Homeopathic Treatment of Spondylosis, Arthritis & Gout
1. Pain at lower angle of left scapula. Pain in arms, shoulders, hands, tip of fingers, wrist sore.
- Chel. 30 to 200.
- 30 potency three times in a day.
- 200 potency once a week.
2. Pain in bones of arms, weakness between shoulders, weakness of limbs, bruised pain in knees and hip joints.
- Sarr. 6, four times in a day, 4 hourly.
3. Pain in calves.
- Lach. 30 to 200
- Sulph. 30 to 200.
4. Pain in coccyx.
- Carb-an. 30 to 200.
5. Pain in left elbow from draft of air.
- Gels. 30 to 200.
6. Pain in right elbow.
- Lac-c. 30 to 200
- Ox-ac. 30 to 200
- Petr. 30 to 200
7. (i) Painful, limbs goes to sleep or get paralyzed.
(ii) Burning of feet at night time.
(iii) Child diseases due to dentition. (Diarrhoea, cutting pain in abdomen).
- Cham. 30 to 200.
8. Pain in heels.
- Chel. 30 to 200.
9. Pain in heels, great toe, ankle and wrist, due to high percentage of uric acid.
- Urt-u. Q. 5 drops in 4 teaspoonful of hot water in morning.
- Oci. 30. One drop in one teaspoonful of fresh water in midday.
- Colch. 30. One drop in one teaspoonful of fresh water in evening.
10. Pain in nape. Stiff neck. Head drawn to left.
- Chel. 30 to 200.
11. Pain rheumatic in hips and thighs, intolerable pain in heels.
- Chel. 30 to 200.
11. Swelling of knees.
- Calc-c. 30 to 200.
12. Swelling on legs, insteps and feet. Feet icy cold.
- Samb. Q to 6th potency.
13. Swelling-white swelling of knee.
- Kali-c. 30.
Note: Do not repeat too often. Use cautiously in old gouty cases.
14. (a) Tired feeling in back and neck. (b) Wrist tires easily when writing. (c) Feels weakness when climbing stairs. (d) Stiffness of calves and thighs. (e) Feels weakness in arms.
- Sarcol-ac. 30, four times in a day, 4 hourly.
15. Spondylosis cervical.
- Rhus-t. 30 One dose in morning.
- Nux-v. 30 One dose at bed time.
16. Spondylosis – Cervical and Lumber.
(Rheumatism acute and chronic, lumbago, sacro-iliac arthritis, worse change of weather).
- (a) Berb. (b) Calc-p. (c) Caust. (d) Dulc. (e) Nux-v. (g) Rhus-t.
Mix 6th potency of all in equal quantities.
Dose: 5 to 10 drops in one teaspoonful of water for a dose. 4 times in a day 4 hourly.
17. Sciatica – acute.
- Coloc. 20 to 200.
18. Sciatica. Ischialgia as a symptom of prolapsed disc. Tingling sensation in lower limbs. Paresthesia.
- (a) Acon. 6 (b) Coloc. 6 (c) Ars. 30 (d) Gnaph. 6 (e) Mag-p. 6
Mix all in equal quantities.
Dose: One drop in 4 teaspoonful of water for a dose, 4 doses per day 4 hourly.
19. Sciatica pain.
- Coloc. 200. For the first day 4 doses 4 hourly.
- Mag- p. 12x (from next day of giving Coloc. 200) 4 doses 4 hourly daily in some hot water till the pain is cured.
20. Sciatica right side.
- Lach. 200 or 1M.
- After this give Crot-c. 200 (Doses not to be repeated too frequently).
21. Rigidity of cervical muscles of back. Back stiff, violent jerks in spinal column, icy sensation down spine, limbs stiff, violent jerking, twitching and trembling, cramp-like pains. Also in fever when cold chill down spine. Perspiration in a stream down head and chest. Lower extremities cold.
- Stry. 30.
