Its Like Lightning Personal Neuropathy Blog

Today's post from finless.blogspot.com (see link below) is another personal story of life with neuropathy and the various diagnoses that this person meets along the way. Personal stories like this are often the most powerful because they remind readers that they're not alone in how they're feeling, regarding the strange things that neuropathy does to their bodies. Well worth a read if you think you've got it bad!

It's Like Thunder...LIGHTNING...in my veins?? 

Posted by Davee Thursday, July 3, 2014

Good morning! I’ve decided to use my blog not only to writing, music, and other facets of entertainment, but, also to share my journey. I’ve had significant health problems for almost two years. Initially, my rheumatologist diagnosed me with systemic lupus (SLE) on June 19, 2013. However, the medication wasn’t working and I kept getting worse and developing new symptoms. So, after second, third, and fourth opinions, my neurologist believes instead I have fibromyalgia.

In April 2014 I visited yet another rheumatologist who I hoped would be familiar with autoimmune disorders. Following an extensive intake during my initial appointment, I found a place where the doctor also listened to me. Based upon my blood work, the doctor believes I have Sjogren’s Syndrome. She also made the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and pre-lupus. I’ve never heard of pre-lupus, but, hopefully it stays in the “pre” category.

Thank you for listening, each week I will have a new installment chronicling my journey- Which is now more frustrating than ever. I test positive for ANAs in my blood, but, the lupus tests are negative. There are several varieties of autoimmune disorders, with different caveats and health variations. Learning to live with the unknown has become my routine.

It's like LIGHTNING struck my insides...

EEEEEK!

I also write fiction books and research at least one thing for each of my writings. I want to be as accurate as possible when talking about history, illnesses, dates, geographic areas....etc, but, you get my drift. In one of my recent books, I had characters who were struck by lightning. In order to get an accurate appraisal of the medical symptoms, longer term problems, or delayed symptoms, I turned to the internet.

Lightning is primarily an injury to the central nervous system, often with brain and nerve damage. Including muscle soreness, headaches, nausea, mild confusion, memory slowness, mental fog, and dizziness or balance problems.

HUH?

How interesting that the majority of the issues occurring with me involve my nervous system. It seems that I was struck by lightning and didn't know it...NAH.

It did get me thinking about why this would happen . What is going on within my body that's causing my nerves to misfire? I had horrible neuropathy all over my body. At times it felt like pin pricks everywhere. My lips and tongue would also go numb. I would occasionally lose feeling in my shins and forearms as well. At one point, I thought I was having a stroke and my doctor even instructed me to go to the emergency room.
(Thankfully, I was not having a stroke.)

The longer term problems are even more ironically similar:
Problems processing new information
Difficulty accessing old information
Slower reaction time
Distracted
Irritable and possible personality changes
Inattentiveness or forgetfulness
Headaches such as migraines
Chronic pain from nerve injury
Tinnitus
Difficulty sleeping - either sleeping excessively or insomnia

I suffer from each item on the longer term problem list. This list further proved to me that maybe studies could combine persons with chronic nerve injuries for treatment possibilities. I'm not sure if this is already occurring, but, it might be a good start. I know I currently take 3 different meds to make life bearable, but, it would be great not to rely on such drugs.

Progressing further in research, I discovered the delayed symptom list:
Personality changes/isolation
Irritability and embarrassment at not remembering people, job responsibilities, and key information
Difficulty carrying on conversation
Depression
Chronic pain ad headaches

BINGO YAHTZEE again!

I can no longer multi-task and I still grieve over it. I used to be the go-to girl. I could juggle several projects at once and it was a piece of cake. Now, I can't even load a dishwasher and keep up with a conversation! no joke
I've experienced depression, anxiety, and anger at the limitations this auto-immune disease has forced upon my life. I'm not the same woman and it hurts, mentally.

I have to take meticulous notes and my co-workers know I will need everything in writing. Sometimes I miss critical elements of a project, and I've asked my team leader to review all my work.

It's debilitating and it worse than sucks.

Maybe I can make it more interesting and say I was struck by lightning.

It's worth a shot.
 
 http://finless.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-like-thunderlightningin-my-veins.html?zx=5581fe1246b22b0b

EMPYEMA AND ITS HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

                                                                    EMPYEMA

DEFINITION:-

  Collection of purulent fluid or frank pus inside the pleural cavity is known as empyema. Such a fluid may fill up the whole or only a part of the pleural cavity or remain localized inside a pocket (localized or encysted empyema).

AETIOLOGY OR CAUSES:-

-          Most cases occur due to spread of infection from the adjoining lungs. Two such common conditions are pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumonia.

-          It may also occur due to a penetrating wound in the chest or due to rupture of a subpleural septic focus or lung abscess.

-          Common causative organisms are pneumococcus, streptococcus, staphylococcus, tubercular bacillus, e.coli and h. influenza in children, staphylococcus is the commonest pathogen.

