Dysentery

Causes of Dysentery

The bacteria causing bloody diarrhea are

• Shigella species
• Enteroinvasive
• Enterohemorrhagic E. coli
• Salmonella
• Campylobacter jejuni
• flexneri is the commonest organism reported in developing countries and S. dysenteriae is associated with epidemics of dysentery.
• Medications – e.g. Rifaximin, Sulfasalazine
• Cancer
• Yersinia [4]

Homeopathic Treatment of Dysentery

Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis.

which includes

• The medical history of the patient,
• Physical and mental constitution,
• Family history,
• Presenting symptoms,
• Underlying pathology,
• Possible causative factors etc.

A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions.

What Homoeopathic doctors do?

A homeopathy doctor tries to treat more than just the presenting symptoms. The focus is usually on what caused the disease condition? Why ‘this patient’ is sick ‘this way’?.

The disease diagnosis is important but in homeopathy, the cause of disease not just probed to the level of bacteria and viruses. Other factors like mental, emotional and physical stress that could predispose a person to illness also looked for. No a days, even modern medicine also considers a large number of diseases as psychosomatic. The correct homeopathy remedy tries to correct this disease predisposition.

The focus is not on curing the disease but to cure the person who is sick, to restore the health. If a disease pathology not very advanced, homeopathy remedies do give a hope for cure but even in incurable cases, the quality of life can greatly improved with homeopathic medicines.

Homeopathic Medicines for Dysentery:

The homeopathic remedies (medicines) given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the homeopathy treatment of this condition. The symptoms listed against each homeopathic remedy may not be directly related to this disease because in homeopathy general symptoms and constitutional indications also taken into account for selecting a remedy.

Homoeopathic Approach:

Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution, family history, presenting symptoms, underlying pathology, possible causative factors etc.

A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions. A homeopathy doctor tries to treat more than just the presenting symptoms. The focus is usually on what caused the disease condition? Why ‘this patient’ is sick ‘this way’.

The disease diagnosis is important but in homeopathy, the cause of disease is not just probed to the level of bacteria and viruses. Other factors like mental, emotional and physical stress that could predispose a person to illness are also looked for. No a days, even modern medicine also considers a large number of diseases as psychosomatic. The correct homeopathy remedy tries to correct this disease predisposition.

The focus is not on curing the disease but to cure the person who is sick, to restore the health. If a disease pathology is not very advanced, homeopathy remedies do give a hope for cure but even in incurable cases, the quality of life can be greatly improved with homeopathic medicines.

The homeopathic remedies (medicines) given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the homeopathy treatment of this condition. The symptoms listed against each homeopathic remedy may not be directly related to this disease because in homeopathy general symptoms and constitutional indications are also taken into account for selecting a remedy.

Medicine:

Aconite

• It may be used, esp. if the disease occurs in Autumn, when warm days are followed by cold nights.
• In the incipient stages such troubles may be promptly checked by it esp. when they are ushered in with a high temperature.
• The high fever is associated with great thirst, good deal of colicky pains and restlessness.
• The stools are scanty, bloody and slimy and are evacuated with much tenesmus. If it fails, it is followed well by Merc.

Aloe

• It is useful, when there is griping pain in the hypogastrium, before stool.
• The stools consist of blood and mucus, coming out in jelly-like masses.
• The griping may or may not cease after stool. In addition, an extraordinary amount of mucus is expelled.

Arsenic Alb

• Indicated in most serious cases, whose exciting causes are: Sudden chilling of the stomach and bowels by ice-water or ice- cream; alcoholic drinks in excess; certain poisons as the ptomaine of sausage meat that has been spoiled; rancid fat; spoiled butter or fat that has undergone decomposition; and lobster salads at certain seasons of the year.
• The patient is very sick, as if near death’s door but he is restless and complains of burning thirst and yet exhibits an intolerance of water.
• Burning pains The discharges from the bowels are brownish or blackish, and horribly offensive.

Baptisia

• You will have to give it, when the discharges are offensive, bloody and attend by tenesmus, but with a significant absence of pain, showing an alarming depression of vitality.[3]

Cantharis

• It is of use, when the discharges are bloody and slimy and mix with flakes, that look like scrapings from intestines, but in reality, fibrinous formations, resulting from the inflammation.
• Colic-like pains of a cutting, burning, griping or wandering character, doubling the patient up.
• Tenesmus mark and is almost always associated with dysuria.

