Anemia - World Class Holistic Homeopathy
Treatment
The commonest blood related disorder / ailment / condition is anaemia. It is
not a disease in itself but arises as an effect of disease or failure of
function in the body. The first and foremost clinical examination done for
every patient will be for this complaint only since anaemia will be an
invitation for any disease with weakened body stamina or immune function. One
can feel a sinking stamina with anaemia.
Anaemia medically stands for lowered haemoglobin level (normal – for male –
13.5 – 17.0 Gms% & for female – 12.0-15.5 Gms%) either with normal or
lowered red blood cells depending upon the age and sex. Haemoglobin is basic
requirement of the body necessary for transporting oxygen throughout the body.
Haemoglobin functions as the moving power stations in the body. So lowered Hb%
may cause fatigability, unusual tiredness and energy shutdown in all the parts
of the body. At the most, 10 % of the blood i.e. 350 ml to 400 ml can be
donated without any feeling of exhaustion.
Incidences –
Commonly vulnerable persons are:
- Women – usually have
more incidences than males. They suffer commonly during the period of
puberty / menstruation / pregnancy / breastfeeding
- Elderly people –
commonly suffer more with symptoms than with young due to lack of
tolerance, resources, reduced oxygen carrying capacity of haemoglobin and
reduced restoration / re-establishment of blood cells.
- Babies suffer
especially when they are born premature and take less food
- Persons who are
devoid of or avoid good nutritious food
- Persons who suffer
with chronic diseases / ailments, especially stomach ulcers, cancer,
septic conditions, infections
- Persons who are in
prolonged treatments with antibiotics, anti-coagulants, Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.
Causes –
Anaemia can occur in any one at any time due to
Nutrition – lack
of nutrition or poor supply of especially iron, Vit B12, folic acid and Vit C
or poor absorption may reflect in production of cells to cause insufficiency.
Lack of
- Iron – causes iron
deficiency anaemia. It is most commonly seen in the growing stage of poor
children, pregnant / nursing / heavily menstruating women.
- Folic acid and
vitamin B12 – causes Megaloblastic anaemia (red blood cells will be seen
in bigger size without complete maturation).
Blood
loss –
may be due to acute / chronic reasons either due to physiological or
pathological or accidental reasons
- Acute – loss of
enormous amount of blood from accidents / repeated blood donations / heavy
menstruation in short period
- Chronic – Repeated
and recurrent loss of blood either in small or large quantity – for
example – worms, piles, fissures, menorrhagia, frequent menstruation,
gastric erosions causing blood vomiting or bloody stool, cirrhosis of
liver, peptic ulcer, intestinal bleeding disorders, etc.
Physiological
changes (where requirement is more) – here body could not cope with the changes
due to growth / puberty / menstruation / pregnancy / breastfeeding and so
anaemia can occur.
Pathological diseases (where destruction is more, nutrients
absorption is less and development of blood cells are retarded or suppressed) –
Haemolytic anaemias / Sickle Cell Anaemias / thalassaemia / cancer / tumours /
tuberculosis / rheumatic fever / rheumatoid arthritis / AIDS / kidney disorders
(where essential hormone erythropoietin from kidney become insufficient to
respond with low oxygen in blood i.e. hypoxia) / infections like malaria,
sepsis, etc.
Psychological changes – Emotional upset, deep brooding,
depression can cause low vitality and can interfere in the production of blood
cells
Habits – may reflect in nutrition absorption i.e. drinking
and drugs toxicity
Prolonged use of medicines / toxicity with chemicals
–
Antibiotics, anti-coagulants, NSAIDs such as like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.,
when taken for a prolonged time may cause small haemorrhages and thus anaemia.
Lead poisoning, mercury poisoning, arsenic poisoning, etc., can cause
intestinal bleeding and can also hinder the production of hemoglobin leading to
anaemia.