PATHOLOGY:-

  The purulent fluid collected inside the pleural cavity is thick and light yellow in colour. The protein content of the fluid is high, the principal content being fibrin. The fluid is golden yellow in colour and full of pus cells and microorganisms when the causative organisms are pneumococcus, where if the organism is p.pyocyaneus, it is greenish yellow in colour and foul smelling. In streptococcal empyema, the fluid is thin and light yellow in colour. Since the fluid contains lot of fibrin, it is likely to get organized soon and cause fibrosis. Accordingly, pleurogenous fibrosis, adhesions and contraction of affected part of the chest wall are possible sequelae. The fluid may get loculated in a pocket.

SYMPTOMS:-

-          Swelling and tenderness present in the inter costal spaces. There may be a sinus or a bronchopleural fistula present over the chest wall. This may discharge pus while coughing.

-          The patient is wasted and looks ill.

-          Intermittent fever with rigors.

-          Sharp, stitching or scratching pain present disappears and is replaced by a dull, dragging discomfort or a feeling of heaviness on affected side.

INVESTIGATIONS:-

-          X- ray chest.

-          Routine blood count wbc count.

TREATMENT:-

-          Aspiration of the requisite amount of fluid.

-          Use of appropriate antibiotics.

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT:-

1.       ARSENIC ALBUM:-

Unable to lie down; fears suffocation. Air-passages constricted. Burning in chest. Cough worse after midnight; worse lying on back. Expectoration scanty, frothy. Darting pain through upper third of right lung.Haemoptysis with pain between shoulders; burning heat all over. Cough dry, as from sulphur fumes; after drinking.

2.       CALCAREA SULPH:-

Suppurative processes come within the range of this remedy, after pus has found a vent. Mucus discharges are yellow, thick and lumpy. Cough, with purulent and sanious sputa and hectic fever.Empyema, pus forming in the lungs or pleural cavities. Catarrh, with thick, lumpy, white-yellow or pus-like secretion. Purulent, sanious expectoration.

3.       KALI SULPH:-

Yellow, mucus and serous discharges, profuse and intermittent. Rattling of mucus in chest. [Tart. em.]. Post-grippal cough, especially in children. Bronchial asthma, with yellow expectoration. Cough; worse in evening and in hot atmosphere. Croupy hoarseness. [Hep.; Spong.]. Pain in nape, back and limbs, worse in warm room.

4.       MERC SOL:-

Spasmodic cough (whooping cough); two paroxysms follow one another rapidly, from tickling in larynx and upper part of chest, at night, without cough during day, with expectoration of acrid yellowish mucus, which is sometimes mixed with coagulated blood, tasting putrid or salty. Dyspnoea (sensation of spasmodic contraction when coughing or sneezing). Pains in head and chest when coughing, as if these parts were about to burst; or shootings in occiput; or pain as from excoriation in chest, and pain in loins. Cough with expectoration of pure blood.

5.       SILICEA:-

Colds fail to yield; sputum persistently mucopurulent and profuse.Slow recovery after pneumonia.Cough and sore throat, with expectoration of little granules like shot, which, when broken, smell very offensive. Cough with expectoration in day, bloody or purulent. Stitches in chest through to back. Violent cough when lying down, with thick, yellow lumpy expectoration; suppurative stage of expectoration. [Bals. Peru.]

6.       SULPHUR:-

Oppression and burning sensation in chest. Difficult respiration; wants windows open. Loose cough; worse talking, morning, greenish, purulent, sweetish expectoration.Chest feels heavy; stitches, with heart feeling too large and palpitating.

Some of other drugs for empyema are arsenic iod, calcarea carb, carbo veg, china, hepar sulph, kali carb, lachesis, natrum ars, nitric acid, phos and sepia.

Is Turmeric The Kick Ass Spice Its Made Out To Be

Today's post from bbc.com (see link below) isn't directly related to neuropathy but discusses the potential health benefits of turmeric, which is something that has long been rumoured to help with nerve pain and promoting nerve health in the body. Other articles on this blog (use the search button to the right, or begin here) are more directly related to turmeric (curcumin) and neuropathy but this one emerges from a BBC program and discusses its health benefits in general. It turns out that turmeric/curcumin prepared in food is more effective than turmeric in pill or powder form. Whatever your conclusions are about turmeric, it may be worth doing a lot more research in relation to nerve damage. Folk-lore herbal remedies are all well and good, but we need a little more proof than that.

Could turmeric really boost your health?
20 September 2016 From the section Magazine

Bold health claims have been made for the power of turmeric. Is there anything in them, asks Michael Mosley.

Turmeric is a spice which in its raw form looks a bit like ginger root, but when it's ground down you get a distinctive yellowy orange powder that's very popular in South Asian cuisine. Until recently the place you would most likely encounter turmeric would be in chicken tikka masala, one of Britain's most popular dishes.

These days, thanks to claims that it can improve everything from allergies to depression, it's become incredibly trendy, not just cooked and sprinkled on food but added to drinks like tea. Turmeric latte anyone?

