allergy with homeopathy
Deviated nasal septum is a condition when the nasal septum is displaced to one side. Most of them have a displaced septum, as the septum is not placed exactly centrally. It is either displaced towards right or left. But not everyone is affected due to this, as most of them are unaware and asymptomatic. Only when it is so severe and narrows the nasal passage, does the symptoms show. Many patients report with allergic symptoms like sneezing, running nose, nose block, breathing difficulty and asthma. These patients are normally referred by conventional colleagues for surgical intervention called septoplasty. However, we witness many patients reporting in the clinic are without any improvement after septoplasty. Studies have found that septoplasty gives no relief in allergic respiratory symptoms (Vegard Bugten et al. Quality of life and symptoms before and after nasal septoplasty compared with healthy individuals. BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, 2016, 16:13). These allergic symptoms are well-managed by the indicated homeopathic remedies thereafter. This article tries to give a glimpse on such drugs covering the symptoms of the condition.
Deviated nasal septum – an overview
Reports say that almost 80% of the people have some sort of deviation of the nasal septum unknowingly. It can be either congenital or acquired from injuries like blow to the face especially nose. Main symptoms include nasal congestion of the convex side, obstruction, difficulty breathing, nosebleeds, facial pain, headache, postnasal drip, loud breathing, snoring during sleep, sleep apnea, recurrent or repeated infections. As stated above, conventional system performs mainly surgery. But as reported, no much relief is observed in majority of the symptoms especially related to allergy.
Rhinitis medicamentosa – an emerging concern
Reports on the side-effects of harmful nasal drops and certain oral medications are alarmingly increasing in the recent past. Experts warn against the unwanted use of such nasal sprays. There are rebound nasal congestion and other associated symptoms. They constrict the blood vessels in the lining of the nose. It may result in nasal mucosal atrophy and mucosal scarring.
Symptoms of deviated nasal septum with respiratory allergies and their indicated remedies
| Nasal congestion of the convex side and obstruction | Allium cepa, Alumina, Ammonium carbonicum, Ammonium muriaticum, Argentum nitricum, Arsenicum album, Arsenicumiodatum, Arum triphyllum, Aurum metallicum, Barytamuriatica, Calcareacarbonica, Carboneumsativum, Heparsulphur, Hydrastis, Iodum, Kali bichromicum, Kali carbonicum, Kali iodatum, Lycopodium, Phosphorus, Sabadilla, Sambucus, Sanguinaria, Senega, Silicea, Teucrium |
| Difficulty breathing due to nasal obstruction | Arsenicum album, Arsenicumiodatum, Badiaga, Carbo vegetabilis, Dulcamara, Euphrasia, Iodum, Kali iodatum, Lachesis, Naja, Natrum sulphuricum, Nux vomica, Sabadilla, Sanguinaria, Silicea |
| Nosebleeds | Aconitum napellus, Allium cepa, Alumina, Ammonium carbonicum, Antimoniumcrudum, Argentum metallicum, Arnica montana, Belladonna, Bothrops, Bovista, Bromium, Causticum, China, Crotalushorridus, Hamamelis, Kali iodatum, Lachesis, Medorrhinum, Mercuriussolubilis, Millefolium, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Sabina, Secalecornutum |
| Postnasal drip | Argentum nitricum, Aurum metallicum, Calcareasulphurica, Ferrumphosphoricum, Heparsulphur, Hydrastis, Iodum, Kali bichromicum, Kali carbonicum, Kali iodatum, Lycopodium, Manganumaceticum, Mercuriusiodatusflavus/ruber, Natrum carbonicum, Natrum muriaticum, Phytolacca, Plumbummetallicum, Psorinum, Rhustoxicodendron, Sepia, Silicea, Theridion |
| Loud breathing | Bromium, Calcareacarbonica, Caladium, Chamomilla, China, Ignatia, Kali bichromicum, Lachesis, Phosphorus, Sambucus, Sanguinaria, Spongia, Teucrium, Thuja |
| Snoring | Bromium, Camphor, Chamomilla, China, Cicutavirosa, Cuprum metallicum, Heparsulphur, Ignatia, Lac caninum, Lachesis, Laurocerasus, Nux vomica, Opium, Rhustoxicodendron, Stramonium, Sulphur |
| Recurrent or repeated infections | Abrotanum, Calcareacarbonica, Cinnabaris, Dulcamara, Echinacea, Ginseng, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Medorrhinum, Mercurius, Psorinum, Pulsatilla, Sulphur, Syphilinum, Thuja, Withaniasomnifera |
