Biochemic Treatment of Stomach Problems and Piles

Acidity

Acidity is a somewhat loose term indicating that the blood, or one or more of the secretions, is less alkaline than it should be. This excess of acid gives rise to many distressing symptoms. There may be gastric disturbance, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, impoverishment of the blood, palpitation of the heart, twinges of rheumatism, headache on the top of the head with a sense of fullness, a persistent feeling of tiredness and other symptoms of disturbed metabolism.

Whenever signs of acidity make their appearance, the principle remedy. Nat. Phos., should be given irrespective of any other tissue salt which may be indicated as this acid state, if allowed to persist, will hamper the action of other tissue salts.

Nat. Phos. 6x. The principle remedy for the treatment of acidity.

Nat. Sulph. This tissue salt is one of the alkaline sulphates and it may be used to supplement the action of Nat. Phos.
Silicea. Dyspepsia with eructations, heart- burn, chilliness. In alternation with Nat. Phos.
Mag. Phos. Burning, tasteless eructations, relieved by drinking hot water. Flatulence with distension of the stomach, belching and distension of abdomen.

Biliousness

Bile is a bitter, yellowish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It is discharged through the bile duct into the intestine where it assists in the process of digestion and assimilation. About a pint or more is secreted daily, but much of this is reabsorbed into the bloodstream and circulated back to the liver, to be again excreted, and so on.

Biliousness is a rather vague term applied sometimes to migraine or to the sick headache and vomiting which occur in some forms of gastric catarrh or following indiscretions of diet.

The liver salt, Nat. Sulph., is the principal remedy indicated for disorders in the secretion and flow of bile. By irritating the epithelial cells and nerves of the bile ducts Nat. Sulph. helps the normal secretion of these organs, hence it is an excellent remedy for biliousness.

Kali Mur. 6x. if caused by eating rich food with grey coated tongue and light coloured constipated stools.
Nat. Phos. Much acidity, tongue coated bright yellow and furred.
Nat. Sulph 6x. Give frequently if much flatulence, soreness in liver region with coated tongue and yellowness of skin and eyeballs. Greenish stools.

Heartburn

A burning sensation in the throat and stomach caused by acidity of the stomach getting into the oesophagus.

Calc. Phos. If much flatulence is present.
Nat. Phos. It is the principal remedy.

Indigestion

A state of discomfort accompanying or following the intake of food. It is usually associated with difficult or painful digestion and it may be related to a failure of some phase of the digestive process, characterized by fullness, or weight in the pit of stomach. Nausea or vomiting often relieves the pain or discomfort.

Calc. Phos. 1x trituration, given half hourly after eating, is efficacious in non-assimilation of food.
Silicea. Chronic dyspepsia, with much chilliness; excessive hunger: disgust for warm food and intolerance of alcoholic stimulants.

Vomiting

Calc. Phos. Vomiting after cold water and ice cream. Vomiting with teething troubles, infants vomits often and easily.
Ferrum Phos. Vomiting of food with sour fluids, soon after eating. Vomiting of bright red blood.
Kali Mur. Vomiting of thick, white, phlegm and dark clotted blood.
Silicea. Child vomits as soon as it nurses.
Nat. Mur. Vomiting of sour curdled masses.
Nat. Phos. Vomiting of sour fluid with yellow coating of tongue.
Nat. Sulph. Bilious vomiting with bitter taste. Morning sickness with constant nausea.
Calc. Fluor. Vomiting of undigested food and during dentition.

Loss of Appetite

Loss of appetite can be a psychological phenomena or due to some gastro-intestinal disturbances or liver disorder.

Kali Phos. Nervous weakness, gone feeling, palpitation.
Calc. Phos. Much flatulence, acidity. Especially useful during convalescence or when associated with any drain on the system.
Nat. Phos. & Nat. Sulph. 6x alternately when there are bilious symptoms owing to torpid liver, often seen after malaria and jaundice, etc.

Constipation

Though persons in health generally have one daily movement of the bowels, some may have two regular motions, while in others a motion once in two days is quite normal. When the bowel is evacuated too seldom or incompletely, the motions become dry and hard with difficulty of evacuation.

