In the 21st century, leading an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle is the most problematic concern for everyone. Our increased work pressure and inactive lifestyle have led to severe health complications. As per a WHO report, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet contribute to approximately two million deaths every year and is the leading cause of life-threatening diseases and disabilities worldwide.
While stress, fear, worry, sadness, exhaustion and numbness are normal and expected, emotional responses to a health crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic cannot go ignored. As per The Indian Psychiatric Society, during the initial stages of the pandemic, there was a 20 per cent increase in cases of depression and anxiety stemming from fear. Anxiety not only causes headaches but other significant ailments, including hypertension, insomnia, postural back pain, sciatica, respiratory problems caused by smoking and increased levels of alcohol. A clinical trial showed that 58 per cent of people with stress and anxiety benefited from homeopathic treatment. I always believe in an integrated medical, approach and homeopathy works in preventive routines and lifestyle management. It factors in not just the present symptoms but also the psycho-social aspects of the patient. We, therefore, believe not just in giving patients medicine for their symptoms and ailments but also ensuring that their health-related quality of life improves.
The symptoms of anxiety neurosis are familiar: sudden, uncontrollable attacks of panic and anxiety during stressful times such as an interview or an important meeting. Accompanying them are weakness, sweating, palpitation, nausea and vomiting. So great is the emotional distress that the patients often think they are suffering from a serious physical disease, and an anxiety attack may be misread as a thyroid metabolism imbalance or heart disease. This would be wrong. Anxiety neurosis is a purely psychosomatic disorder, generally affecting immature personalities with many suppressed conflicts and instabilities.
The correct homeopathic cure will depend on the organ or site where the neurosis manifests itself. Aethusa 200 will help relieve confusion during interviews and is good for “exam funk”; Argentum Nit is useful in anxious, restless and impatient people. The Argentum personality is always in a hurry. Such people will pace around while awaiting their turn outside the clinic. Elsemium is useful in cases of anxiety with giddiness, drowsiness and trembling of the limbs. Kali Phos 6x is a good soother of nerves, and even if it is taken over a long period, by an individual suffering from nervous disorders, no side-effects result. Pulsatilla helps tense, anxious, and moody types suffering from anxiety neurosis. Taken 10-12 drops thrice a day, Scutellaria calms the nerves. General use of sedatives over a long period brings on a general depressive state with tremors.
First, a headache is not a disease, but only a symptom. The brain itself is incapable of any sensation; but the brain covering carries nerve fibres that are sensitive to pressure. The causes can range from a brain tumor to meningitis, trauma or head injury, and high or low blood pressure. We are concerned with headaches that afflict a person under a lot of stress at work who we presume does not have any of the diseases listed above. It is the lifestyle itself that causes these headaches. Overeating and gastric derangement give rise to what are known as bilious headaches. Such headaches, which are associated with nausea and stomach upsets, respond well to Iris Versicolor. Constipation is frequently blamed for causing headaches. It is believed that blockage by impacted stools causes toxins to be absorbed into the bloodstream, giving rise to headaches. There may not be any substance in this theory, because those who fast also suffer from headaches. Besides, the headache “disappears” too soon after passing stools to be anything but psychosomatic. However, the so-called hunger headache caused by an empty stomach usually responds well to Sulphur.
Headaches may also be caused by lack of sleep, which is especially the problem of executives in communications industries, such as films, advertising and journalism. Such people find that even long hours of sleep do not refresh them, and they wake all knotted up and with a throbbing headache. Nux Vomica is the doctor’s prescription here.
Long working hours in ill-ventilated offices cause headaches, as do certain types of occupations. The latter is mainly found when a fixed posture must be maintained throughout the work day, for example by data entry personnel. A muscle in the neck twists or grows stiff – and the headache follows as blood circulation is impaired.
Migraines, the perfectionist’s malaise, are severe headaches of a chronic nature and afflict about 10 per cent of our population. Nausea, vomiting and visual disturbances lasting from a few hours to several days are the usual accompanying symptoms. Studies carried out at the Mayo Clinic showed that migraine occurred five times more frequently in patients who had hypertension. The specific cause again seems to be disruption in the flow of blood. Among the many medicines used for migraine, I have found Lac Defloratum to be the most useful. Other drugs are Menispermum (migraine associated with restlessness and dreams); Niccolum (prepared from the metal nickel, periodical migraines in weak, nervous and intelligent patients); Onosmodium (left-side headaches associated with eye-strain and weakness). Interestingly, a study of migraine patients indicated that the typical personality of this disease is intensely ambitious and success-oriented and capable of achieving a great deal in a short span, by driving themselves to almost superhuman efforts.
But suggest to a patient that he may be suffering from a tension headache and the likely response is to laugh it off and say, “What? Me, tense?” Tension has become so closely woven into the fabric of our daily lives that we do not seem to be able to recognise it. People accept tension at work and at home, and even children bring it home from school.
You must be logged in to post a comment.