Symptoms
Anaemia usually presents a wide range of
symptoms. Each and every patient may suffer from different symptoms according
to their disease and intensity. The common symptoms are
- Lack of
concentration / getting irritated for trivial issues
- Feels exhausted with
profound weakness
- Giddiness / fainting
/ blackouts / headaches
- Short shallow breath
with requirement of deep breath often
- Weak rapid pulse and
low blood pressure
- Palpitations and
breathing difficulty on exertion or climbing stairs
- Chest pain / vague
discomfort in chest on exertion
- Pallor of the skin /
nails / mucous membranes of mouth
- Smooth glossy tongue
with cracks or sore
- Cracks or sore in
angle of mouth
- Tinnitus
- Loss of appetite
- Spoon shaped nails /
Brittle nails
- Spleen enlargement
- Ankle oedema
- Poor growth
Diagnosis
Other than
history of complaints (disease history and treatment history) and physical
examination of the patient with pulse, blood pressure, colour of the mucous
membrane of mouth (especially under the tongue), colour of conjunctiva of eye
(especially in lower part) and colour of the nails, analysing the blood count
remains fundamental. It can provide lots and lots of information regarding
complaints/ disease and plan of treatment. Advanced automatic blood counting
machines give accurate, readily readable values for quick diagnosis. The
essential tests to diagnose anaemia and to rule out other differential
diagnosis are:
- Blood – Tc, Dc, ESR,
Hb%, RBC’s WBC’s, PCV (packed cell volume), MCH (mean corpuscular
haemoglobin), MCHC (mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration), MCV (mean
corpuscular concentration), Reticulocytes, platelets, Serum ferritin,
Bleeding time, Clotting time, etc.
- Urine – sugar,
albumin, deposits, bile salts and bile pigments
- Stool – ova, cysts
and for occult blood
- Barium meal x-rays –
to rule out stomach and intestine disorders
- Gastroscopy /
Colonoscopy – to rule out stomach and intestine disorders
- Biopsy – in extreme
condition, bone marrow biopsy can be done to diagnose / rule out Aplastic
anaemia and other bone marrow disorders.
- Whole body CT or MRI
to rule out any pathology
- Rule out bleeding
gums, piles, peptic ulcer, unnecessary drug intake, etc.
Complications
Since blood
cells / haemoglobin are very vital, if anaemia is not cared for or treated
properly with supplements or proper food intake, serious damage will often
follow with loss of functions endangering life and sometimes even death can be
rewarded. Commonly, anaemia gives angina (chest pain) with shortness of breath
and palpitation creating fear for life.
Prevention – Caring equals curing. So to keep good health:
Take
- Healthy,
nutrients-rich foods at regular intervals
- Plenty of fruits and
vegetables
- Treatments for
bleedings as early as possible i.e. for bleeding gums, piles, peptic
ulcer, etc.
Avoid
- Unnecessary
medications / drugs like NSAIDs / pain-killers
- Habits of smoking,
drinking & chewing tobacco
Do’s
- Monitor for anaemia
at regular intervals
- Check blood pressure
regularly
- Care for digestion
& absorption especially if you have diarrhoea or constipation or had
any previous abdominal surgery
Finally,
it is well said that spend more money to have quality blood than to contaminate
it with drugs or artificial supplements, i.e. eat and drink natural food well.
Self
care
Generally,
greens, spinach, beetroot, dates, fruits, turnip, carrots, etc., will be good
for blood count. In case of deficiency of
- Iron – take liver,
meat, green vegetables, spinach, eggs, etc. Also it is better to take Vit
C rich foods like potato, pepper, lime / sour fruits along with iron-rich
diets, since iron is absorbed at its best with Vit C.
- Vit B12 – take milk,
cheese, egg, meat, fish, etc
- Folic acid – take
pulses, cereals, nuts, green cabbage, vegetables, fruits, etc
General
treatment
Whatever
may be the cause, the first line of treatment in Allopathy is usually with
supplements like iron, folic acid, Vit C and Vit B12 (either in tablet form or
injection as per condition or disease of the sufferer, i.e. if intestine
absorption is poor, supplements will be given through injections). If it is a
critical or emergency condition, then transfusion of blood (i.e. substitution) will
be opted as early as possible after analysing compatibility. Blood can be
transferred as a whole or in components as necessary.
