Autism

In my last two blogs, I gave an introduction to homeopathy and why I choose to become a homeopath. In my coming articles, I will write about various conditions, their causes, their symptoms, their diagnosis and its treatment in homeopathy.

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Today’s topic is Autism, also known as Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which is the name of a group of developmental disorders.

It includes a wide range depending on the level of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability and that’s why it is referred to as a spectrum.

Causes

      

       The causes of Autism is unclear but some of the known causes are

• Having an older parent
• Family history
• Certain genetic conditions.

Symptoms

Parents or school staff may be the first to identify ASD behavior in children. It's not necessary that all children will show all symptoms but most will show several.

Depending on the symptoms there are mainly two types of classifications:

1. Restricted / repetitive behavior: although the title itself is self-explanatory, these are some of the common symptoms

•      Repeating words or phrases they hear which is known as ‘Echolalia’
•     Trouble in understanding
•     Different expression that doesn’t match the situations
•     Robotic tone of voice
•     Having difficulty in holding conversations

2. Social communication/interaction behavior: symptoms are

•     Getting upset even with slight change of routine
•     Inconsistent or no eye contact
•     Not sharing of toys or personal things
•     Unusual responses to others emotions
•     Slow in reacting to situations

Along with these problems, people with ASD may face other problems like sensitivity to light/noise/texture of clothes and/or temperature.

They may have sleep issues, digestion problems, irritation amongst other problems/issues.

Though they have these disabilities, 46% of ASD children show above average intelligence. They are able to learn things in detail and remember for long periods of time, have strong eyesight and sharp hearing and are good at math, science art or music.

Diagnosing Autism

Doctors diagnose ASD by looking at a child’s behavior and development. Young children with ASD can usually be diagnosed by age two.

Older children and adolescents should be evaluated for ASD when a parent or teacher raises concerns based on watching the child socialize, communicate, and play.

Diagnosing ASD in adults is not easy. In adults, some ASD symptoms can overlap with symptoms of other mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, getting a correct diagnosis of ASD as an adult can help a person understand past difficulties, identify his or her strengths, and obtain the right kind of help.

Treatment

Now coming to the treatment part my request to parents is

 “Please do not try to treat your child yourself”. 

    Homeopathic treatment of autism is very challenging, needs lots of skill and experience. Homeopathy does have the ability to cure autism.

More and more people are showing interest in the homeopathic treatment and are benefited by it.

Homeopathy isn't a “same disease same drug" treatment. Ten different autistic children might be prescribed ten different remedies. The choice of an appropriate remedy depends on a child's individual characteristics like physical make, emotional and intellectual fields, behavioral patterns, food habits etc. The treatment process usually takes many months or years. And it may also require the use of different remedies over time. For this reason, as well as the innate complexity of autism treatment, it is wise to seek the help of an experienced and established homeopath. Some of the homeopathic remedies which help in the treatment of autism are Agraphis nutans, Baryta carb, Carcinocin, Helliborus, Hyoscyamus, Lycopodium, Natrum mur, Stramonium, Tuberculinum etc…

Autism, unfortunately, is a serious condition that is not easy to cure. For example, while ADHD has a 70% cure rate in many homeopathic practices, autism is much more difficult. However, there are many cases of autism which homepathy has cured. Although complete cures cannot be expected in all the cases, a growing number of homeopaths who treat autistic children on a regular basis are now seeing significant progress in a majority of cases. If treatment begins early -- especially before age 5 -- there really is the potential for complete recovery. Regardless of when treatment is begun, parents must have the commitment and must keep patience, and view treatment as a gradual process that will take months and years, not days or weeks. 

Why I choose to be a Homeopathic Doctor?

In my 1st blog I had written about what Homeopathy is, how its treatment helps in curing diseases, etc. In this blog I would like to tell and share why I choose to become a Homeopathic doctor.

Homeopathy was always sidelined as a 2^nd or 3^rd grade system of medicine. It was considered as poor man’s treatment, people had in mind that it is below their dignity to take homeopathic medicine.

People used to wonder “Are these medicines or just sugared sago?” There are still few who have same thoughts but definitely there is change in trend and number of patients taking homeopathy medicines is increasing day by day.

