Association between Acute and Chronic Inflammatory States: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Fever is the hallmark of efficient acute inflammatory response, which may be disrupted in chronic inflammatory conditions. The "continuum theory" proposes that the return of acute inflammatory states with high fever predicts improvement in chronic diseases during treatment. Our objective was to investigate the observation made, during classical homeopathic treatment, that such an association exists between chronic inflammation and efficient acute inflammation. METHODS: In a case-control study, the reports of patients diagnosed with chronic inflammatory conditions with at least 6 months of follow-up under homeopathic treatment were retrospectively sampled from homeopathic medical practices from Greece, India, Romania and Russia. Twenty patients who improved under homeopathic treatment and 20 age-matched controls of those who did not improve were selected. The occurrence of common acute infectious diseases with fever during the follow-up period was investigated. RESULTS: The average age of the cases and controls was 28.4 (SD: 16.64) and 27.9 (SD: 17.19) years respectively. 18/20 cases and 4/20 controls developed common infectious diseases with fever. Cramer's V co-efficient value was found to be 0.551 (p < 0.01), indicating that improvement was more in patients with fever than without. Odds ratio of improving with respect to development of acute infectious diseases was 36.0 (95% CI: 5.8 to 223.5). The binary logistic regression model indicated significant contribution of occurrence of acute infections with fever as a predictor for improvement in chronic inflammatory disease. CONCLUSIONS: Classical homeopathic clinical observations indicate an association between chronic inflammatory status in the body and the ability to mount efficient acute inflammation. In this case-control study, the occurrence of common infections with fever during treatment heralded improvement in chronic inflammatory disease. Further powered studies are necessary to substantiate this finding.

Migraine in an Adolescent with a Pineal Cyst Treated with Classical Individualized Homeopathy: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is one of the leading causes of morbidity and disability in the world. Its prevalence ranges from 5 to 40% in the pediatric population, with about 50% of these headaches continuing to adulthood. Incidental diagnosis of pineal cysts (PCs) is on the rise with the evolution of imaging techniques; the causal relationship of PC and individuals with headache however remains controversial, and complete resolution is uncommon. Conventional medicine stresses on the importance of tailored therapy in the management of pediatric migraine. CASE REPORT: An 11-year-old female, diagnosed with migraine with an aura and PC, was benefitted by individualized classical homeopathic therapy using the homeopathic preparation Phosphorous and Natrum muriaticum. The symptoms of migraine improved, and the incidentally diagnosed PC completely resolved during the course of treatment. CONCLUSION: Individualized classical homeopathy may have a role in effectively treating migraines and PCs in the pediatric population. There is a need for further scientific investigation with well-designed studies to prove the effectiveness of this therapeutic method, taking care to maintain the individualization principle of classical homeopathy.Migräne ist eine der führenden Ursachen für Krankheitslast und Behinderung weltweit. Ihre Prävalenz bei Kindern und Jugendlichen liegt im Bereich von 5­40%; hiervon sind etwa 50% bis ins Erwachsenenalter von den Kopfschmerzen betroffen. Zufallsdiagnosen von Pinealiszysten (PC) kommen im Zuge des Fortschritts bei den bildgebenden Verfahren immer häufiger vor, jedoch ist ein kausaler Zusammenhang der PC mit Kopfschmerzen umstritten, und ein vollständige Rückbildung kommt nicht häufig vor. Die Schulmedizin betont, wie wichtig eine maßgeschneiderte Therapie bei der Behandlung der Migräne im Kindesalter ist.Ein 11-jähriges Mädchen, bei dem eine Migräne mit Aura und eine Pinealiszyste diagnostiziert wurde, profitierte von einer individualisierten klassisch-homöopathischen Therapie mit den homöopathischen Präparaten Phosphorus und Natrum muriaticum. Die Migränesymptome besserten sich, und die zufällig diagnostizierte Pinealiszyste bildete sich im Laufe der Behandlung vollständig zurück.Die individualisierte klassische Homöopathie kann bei der wirksamen Behandlung von Migräne und Pinealiszysten bei Kindern und Jugendlichen eine Rolle spielen. Es bedarf weiterer wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen mit gutem Studiendesign, um die Wirksamkeit dieser Behandlungsmethode nachzuweisen, wobei darauf zu achten ist, das Individualisierungsprinzip der klassischen Homöopathie aufrechtzuerhalten.

