HOMOEOPATHIC DILUTION OR PILLS – WHICH IS BETTER?

One question that is often asked by patients is whether the homoeopathic liquid dilution taken directly acts better and faster than the pills. The answer is NO. 

The reason is that homoeopathy works by stimulus. So it does not matter whether you take liquid or tablet or pills. Once it goes in the mouth, it starts acting.

But please keep in mind, occasionally medicine is also administered in water in certain conditions. But again, water is a vehicle of administration. Ultimately it makes no difference whether you put pills or drops in water.

The only exception is homoeopathic mother tincture which is always taken in liquid form.

Homoeopathic Wet Pills vs. Dry pills – Which are better?

Many times it has been observed that after a few days the pills become dry; there is no taste of the medicine dilution on taking the pills in the mouth. Many feel that the medicine has evaporated and thereby intake of the dry pills will not help them.

Let’s get a bit technical………. According to the instructions laid down in the pharmacy book for dispensing medication, it has been mentioned that after medicating the globules with the medicinal dilution the vial of pills has to be emptied on a blotting paper so as to absorb the extra dilution. After thus ‘drying’ the pills, the vial is refilled and dispensed to the patient. 

Now the above pharmacy procedure is not practical since it is time-consuming. Also it is commonly observed that the pills get dry due to natural evaporation. So it really does not matter whether you intake wet pills or dry pills. Psychologically we feel better when the taste of the dilution is felt in the mouth. 

It is not possible to exactly medicate the pills with the exact quantity of dilution; so to be on the safer side, always an extra amount of dilution is added to ensure uniform medication of all globules. So in the initial few days the pills are always wet.

PLEASE IMPRINT ON YOUR MIND – the pills once medicated with the dilution will ALWAYS remain medicated no matter whether they are dry or wet. There is no need of any concern or worry regarding the medicinal effect. The right medicine will always have the right effect.

THE IMPORTANCE OF “NEVER WELL SINCE” (NWS) IN HOMOEOPATHY.

It is a well-known fact that Homoeopathy treats the person holistically. The homoeopathic physician takes a number of factors into consideration before prescribing any medicine or suggesting any lifestyle changes to restore you back to health.

One of the most important data in case-taking is the “NEVER WELL SINCE” symptom. This is nothing but the causative factor that was operating in the person’s life before the onset of his symptom. It is one of the most decisive and fundamental aspect of the entire case and if found can help in solving the case speedily.  Many times the person is not aware to link the NWS with the symptoms that are troubling him and thus not revealing vital information to the physician. In allopathic practice too causative factor are recognized, but only common ones are grouped together as risk factors for such-and-such disease. E.g.: cholesterol and heart disease. Even if it does recognize certain environmental factors, it has no solutions for it other than giving symptomatic or suppressive measures for it. E.g: Diarrhea in allopathy is treated by an anti-diarrheal, maybe with ORS powder and a prebiotic/probiotic; an antibiotic may be given if the cause is thought to be infective. But in homeopathy we have medicines for multiple causative factors of diarrhea – Is it by eating contaminated food? Is it by eating fish? Is it due to drinking milk? Is it due to some acute stress like appearing for an exam? The remedies change according to the cause. There is no fixed anti-diarrheal, we always treat the cause and effect.

Carrying this idea forward, I am presenting some hints and examples to the reader of NWS to sensitize him/her to this important aspect of case-taking. It will help to give better information to the doctor while case-taking so as to derive better results. It is also important to note that this is not the only method of case taking; there are many other factors which are taken into consideration before selecting the medicine. Even if you are not able to give this data, do not worry. The homeopathic physician has many methods to select the correct medicine for you.

The NWS list given below is not exhaustive, but only a means to attract your attention to such factors. You may find some are applicable in your case which you have not reported to your homoeopathic physician. The causative incident which has recently occurred and followed by the problem is easy to correlate, but events happened long back may be difficult to trace to the onset of symptoms. One way is to write down all the diseases you have suffered in the past and also the major events in your life happened so far. Only then you might strike some clue about the cause-effect correlation with the event and disease. Again it is not always possible to do so, but whenever this data is available it should be always brought to the attention of the treating homoeopathic physician.

MIND

Anger

Anxiety

Bad News

Business Failure

Death of family Member

Disappointed Love

Argument between boss and employee

Fear

Excessive joy (Yes, even an excess of happiness can be bad)

Sudden shock

Suppressed anger, grief.

Worry

Examples:

Diarrhea due to fear of exam.

Hypertension after death of husband.

Diabetes after loss in business.

ENVIRONMENT

Weather – wet, dry, cold, hot, snow, wind

Heat/sun stroke

Seashore

Sun

Living in marshy area, damp places.

Examples:

Headache from sunlight.

Cough from sudden cold weather.

Itching skin from seawater.

Joint pains in Mumbai, but no complaints in Pune or Surat.

Cold cough in Mumbai, but no complaints in Delhi.

INJURY

Bleeding

Head injury

Cut, laceration

Fractures

Electric shock

Insect-bite

Over-lifting, overstraining

Examples:

Headache after head injury.

Neck pain after carrying heavy bag.