Secondly, treatment will be planned after analysing the cause of the anaemia
with all sorts of investigations. Dietary insufficiency will be treated with
prolonged prescription of supplements with advice to take good nutritious diet.
The response to oral drugs can be seen only after two weeks. In case of
bleeding spots (leakage), treatment (sealing / healing either by medicines or
surgery) will be opted accordingly (removal of uterus in heavy flow
menstruation, spleen in case of tremendous destructions, haemorrhoids in case
of recurrent bleeding, etc.). Antibiotics will be prescribed if there is any
infection.
Unless otherwise, cause has been corrected, anaemia will never go off and often
may worsen with time even with supplements or transfusion.
Hazards
of supplements
Even
though supplements can provide timely help, it alone cannot help in the long
run. There are lots and lots of differences between man-made and nature-made
vitamins and minerals in its absorption, action and quality. If you supplement
what the body requires from artificial synthetic compounds, it is just like
giving poor man money instead of giving him a job. What you give will be enough
for him for that day only. You will have to give him again the next day. In
fact, you form the habit of making him dependent on you. Likewise, routine
supplement therapy spoils our digestion and our body by leading to dependency.
Supplements can also be harmful since they are highly concentrated and happened
to be a selective intake. For example – increased iron intake for synthesis of
haemoglobin can cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, dark or black
coloured stools, and abdomen disorders. Also it can cause zinc deficiency.
Increased intake of vitamins can also cause overweight problems. Hazards due to
transfusion are transmission of diseases, toxicity, allergic reactions, rarely
air emboli, etc.
Homeopathic
approach
Caring for blood count is essential for life since whole life / health relies
on it. With clear-cut causes like accidental bleeding, heavy menstruation,
pregnancy, poor nutrition, the person can be treated accordingly with the
prescribed essential supplements in the form of foods / tablets / tonics /
injections and in case of critical condition blood transfusion may be a must.
No one can deny this principle. But using supplements (in the form of tablets /
tonics / injections) continuously without regular nutritious food to maintain
blood counts / haemoglobin is not acceptable. In general, 50 per cent of
anaemic patients can be cured with diet alone, 30 per cent may need supplements
and medicines and 20 per cent may need blood transfusion and medicines.
Even though well substituted, if the cell activity is not capable of absorbing
the same, the substitute will go waste and the cell will continue to be less
active or diseased. Actually, everyone needs stimulation for good activity.
Homeopathic medicines can tackle the complaint or disease without persistent
usage by treating the root cause. Anaemia is an ongoing process of chronic
fatigue. Complaints will creep up with time when not attended properly. So it
is better to analyse the cause and treat the condition right to the
requirement. To distinguish from other ways, Homeopathy can end the endless
episode of anaemia by targeting reality. More specific the treatment is, the
more effective the treatment will be.
Homeopathy can boost the nutrition absorption, cells production, control the
destruction and can maintain stable levels. Homeopathic medicines commonly used
in cases of anaemia are Acid phos, Acid picric, Acetic acid, Ars alb, Bryonia,
Calc carb, Chinninum Ars, Crataegus China, Ferrum met, Ferrum phos, Ferrum
acetate, Lecithinum, Lycopodium, Manganum, Nat mur, Pulsatilla, Thyroidinum,
Zinc met, etc. To avoid anaemia in case of bleeding or bleeding diathesis
(haemorrhagia), commonly used Homeopathic medicines are Bryonia, Crocus,
Crotalus, Ferr met, Ficus, Hamemelis, Ipecac, Lachesis, Millefolium, Nat phos,
Vipera, etc. These Medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of
a qualified Homeopath.
for new hope
Dr. S.
Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)
Laxmi Homeo Clinic
24 E. New Mahalipatti Road
Madurai, TN 625 001
India
Tel:
+91-984-319-1011 (Mob / Whatsapp)
Clinic : +91-452-233-8833 |
E-mail:
drcheena@gmail.com
(Disclaimer: The contents of this column are for informational
purpose only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional
healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of
healthcare professional for any health problem or medical condition.)