There may be a mechanical obstruction of the bowel, but generally the condition is due to one or more of the following factors – too little “roughage” in the diet, insufficient exercise, failure to inculcate the habit of regularity, dryness of the bowel, lack of tone of the colon muscle and of the intestines etc.

The diet should include plenty of fresh fruits, green vegetables, green salads (uncooked), wholemeal bread and dried fruits such as prunes, which have an indigestible residue and thus provide bulk to exercise the intestinal muscles. Plenty of fluids, including raw fruit juices which provide water in its purest form. The regular use of aperients tends to aggravate the trouble.

Calc. Phos. Costive, hard stools with blood especially in old people.
Kali. Sulph. Habitual constipation with insipid, pappy taste and yellow, slimy coating on tongue.
Nat. Mur. Dry stools, with torn, bleeding, smarting feeling after stools. Stools hard, dry and difficult to pass, in children mechanical aid may be required to break the large pieces. Haemorrhoids, headache and backache also accompany it.
Kali Mur. Constipation, with light-coloured stools, from torpidity of the liver and want of bile. With white or greyish coated tongue or when fatty food disagrees.
Calc. Fluor. Inability of anus to expel. Too much accumulation of faeces in rectum. Fissure ani, intensely painful.
Nat. Phos. Constipation of infants.
Silicea. Stools recede after having been partially expelled.

Gastric Disturbances

Gastric disturbances include a wide range of ailments characterised by painful or uncomfortable symptoms associated with the function of digestion. The symptoms are numerous and may arise from simple causes such as too hurried meals and insufficient mastication of the food.

Diet is obviously important and the digestive organs should be given as much rest as possible by adopting regular habits and by the selection of wholesome, easily digestible foods.

Acid dyspepsia, catarrh of the stomach and nervous dyspepsia are some of the conditions that come under this general heading.

Calc. Phos. A useful remedy in the treatment of gastric and digestive disturbances when taken in alternation with other indicated remedies, it aids the digestive processes and improves assimilation.
Ferrum Phos. Gastritis pain, swelling and tenderness of the stomach. Dyspepsia with hot, flushed face. Vomiting undigested food, the tongue being clean.
Kali Mur. Gastric derangements when the tongue has a white or greyish white coating. Indigestion or nausea after taking fatty or rich food. In alternation with Ferr. Phos. in the treatment of gastritis.
Nat. Phos. Gastric catarrh with symptoms of acidity, sour risings creamy, golden yellow coating on the back part of the tongue. Heartburn after eating. Fretful, irritable disposition.
Kali Phos. Nervous indigestion with “gone” sensation in the stomach. Hungry feeling after taking food. Stomach-ache after fright or from excitement.
Kali Sulph. Gastric catarrh with slimy and golden yellow coated tongue. Colicky pains in the stomach with feeling of pressure and fullness.
Mag. Phos. Spasmodic pains and cramp of the stomach, relieved by hot drinks. Flatulence with much belching of gas.

Nat. Sulph. Gastric disturbances with bilious symptoms, bitter taste in the mouth, vomiting of bitter fluids. The tongue is sometimes coated a greenish brown or greenish grey colour.

Colic

Colic is a sudden abdominal cramp which may be caused by one of several conditions. The most usual form is that due to spasmodic contractions of the bowel and is called intestinal colic.

There may be gastric colic in the stomach, biliary colic due irregular contractions of the bile ducts, renal colic in the kidneys, etc.

Infants are subject to attacks of colic especially when fed artificially, and in such cases a modification of diet may be necessary. Painter’s colic due to lead poisoning and gall-stone colic due to gall bladder stones getting impacted in bile duct.

Mag. Phos. Flatulent colic, forcing the patient to bend double; in children the legs are drawn up. Colicky babies when they cry half the time; no interference with nutritional status.
Nat. Phos. Colic in children with acidity; green, sour smelling stools and worms.
Nat. Sulph. Biliary colic, with vomiting of bile: bitter taste in the mouth and brownish- green coating on root of tongue. Lead colic.

Diarrhoea

Excessive, frequent bowel movements of liquid stools. It is a symptom, not a disease in itself. It may be caused by a wide variety of disorders, including bacterial contamination of food, virus infection, allergy, nervous reaction as well as various serious and chronic ailments.

The infection disturbs the gastrointestinal tract in a way that interferes with the normal absorption of liquids and salt. The disturbance also causes rapid persistaltic movements causing loss of more salt and fluid.