Capsicum

• It is good for Dysentery occurring in moist weather and best indicate in stout flabby persons.
• The stools are bloody and slimy and contain shaggy pieces; they are frequent, but small in quantity and attended with violent tenesmus and burning in both rectum and bladder.
• The pains and other symptoms increase by the slightest draft of either warm or cold air.
• There is thirst, but drinking of water causes shuddering and increases the pains. [3]

Carbo Veg

• It indicate in very severe cases, with great weakness and Hippocratic face, when: The discharges from the bowels are brown, watery and slimy and both stools and flatus are horribly offensive.
• The abdomen greatly distend and tympanic.
• There burning pains situated deep in abdomen, usually in one or the other of the bends of the colon.
• The pulse is weak and intermittent.
• In typhoid conditions as a sequel to Dysentery, it presents a more perfect picture of collapse and there are tympany, cold legs, esp. up to the knees, filiform pulse, cool breath, absence of discharges from the bowels or involuntary, putrid, bloody, purulent diarrhoea. The patient is, as if, near death.

Cinchona

• It indicate in severer cases, when putrid or gangrenous changes occur .
• The discharges are cadaverous smelling, and are of a dark or of a chocolate color, with coldness, great debility and Hippocratic face; the movements from the bowels provoke by every attempt to eat and drink.
• The abdomen greatly distend and tympanitic Belching gives but temporary relief.

Colchicum

• It indicate in the discharges from the bowels are frequent, watery and bloody containing white flakes or shreds, and followed by violent tenesmus, constriction of the anus and spasm of the sphincter ani, tormenting the patient more than the urging during stool.

Colocynth

• The stools slimy and bloody-contain the so-call scrapings of intestines, made worse by any attempt to eat or drink.
• They precede by violent tenesmus which ceases after stools.
• Pains are atrocious-griping, cutting, stabbing colicky pains, which force the patient to bend double or to press firmly against the abdomen; they more often precede the stool and relieve afterwards, although they may sometimes continue after stool.[3]

Dioscorea

• Just before and during stool severe pain in sacral region and bowels, of a writhing drawing character; the pains radiate upward and downward, until the whole body and extremities, even the fingers and toes, become involved with spasms, eliciting shrieks from the patient.
• Spasmodic pains in the bowels, with unusually severe tenesmus.
• Tools like abdomen, but lumpy, with straining and burning in rectum, and sensation as if the faeces were hot during the stool nearly fainting.

Gambusia

• Chill and pain in back; bitter taste in the mouth, burning of the tongue; soreness all over; watery stools attended with colic or green mixed mucus, with burning tenesmus and prolapses ani; offensive, frequent and copious stools, coming out all at once, giving great relief.

Kali bich

• It indicate when the disease occurs periodically in the Spring, or in the early part of Summer.
• The stools are brownish and watery and mixed with blood and mucus and attended with great tenesmus.
• The distinctive symptom is the appearance of the tongue, which is dry, smooth, red and cracked.[3]

Mercurious

• Excoriating discharges; cutting in the lower part of the abdomen, at night; the abdomen is externally cold to the touch;
• Cutting stitch in the lower abdomen, from right to left, and aggravated by walking;
• Faecal putrid taste in the mouth; nausea; with vertigo obscured vision, and flashes of heat offensive perspiration
• The pains increase before the stool and during the stool, with violent tenesmus;
• The pains rather increase after a stool, and sometimes they extend to the back, during the stool, hot sweat on the forehead, which soon becomes cold and sticky; frequent discharge of pure blood or bloody green mucus, like stirred eggs, screams during stool (in children). Aggravation during night till about 3 A.M.

Nitric Acid

• In general, Diphtheric dysentery burning in rectum towards perineum, with ineffectual urging; straining without stool; stools bloody, with tenesmus; putrid, mucous.
• Moreover, After which the tenesmus continues, followed by headache; dryness of throat.
• Lastly, Violent thirst, intermittent pulse; anxiety and general uneasiness, exhaustion.

Nux Vomica

• Stools, small, slimy, bloody, with urging.
• Tenesmus ceasing after stool, like pitch with blood.
• Pressing in loins also upper part of sacral region, with sensations if broken; longing for brandy.
• Milky sours on stomach; great debility with over sensitiveness of all the senses; hypochondriac mood.

Sulphur

• It will be the remedy in acute diseases when after the administration of Merc. the tenesmus and blood have ceased, but the mucus still persists.
• A very strong characteristic symptom, which often indicates it in Dysentery, etc.
• The lips are of a rich color or the redness of the various orifices of the body.
• It best-adapt to chronic or persistent cases, esp. when tenesmus continues from one evacuation to another.
• When the bleeding and tenesmus have abated, the stools are still slimy, with frequent sudden urging; or particularly after tenesmus has ceased, mucus and blood still discharge.[3]