22. Legs blue, swollen, stiffness and lameness of ankles and knees. Muscles of calves very tense.
- Lath. 3 to 30.
23. Legs and hands icy cold, limbs tremble, feebleness of arms.
- Tab. 30 to 200.
24. Knotty Nails – Nails of toes and fingers become knotty.
- Laur. Q to 3.
25. Sits bent forward, straightens up with difficulty.
- Lath. 3 to 30.
26. Rheumatic pains in ankles.
- Zinc. 30 to 200.
27. Rheumatic pains in heels.
- Meph. 3 to 30.
28. Rheumatism-after an attack of influenza symptoms of rheumatism, severe aching pains all over body.
- Solanum lycopersicum 3 to 30.
29. Rheumatism/arthritis
- Lith-c. 6
- Berb. 6
- Led. 6, if pain goes up from downward. Or Puls. 6, if pain comes downward from upward.
Mix all in equal quantities.
Dose: One drop in 4 teaspoonful of water for a dose, 4 doses per day, 4 hourly.
30. Rheumatoid Arthritis.
(i) (a) Arn. 6 (b) Berb. 30 (c) Bry. 6 (d) Colch. 6 (e) Coloc. 6
Mix all in equal quantities
(ii) (a) Cartl-s. 30 (b) Caust. 6 (c) Dulc. 6 (d) Ferr-p. 30
(e) Lith-b. 30
Mix all in equal quantities
(iii) (a) Lyc. 30 (b) Med. 30 (c) Ran-b. 6 (d) Rhod. 30 (e) Rhus-t. 6
Mix all in equal quantities
Dose: 5 drops in one teaspoonful of water for a dose of mixture.
Mode: (i) – 6 hours (ii) – 6 hours – (iii)
31. Rheumatic pains in knees.
- Gels, Kali-bi., Led.
All 30 to 200 potencies.
32. Knees knocking against each other when walking, cramps in legs, worse cold and cold feet, cannot extend legs or cross legs when sitting.
- Lath. 3 to 30.
33. Jaws stiffened. Lower jaw spasmodically closed.
- Stry. 30.
34. Joints suddenly give way.
- Phos. 30 to 200.
35. Gouty sufferings, gout in all the joints, gouty rheumatic affections, neuralgic affections, varicose veins of thighs and legs.
- Aesc. Q, 3, 6 or 30.
36. Gait tremulous, tottering. Excessive rigidity of legs.
- Lath. 3 to 30.
37. Feet and legs cold and clammy. Clubbing of fingers. Veins of hands distented.
- Laur. Q to 3.
38. Ankles turning easily, weakness of joints, pain in joints at night, pain in wrist.
- Carb-an. – 30 to 200.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is bones becoming porous from gradual loss of bone substance. Due to aging in all individuals some loss of bone substance’ do occur, but in some aged persons, however this loss reaches quite high, and bones become porous, weakened and break easily. In our country, osteoporosis affects large number of individuals.
Generally the ladies who have gone through menopause are more in number are. Osteoporosis is about nine to ten times more common in women than men. Older women are likely to develop osteoporosis, because upkeep of the bone mass in women is related to the female estrogen hormone. After menopause estrogen hormone is produced in much less quantity.
When due to osteoporosis the amount of bone mass is decreased, the bones become weakened and may fracture, vertebrae in the spine can compress and back may bent, round back, such as Kyphosis or spine curvature (Scoliosis) may occur. Due to the deformation of spine the other parts of the body may be affected. The ribs may be pushed against the pelvis or the stomach pushed into the pelvis. As these changes are very gradual therefore osteoporosis is often not detected in its early stage.
Besides spinal problems, osteoporosis can cause fracture of the hip, wrist and ribs with slight trauma and sometimes without trauma, fractures occur.
In addition to being a female, the poor diet and lack of exercise are the risk factors. The following are the other factors which are also associated with osteoporosis:
- Family history.
- Fair complexion.
