The new-sprung arrives the world from the highly sophisticated biological cage. After that it has to face the challenge of coping up with this polluted environment. There are number of pollution and toxic drugs which can affect the new born. The childhood exposure to such environmental pollution and food toxins are obstacle for the healthy later life. Avoiding too much of drugs, artificial and junk foods, playing well and doing exercises in school would be helpful in building a sound immune system. Homoeopathic sweet pills, the favourite medicines of children, have significant role in strengthening the defence system of children. Parents seek homoeopaths with their children having lowered immunity and repeated infections. Many times parents step into a homoeopathic clinic first time in their lifetime due to their children and later on they enrol themselves as new cases.
Immunisation and prophylaxis through homoeopathy
Treating the infants and children with homoeopathy for their problems itself is a way to improve their overall immunity. The concept of prophylaxis towards specific infection started with Hahnemann himself. He used Belladonna 30 for the treatment of scarlet fever, but unexpectedly found that the remedy also helped to prevent the disease. Since then there has been significant clinical experience and evidence for the use of homoeopathic medicines for prophylaxis in several circumstances. Many homoeopaths immunise children homoeopathically by different immunising schedules with approaching parents. Reason being conventional immunisation might have heightened risks for particular individuals. While writing these facts it is not intended to infringe on prevailing law of the land.
Reports and studies
A long-term study on homoeoprophylaxis has been undertaken in Australia over 20 years. The researcher was awarded a PhD from Swinburne University, Melbourne (one of the mainstream Australian universities) for this research study. As per his one research with 593 children for 10 years the effectiveness of homoeoprophylaxis is 88.8%. Another study with 1159 children (study duration: 15 years) shows the effectiveness of 90.4%.
During the epidemic of meningitis of children in Brazil, Meningococcus was given to 65,826 children. The effectiveness was 95% after 6 months and 91% after 12 months. There is a pilot study during the cholera epidemic raged through the continent of South America in 1991-1992, showing that homoeopathic medicine to be effective in the epidemic.
BCT (Belladonna, Calcarea carbonica and Tuberculinum) was the project carried out by Government of Andra Pradesh for the prevention of Japanese encephalitis. Belladonna 200 on 1,2,3 days one dose each, Calcarea carbonica 200 on 10th day and Tuberculinum 10M on 25th day were administered in a phased manner to all children in the age group of 0-15 years. The number of reported cases gradually reduced year by year and it was nil in the 3rd year.
A report says (conventionally) vaccinated children have a 15 times greater chance of becoming asthmatic than children using homoeoprophylaxis. Under such circumstance homoeopathy has become the choice for them. Occasionally a child may react to a homoeopathic remedy, which is not toxic reaction. It is mild and short lasting. Taking homoeopathic treatment will not only prevent the usual diseases of children, towards which the immunisation is made. It would prevent other diseases too.
Administration of homoeopathic medicines to infants
According to Hahnemann, the power of medicines acting upon the infant through the milk of the mother is wonderfully helpful. Every disease in a child yields to the rightly chosen homoeopathic medicines given in moderate doses to the nursing mother and so administered, is more easily and certainly utilised by these new world-citizens than is possible in later years.
Drugs and their prophylactic condition
Aconite napellus – measles; Arsenicum album – cholera, poliomyelitis, hay fever and measles; Apis mellifica – whooping cough; Baryta carbonica (30 potency) – quinsy Belladonna – scarlet fever and Japanese encephalitis; Calcarea carbonica – Japanese encephalitis; Cuprum aceticum – cholera; Diptherinum – whooping cough; Graphitis (30 potency) – erysipelas; parotidinum – mumps; Pertussin (30 potency) – whooping cough; Psorinum – hay fever; Pulsatilla – measles; Trifolium repens – mumps; Veratrum album – cholera.
Homoeopathic remedies as immune activators
There are specific remedies which act as immunostimulator. These are often used in low potency or mother tincture.
Echinacea angustifolia – increases resistance versus invasion of pathogens; blood purifier and antibacterial drug of homoeopathy.
Eleutherococcus – tonic herb; useful for maintaining good health; research has shown that it stimulates resistance; adaptogenic tonic stimulant, protecting the immune system.
Ginseng – adaptogenic tonic; helps body to adapt to stress, fatigue, cold, mental or emotional problems; research indicates it as immunostimulant for improving resistance to infections.
Propolis – improves vital functions; medical research teams have established antibacterial properties.
Thuja occidentalis – infection with discharge of pus; has antibacterial activity; overcomes the side effects of vaccinations.
Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) – great mental tonic; maintains the state of well being; efficacious in total or partial destruction of intellect.
Alfalfa – mother tincture prepared from fresh plant is rich in vitamins and other nutrients; toning up the appetite and digestion resulting in greatly improved mental and physical vigor, with gain in weight.
Quick reference to therapeutics of some frequent infant problems
| Constipation of infants during dentition | Magnesium muriaticum |
| Convulsions of nervous children during dentition | Melilotus alba |
| Cries out of sleep and anxiously grasps its mother as if frightened by a dream | Borax |
| Daily colic in infants about 5 A.M | Kalium bromatum |
| Difficult or traumatic delivery | Arnica montana |
| Dry coryza of infants with dry nose but completely obstructed, preventing breathing and nursing | Sambucus nigra |
| Facial erysipelas in an infant, with hot, swollen extremities | Cinchona officinalis |
| Frequent micturition; often with cries before the urine passes | Borax |
| Great redness around eyes when crying | Borax veneta |
| Hiccough after eating, which makes the throat raw | Borax |
| Infantile diarrhoea which persistently relapsed despite most careful prescribing | Medorrhinum |
| Infantile diarrhoea, worse from boiled milk, and rapid exhaustion | Sepia |
| Infantile jaundice and urethral burning | Lupulus humulus |
| Intussusceptions in infants | Plumbum metallicum |
| Lids adhere during sleep in infantile syphilis | Syphilinum |
| Long-lasting coryza; “snuffles” of infants | Ammonium carbonicum, Nux vomica |
| Moans in its sleep, and perspires profusely all over | Aloe socotrina |
| Mouth of an infant very hot | Borax |
| Nausea and vomiting of curdled milk | Antimonium tartaricum |
| Nipples of infant inflamed, breasts tender to touch | Chamomilla |
| Oozing of bloody fluid from navel of infants | Calcarea phosphorica |
| Ophthalmia of infants | Pulsatilla |
| Persistent vomiting of infants | Kreosotum |
| Rubs his nose vigorously, then his eyes | Borax |
| Sore mouths of nursing infants and of nursing women | Baptisia tinctoria |
| Suppression of urine in infants | Chimaphila umbellata |
| Umbilical hernia of infants | Nux vomica |
| Very offensive odor, sweaty skin, cold hands and feet, a very coated tongue and, in addition to the abdominal colic | Plumbum metallicum |
| Wants to nurse all the time and vomits easily | Calcarea phosphorica |
PS: This article was written by Dr. R. Valavan and published in the March 2008 issue of the medical magazine Homeopathy for All.