Now I'm usually very cynical about such claims, but in the case of turmeric I thought there could be something to it. There are at least 200 different compounds in turmeric, but there's one that scientists are particularly interested in. It gives this spice its colour. It's called curcumin.

Thousands of scientific papers have been published looking at turmeric and curcumin in the laboratory - some with promising results. But they've mainly been done in mice, using unrealistically high doses. There have been few experiments done in the real world, on humans.

Find out more

Michael Mosley is one of the presenters of Trust Me, I'm A Doctor, broadcast on Thursdays at 20:00 BST on BBC Two - catch up on BBC iPlayer

Find out more about the experiment

This is exactly the sort of situation where we on Trust Me like to make a difference. So we tracked down leading researchers from across the country and with their help recruited nearly 100 volunteers from the North East to do a novel experiment. Few of our volunteers ate foods containing turmeric on a regular basis.

Then we divided them into three groups.

We asked one group to consume a teaspoon of turmeric every day for six weeks, ideally mixed in with their food. Another group were asked to swallow a supplement containing the same amount of turmeric, and a third group were given a placebo, or dummy pill.

The volunteers who were asked to consume a teaspoon of turmeric a day were ingenious about what they added it to, mixing it with warm milk or adding it to yoghurt. Not everyone was enthusiastic about the taste, with comments ranging from "awful" to "very strong and lingering".

But what effect was eating turmeric having on them? We decided to try and find out using a novel test developed at University College, London, by Prof Martin Widschwendter and his team.
 
Prof Widschwendter is not particularly interested in turmeric but he is interested in how cancers start. His team have been comparing tissue samples taken from women with breast cancer and from women without it and they've found a change that happens to the DNA of cells well before they become cancerous.

The change is in the "packaging" of the genes. It's called DNA methylation. It's a bit like a dimmer switch that can turn the activity of the gene up or down.

The exciting thing is that if it is detected in time this change can, potentially, be reversed, before the cell turns cancerous. DNA methylation may explain why, for instance, your risk of developing lung cancer drops dramatically once you give up smoking. It could be that the unhealthy methylation of genes, caused by tobacco smoke, stops or reverses once you quit.

So we asked Prof Widschwendter whether testing the DNA methylation patterns of our volunteers' blood cells at the start and end of the experiment would reveal any change in their risk of cancer and other diseases, like allergies. It was something that had not been done before.

Turmeric

Perennial herbaceous plant native to South Asia
Spice is gathered from the plants rhizomes (roots)
As well as being used in Indian food, turmeric is used in traditional medicine and as a dyeing agent

Turmeric recipes from BBC Food

Fortunately he was very enthusiastic. "We were delighted," he said, "to be involved in this study, because it is a proof of principle study that opens entirely new windows of opportunity to really look into how we can predict preventive measures, particularly for cancer."

So what, if anything, happened?

When I asked him that, he pulled out his laptop and slowly began to speak.

"We didn't find any changes in the group taking the placebo," he told me. That was not surprising.

"The supplement group also didn't also show any difference," he went on.

That was surprising and somewhat disappointing.

"But the group who mixed turmeric powder into their food," he continued, "there we saw quite substantial changes. It was really exciting, to be honest. We found one particular gene which showed the biggest difference. And what's interesting is that we know this particular gene is involved in three specific diseases: depression, asthma and eczema, and cancer. This is a really striking finding."

 Turmeric has long been used in Indian food It certainly is. But why did we see changes only in those eating turmeric, not in those taking the same amount as a supplement?

Dr Kirsten Brandt, who is a senior lecturer at Newcastle University and who helped run the experiment, thinks it may have something to do with the way the turmeric was consumed.

"It could be," she told me, "that adding fat or heating it up makes the active ingredients more soluble, which would make it easier for us to absorb the turmeric. It certainly gives us something, to work on, to try to find out exactly what's happening."

She also told me, because our volunteers all tried consuming their turmeric in different ways, that we can be confident it was the turmeric that was making the difference and not some other ingredient used to make, say, chicken tikka masala.

There is a lot more research that needs to be done, including repeating the experiment to see if these findings can be confirmed. But in light of what we've discovered will I be consuming more of the stuff? Probably. It helps that I like the taste and I've already begun experimenting with things like adding it with a touch of chilli to an omelette.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37408293

Its Lyme Time Again Neuropathy A Potential Danger

Today's post from www.cbc.ca (see link below) may seem at first glance to be a suitable photo opportunity for Canada's shiny new PM but it also brings the dangers of Lyme disease once more to the fore and that can never be a bad thing. Lyme disease, caused by tick bites in many natural recreation areas, produces a mysterious ailment that includes nerve damage as a significant danger. Many people have heard of it but because its range of symptoms may only appear months after the initial bite, it's not taken as seriously as it should be. There are several other articles about Lyme disease here on the blog (use the search button to the right of this page to find them) and the links embedded in this article may also be of help but don't underestimate the problems tick bites can cause. If you're out in the countryside, or even walking through long grass, always check for bites when you get home because the evidence can quickly disappear even though the damage has been done.