- Thin body built.
- Causation or oriental background.
- Alcoholism.
- Smoking.
Very much like other body tissues, bone is constantly being formed and shaped. Bone mass – the amount of bone an individual has, increases throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, reaching its maximum around the age of 35 years. Bone mass is less in females than males.
Bone mass starts decreasing slightly every year after the age of 35, which is naturally with aging. During the five years following menopause bone loss is greatest in women as their production of estrogen has declined. Male lose bone also, but at a lower rate. Even though the bone appears to be rigid, it is subject to the normal aging process just like other body parts.
The mineral calcium has a great deal to do with the tendency of certain people to develop osteoporosis. Bones provide protection and support to the functions require calcium, which also maintains the hardness of bones. The bones use calcium and they also store reserves for an emergency, when the body does not take its normal amount of calcium or when the body needs additional calcium as with pregnancy and breast feeding.
The body uses calcium to build strong bones and to store reserves for later in life during the growing years more than any other time. In a female whose calcium intake has been inadequate during the growing years, and beyond, estrogen acts to resist the body’s requirement to use up its small calcium reserves for other body functions. After menopause when estrogen no longer acts to protect bone the calcium reserves are used up and body begins to use the calcium found in the structure of bone itself. The bones then become weaker and more susceptible to fracture.
In general, a child needs 400 – 700 mg. of calcium daily until adolescence, which is the time when the bones grow quickly. During this time calcium intake be increased to 1300 mg. In early adulthood the requirement is around 1000 mg.
For females after menopause, dose of calcium is increased to 1500 mg. Foods high in calcium are milk, and milk products, such as Dahi (curd), cheese, and vegetables.
There are many calcium supplements in the market that can be taken with the recommendation of a physician to increase the daily intake of calcium.
Taking vitamin-D with calcium is very beneficial. Vitamin-D increases the body’s proper use of calcium, the diet should include adequate amount of vitamin-D. The dose of vitamin-D should be 400 international units per day. Excessive intake of vitamin-D is harmful, and can be toxic.
Bones just like muscles stay stronger when they are used, therefore exercise is important in maintaining strong bones. The best form of exercise is moderate, regular, weight bearing exercise, such as walking 8 to 10 kilometers a week,
This will aid in maintaining and increasing bone mass. But the persons, particularly the aged should consult their physician when planning to change their exercise habit.
In homoeopathy Calc. and Calc-p. 30 to 1M are the remedies for this disease. These remedies will help preventing further fractures, replacing lost bone mass when given with calcium and vitamin-D. This will also diminish the serious side effects of the condition, along with the proper diet that includes adequate amount of calcium and vitamin-D, exercise, and in females hormonal replacement
The hormone, calcitonin, a substance occurring naturally in the body, aids the body in moving calcium from the bloodstream into the bones. Females produce less calcitonin than males, that is why females bones are not an strong as males, and therefore osteoporosis occurs more frequently in females than in males.
As the production of calcitonin decreases with the person ages, therefore the older people do not store much calcium in their bones. This may be supplemented with proper diet. For further advice or evaluation one should contact an orthopaedic surgeon.
Osteoporosis can be diagnosed by physical examination by an orthopaedic surgeon. X-ray will show bone loss in a particular bone when it is quite high say 25% and above. CT scan (computed tomography) can detect as little as 2% loss of bone mass.
Absorptiometry, an imaging technique, can photograph the inside of a bone like an X-ray. This technique is often used to detect bone loss at the wrist and can reveal loss as little as 2%. This technique and CT scanning can detect osteoporosis in its early stages.
39. Osteoarthritis – knees.
- First give a dose of Nux-v. 200 broken into four small doses. Give one dose, four times in a day, 4 hourly.
- Next day, give a dose of Sulph. 200. Broken into four small doses one dose four times in a day 4 hourly. This will absorb the fluid.