| Running nose | Allium cepa, Ambrosia artemisiaefolia, Aralia racemosa, Arsenicum album, Arsenicumiodatum, Euphrasia, Lachesis, Luffa operculata, Naphthalinum, Psorinum, Ranunculus bulbosus, Sabadilla, Sanguinariumnitricum, Sinopis alba, Stictapulmonaria, Sulphur |
| Sneezing | Aconitum napellus, Allium cepa, Ammonium carbonicum, Antimoniumtartaricum, Argentum metallicum, Argentum nitricum, Arsenicumiodatum, Arundo, Aurum metallicum, Badiaga, Barytacarbonica, Belladonna, Bromium, Bryonia alba, Calcareaarsenicosa, Calcareacarbonica, Carboneumsativum, Chininumarsenicosum, Chininumsulphuricum, Cicutavirosa, Cina, Coccus cacti, Drosera, Dulcamara, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Euphrasia, Ferrumarsenicosum, Ferrumphosphoricum, Gambogia, Iodium, Kali arsenicosa, Kali bichromicum, Kali iodatum, Kreosotum, Lac caninum, Lachesis, Luffa operculata, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Natrum sulphuricum, Nux vomica, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Rhustoxicodendron, SabadillaSanguinaria, Sulphur |
Commonly used remedies and their indications
| Remedies | Indications | Recommended potency |
| Allium cepa | One of the important drugs to manage acute symptoms. Violent sneezing (particularly on deep breathing), profuse, excoriating, watery discharge, with lachrymation and headache, amel. open air are covered. | 6CH, 30CH |
| Ambrosia artemisiaefolia | Discovery for its use for respiratory allergic symptoms is interesting. A researcher Dr. E. T. Marsh and another experimenter suffered severely from symptoms of coryza and hay-fever whilst observing the pollen of this plant.4 These observations have lead to use of this drug in similar affections.Indications include much lachrymation and intolerable itching in the eyes. Sometimes it is associated with nosebleed. Stuffed up feeling of noseand head is observed. Irritation of trachea and bronchial tubes, with asthmatic attacks and wheezy cough. | Q/1x to 3x |
| Apismellifica | Red, swollen and inflamed eyes and nose. Swelling and redness are predominant than sneezing. | 3x |
| Aralia racemosa | It is a frequently used remedy in allergic asthmatic condition. Frequent sneezing caused by least current of air, with copious watery and excoriating discharge, and dry cough worse by lying down and night are the main indications. There may be a gastric disturbance associated with these indications. | Q/1X |
| Arsenicum album | Fluent coryza; with stopped nose, burning in the nostrils, and secretion of serous and corrosive mucus. Thin, watery, excoriating discharge. Violent sneezing without relief. Hay-fever and coryza; worse in open air; better indoors. Burning and bleeding. Nose feels stopped up. | 30CH, 200CH
|
| Arsenicumiodatum | Valuable for violent, acute coryza, with profuse, acrid discharge which is watery; associated with soreness in the nostrils, heat and burning, extending into the eyes, headache and all the symptoms of violent, acute influenza. | 3x, 30CH, 200CH |
| Barytamuriatica | It covers earache that may be present as a consequence of infected sinuses headache and heaviness, vertigo, and patients like to breathe through the mouth. It also covers sore throat and enlarged tonsils. | 3x, 30CH, 200CH |
| Cardiospermum | It is useful in sneezing with clear discharge, and perhaps associated with obstruction. It also helps in clearing toxins. To some extent, it has healing and sedating properties. It stimulates local circulation and is a known anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic. | Q/1x to 3x |
| Cinnabaris | It covers violent fluent coryza with secretion of burning mucus, lumps of dirty yellow mucus discharged from the posterior nares, pain at root of the nose, extending on each side over the eyes and dryness of mouth and throat. It also acts on congestive headache due to sinusitis and other congestions of the head. | 3x |
| Echinacea angustifolia | Covers stuffiness of nostrils, with mucus in nares and pharynx. Dull frontal headache especially over eyes. Full feeling of nose, obliged to blow nose, but it does not relieve. Rawness of right nostril and soreness, when picking causes hemorrhage. Mucus foul smelling, septic processes and lymphadenitis are well covered by this ingredient. It helps as immunostimulant. | Q/1x |