Homeopathic Manganum in the Management of Post Dural Puncture Headache, A Case Series.

Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a functional condition caused by disruption of the dural membrane with low cerebrospinal fluid pressure, affecting 4% to 11% of the patients who undergo procedures where the spinal canal is purposefully punctured. It has a significant impact on the quality of life of those affected. We present 12 cases diagnosed with PDPH, unresponsive to usual treatment, who were treated with classical homeopathy. Nine of the 12 cases showed complete recovery, while the remaining 3 cases showed partial improvement. The author has stressed on the importance of pathology-based prescriptions, in his teachings and also the importance of appreciating the pathology as emphasized in homeopathic literature. The homeopathic remedy Manganum helped in the improvement of 9 of the 12 cases, with promising results. Further controlled studies are needed to determine the role and mechanism of PDPH resolution via homeopathic Manganum.

Appearance of Acute Inflammatory State Indicates Improvement in Atopic Dermatitis Cases Under Classical Homeopathic Treatment: A Case Series.

The Continuum theory and the Levels of Health theory propound the idea that return of efficient acute inflammation (high fever) heralds true improvement in chronic inflammatory states. We present 6 cases of atopic dermatitis (AD), which had stability in their improvement for 1 year or more, under classical homeopathy. The cases were retrospectively assessed with selected based on the Hanifin Rajka atopic dermatitis diagnostic criteria and the follow ups evaluated according to changes on SCORing Atopic Dermatitis scale (SCORAD) scale. The pictures are presented as evidence. Modified Naranjo Criteria for assessing causal attribution of clinical outcome to homeopathic intervention was used to assess the effect of homeopathy in these cases. All the cases improved and stabilised with complete skin clearance (those that relapsed within 1 year were not included). These patients had not suffered high fevers/acute inflammatory diseases since onset/aggravation of AD. Five of the 6 cases developed acute inflammatory diseases as the chronic condition improved. The last case showed return of an old, lesser pathology. The control cases - which were selected for non-improvement under classical homeopathy also showed remarkable skin clearance when there was appearance of acute inflammatory states. In this study, there is a mutually exclusive relationship between efficient acute inflammation and chronic inflammation, which is in accordance with the 2 theories considered here. Further scientific studies are necessary to establish the phenomenon at tissue level.

Antimonium crudum in pediatric skin conditions: A classical homeopathic case series.

Homeopathic Antimonium crudum may be useful in many pediatric skin conditions if prescribed on symptom similarity. It may especially be helpful in reducing the use of antibiotics and steroids in this age-group if proven to be effective through larger scientific studies.

Syringomyelia Managed with Classical Homeopathy: A Case Report.

Syringomyelia (SM) with Chiari malformation is a rare disease with an unpredictable course. Surgery and other interventions help reduce the severity of symptoms, but over 50% patients require re-operation. Auto-resolution is rare in this type of SM, and most cases progress to complications, which may amount to a great burden. The patient of SM with Arnold-Chiari malformation type 1 in a 54-year-old Russian woman who was treated with individualized classical homeopathy for over eight years with remarkable improvement in the clinical signs and symptoms of the condition and comorbidities. On MRI, the syrinx completely resolved, which further confirmed the benefit of this therapy. This case of SM with Arnold-Chiari malformation type 1 seemed to benefit from individualized classical homeopathy. Scientific investigation into an individualized classical homeopathic approach towards SM is necessary to establish its relevance in this condition.

Multimorbidity After Surgical Menopause Treated with Individualized Classical Homeopathy: A Case Report.

