EOSINOPHILIA AND HOMOEOPATHY

EOSINOPHILIA AND HOMOEOPATHY
Dr. S. Sabarirajan., M.D. (Hom).

The term Eosinophilia refers to conditions in which abnormally high amounts of Eosinophils are found in either the blood (more than 600 cells per microliter (μ L))or in body tissues. Several causes are known, with the most common being some form of allergic reaction Eosinophil is a type of white blood cell. Eosinophils are produced in the bone marrow and are normally found in the bloodstream and the gut lining. They contain proteins that help the body to fight infection from parasitic organisms, such as worms. But in certain diseases these proteins can damage the body. Diagnosis is by complete blood count (CBC).
Aetiology
- The exact causative mechanisms of Eosinophilia remain largely unclear
- Very common Causes of Eosinophilia are Asthma, Hay fever, Drug allergies, Allergic skin diseases like Eczema, Sarcoptes scabiei, Scabies
- Common Causes of Eosinophilia are Connective tissue disease, Food allergy, Psoriasis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Allergic rhinitis

Clinical Features
Sympioms includes
- Skin allergy,
- Cough
- Frequent cold attack
- Throat irritation
- Bone pain or tenderness
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Joint contractures
- Muscle weakness
- Tenderness and swelling of the arms and legs (occasionally including joints)
- Thickened skin with puckered appearance

Diagnosis
- Complete blood cell (CBC) count with differential to quantitate the percentage eosinophils and absolute number of eosinophils (AEC).However, in some cases, a more accurate absolute eosinophil count may be needed.
- Medical history is taken, with emphasis on travel, allergies and drug use.
- Patients with allergic symptoms should have a nasal smear for eosinophilia and Gram stain. Patients with asthma symptoms should have sputum examination for eosinophilia.
Prevention
- Avoid exposure to known allergens.
- Do not eat raw or undercooked snails, fish, frogs, slugs, freshwater prawns or other animals that may be contaminated with parasitic worms.
- Thoroughly wash all produce to ensure that they are not contaminated with parasitic worms.

TROPICAL EOSINOPHILIA
Syn: Weingarten syndrome, pulmonary eosinophiliosis.
This condition which is common in tropics is characterized by an absolute eosinophil count of 2000/cmm or more in peripheral blood and associated with respiratory symptoms. Current evidence suggests that eosinophilia is an allergic reaction to helminthic parasites particularly filarial worms.
It is a syndrome characterized by cough dyspnea a raised white cell count with persistent and absolute eosinophilia with systemic manifestations like fever loss of weight and lassitude. Chert X-ray shows ground glass appearance.

Homoeopathic Management for Eosinophilia
- Homeopathic medicines stimulate the immune power to act against the disease. So homeopathic medicines acts well in cases of Eosinophilia. Homoeo medicine controls the Eosinophils level in body and helps to reduce the symptoms with out producing any side effect
- Homoeopathy is highly effective in the treatment of allergies and fully capable of stimulating the organism to heal to the point of complete relief from all allergy symptoms.
- There is a special mention about allergic diseases in Homoeopathic literatures under the heading IDIOSYNCRASY. Dr Samuel Hahnemann, founder of Homoeopathic system of medicine defined idiosyncrasy 200 years ago in his famous book Organon of Medicine as “Idiosyncrasies by which are meant peculiar corporeal constitutions which although otherwise healthy, posses a disposition to be brought into a more or less morbid state by certain things which seem to produce no impression and no change in many other individuals”.
- Manifestations of allergic reactions and idiosyncracies are same. Both are hypersensitive reaction. An idiosyncratic individual is oversensitive to one or few things which doesn’t require treatment as the person in healthy, but allergic disorders are due to morbid susceptibility.
- Successful Homoeopathic prescribing demands a detailed case taking to find out the evolution of disease, relation with life situation, also to find out characteristic symptoms. According to Hahnemann it is the constitution of an individual that becomes sick first. The objective of treatment should be the improvement of the constitution, so that sensitivity, which has gone bad, is corrected or brought within normal range. It has been proved, verified and confirmed that if a proper indicated constitutional treatment is given to the child for sometime, it improves the constitution. In due course, the attacks become lesser in frequency and severity.
- By constitutional approach we can prevent the recurrence of the complaint by modifying the altered susceptibility.
Miasmatic remedy can help to remove any miasmatic block obtained from the familial background, past history of patient and also the presentation.
- Acute prescriptions are required during acute flare-ups.
Thus the concept of totality of symptoms and principle of individualization together enables the homoeopathic physician to perceive the disease in its whole content to make a suitable prescription
- Lachesis is a sure cure for tropical eosinophilia.
- Remedies like Aconite napellus, allium cepa, Anti.tart, Arsenicum album, Bryonia alba, Calc.Carb, Drosera, Phosphorus, Hepar sulph, Veratrum viride, Kali carb, Mercurius sol, Kali bich, Natrum sulph, Sulphur Sambucus nigra, Ipecac, Balsamum peruvianum, Asclepias tuberose, Naphthalinum, Sinapis nigra are very much useful in treating eosinophilia.


References

1. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
2. Wikipedia.com/eosinophilia
3. Quick Bedside Prescriber – J.N.SHINGHAL.
4. http://homeoall.com/eosinophilia-homeopathy-treatment/
5. http://www.homeopathyzone.com/blog/article/the-homeopathic-treatment-of-allergies
6. http://doctorprasanna.com/articles/naso-respiratory-allergies-and-homoeopathy/
7. Principles of Prescribing, Dr. K.N.Mathur.
8. LILIENTHAL S., Homoeopathic Therapeutics
9. DEWEY W. A., Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics






Dr. S. SABARIRAJAN., M.D. (Hom) (Gen.med) (Gold medalist)

Reader, Dept. of Practice of Medicine
Vinayaka Mission’s Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital,
Salem, Tamilnadu.