- After four days of giving Sulph. 200 give Bry. 3x, 4 hourly 4 times a day. Rhus-t. 3x, 4 hourly 4 times a day on alternate days, till such time the patient feel relief in pain.
- Then give Aur-met. 1M, 4 hourly 4 times for one day. This will have solvent action in the joints having bone tissues formed.
- After a gap of one month give Arg. 1M, 4 hourly 4 times for one day. This will help in protecting cartilages of knees.
Arthritis
Arthritis means inflammation of joints. There are over one hundred different types of arthritis, affecting a very large number of people in India. The most common forms are ‘OSTEO and RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.
The human joints allow the bones to move smoothly against each other. Such as when a person walks his knee and hip joints let him move freely. In arthritis, joints may wear down, deform or become unstable, causing pain and stopping them from moving freely.
SYMPTOMS
- Swelling in one or more joints.
- Stiff joints when getting out of bed or after sitting for a long time.
- Recurring pain or tenderness in any joint.
- Limited joint movement.
- Redness and warmth in a joint.
- Unexplained weight loss, fever or weakness with joint pain.
OSTEOARTHRITIS
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It usually occurs later in life and in persons who have put extra strain or load on the joints, like sportsmen. Wear and tear causes the cartilage to break down. This makes the joints stiff and painful, although generally there is no or very little inflammation. Osteoarthritis is more likely to affect the weight bearing joints, hips, knees, spine and hands.
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
The synovial lining of the joint is inflamed. Other body tissues may also become inflamed. This can cause tiredness and aching muscles. Joints usually affected are those in the fingers, wrists, shoulders, knees or feet. Proper homoeopathic treatment helps reduce the joint damage rheumatoid arthritis can cause.
For different forms of arthritis, there are different homoeopathic remedies.
- The patient may be advised to consult some physiotherapist for an exercise plan to improve joint flexibility and muscle strength. This will be in addition to the homoeopathic treatment.
- Hot bath: A hot bath will give the patient some relief by relaxing muscles. Application of heat with an electric heating pad or hot water bottle will also do him/her good.
- During the flare up, it is essential for the patient to have more rest and less exercise, and vice-versa when improved.
- The patient should use large joints where possible when doing some job. That is to push open a door use the whole arm instead of hand. Also when lifting or carrying something the patient should use two joints instead of one, that is both the arms.
- Well cushioned and supportive shoes may be worn by the patient.
- Slide heavy objects instead of lifting them.
- The patient may be advised to keep the ideal weight with a balanced diet and try to be always cheerful.
Gout
Gout is a type of arthritis. The people who will usually have a high percentage of uric acid in their blood, suffer from gout. Uric acid forms crystals in joints such as fingers, knees and toes, causing pain and swelling. Middle aged men are most likely to get gout, and women after change of life (menopause). Gout comes very quickly, often at night.
Symptoms
- A joint suddenly becomes hot, red and swollen.
- Joints are extremely painful and sensitive to touch. Sometimes even the slightest weight or pressure can be too much.
- The patient also feels sick and lose appetite, and may have temperature.
Causes
- High level of uric acid in blood.
- Family history of gout.
- Consumption of too much alcohol.
- Over weight.
- Eating of foods which increase the level of uric acid in blood.
The people who often get gout attacks, and if not controlled well, may develop kidney problems later in life.
Gout stages: An attack of gout usually starts in a single joint, often the big toe, ankle, foot, knee or hand may be affected.
An untreated gout attack may last for about a week. In some patients, the second attack may be soon after; for some it may be months or years before another attack occurs.
If a patient has had gout for many years, uric acid crystals may form small lumps or tophi on ears, toes, hands and elbows. Usually the tophi are painless, but over the time can grow and may deform joints.
If gout is not treated early and correctly, the time between attacks can be affected.
Precautions: Anyone having gout symptoms, may be advised by his homeopath that he/she should get him- self/herself treated as soon as possible.