Classical homeopathy was shown to be beneficial in climacteric syndrome in many studies, but the clinical effect is unclear. To inspect if individualized classical homeopathy has a role in treating complaints after surgical menopause through real world case, we present a case of a 54-year-old Russian woman treated with individualized classical homeopathy for multimorbid conditions after surgical menopause examined for changes from homeopathic treatment. We assessed changes in climacteric symptoms, changes in comorbidities, and the general well-being of the patient. The woman had severe climacteric syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, dyslipidemia, obesity, hepatic steatosis, pancreatic lipomatosis, gall bladder disease, and mild subclinical hypothyroidism to begin with. She was treated with individualized classical homeopathy and followed up for 31 months. She was relieved of the vasomotor symptoms and psychological disturbances of climacteric syndrome, her weight reduced, the ultrasound scan showed absence of lipomatosis/gall bladder disease/hepatic steatosis. Blood tests showed reduction of thyroid stimulating hormone and a balance in the lipid status. Individualized classical homeopathy may have a role in the climacteric syndrome and comorbidities after surgical menopause. The efficacy of homeopathic therapy in climacteric problems must be scientifically investigated further.

Individualized Treatment of Bone Marrow Edema of the Knee With the Aid of Classical Homeopathy: A Report of 2 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow edema lesions around the knee are a common magnetic resonance image finding. They constitute a central component of a wide variety of inflammatory and noninflammatory conditions affecting the knee joint. Those lesions are not only a significant source of pain, but are also connected to many musculoskeletal pathologies. CASE REPORT: We describe 2 cases of bone marrow edema of the knee joint treated with the aid of Classical Homeopathy. In both of the cases, Arnica montana was the chosen homeopathic remedy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the treatment are promising, encouraging for more research on this area.

Long-term health effects of antipyretic drug use in the ageing population: protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Fever is suppressed with drugs due to discomfort and risk of organ damage. However, there is some compelling evidence for the benefits of fever. The elderly are a special population in this regard as they have a blunted fever response. The benefit-harm balance of antipyretic use in this population is unclear.   This study aims to provide the synthesized best evidence regarding long-term health effects of antipyretic treatment in the elderly during infections, investigating the onset/worsening of common chronic diseases, for e.g., thyroid disorders, connective tissue diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma. Methods: A systematic review will be performed to establish the best evidence available regarding antipyretic treatment in the elderly, searching databases such as Medline, Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL from their inception till date for all types of studies. Studies that consider the drugs in analgesic role will be excluded. The search will be reported following the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses' (PRISMA) guidelines. Randomized control trials, quasi experimental studies, observational studies, case series and reports will be included. The primary outcome measure being onset/worsening of chronic inflammatory diseases. Other outcomes include relief of symptoms, length of hospital stay, patient satisfaction, mortality, blood/immune parameters indicative of morbidity and complications of the infection. Risk of biases in randomized studies will be assessed through the Cochrane risk of bias tool. For other study types, appropriate tools such as CASP/QUIPS/Cochrane non-randomised studies tool will be used. Meta-analysis will be conducted on the Cochrane RevMan software and where pooling of data is not possible, a narrative synthesis will be performed. Overall certainty of evidence will be assessed through the GRADE approach. Discussion: The study aims to provide evidence regarding benefit-harm balance of antipyretic use in the elderly population to inform clinical practice and future research.  Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020160854.

Psoriasis cases of same diagnosis but different phenotypes-Management through individualized homeopathic therapy.

This case series demonstrates that classical homeopathy may have a solution to psoriasis and its complications which goes beyond skin clearance and achieves general well-being. The variety in clinical phenotypes and their response to treatment may be explained on the basis of the theory of "Levels of Health."

Individualised Homeopathic Therapy in ANCA Negative Rapidly Progressive Necrotising Crescentic Glomerulonephritis with Severe Renal Insufficiency - A Case Report.

Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA)-negative Rapidly Progressive Glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is a severe form of autoimmune renal injury with a bleak prognosis. A 60-year-old Indian woman was treated with classical homeopathy for ANCA-negative RPGN, and after one year of treatment, serum creatinine and other parameters indicating renal injury dropped steadily despite the withdrawal of immunosuppressive drugs; renal dialysis, which was conducted twice a week initially, was made rarer and stopped after one year. Classical homeopathy may be considered a potential therapeutic modality in severe pathologies. Controlled studies are required to establish further the extent to which classical homeopathy may relieve patients from procedures such as dialysis that cause considerable physical and economic discomfort.

