The Dilemma.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1996 Mar / Apr Vol V No 2.
Mirza Anwar Baig.
Cases.
` Lach.

Inflammation of the brain cells (Encephalitis) always has a sudden onset and is nearly always fatal. Three out of nine patients die within a few days and the remaining become epileptic or develop various grades of disabilities. Survival rate is 1 out of 9.

In Bombay, viral or malarial encephalitis is becoming more frequent especially in the months of September and October. The disease begins with an acute and severe headache usually accompanied by fever and varying degrees of disturbance of consciousness ranging from drowsiness to deep coma depending on the severity of disease. Accompanying signs of meningism and neurological deficit may be present. Precipitating factors are

1. heat of the sun
2. sudden emotional excitement in addition to
3. infections.

Initial common symptoms are full bounding pulse with sharp shooting pains in the head, delirium and vertigo. The patient may be very restless with hot head and cold feet or with a sensation of an enormously large head.

Some individuals may show violent delirium with epileptiform seizures and also transient blindness. It is seldom that a patient reports to a Homoeopath at this time. So I consider myself lucky to get a case in this stage.

CASE:

A boy around 22 year old, young and energetic, was lying in coma in ICU, for last four days. His head was very hot but feet were cold. He did not recognize even his parents.

The history revealed that the patient was taken ill after he returned from his office late one evening and got severe stress on the way due to the road traffic congestion. The patient was already very tired and when asked to do some work at home he refused it. Noticing this the observant parents called the doctor. This was unusual behaviour for their son.

The doctor gave some injection to sleep. Following morning he woke up with pain in abdomen with restlessness. By evening the patient was acutely ill with inability to drink, inability to recognize people and severe prostration. The patient was taken to the hospital in a semi comatose condition. After investigations, diagnosis was established as encephalitis due to hydatid cyst in the brain and was treated accordingly (see the investigation report). No improvement. The parents were warned of a fatal outcome. At this stage the hapless parents decided to consult a Homoeopath.

Lab: Bajrangi Chawl, Rawal Pada, Dahisar (East), Bombay 400 068.
Lab: Golibar Lane, Besides Khar Pumping Station, Santacruz (E), Bbay - 55.

We Collect specimen from your Residence with prior Appointment

Time: 8.00 A.M. to 2.30 P.M. & 6.00 P.M. to 7.30 P.M.
Patients Name Mr. Rafique Shaikh Date:
Referred by Dr. Mirza Anwar Baig Lab. No:

KIDNEY FUNCTION TEST.

1. BLOOD UREA : 300 mg percent.
   (Normal : 10 - 50 mg percent).
2. SERUM CREATININE : 18.5 mg percent.
   Normal : 0.5 - 1.6 mg percent (Male).
   0.5 - 1.2 mg percent (Female).
3. CREATININE CLEARANCE : (Y / N).
4. Urine volume/ Min. : ml.
   CREATININE CLEARANCE : ml. Plasma/ min.
   Calculation : c = /(b x d)/a
5. Serum Uric Acid : mgm percent.
   (Normal : Upto 7.0 mgm percent (Male).\
   Upto 5.7 mgm percent (Female).
6. Serum Sodium (Na+) : - m.mol/lit.
   (Normal : 135 - 155 m.mol/lit.).
7. Serum potassium (K+): - m.mol/lit.
   (Normal : 3.5 - 5.0 m.mol/lit.).
8. Serum Chloride (Cl-): - m.mol/lit.
   (Normal : 95 - 105 m.mol/lit.).

Remark:.

Report with Thanks & Regards ....

Lab: Bajrangi Chawl, Rawal Pada, Dahisar (East), Bombay 400 068.
Lab: Golibar Lane, Besides Khar Pumping Station, Santacruz (E), Bbay - 55.

We Collect specimen from your Residence with prior Appointment

Time: 8.00 A.M. to 2.30 P.M. & 6.00 P.M. to 7.30 P.M.
Patients Name Mr. Rafique Shaikh Date:22/4/96
Referred by Dr. Mirza Anwar Baig Lab. No:96/201

KIDNEY FUNCTION TEST.

1. BLOOD UREA : 39 mg percent.
   (Normal : 10 - 50 mg percent).
2. SERUM CREATININE : 25.0 mg percent.
   Normal : 0.5 - 1.6 mg percent (Male).
   0.5 - 1.2 mg percent (Female).
3. CREATININE CLEARANCE : (Y / N).
4. Urine volume/ Min. : ml.
   CREATININE CLEARANCE : ml. Plasma/ min.
   Calculation : c = /(b x d)/a
5. Serum Uric Acid : mgm percent.
   (Normal : Upto 7.0 mgm percent (Male).
   Upto 5.7 mgm percent (Female).
6. Serum Sodium (Na+) : - m.mol/lit.
   (Normal : 135 - 155 m.mol/lit.).
7. Serum potassium (K+): - m.mol/lit.
   (Normal : 3.5 - 5.0 m.mol/lit.).
8. Serum Chloride (Cl-): - m.mol/lit.
   (Normal : 95 - 105 m.mol/lit.).

Remark:.

Report with Thanks & Regards ....

The patient was examined in the hospital and Lachesis 200, single dose was prescribed on the basis of -

1. Hands hot, feet cold.
2. Does not recognize his relatives.
3. Hemiplegia with claw-hand, left.
4. Sensitive throat: This 1 observed when the ward sister was trying to pass the Ryles tube. The patient was in real agony.

The patient showed signs of considerable improvement and I advised the parents to shift the patient home. However the patient continue to stay in the hospital where his condition again deteriorated. The allopathic drugs proved too toxic and damaged the liver. The patient developed hepatic coma. Now the patient presented an entirely different picture. The patient showed collapse signs with Dolls Eye movements and Cheyne stokes breathing. Serum amylase went up to 750 I units. At this stage Opium 200 one dose was given, which pulled the patient out of the crisis and he regained consciousness. However the condition of the patient was not yet stable, and unwarranted allopathic medicines were continuing. Finally all the allopathic medicines were withdrawn. The patient still showed some signs of shock.

At this stage a doctor friend of mine from Calcutta examined the patient an d prescribed Verat-alb 30 which helped to pull the patient out of the state of shock. Then the Calcutta doctor gave Dulcamara 200.

A DISCUSSION:

While the first drug, Lachesis was prescribed on the basis of the symptoms according to the cause and underlying pathology of the illness of the patient, Dulcamara was probably prescribed on the basis of information that the patient has taken cold water after being heated, though the reasoning for Dulcamara was not clear to me, and was probably based only the acute or transient picture, not taking the whole evolutionary totality.

The fundamental question that arises from the treatment of this patient is "What remedy has cured the patient, Lachesis or Dulcamara?" In my opinion Lachesis is deep acting enough and can treat encephalitis as a whole.

The patient is still gradually improving and my contention is that a single dose of Dulcamara although inimical to Lachesis could not wipe out the effect of Lachesis.

I am sharing my experience with the medical fraternity. If my understanding is right, then Lachesis prescribed earlier acted slowly and showed its positive benefit only 2 months later, probably at around the time Dulcamara was given. This often happens, because remedies have their own pace and action. And in a case where a remedy takes time to act and the members of the patients family lose patience and go to another doctor, the other doctor may get the credit for what he has NOT done.

Editor

Do readers have any similar experiences? If yes, please share them, because I personally find this reasoning difficult to understand. ie. How Lachesis action continued through Opium, Verat-alb and Dulcamara administrations.

However the case still serves a purpose in that it demonstrates the effectiveness of Homoeopathy in a severely ill patient.