Justin Trudeau challenged to suck on a lime for Lyme disease awareness
Request comes days before Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Conference in Ottawa
By Kristy Hoffman, CBC News Posted: May 14, 2016

Marnie LePage's daughter Brooke, 13, was formally diagnosed with Lyme disease by a lab in California in 2015.

Related Stories

Lyme disease response requires collaboration in Canada, researcher says
Lyme disease patients hope conference fixes 'woefully inadequate' healthcare
Lyme disease, other tick-borne illnesses prompt warning in Manitoba

External Links

Public Health Reminder: Lyme disease

(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

A volunteer group dedicated to Lyme disease awareness, prevention and support in Manitoba is challenging Canada's government to participate in what they're calling "The Lyme Sucks Challenge."

Specifically, the Manitoba Lyme Disease Group is challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Health Minister Jane Philpott to complete the challenge. It involves declaring, "Lyme sucks" before sucking on a lime, posting a video of the challenge to social media and donating to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation.

A similar campaign called The Ice Bucket Challenge, where participants videotape themselves dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads, has raised millions for ALS research and support.

The group's challenge for the Trudeau government comes days before the Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Conference in Ottawa, which is scheduled to run from Sunday to Tuesday.

Marnie Le Page, 40, will be there.

Le Page's 13-year-old daughter, Brooke, has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, but the diagnosis came months after Le Page believes she contracted it.
'In bed all the time'

According to Le Page, Brooke was infected at a corn maze in Manitoba at the end of October 2014. While Le Page says she does not remember seeing a tick bite, her daughter started exhibiting flu-like symptoms — including excruciating headaches, joint and muscle pain and debilitating fatigue — by December.

Before becoming ill, Brooke was a competitive swimmer, spending 20 hours per week training at the pool.

Le Page's 13-year-old daughter, Brooke was a competitive swimmer before she contracted Lyme disease. This photograph was taken at one of the last swim meets in which she was fully able to participate, in July 2014.

"By March, she was in bed all the time. She couldn't even watch television or read a book. All tests from the emergency room came back [normal]. The one thing they never tested for is Lyme disease," Le Page said.

"I requested [the test] from several different places. They said it wasn't possible to get Lyme disease at that time of year and they wouldn't run the test." 

Lyme disease response requires collaboration in Canada
Lyme Disease-carrying ticks: 5 things you should know

Lyme disease, a serious illness spread through ticks, can cause a wide range of symptoms, including arthritis, neurological problems, numbness and paralysis, some of which can last months or years. In rare cases, it can prove fatal.

The Le Page family flew to California, where Brooke was formally diagnosed with Lyme disease at a laboratory called IGeneX, Inc.
'Our system here isn't adequate'

"Everything is at our expense handling her treatment," Le Page said. "Any doctor appointments we've had at the lab since; every treatment, antibiotics, travel costs. Everything is out of pocket for us."

Le Page has since left work to care for Brooke full-time. Still, she said it was a, "blessing in disguise" to have her daughter diagnosed out of province.

"Our system here isn't adequate for that," she said.

Man lives with 'alien' Lyme disease that 'makes you crazy'

Some common responses to her requests that her daughter be tested were, "Lyme isn't [in Manitoba]," or, "It's not very common," Le Page said.

"We could afford the testing. There are many people who can't," she said.

"I met a man [in Manitoba on Friday] who had had Lyme disease for 19 years. He struggles with it and he was in rough shape."

New hope

Le Page said the Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Conference in Ottawa has renewed her sense of hope for adequate treatment in Canada, so long as planning and development involves input from patients and caregivers.

"The fact that there is a conference and they're inviting people all across Canada — they're either patients or caregivers — is they're recognizing there is a problem that has to be addressed," she said.

"So I am hopeful that there is going to be changes made and hope that they're going to allow us to be part of that change."

As for Brooke, Le Page said despite having to travel to obtain a diagnosis, doctors caught the disease early and it has not affected her mobility. Still, the consequences have been devastating.

"She's in junior high. That's a huge part of your social development, and Lyme disease has ups and downs. She was seeing friends last summer. We were hiking. Then, in the fall time something happened and she went down again. She's still trying to pick up again," she said.

"It's a daily battle."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/lyme-disease-manitoba-group-justin-trudeau-federal-government-1.3582507

rhNGF no its not a misprint

If you have been surfing the web looking for useful information about neuropathy, you may well have come across the unusually named, rhNGF as one of three proven effective treatments for neuropathic pain and problems. The other two are cannabis and capsaicin and have been extensively covered on this Blog but rhNGF is for most people, a complete mystery and when you try to research it on the Net, you can understand why!

Recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) is regarded as the most promising therapy in decades, for neurodegeneration of the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as for several other pathological conditions involving the immune system. However, rhNGF is not commercially available as a drug. For a start, it hasn’t been approved by the major, international medical authorities as yet, so any discussion at the moment is pretty much irrelevant but its day will come and it will be useful to have some idea of what it is and what it does.