It really needs an experience to believe in this system.

There are many patients who come to me with a question “Doctor I have tried everything and do you think these small sugar pills will cure me?”

Homeopathy does have an answer to majority of chronic and acute diseases.

I started developing faith in homeopathy after it helped me in my illness in my childhood.

As a child I used to fall sick often. Fever, cough and cold hit me every now and then and it soon developed in to tonsillitis, sinusitis and childhood asthma. I was put on various treatments with allopathic and ayurvedic medicines but in vain. 

I had even received a course of peridure injection for my fever episodes. These injections were very painful and had to be taken every 3rd day. I still remember how painful it was. It was so painful that I used to scream, cry, throw a tantrum and sometimes even bite the doctor administering the injection.

But my life changed when my parents were transferred from Trichur in Kerala to Kasargod in northern end of Kerala.

There I met then DMO of Government Hospital Dr. Sachit in the year 1981.

He started treating me by giving a small packet with white powder, some sugar pills and a bottle with brown liquid in it. I was more than happy to take it. Slowly my attack of sinusitis, tonsillitis and asthma reduced both in severity and frequency. I took the medicines for some years which cured me completely.

This childhood incident of mine induced a great faith in this system of medicine which cured me of my pain and sickness without any heavy dosage of medicines or injections, without any side effects. So when the time came for me to choose my profession, I chose to be an homeopathic doctor, who cures people of their diseases by knowing the root cause and giving them medicine in the form of sweet pills which everyone, ranging from small kids to older people are happy to pop.

In my next blogs I will write about some interesting cases, my experiences and learnings.

Introduction To Homeopathy

          In my 1^st blog I would like to write about what homeopathy is & how it works & also clear some myths that usually people have regarding homeopathy.

What does Homeopathy mean?

Homeopathy is a system of complementary medicine in which ailments are treated by minute doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the ailment.

It's Origin and it's principles :

          Homeopathy is 2^nd most widely used system of alternative medicine which was founded by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician in 1796. Homeopathy is based on his doctrine “Like cures like”. It means a substance which can cause symptoms in a healthy person will cure the similar symptoms in a sick person.

Hahnemann believed that the underlying cause of disease were the phenomena called “miasms” and that homeopathic remedies addressed these. Miasma is an ancient Greek word and it means “pollution”.

The remedies are usually prepared by repeatedly diluting a chosen substance in alcohol or distilled water followed by vigorous shaking. Shaking between each dilution is important. Dilution usually continues well past the points where no molecule of the original substance remains. 

Remedies are selected by homeopaths by consulting reference books known as “repertories” and by considering totality of patient’s symptoms, personal traits, physical and psychological state and life history also.

        Homeopathy is basically based on 3 main principles:

1.     Like cures like: for example if u get symptoms of cold and cough, then, a homeopathic medicine that causes symptoms of cold may be your remedy.

2.     Minimal Dose:  Least possible amount of curative substance is most effective for relieving your symptoms.

3.     Single remedy: no matter how many symptoms occur only 1 remedy or medicine is given at a time and that medicine is aimed at all symptoms.

Who can take Homeopathy treatment?

Homeopathy is extremely effective and safe system with rapid and permanent results and it's effective and safe even for babies and pregnant women without any side effects.

Can homeopathy medicine be taken along other medications?

Homeopathic medicine can be taken along with other medications (provided there is ½ hour interval between 2 medications) without affecting the medicinal property or causing any side effects. Homeopathy works on your immune system and helps to improve it.

Can Homeopathy treat all diseases?

                   Homeopathy can treat a wide range of diseases including acute, infectious, chronic and even in those diseases wherein surgery seems imminent. Some of the areas where homeopathy has helped to avoid or delay surgery are diseases of nose, throat, eyes, tonsils, spine, digestive organs, kidneys, gall bladder, prostate gland, female reproductive organs etc.  Cases of arthritis, asthma, migraine, allergies etc. respond well under homeopathic treatment. However, this is to suggest that homeopathy is not cure-all medicine.

          This is a brief introduction to what Homeopathy is and how it functions… more details and info in my next blogs…

          Hope you all find this blog informative and helpful.