Calc. Phos. One of the best remedies for teething diarrhoea due to poor digestion: chronic diarrhoea.
Ferr. Phos. Diarrhoea with sudden onset and fever, thirst; stool consists of undigested food, or watery; frequent stools with colicky pain. Diarrhoea in children during dentition with fever.
Kali phos. Foul smelling stools with marked exhaustion.
Kali Mur. Stools pale yellow or white, slimy; after eating rich food.
Nat. Sulph. Stools dark green, bilious. Chronic diarrhoea with loose morning stools; worse in wet weather. Diarrhoea of old people.
Nat. Phos. Sour-smelling, green summer diarrhoea from eating unripe fruits. Diarrhoea of teething children with acidity, worms infestation.
Mag. Phos. Diarrhoea with cramp flatulent colic; relieved by warmth.
Silicea. Infantile diarrhoea; cadaverous stools; after vaccination.

Colitis (Inflammation of Colon)

Inflammation of the colon is due to infections as with the amoeba of amoebic dysentry or the protozoal parasite B. Coli, or mucous colitis or chronic ulcerative colitis accompanied by systemic symptoms. Diarrhoea with frequent loose stools, abdominal cramps, and passage of bloody mucus in the stools.

Treat infection, encourage personal hygiene and emotional calmness.

Kali Mur. Intense pain, cutting as from knives, calls to stool every few minutes with tenesmus.
Ferrum Phos, and Kali Mur 6x. For acute colitis.
Kali Phos. When stools contain mostly blood, are offensive. Tenesmus after stools.
Nat. Sulph. Chronic colitis worse in damp weather with bilious symptoms.
Mag. Phos. When much pain is present.

Dysentery

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine resulting from infection by bacteria, protozoa and virus is after characterized by the appearance of blood and mucus in the stools, diarrhoea, cramps and fever.

Haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids (piles) are a varicosed condition of the veins at the lower end of the bowel. Piles may be internal or external or both. Internal piles extend about one inch up the bowel.

Sedentary habits are a predisposing factor and constipation with straining at stool is not an unusal accompaniment of this painful condition. Piles sometimes occurs during pregnancy, and they can also be a symptom of other diseases.

External piles not usually cause any pain or trouble. Sometimes they may become inflamed and give off a thin discharge. Internal piles may give no sign of their presence except for occasional bleeding. Too great a loss of blood will cause anaemia.

When internal piles are large they may protrude and become inflamed and painful.

In general, piles are more of an inconvenience than a serious condition. Care should be taken to avoid constipation and it is better to achieve this by regulating the diet than by recourse to purgatives, which in the long run aggravate the trouble. The parts should be carefully washed after evacuation and any protrusions should be gently pushed back. Piles tend to be one of the ailments of middle age.

Calc. Fluor. Internal and blind piles, accompanied with pain in the back. Tones up the relaxed condition of the veins and muscle fibres.
Calc. Phos. Intercurrently with Calc. Fluor. in anaemic people.
Ferrum Phos. For the inflammation and bleeding.
Kall Mur. Piles, especially bleeding, with constipation and furred, greyish white coated tongue. Powdered 3x tablets mixed in paraffin may be used for external application.
Nat. Mur. With smarting and protrusion of the rectum, burning at anus, stool hard and crumbling, stitches in rectum.
Silicea. Internal painful haemorrhoids, protrude, often suppurate. Much itching. Fistula in ano.

Fistula in Anus

It is a narrow duct from an internal abscess to the anus or rectum or outside the anus.

Calc. Fluor & Silicea 12x alternately in chronic and multiple fistulae. Thick, yellowish discharge with periodical attacks of pain.
Calc. Phos. Alternately with Silicea 3x.

Calc. Sulph. Painful abscesses around anus. Pus discharge from bowels.
Mag. Phos. & Calc. Phos. Are the principal remedies, preferably given in hot water.

Duodenal Ulcer

The ulcers appearing in the duodenum (the portion of the small intestine closest to the stomach) are called duodenal ulcer.

Pain is felt either in the middle of the upper abdomen or to the right and under the ribs and is often relieved by eating.

