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:::: Dr KK Goyal's Classical Homeopathy ::::
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Two Cases of Pulmonary TB treated with Homeopathy
(Published)
Case 1 Mrs S
Initial consultation 23 January 1996
A 21 year-old woman presented, she had been receiving Anti
Tubercular Treatment (ATT) for nearly 6 months. This was a known
case of Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB).She belonged to a
poor family. She had married just 1 year before. Her family showed
her affection but she remained dissatisfied. At the time of her
marriage one-year previously she was well. A few months later
amenorrhoea occurred without pregnancy. Two months after this
episode her old pulmonary TB reactivated. At this time she was
diagnosed as a case of MDR TB (resistant to Rifmapicin and Isoniazid)
on the basis of culture and sensitivity of sputum. She was
prescribed second line ATT (Kanamycin, Cycloserine, Pyrazinamide,
Isoniazid and Ciprofloxacin).She came to me after having taken ATT
for nearly 6 months - the sputum direct smear was highly positive
for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the chest x-ray showed a large
cavity in right upperlung field and fibroinfiltrative lesions in the
left lung field(Figure 1) She was suffering from fever, cough, chest
pain and loss of appetite.Choice of remedy and potency considered
the whole picture including her mentals, particularly
the following: discontented; irritability <consolation; lie down,
inclination to; desires sweets; aversion
to meat; nausea<thoughts of food; violent dry cough<morning and
evening; dyspnoea<walking and coughwith; vomiting<coughing; chest
emptiness< cough during; chest pain<cough; cough dry; bathing, dread
of; sweats profusely on coughing; secondary amenorrhoea. I
prescribed Sepia (Sep) 30c one dose on the day of consultation. |
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Second visit: She was
quite happy with the positive effects of Sepia and had stopped ATT.
Third visit 20 February 1996: Feeling unwell for the last two days.
Sepia 30c one dose repeated. Fourth visit 2 March 1996:
Expectorating copious bad smelling, dirty coloured sputumfor 3 days
– no medicine. Fifth visit 14 March 1996: She complained mental
dullness. She did not want to do any thing, a sort of indifference
to every thing. Sepia 30c one dose. Sixth visit 8 April 1996: She
complained that her skin seemed as if burnt by the sun <
perspiration. I repeated Sepia 30c one dose.
22 April 1996: She came with a relapse of dyspnoea, the skin trouble
was better. This time Sepia 30c was ineffective. I then gave her
Sepia 200c but without a good effect. I reviewed and re-repertorised
the case and found Sulphur was the most similar to the whole case.
Sulphur 30c one dose was sufficient to keep the patient in comfort.
Eighth visit 16 May 1996. Sudden onset of severe pain on the left
side of chest. The sputum was still positive for M. tuberculosis but
they were less numerous. Sulphur again fitted the picture, Sulphur
30c one dose ameliorated the chest pain. Chest x-ray showed
improvement Ninth visit 7 August 1996. She had been improving till
two days before when she experienced an increase in cough and
dyspnoea I re-reportorised the case and I found Sepia was the drug
of choice again. She felt better after 200c. |
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October 1996: Menses
resumed. She gained 3 kg weight. Three consecutive sputum reports were
negative for M. tuberculosis.6 December 1996: She came with symptoms of
pregnancy. Chest X-rays showed further
improvement, sputum reports were negative for M. tuberculosis. About
this time another doctor convinced her to discontinue the homeopathic
treatment for the sake of her baby. She resumed ATT inspite of the good
response to homeopathic treatment.
October 1997: After having taken ATT for nearly seven months and after
having a normal delivery, she presented with fever, not relieved by ATT
otherwise she seemed well. Sputum was still negative for M tuberculosis
but the chest x-ray showed some fibrosis in the leftlung. I prescribed
Sepia 200c one does for her fever problem and it was again effective.A
repeat chest x-ray in May 1998, 30 months after the initial consultation
showed some fibrosis in the left upper zone, suggesting inactive TB but
was otherwise normal. |
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Case 2 Mrs N Initial
consultation 6 June 1991
A 24 years woman presented, complaining of right-sided chest pain,
fever, cough with expectorationand loss of appetite for 2 months. She
had taken ATT without any response. Then she stopped ATT and all other
medicines. Now she displayed hopelessness and indifference with fear of
death superimposed on her personality. The hopelessness was so great
that she refused to take any treatment. She seemed indifferent to every
thing though she was very affectionate to her mother. Shewept throughout
the consultation regarding her family life. She became suddenly agitated
but immediately resumed weeping. She seemed somewhat to improve when I
consoled her.Pulmonary Tuberculosis was confirmed by the chest x-ray.
Direct smear examination of the sputum was highly positive for M.
tuberculosis.Pulsatilla (Puls) 30c was prescribed on the basis of
following rubrics and symptoms – ailments from grief; discouraged
easily; hopelessness (despair of social position) company aversion to;
weeping mood; indifference to everything; fear of death; menses
irregular; thirstless; desires open air; aversions to fruit and drinks;
likes bathing but feels chilly; cough rattling; cough loose <morning,
evening and night and <lying on; chest pain cough during; respiration
difficult lying while; expectoration – viscid and nauseous; menses late.
Next day: she seemed happier and was not resisting treatment. She felt
surprisingly better in fever, cough and chest pain. Puls 30c three times
a day was given. 14 July 1991: 37 days after starting treatment. No
fever, no chest pain, improved appetite, mild cough remained with little
expectoration. Puls 30 repeated again. Chest x-ray shown in , sputum was
still positive for M Tuberculosis.10 August 1991: Clinically she seemed
almost normal. Three consecutive sputum reports were negative for M.
tuberculosis. Sac lac only.
8 September 1991: Menses now were regular and normal. Seemed as happy as
ever before the illness. X-ray shown in A further three sputum reports
were negative for M. tuberculosis again. No medicine.27 December 1995:
(4 years after finishing treatment). Came for routine check-up. Seemed
quite healthy. Had two children since last seen. She had not been
suffering from any sort of health problem for last 4 years. Chest x-ray
normal. |
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Discussion
Pulmonary tuberculosis lesions usually heal by fibrosis and/or
calcification. But these two cases did not follow this rule. In the
first case, a large cavity on the right side of the lung field healed
without fibrosis while on homeopathic treatment alone. In Case Two, the
sputum became negative for M. Tuberculosis after having taken
homeopathic treatment for 3 months. The right-sided tubercular lesion
healed without fibrosis within 3 months and follow-up x-ray after more
than 4 years confirmed this. In both cases there is a clear radiological
and microbiological evidence of improvement coinciding with homeopathic
treatment.
Conclusion
TB, and in particular MDR TB is a growing threat. 1.7 million people
die, worldwide, annually from TB. In many parts of the world,
particularly south and east Asia many sufferers do not have access
toadequate treatment. Even in developed countries MDR TB remains a
threat — in 1991 an outbreak in New York City killed over 500 people.
The World Health Organisation had declared an emergency andrecommends
Directly Observed Treatment (DOTS), but the impact has been
disappointing. In India there has been little change in the
epidemiology of TB since 1956.Strong reservations about the
homeopathic treatment of TB are expressed in the literature. For
instance, Kent stated in his lecture on Calcara ostrearum (Calc carb),
that homeopathy cannot cureconsumption (pulmonary TB) and advised his
pupils to be wary of anyone who claimed to cure it. I have presented 2
cases of confirmed pulmonary TB with well-documented evidence of
improvement with homeopathic treatment.
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