Is your child suffering from repeat worms problem ? Are you tired of repeating deworming for your young ones?
Well then, you got to try homeopathic treatment for it. There are huge number of causing factors, variable symptoms in every individual and ‘n’ number of Homeopathic medicines covering them.
Sign and symptoms of worm infestation:
- Vague abdominal pain/ stomach ache
- Worms in stool
- Diarrhoea
- Weight loss
- Restlessness
- Weakness with symptoms of anemia like pale lips, fatigue
- Headache
- Sometimes allergy kind symptoms- urticarial rashes
- Itching at the anus
- Nose picking constant
- Teeth grinding at night
- Gnawing hunger or complete loss of appetite
- Steatorrhea (fat in stool)
- Fecal occult blood (blood stained stool)
- Bed wetting (Nocturnal Enuresis)
- Sometimes severe enough to be fatal by obstructing the gut & even reaching the brain
Lets understand first that there are various type of worm infestations. The word ‘Helminths’ comes from Greek word ‘helmins’, meaning worm, and it includes several classes of parasitic worms.
Three groups or type of helminths infect humans
- Segmented worms(annelids) like leeeches
- Roundworm (nematodes)
- Flatworms (platyhelminths) like- flukes and tapeworms
Here we are discussing about the intestinal infecting worms only as they are commonest cause of trouble for our children and sometimes adults too.
Hookworm (Ankylostomiasis) is the commonest(61.5%) helminthic infection in India, followed by Roundworm (Ascaris l.)-46.88% then Taenia (2.1%).
Walking bare foot over infected soil leads to Hookworm infection. Hookworms usually enter human body through skin when in larvae form, and are cause of ‘ground itch ‘ or Dermatitis on feet at the site of their entrance. They migrate up to the lungs causing cough, vomiting with blood stained sputa. When they reach intestines, they lead to vague abdominal pain, stomach upset kind symptoms, vomiting & diarrhoea, sometimes occult blood in stool.
Roundworm is the largest intestinal parasite in man. It infects human body via contaminated food in the form of egg which hatches in our intestines to release the larvae. It can enter the lungs leading to ‘Loffler Syndrome’, characterized by fever, cough, difficulty breathing(dyspnea) and blood tinged sputum. Sometimes , no symptoms at all. In hyperinfected children, it may lead to PEM (Protein Energy Malnutrition), pain abdomen and even intestinal obstruction, worms may pass through nose, mouth & anus.
Other worms like whipworm (Trichuriasis), threadworm,pinworm,seatworm(Enterobiasis) too spread or infect due to poor hygienic habits and Contamination.
Investigations include- stool examination, anal swab, CBC, chest X ray in cases presenting Respiratory Symptoms.
Prevention- Hygiene is the key to prevent worm infestations. Preventing contact with Faecally contaminated soil, safe disposal of faeces, clean drinking water, washing hands before eating or serving food. Cleaning/washing fruits & vegetable properly before consuming. Cook meat items properly to prevent infection with Tapeworms.
Homeopathic Approach- As you know, Homeopathy treats the patient as a whole and not just particular symptoms or disease, same rule follows here. To name commonest medicines which are used for worms are Cina, Teucrium, Santonine, many of the readers will be having certain idea of these but the twist here is going for unguided self medication leads to similar results as with other system of Medicines, repetitions. Fewer used medicines for worms may include- Calcarea, Stannum, Spigellia, Merc, Sulphur etc.
When we follow holistic approach to treat, chances are very less likely of relapsing and if not, it surely increases your fitness index better than before and relapse is delayed.
Bibliography:
- API- Medicine- 12th Edition
- Davidson’s Medicine- 20th Edition