Ferrum Phos. 6x if bleeding is present.
Nat. Mur. & Nat. Sulph. 6x alternately is most effective combination.

Gastric Ulcer (Ulcer in stomach)

The pain is often due to empty stomach containing acid with nausea and vomiting. Gastric ulcer can turn to malignancy

Stress and anxiety are the main causes for ulcer formation. In advanced cases bleeding can also be there.

Ferrum Phos. For haematemesis (vomiting of blood)
Kali Phos. If the ulcer is due to mental worries.
Nat. Phos. 6x. If much acidity is present. Sour eructations, water-brash and burning pains.

Jaundice

Jaundice is due to the presence of pigment of bile in the blood which causes the skin to turn yellowish in colour. There are many different causes of this condition and naturally the symptoms vary in accordance with the cause. The commonest form is that known as catarrhal jaundice, due to an inflammation or catarrh of the bile duct which prevents the flow of bile from the liver and gall bladder into the intestine. This inflammation, it has been found, usually begins in the duodenum, or first part of the small intestine, then spreads to the bile duct where it causes an obstruction.

Ferrum Phos. Early stage, inflammation of liver with fever pain in liver, vomiting of undigested food.
Nat. Sulph. Congestion of liver and gall-bladder with resulting jaundice. Biliousness, flatulence, cutting pains, greenish stools.
Kali Mur. Jaundice with catarrhal conditions of liver. Constipation, light coloured stools; white coated tongue, bitter taste. Vomiting of thick, white mucus. Chronic cases. Preventive to be given on the first signs.
Nat. Mur. Jaundice associated with catarrh of the stomach, drowsiness, watery secretions, thirst, dryness of the skin.

Spleen Trouble

A large organ situated behind the left lower ribs and extending behind the stomach and midrib. It manufactures lymphocytes, stores broken red cells. Enlargement of spleen in malaria, Banti’s discase, lymphatic leukaemia, pernicious anemia and certain infectious diseases is common.

Calc. Fluor. & Nat. Mur. Alternately for enlargement.
Ferrum Phos. Inflammation of spleen.
Kali Mur. Chief remedy.

Pancreatic Deficiency

It is large yellow digestive gland located behind the stomach and the lower ribs. Six inches, long of variable weight and has head, tail and body. It secretes pancreatic juice and insulin. The deficiency of the former causes defective digestion and later diabetes.

Nat. Sulph. & Nat. Phos, alternately

Gall-Stone

Gall-stones are composed of cholesterol, calcium carbonate and bile salts. They may be in gall-bladder or in one of the bile ducts. The disturbance may take the form of one large stone, a silent stone or many small ones which are more likely to produce symptoms. Fat, forty, fertile, fair females are the high risk factors. Over-eating of rich, fatty foods often precipitates the pain.

Calc. Phos. To prevent reformation of stones.
Nat. Phos. 6x for gall-stone colic.
Nat. Phos. & Nat. Sulph. alternately esp. when patient cannot bear tight clothing around waist.

Appendicitis

Inflammation of appendix, the vestigial organ in human body. Often a surgical case requires surgical help. Following medicines can be taken safely. Chief symptoms are pain, vomiting and fever.

Kali Mur. One of the head remedies for formation of soft tumour, hardened muscles, swelling.
Mag. Phos. Another head remedy for hard muscles, pains with the stretching of the belly like a drum.
Ferr. Phos. Swelling, high fever, thirst, pain and restlessness.

Dropsical Affections

An abnormal collection of clear yellow fluid in the peritoneal cavity (abdominal area). It is a symptom not a disease. Cirrhosis of liver, circulatory diseases, malignant abdominal conditions, kidney failure may develop dropsy.

Calc. Phos. Dropsy from non-assimilation, anaemia or loss of vital fluids.
Calc. Fluor. Dropsy sec. to cardiac failure. Hydrocele of long standing.
Ferr. Phos. Dropsy secondary to anaemia, alternately with Calc. Phos.
Kali Mur. Dropsy arising from heart, liver and kidney, affections; white-coated tongue, palpitation. Dropsical fluid when drawn off is white. White mucus deposited in urine. Hydrocele.
Kali Sulph. Post-scarlatinal dropsy.
Nat. Mur. Anasarca.
Nat. Sulph. Scrotal oedema; swelling of external as well as internal parts.