine and central council research in homoeopathy CCRH showed that the homoeopathic medicine Belladonna prevented infection in Chick embryo’s infected with Japanese encephalitis.
A study conducted by Government of Andhra Pradesh from 1999 to 2004. This project was name B.C.T as prophylactic drugs Belladonna 200 on 1st, 2nd, 3rd day one dose each followed by Calc. Carb 200 on 10th day and Tuberculinum 10 M on 25th day where administrative to whole children for Japanese encephalitis age between 0 to 15 year in month of August every year.
Reasons for Homoeopathic Preventive Medicine Becoming the Best Option in Epidemics
Economic viability: Cost of the homoeopathic medicine is minimal from the consumer point of view.
Distribution of medicine: Homoeopathic medicines though packaged as medicated globules, which makes the transport distribution & administration easy.
Action of medicine: Action is rapid in case of epidemic disease of virulent nature & the immunity rendered to healthy persons or an unaffected person is immediate provided the dose taken is accurate.
Change in nature of disease: During an epidemic many at times it is found that maturation of the infective organism has resulted in the change in nature of epidemic & this requiring exhaustive research to found a different medicine since homoeopathic medicines aim to boost the individual’s own immune system, genetic mutation will not affect the person.
Unidentified cause: In case of epidemic where the infective organism is not found or if found is not always the signs & symptoms characteristic of the disease to rely upon.
Homoeopathic medicine as a prophylaxis & curative medicine