At this point it might be advisable to avoid all websites ‘selling’ this as a product. It’s one of those things that attracts health and fitness fanatics, (like anabolic steroids for instance although there is absolutely no connection)and I have no idea why but because the national organisations haven’t as yet approved it for neuropathy treatment... you know the story for HIV patients... throwing any doubtful ‘variable’ into the mix is rarely advisable.

Giving a simple definition of rhNGF, is however, easier said than done because it is an extremely complex chemical structure. I certainly don’t understand much about it but will attempt here to simplify the information available on the Net. If you know better, or have any information to offer, please use the contact form at the top of the page, to put us all better in the picture.

First of all, the letters stand for Recombinant Human Nerve Growth Factor. ‘Recombinant means the new entity (e.g., gene, protein, cell, individual) that results from genetic recombination.

In short, NGF is a protein that is involved in the growth of peripheral nerve cells and was discovered 50 years ago as a molecule that promoted the survival and differentiation of sensory and sympathetic neurons. It is a small secreted protein that is important for the growth, maintenance, and survival of certain target neurons (nerve cells). It also functions as a signalling molecule.

While "nerve growth factor" refers to a single factor, "nerve growth factors" refers to a family of factors also known as neurotrophins. Neurotrophins represent an important family of regulatory proteins essential for sensory nerve development. Several neurotrophins have been identified, including nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin 3 (NT3). NGF is one of the most studied neurotrophins. It is a key regulator of sensory neurone excitability and an important mediator of injury-induced nociceptive and neuropathic pain.

It is an immensely complex biological process for the layman but NGF ‘s have shown very promising results in animal studies. Recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) has been in phase III trials (essentially meaning it's taken seriously!) and the results are also extremely encouraging.

Particular attention is given to a growing body of evidence that suggests that among other roles, NGF signalling, aids neuroprotective and repair functions. The analysis points to many interesting unanswered questions and to the potential for continuing research on NGF to substantially enhance our understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of neurological disorders.

The administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) has been found to prevent neuropathies induced by anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin, vincristine and taxol. However, it is clinically important to know whether NGF is beneficial once the neuropathy is already established and this is one of the reasons why medical authorities are not yet ready to approve commercial drugs. It’s something with great potential and something which will require a lot more research and assessment.

Regarding our own situation as HIV patients with neuropathy, recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) was used in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized trial by Justin McArthur of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues to evaluate its efficacy as a treatment for HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy. Nearly 300 individuals were randomized to receive two different doses of nerve growth factor or placebo. After 18 weeks of randomized treatment, there was a significant difference in average and maximum pain intensity favouring rhNGF. However, there were no differences in terms of mood, analgesic use, or epidermal nerve fibre density between the groups.

Giovanni Schifitto of the University of Rochester and colleagues reported on data from the 48-week open-label phase of the rhNGF study described above. After the randomized phase, 200 of the 235 eligible patients continued taking either 0.1 or 0.3 mcg/ kg of rhNGF. Neurological and quantitative sensory testing was performed at baseline and at week 48. Consistent pain improvement was observed in all groups, with the high-dose recipients demonstrating better outcomes than low-dose participants.

I'm sorry, I don't understand enough about it to be able to describe it more simply and for once, research on the Web leads you to very complicated scientific journals and papers which are way above my head. So why write a post about it you may ask? The reason is that a) you will probably see it mentioned in passing (but not in detail) and b) if it is one of three things they are pretty sure about, then it's only a matter of time before it becomes available in an approved format. It's a treatment for the future then and the more questions patients ask, the more likely the whole treadmill will turn more quickly, to everyone's benefit.

Good luck looking for information and if you do find something useful to share with us, please do - knowledge is always power, especially concerning medical issues.

DYSENTERY AND ITS HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

                                                            BACILLARY DYSENTERY

DEFINITION:-

      Bacillary dysentery is an infectious disease caused by the ‘shigella group of bacilli’ and characterized by frequent passage of loose stools containing mucus, blood and pus. Griping abdominal pain and tenesmus and constitutional symptoms including fever.

TYPES:-

      Acute catarrhal, tropical or amoebic dysentery, malignant or diphtheric and malarial.

CAUSES AND TRANSMISSION:-

      The dysentery is mainly caused by shigella groups of bacilli (dysenteriae, sonnei and flexneri).

-          The disease spreads by contamination of food and water supply by faeces of patients or carriers of the disease.

-          Housefly is main responsible for dissemination of the disease.

-          Maximum incidence occurs during summer months.

-          Children’s are more commonly affected than adults.

PATHOLOGY:-

     There is hyperaemia and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the colon, with redness and swelling. The swelling of the mucous membrane closes the follicles, which also become swollen from the retention of their contents. Often, some of the capillaries in the walls of the follicles rupture and fills them with blood. The follicles may discharge their contents and form ulcers. In the amoebic dysentery we find amoebae in these ulcers. In the malignant form there is the formation of a false membrane, which ulcerates and sloughs off.

   The incubation period varies from 1-7 days.

SYMPTOMS:-

-          Onset is sudden.