Heterotopic ossification in a 7-year-old female patient treated with individualized homeopathy: A case report.

Classical homeopathy can be included among the treatment options for congenital heterotopic ossification.

Individualized Homeopathic Therapy in a Case of Obesity, Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding, and Autonomic Dystonia.

BACKGROUND Obesity is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally and challenging to treat because of the multifactorial etiology and presentation. Individualized homeopathy takes into account factors that led to a patient's health condition and hence may have a role in the treatment of obesity and related co-morbidities; co-morbidities that may arising from the same etiology may respond as a whole to homeopathy treatment. CASE REPORT A 39-year-old Russian female who developed multiple problems after severe emotional stress was treated with individualized classical homeopathic therapy. Obesity, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, and dysautonomia were pathologies that showed improvement. CONCLUSIONS The response in this patient's case, supports the need for further investigation on the relevance of individualized homeopathy in these related conditions.

Improvements in long standing cardiac pathologies by individualized homeopathic remedies: A case series.

We present three cases of cardiac arrest at different stages of pathology. Acute myocardial infarction and resulting heart failure is emerging as the leading cause of mortality. In the long run, acute episodes and cardiac remodelling can cause considerable damage and result in heart failure. In these cases, individualized homeopathic therapy was instituted along with the conventional medicines and the results were encouraging. The changes in the laboratory diagnostic parameters (single-photon emission computed tomography, electrocardiograph, echocardiography and ejection fraction as the case may be) are demonstrated over time. The key result seen in all three cases was the preservation of general well-being while the haemodynamic states also improved. While the three cases provide evidence of positive outcomes for homeopathic therapy, more extensive studies are required in a hospital setting to establish the real extent to which this therapy may be employed.

Could Homeopathy Become An Alternative Therapy In Dengue Fever? An example Of 10 Case Studies.

Background:Dengue fever is one of the most rampant epidemics in India of late and any therapy that may help limit the sickness and hospital admissions is worth considering. In India complementary and alternative medicine physicians are medically trained and hence have a role to play in delivery of public health. Case Series:We present a retrospective case series of 10 Indian patients who were diagnosed with dengue fever and treated exclusively with homeopathic remedies at Bangalore, India. This case series demonstrates with evidence of laboratory reports that even when the platelets dropped considerably there was good result without resorting to any other means. Conclusions:A need for further, larger studies is indicated by this evidence, to precisely define the role of homeopathy in treating dengue fever. This study also emphasises the importance of individualised treatment during an epidemic for favourable results with homeopathy. Abbreviations:DF: dengue fever, NS1: non-structural protein 1 antigen, IgG: immunoglobulin G, IgM: immunoglobulin M, +ve: positive, -ve: negative, WBC: white blood cells, RBC: red blood cells, ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Homeopathic Treatment of Vitiligo: A Report of Fourteen Cases.

BACKGROUND Vitiligo, also known as leukoderma, is an autoimmune skin condition that results in the loss of melanin pigment. Vitiligo is not a rare condition but is difficult to treat and is associated with psychological distress. CASE REPORT A series of 14 cases of vitiligo are presented that were treated with individualized homeopathic remedies that were based on plant, animal, or mineral compounds. There were 13 women and one man in the case series, with a mean age 29.8 years, and a mean follow-up from treatment of 58 months. The mean time between the onset of the appearance of vitiligo and the first consultation at our clinic was 96 months. Homeopathic treatment for patients is holistic and was performed on an individualized basis as described in this case series. Photographic images of the skin are presented before and after treatment. CONCLUSIONS In 14 patients with vitiligo treated with individualized homeopathy, the best results were achieved in the patients who were treated in the early stages of the disease. We believe that homeopathy may be effective in the early stages of vitiligo, but large controlled clinical studies are needed in this area.