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Dear Readers,

The monsoon season in India is a breath of fresh air, quite literally, bringing relief from the scorching summer heat. However, along with the pitter-patter of rain comes a unique set of health challenges. Let’s dive into the impacts of the monsoon on our health and explore some practical steps to stay fit and healthy during these wet months. For your interest we have included some common rubrics and remedies which can be used in these conditions. However, we always suggest an individualised approach and in-depth case taking. Read to the bottom of the newsletter to find out how we can use Acute complaints as a means to treat the deeper aspects of the patient.

Health Impacts of the Monsoon and some common rubrics and remedies:

1. Increased Humidity: High humidity levels can make it feel warmer than it is, leading to discomfort and excessive sweating. This can cause dehydration if you’re not careful.

Rubrics:

  • CR23 – Mind; delirium; loss of animal fluids, from(11)
  • CR23 – Generalities; faintness, fainting; loss of animal fluids, from(94)
  • CR23 – Generalities; weakness; fluids, from loss of animal(180)
  • Phatak – Phatak repertory; Discharges, loss of vital fluid; agg(20)

Remedies:

  • China –
    For stout, swarthy persons; for systems, once robust, which have become debilitated, “broken down” from exhausting discharges (Allens Keynotes)
  • Phos-ac
    WEAKNESS AND DEBILITY common to all acids is very marked in this acid; with free secretion; profuse urination; loss of fluids; sweating etc. (Phatak’s concise Materia Medica)

2. Waterborne Diseases: The monsoon brings an increased risk of waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, and gastroenteritis. Contaminated water can seep into food and drinks, causing these illnesses.

Rubrics:

  • CR23 – Stomach; disordered; water, after; bad(3)
  • CR23 – Generalities; food and drinks; water; agg.; contaminated, impure(15)
  • CR23 – Stomach; vomiting; cholera, in(7)
  • Phatak – Phatak repertory; Cholera; morbus(6)
  • CR23 – Fever, heat; continued, typhoid; night; temperature running very high(5)
  • CR23 – Fever, heat; remittent; typhoid, prone to become(19)
  • Phatak – Phatak repertory; Typhoid(12)

Remedies:

Arsenicum
Cholera, with intense agony, prostration, and burning thirst. Body cold as ice. (Boericke’s Materia Medica)

Camphora
ICY COLD, YET AVERSE TO COVERS, or wants them off then on, with internal burning heat, and anxious. Sudden weakness, dry collapse. Cholera. (Bogers synoptic Key)

Baptisia
Has its reputation as a remedy for typhoid fever. It affects the BLOOD, causing septic conditions, low fever and malaria poisoning. Feeling of SORENESS, HEAVINESS, and ACHING OF MUSCLES is very marked. PROSTRATION Is RAPID. (Phatak’s Materia Medica)

3. Vector-Borne Diseases: Stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of diseases like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya.

Rubrics:

  • CR23 – Fever, heat; intermittent, malarial; acute(10)
  • CR23 – Fever, heat; intermittent, malarial; pernicious cases, dangerous(12)
  • CR23 – Fever, heat; dengue fever(24)
  • CR23 – Generalities; tropical, damp, warm, marshy countries, in(8)
  • CR23 – Generalities; convalescence, during; infectious diseases, after; viral(18)

Remedies:

  • China officinalis
    Chill: Over whole body, increased by drinking and yet compelled to drink constantly, with thirst before and after, not during c. severe internal, with icy – cold hands and feet, and rush of blood to head.(Boenninghausens Characteristics)
  • Eupatorium perfoliatum
    The leading characteristic for its homeopathic use is the distressing bone-pains it causes, such as are found in connection with malarial fevers and influenza. (Clarke’s Dictionary)
  • Cedron
    Clock like periodicity: headache, chill. Attacks occur with unerring periodicity to the hour. (Hering’s Guiding Symptoms)

4. Respiratory Issues: The damp weather can exacerbate respiratory problems like asthma and bronchitis. The increased humidity can also lead to fungal infections.

Rubrics:

  • CR23 – Respiration; difficult; weather; damp, wet, in(19)
  • CR23 – Respiration; difficult; weather; change of, agg.(15)
  • CR23 – Generalities; weather; cloudy; agg.(79)
  • CR23 – Fever, heat; eruptive fevers; inflammation of respiratory tract, with catarrhal(9)

Remedies:

Dulcamara
Cough and bronchitis every time the weather turns cold and damp. Tickling or rawness in the back of the throat. Worse: Breathing deeply. Lying. Change of weather. Winter. Easy expectoration. (Morrison’s Desktop Companion)

Natrum Sulph
This remedy is indicated in those cases where the patient is AGGRAVATED by the DAMPNESS of the weather, DAMP HOUSES and CELLARS. He feels every change from dry to wet. It should be remembered in “humid asthma”, especially in children, that appears with every change to wet weather, or every cold contracted. They are always worse during cold, damp weather. The sputum is copious and of a greenish colour. (Blackwood’s Manual)

Phosphorus
Lingering, tickling coughs, worse cold air, worse exertion, worse talking and laughing, worse change of temperature and weather, worse lying flat or on left side, better sitting or lying on right. (Morrison’s Desktop Guide)

Approach in acutes:

Many of the complaints arising from the ill effects of the monsoon will appear in our clinics in the form of acute conditions – fever, gastro-intestinal upset, collapse etc. however we should not miss out on this as an opportunity for a deeper insight into the state of the patient. The below is an extract on the usefulness of acute complaints in a more long-term treatment approach;

very often an acute crisis is a window to the deeper state of the patient. The state that the patient compensates when he is apparently healthy comes out uncompensated during an acute. It is often during this time that his other song can be heard the loudest.

During an acute state the patient may experience characteristic symptoms, or a particular mind state, and we may find that the remedy thus indicated

not only treats the acute but also helps the patient long-term. In these cases especially, the acute situation is a great opportunity to find a deeply acting, long-term remedy for the patient. One may also notice in these acute cases that the mental state or characteristics that come up are also the patient’s chronic symptoms, though now they are seen with much more energy and intensity than when encountered in the patient’s chronic state. In an acute
the symptoms can come up with far greater visibility, becoming much more easily discernible, and this should be taken advantage of whenever possible.

The acute also represents the uncompensated picture. When a person is
facing a crisis, his real nature comes up.

From the book – ‘The Art of Follow up’ by Dr Rajan Sankaran

For more tips on acute case management, you can watch the following video:

For in depth training in the management of Acute cases sign up for Level 4 of the Sankaran Masterclass:

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