-          Increased frequency of stools containing mucus and blood, gripping abdominal pain.

-          Tenesmus, high fever and vomiting.

-          In severe cases, the frequency of stools is so increased that the patient is almost ‘ glued to the commode’.

-          Dehydration and severe prostration.

COMPLAINTS:-

-          Arthritis.

-          Iritis.

-          Abscess of the liver.

-          Peritonitis.

-          Typhoid fever.

TREATMENT:-

-          For the control of diarrhoea, codeine (30 mg thrice a day) or loperamide (1-2 tablets, tid) may be used.

-          Plenty of water along with oral rehydration solution (ORS) or powder may be given orally.

-          Liquid or semi solid diet should be given.

HOMEOPATHIC DRUGS:-

1.       ACONITE:-

At the very commencement, with fever, anxiety, restlessness and fear of death, knows he is going to die, the pulse is full and hard. The stools are bloody, slimy, mucous, scanty and frequent with tenesmus. In the very beginning, is often able to cut short dysentery, without any other remedy. If sets in with violent fever. Aconite in many cases cures the whole disease in 2 -3 days.

2.       ALOES:-

Violent tenesmus, the stools consists of lumps of mucous or bloody mucus. Sense of weakness in the rectum, as if stool would escape involuntarily. Weakness and faintness after stool. Sensation of plug between symphysis pubis and os coccygis with urging to stool. Constant bearing down in rectum; bleeding, sore, and hot; relieved by cold water. Jelly-like stools, with soreness in rectum after stools.

3.       ARSENICUM ALBUM:-

In the last stage, when there is extreme prostration, anguish, restlessness and fear of death. Violent, burning thirst, drinks little and often. Rapid and scarcely perceptible pulse. The stools are dark, watery, frequent and offensive. Painful, spasmodic protrusion of rectum. Tenesmus, Worse at night, and after eating and drinking; from chilling stomach, alcoholic abuse, spoiled meat.

4.      BAPTISIA:-

As soon as the disease shows a typhoid tendency, face dark red, with a besotted look. Cannot sleep, feels scattered about, tosses about to get him together. Sore, bruised feeling all over the whole body. Tongue is dry, coated yellowish brown in the centre, with red, shinning edges. The stools are pure blood, very offensive and often painless. Extended clinical observation has proved its value when dysentery assumes the typhoid type. When the discharges are offensive and blood contain. Showing an alarming dipression of vitality.

5.      BELLADONNA:-

Flushed face, dilated pupils, throbbing of the carotids, head hot, hands and feet cold, the child is stupid, drowsy, starting, and twitching of the muscles during sleep. The abdomen is very sensitive to touch. The passages are bloody and frequent. Often the only remedy required for severe cases of infantile dysentery.

6.      CANTHARIS:-

Anxious, restless. Violent pains in the abdomen. Burning in the abdomen, stools white or pale reddish mucous. Like scrapings of the intestines, bloody mucus. Tenesmus, frequent, painful, ineffectual desire to urinate. Retention of the urine.

7.       CAPSICUM:-

Stools mucous, streaked with blood, expelled with force. Thirst drinking causes shuddering. Tenesmus after stools. Intense craving for stimulants. Bloody mucus, with burning and tenesmus; drawing pain in back after stool. Thirsty after stool, with shivering.

8.       COLOCYNTHIS:-

Intense cutting, griping, squeezing in the intestines, aggravated from eating or drinking, relived by lending double. Stools mucous or bloody. Tongue rough, as from sand, and feels scalded. Colic with cramps in calves. Jelly-like stools.

9.      KALI BICH:-

The tongue is dry, red, smooth and cracked. Debility, with desire to lie down. The stools are bloody, jelly like, look like chopped up blood and mucus. Occurs periodically every year. Nausea and vomiting after beer. Gastric symptoms are relieved after eating, and the rheumatic symptoms reappear. Jelly-like, gelatinous; worse, mornings. Dysentery; tenesmus, stools brown, frothy.

10.   MERCURIUS COR:-

Cold face and hands, with small feeble pulse. Distension and soreness of the stomach. Continual urging to stool, with a never get done feeling, must strain. Faint, sickish, colicky pain in the abdomen, amilorated by the stool, and prolonged tenesmus after the stool. Stool bloody, slimy, containing shreds of mucous membrane, they are scanty and frequent with continued urging. Tenesmus vesicae, faintness and weakness.

11.   NUX VOMICA:-

The patient is irritable and desires to be left alone, wants to be lie down. The stools are thin, bloody mucous and with each evacuation of blood and mucus, there is a small portion of natural faeces passed, severe pain in the back, and tenesmus before stools with complete relief after stool.

12.   RHUS TOXI:-

In late stage when dysentery shows tendency to assume the typhoid form. The patient is restless, wants to constantly change his position. The tongue is dry and rough, with red edges and triangular red tip. Excessive craving for milk. Laborious dreams of excessive bodily exertion. The stools are thin, bloody, jelly mucus, bloody water like washings of beef.