- The patient may be told that any alcohol drink, may be just a glass of beer or wine a day will increase the risk of having another attack. As far as possible he or she should try to discontinue taking even light beer and low alcohol drinks.
- The patient should take plenty of water, about six to eight glasses in a day. Get himself/herself examined for any heart and kidney problems.
- The patient should take a healthy diet including bread, rice, vegetables, cereals and low fat items.
- The patient should avoid foods that are liable to increase uric acid percentage in blood, such as all forms of meat, fish, yeast, large amount of lentils, peas, beans etc.
- The patient should try to keep ideal weight. Exercise helps keep the joints mobile.
Homoeopathic remedies: There are different types of homoeopathic remedies for the treatment of gout. Some reduce the pain and swelling, others stop the attack and stop tophi formation. The patient may be treated taking into consideration the totality of symptoms to relieve pain and swelling, and be advised for the appreciated time for which the treatment is required for the cure.
40. Arthritis of small joints.
- Caul. 3 to 30.
41. Arthritis, rheumatism, gout (inflammation and pain in joints)
(i) (a) Rhus-t. 3 (b) Ap-g. 3 (c) Colch. 3
(ii) (d) Gaul. Q (e) Urt-u. Q (f) Act-sp. Q
(i) Mix a, b and c in equal quantities and (ii) d, e and f in equal quantities. Then take one part of mixture (i) and in it mix 5 parts of mixture (ii). This remedy is ready.
Dose: One drop in some water 4 times a day 4 hourly.
42. Arthrosis particularly large joints, arthrosis of knee and hip joints. Spondylarthrosis.
- (a) Ph-ac. 6 (b) Arg-m. 6 or 12 (c) Arn. 6 (d) Bry. 6 (e) Caust. 6 or 12 (f) Led. 3
Mix all in equal quantities.
Dose: One drop in 4 teaspoonful of water for a dose. 4 doses per day 4 hourly.
43. Backache.
- (a) Rhus-t. 3, One drop (b) Berb. Q, Five drops (c) Led. 3, One drop.
Mix all in one ounce of water for a dose. Give one dose every two hours.
44. Backache, acute.
- Calc-f. 200 B.D. (morning and evening) for 4 days. Keep the patient on placebo and watch the result.
- When there is no further progress, repeat Calc-f. 200 or give two doses of Calc-f. 1M at 12 hours interval, and then give placebo till the patient is cured.
- Failing which a dose of Calc-f. 10M will give complete cure.
45. Backache in women.
- (a) Sep. 30, One drop. (b) Aesc. 30, One drop. (c) Cimic. Q, Five drops
Mix all in one ounce of water for a dose every two hours.
46. Backache (low of back) due to vertebrae osteoporotic, osteophytic spur formation at vertebral angles, protruding of posterior osteophytes into spinal canal, narrowing of Lumbosacral disc space. (Lumber spondylosis). Also good for cervical spondylosis.
- Kali-c. 200
- Calc-f. 200
- Bar-c. 200
- Lyc. 200
- Rhus-t. 200
- Nux-v. 200
Give one remedy only once a day in the given sequence (1 to 6) on equal intervals only and not otherwise. Remedy No. (6), Nux Vom. is to be taken at bed time only.
Dose: One or two drops for a dose in 1⁄2 an ounce of water, once a day. Stop the treatment as soon as the patient starts feeling better. The treatment may be restarted when pain in the back is again felt by the patient.
Note: Hot fomentation over the effected part of the back may help quick relief.
47. Backache, sharp pain in right deltoid (muscle of the shoulder) and pectoralis (chest) muscles. Pain deep in middle of right arm. Rheumatic pain in right elbow and wrist and both hands.
- Lycpr. 3 to 30.
48. Backache – For tired backache of females. Prolapse and other malposition of womb. Menses often suppressed, and kidneys congested.
- Helon. Q to 6th potency.
49. Lumbago (rheumatic affection of the muscles about loins).
- Macro. 30 to 200.