DIET

Coffee

Milk

Tea

Tobacco

Alcohol

Fried food

Any food or drink

Example:

Diarrhea after fried food.

Acidity from tea.

Skin rash from milk.

Abdomen pain from eating prawns.

MISCELLANEOUS

Loss of sleep

Antibiotics, drugs

Childhood diseases

Acute diseases

Vaccination

Surgery

Herpes Zoster

Liver disease.

Steroids

Childbirth

Suppressed sweat

Examples:

Migraine after loss of sleep due caring for sick relative.

Digestive problems after hepatitis.

Continuous weakness after fever, even when fever subsided many weeks back.

Repeated respiratory infections after recovering from attack of pneumonia.

Abdomen pain after surgery, but nothing seen on ultrasonography or urine or blood tests.

TRAVELLING AND HOMEOPATHY

It feels great to go on a vacation. We get a change from the routine chores and need a break to recharge our batteries. But, some ailment cropping up can be a major disappointment for all of us. Also, there are times when we travel due to work-related business trips. Many children and adults are prone to some ailment or the other when they travel. Taking allopathy is the need, but many would not like to suffer the side-effect of the required medicine. Homeopathy steps in to fulfill the above needs.

ROLE OF HOMEOPATHY: Homeopathy is safe, gentle, and effective. There are no side-effects. It can be used by all age groups.

Some of the conditions covered are as follows:

MOTION SICKNESS: Air, road, water or rail. Nausea, vomiting, giddiness during travel is a nagging problem. Traveling on mountain slopes, smell of diesel or petrol, jerks in aeroplane, ascent and descent of aeroplane, constant movement of ship in water, etc. are known to be some of the causes related to this problem.

ALTITUDE SICKNESS: Traveling on heights. Holidays at places like Ladakh, which is at higher altitude or a trip to the Himalayas can cause discomfort due to low oxygen zones. 

JET LAG: Traveling from one time zone to the other can disturb our sleep rhythm causing complaints.

INDIGESTION, DIARRHEA AND VOMITING: Related to food and water. Overeating, not eating at regular intervals, eating and drinking at not-so-hygienic places due to lack of better venue are some of the routine events we all face when having our food outside. You may carry packaged water, but food is something you have to depend on the hotels of that area.

BITES AND STINGS: Ants, honey bee, mosquitoes, and other insects. There can be sensitivity to plants too.

CUTS, BRUISES AND MINOR INJURIES: Minor accidents can happen anywhere, anytime, and to anybody. Concern is regarding bleeding, infection, pain and discomfort.

COLD AND COUGH: Sensitivity to cold foods, eating and drinking out, weather changes, exposure to cold, getting wet are some of the causes to catch a cold and getting miserable thereafter.

ACHES AND PAINS, EXERTION: Walking, sight-seeing, swimming in the sea or pool, running, sitting for too long in one position can all lead to exertional aches and pains. Minor injuries too can be painful.

SUN SENSITIVITY: Sun allergies causing skin rashes can be irritating. Headaches and dehydration due to sunlight is not uncommon in extreme temperature areas.

Discuss with your homeopathic physician about your travel plans. Tell him about the complaints your family has during such trips. There could be other conditions you could be facing, or in addition to, than what is given above. The homeopathic physician can make a tailor-made medicine-kit for your requirements and he will explain you the dosage and indications. Mention to him if it is an overseas trip since he can give you a certificate for the medicines you would be carrying for airport checks.

Discuss about preventive options with your physician because there are even medicines which can be given as a preventive for certain conditions. We all know that prevention is better than cure. Avoid it rather than treat it. Discuss about supportive measures to be adopted along with medication if you happen to suffer from any ailment. Discuss your fears and concerns so that you are well-equipped for the journey.

We all want to our trip to be memorable, not miserable. Happy journey!!!

HOMEOPATHY AND DENTISTRY

Homeopathy can be effectively used in the field of dentistry for child and adult related complaints.

Right from covering dentitional complaints of childhood to tackling infection, bleeding and trauma in adults, homeopathy can be used as a complementary mode of treatment to dental procedures.

During the dentition phase the child may -

become cranky,

put things in his mouth, try to bite or chew on anything,

have drooling,

get fever due to infection from putting things in mouth or gum inflammation,

get diarrhea,

refuse food.

Homeopathy will definitely help in such cases and ease the suffering of the child.

Homeopathy can also be used to alleviate anxiety and fear of visiting the dentist.

There are medicines which can be given to prevent infection and excessive bleeding during dental procedures. Remedies can be given before and after tooth extractions, root canal procedures, and orthodontic work to reduce pain and inflammation. It helps in early post-procedure recovery.

Homeopathy can also be used as a first-aid in toothaches till you get a dental opinion.

The important remedies such as Calendula, Calc Phos, Arnica, Chamomilla, and Phosphorus are widely used as per the indication. Kindly consult your doctor before using any medicines. Discuss your visit to the dentist with your homeopathic doctor to ensure early recovery without complications from dental procedures. Homeopathy can effectively deal with pain, inflammation, bleeding and infection.

The importance of proper oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist cannot be ignored at the same time since prevention is any day better than cure.

Use homeopathy in dentistry; put that smile back on your face. J