13.  SULPHUR:-

Tendency to relapse or when our well chosen remedies fail to act. Morning diarrhoea, painless, drives out of bed, with prolapsus recti.

Some of other remedies are arg. Nit, carb.veg, colchicum, chamomilla, hepar sulph, ipecac, opium, pulsatilla, staphysagria, veratrum album.

WHOOPING COUGH AND ITS HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

                                                                WHOOPING COUGH

DEFINITION:-

            Whooping cough is an acute infectious disease causes by Bordetella pertussis virus and characterized by  a peculiar, paroxysmal cough, ending in a prolonged, crowning inspiration.

CAUSES AND TRANSMISSION:-

-          The disease is mainly caused by Bordetella pertussis virus.

-          The disease occurs in infants and young children usually below 5 years of age.

-          The infection spreads by droplet infection and by direct contact.

-          More often found in winter and spring season.

INCUBATION PERIOD:-

              The whooping cough incubation period ranges between 7 – 14 days.

PATHOLOGY:-

              There is an inflammation of the respiratory mucous membrane, but nothing peculiar. The paroxysmal cough is caused from irritation of the pneumogastric nerve.

SYMPTOMS:-

-          The main symptom is typical paroxysmal cough.

-          The cough is short, sharp expiratory barks followed by a long drawn noisy inspiratory ‘whoop’.

-          During the cough the face is flushed, eyes are congested, tongue is protruded and the lip turn blue due to cyanosis.

-          The paroxysmal cough occur in quick succession till the child vomits or expels out little sticky mucoid sputum.

-          The paroxysmal cough leaves the child much exhausted and listless.

-          The disease may be mistaken for a simple cough or upper respiratory tract infection until the typical paroxysmal cough appears.

COMPLICATIONS:-

-          Subconjuctival hemorrhage.

-          Bronchopneumonia.

-          Pneumothorax.

-          Convulsions.

-          Otitis media.

-          Prolapse of rectum.

-          Retarded growth and development in undernourished children.

TREATMENT:-

-          Protect child from colds.

-          Give good nutritious food.

-          The drug of choice is Erythromycin. 50 mg daily for 14 days.

-          Cough sedative such as methadone, etc.

-          Cortisone in severe cases.

-          For preventive purpose anti vaccination DTP for pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus.

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES:-

1.       ACONITE:-

  First remedy in inflammations, inflammatory fevers. Hoarse, dry, croupy cough; loud, labored breathing. Acute, sudden, and violent invasion, with fever, call for it. Fears the future, a crowd, crossing the street.  Coryza much sneezing; throbbing in nostrils. Red, hot, flushed, swollen. Red, dry, constricted, numb, prickling, burning, stinging. Child grasps at throat every time he coughs. Very sensitive to inspired air.

2.       BELLADONNA:-

   Great children's remedy. Red, bluish-red, hot, swollen, shining; convulsive motion of muscles of face. Tingling in tip of nose. Coryza; mucus mixed with blood. Barking cough, whooping cough, with pain in stomach before attack, with expectoration of blood. Tickling, short, dry cough; worse at night.

3.       CARBO VEG:-

  Cough with itching in larynx; spasmodic with gagging and vomiting of mucus. Whooping cough, especially in beginning. Spasmodic cough, bluish face, offensive expectoration, neglected pneumonia.Coryza with cough, especially in moist, warm weather.

4.      CINA:-

  Violent recurring paroxysms, as of down in throat. It is excellent remedy for Whooping-cough. Child is afraid to speak or move for fear of bringing on paroxysm of coughing. After coughing, moaning, anxious, gasps for air and turns pale. Itching of nose all the time. Bores at nose till it bleeds. Pale, hot, with dark rings around eyes.

5.      COCCUS  CACTI:-

  Whooping cough attacks end with vomiting of this tough mucus. Suffocative cough; worse, first waking, with tough, white mucus, which strangles. Spasmodic morning cough. Sensation of a crumb behind larynx must swallow continually; brushing teeth causes cough. Constant hawking from enlarged uvula; Coryza, with inflamed fauces; accumulation of thick viscid mucus, which is expectorated with great difficulty.

6.       CUPRUM MET:-

    Whooping-cough, better, swallow water, with vomiting and spasms and purple face. Suffocative attacks, worse 3 am [Am. c.]. Spasm and constriction of chest; spasmodic asthma, alternating with spasmodic vomiting. Cough as a gurgling sound, better by drinking cold water. Vomiting relieved by drinking cold water; with colic, diarrhoea, spasms. Distorted, pale bluish, with blue lips.

7.       DROSERA:-

   Affects markedly the respiratory organs and was pointed out by Hahnemann as the principal remedy for whooping-cough. Spasmodic, dry irritative cough, like whooping-cough, the paroxysms following each other very rapidly; can scarcely breathe; chokes. Harassing and titillating cough in children - not at all through the day, but commences as soon as the head touches the pillow at night.