| Euphrasia | Violent fluent coryza, with abundant secretion of mucus (from the anterior and posterior nares), excessive confusion in the head, corrosive tears in the eyes, and photophobia. | 30CH |
| Galphimiaglauca | Useful in hypersecretion of the nasal mucus and the ocular mucus, sneezing, vesiculous, papulus eruptions and hypersensitiveness to change of weather. It is known for rhinopharyngial congestion. Hyper-sensitive to the changes of weather. Headache and dullness are covered by this medicine. | 3x |
| Histaminum | It is a remedy established in 1950s. It covers pruritis of nose with sneezing, dryness and blockage of nostrils. Feeling of heat and pruritis of edge of the eyelids, which is better by cold. | 6CH, 30CH |
| Hydrastiscanadensis | It covers frontal headache, thick, tenacious mucus which runs from posterior nares, apart from watery and excoriating coryza, with smarting and rawness in nose. Discharge is scanty inside rooms and profuse outdoors. | 3x, 30CH, 200CH |
| Justisiaadathoda | Highly efficacious drug for acute catarrhal conditions. Irritable, sensitive to external impressions; hot, full and heavy head; lachrymation, with coryza, profuse, fluent, with constant sneezing; loss of smell and taste; coryza with cough. | Q/1x |
| Kaliumbichromicum | Violent sneezing, septum ulcerated, inflammation extends to frontal sinuses. It acts also on chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinitis, ozaena, nasal ulcers and tonsillitis. It covers periodic headache above the root of the nose, above the eyes and in the sinuses with tough, greenish yellow stringy mucus, which blows from the nose with fetid smell. Constant hawking, coryza with obstruction of nose and inability to breathe through nose. | 3x, 30CH, 200CH |
| Lachesis | Catarrh, with soreness, obstruction, headache, fluent coryza, preceded by headache, with sore throat. Hay asthma; paroxysms of sneezing. | 30CH, 200CH |
| Luffa operculata | It is a recently introduced drug, most useful in inflammations in nasal passage, sneezing, watery nasal discharge with watery eyes, difficult respiration and suffocative cough. It tends to improve the tolerance of the infants towards cold and allergies. | 4x, 6CH, 30CH, 200CH |
| Naphthalinum | It is indicated in coryza, hay fever, sneezing with inflamed eyes, painful and hot head. Sometimes associated with spasmodic asthma. | 3x, 6x |
| Psorinum | As an anti-psoric remedy, it not only covers the symptoms of DNS, but also checks the recurrence. | 6CH, 30CH, 200CH, 1M |
| Rosa damascene | Sneezing and watering with pain in the ear are the peculiar symptoms to call for this remedy. Acute partial deafness may be associated with main symptoms. | Q/1x to 3x |
| Sambucusnigra | It acts especially on the snuffles, oedematous swellings, oppressed chest, tenacious mucus in the larynx, suffocative cough around midnight and nasal obstruction. Works well in children awakening due to difficulty in breathing. | 3x, 30CH, 200CH |
| Sanguinariumnitricum | Watery mucus from both nostrils, sneezing every few minutes, profuse lachrymation. Burning pains in both nostrils. Water trickles from right nostril. Accumulation of mucus obstructing nose and bronchi. Free discharge from posterior nares (esp. left), tinged with blood. | 6CH, 30CH |
| Solanum lycopersicum | Though this is a rare remedy, but many homeopaths frequently think this remedy when they come across allergic nasal symptoms. It is indicated for fluent watery nasal discharge with severe body ache. Allergy from house dust, with itching of the nose. Patient always prefers to be in indoors, due to fear of dust. | Q/1x |
| Solidagovirgaurea | It is used in case of inhalation of the pollen which causes haemorrhage from the lungs in phthisis. Repeated colds and tuberculosis. Feeling of weakness, chilliness alternating with heat; naso-pharyngeal catarrh, burning in throat, pain in limbs and thoracic oppression. | Q/1x |
| Urticaurens | It is useful where there is profuse discharge from mucous surfaces. Symptoms return at the same time every year. | Q/1x to 3x |