8.       IPECACUANHA:-

   Yearly attacks of difficult shortness of breathing. Whooping-cough, with nosebleed, and from mouth. Suffocative cough; child becomes stiff, and blue in the face. Chest seems full of phlegm, but does not yield to coughing. Hoarseness, especially at end of a cold. Cough incessant and violent, with every breath.

9.       KALI CARB:-

   Dry, hard cough about 3 am, with stitching pains and dryness of pharynx. Hoarseness and loss of voice. Expectoration must be swallowed; cheesy taste; copious, offensive, lump. Nose stuffs up in warm room. Nosebleed on washing face in morning.

10.   NUX VOMICA:-

   Tight, dry hacking cough; at times with bloody expectoration. Cough brings on bursting headache and bruised pain in epigastric region. Cough, with sensation as if something were torn loose in chest. Catarrhal hoarseness, with scraping in throat. Coryza: fluent in daytime; stuffed up at night and outdoors; or alternates between nostrils. Cannot bear noises, odors, light, etc.

11.   PULSATILLA:-

  Dry cough in evening and at night; must sit up in bed to get relief; and loose cough in the morning, with copious mucus expectoration. Short breath, anxiety, and palpitation when lying on left side. [Phos.]. Expectoration bland, thick, bitter, greenish.Coryza; stoppage of right nostril, pressing pain at root of nose. Yellow mucus; abundant in morning.

12.   VERATRUM ABUM:-

  Loud barking, stomach cough, followed by eructation of gas; worse, warm room. Much mucus in bronchial tubes that cannot be coughed up. Chronic bronchitis in the aged. [Hippozanin.], Cough comes on from drinking, especially cold water; urine escapes when coughing. Hollow cough, tickling low down, with blue face. Cough on entering warm room from cold air. [Bryonia.]

 Some of other drugs are antimonium tart, calc carb, dulcamera, hepar sulph, and mephitis.

HOW THE BRAIN FINDS WHAT ITS LOOKING FOR

Despite the barrage of visual information the brain receives, it retains a remarkable ability to focus on important and relevant items. This fall, for example, NFL quarterbacks will be rewarded handsomely for how well they can focus their attention on color and motion -- being able to quickly judge the jersey colors of teammates and opponents and where they're headed is a valuable skill. How the brain accomplishes this feat, however, has been poorly understood

Now, University of Chicago scientists have identified a brain region that appears central to perceiving the combination of color and motion. They discovered a unique population of neurons that shift in sensitivity toward different colors and directions depending on what is being attended -- the red jersey of a receiver headed toward an end zone, for example. The study, published Sept. 4 in the journal Neuron, sheds light on a fundamental neurological process that is a key step in the biology of attention.

"Most of the objects in any given visual scene are not that important, so how does the brain select or attend to important ones?" said study senior author David Freedman, PhD, associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Chicago. "We've zeroed in on an area of the brain that appears central to this process. It does this in a very flexible way, changing moment by moment depending on what is being looked for."

The visual cortex of the brain possesses multiple, interconnected regions that are responsible for processing different aspects of the raw visual signal gathered by the eyes. Basic information on motion and color are known to route through two such regions, but how the brain combines these streams into something usable for decision-making or other higher-order processes remained unclear.

To investigate this process, Freedman and postdoctoral fellow Guilhem Ibos, PhD, studied the response of individual neurons during a simple task. Monkeys were shown a rapid series of visual images. An initial image showed either a group of red dots moving upwards or yellow dots moving downwards, which served as an instruction for which specific colors and directions were relevant during that trial. The subjects were rewarded when they released a lever when this image later reappeared. Subsequent images were composed of different colors of dots moving in different directions, among which was the initial image.

Dynamic neurons 

Freedman and Ibos looked at neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), a region highly interconnected with brain areas involved in vision, motor control and cognitive functions. As subjects performed the task and looked for a specific combination of color and motion, LIP neurons became highly active. They did not respond, however, when the subjects passively viewed the same images without an accompanying task.

When the team further investigated the responses of LIP neurons, they discovered that the neurons possessed a unique characteristic. Individual neurons shifted their sensitivity to color and direction toward the relevant color and motion features for that trial. When the subject looked for red dots moving upwards, for example, a neuron would respond strongly to directions close to upward motion and to colors close to red. If the task was switched to another color and direction seconds later, that same neuron would be more responsive to the new combination.

"Shifts in feature tuning had been postulated a long time ago by theoretical studies," Ibos said. "This is the first time that neurons in the brain have been shown to shift their selectivity depending on which features are relevant to solve a task."

Freedman and Ibos developed a model for how the LIP brings together both basic color and motion information. Attention likely affects that process through signals from higher-order areas of the brain that affect LIP neuron selectivity. The team believes that this region plays an important role in making sense of basic sensory information, and they are trying to better understand the brain-wide neuronal circuitry involved in this process.

"Our study suggests that this area of the brain brings together information from multiple areas throughout the brain," Freedman said. "It integrates inputs -- visual, motor, cognitive inputs related to memory and decision making -- and represents them in a way that helps solve the task at hand."