Transcript Depression - Faculty of Homeopathy

The Supplementary
Treatment Of Depression
Using Homeopathic and Bach
Flower remedies
The Supplementary
Treatment Of Depression Is
Useful For
• Patients who will not take antidepressants
• Patients who develop side effects on
anti-depressants
• Treatment resistant depression
Samuel Hahnemann 17551843
The “Like Cures
Like”Principle (similia
similibus curentur)
The drug which cures is capable of
producing symptoms similar to those
which it cures (eg.onions for colds)
Materia Medica
• Symptoms produced by poisonings
• Symptoms produced by provings
• Symptoms relieved when remedy given
for other symptoms
Taking A Homeopathic
History
• Presenting complaintaetiology,modalities
• PMH
• DH
• FH
• SH
• Generals-environment,food
• Mentals-personality,anxieties,mood
Patient
Symptom Picture
• Physical
characteristics
• Local & general
symptoms
• Temperament
Remedy
Drug Picture
• Toxicology
• Provings
• Experience
Repertorisation
• Repertories-books or computer
programmes
• List symptoms under body systems and
the remedies which produce them
• Ideally choose prominent symptoms in
each area-mind,general and local
• Aetiology
• Peculiar symptoms
How Are Remedies Prepared
?
• From- plants,minerals,animals,disease macerated in alcohol = mother tincture
• Serial dilution - 1 part added to 9 or 99
parts of solution = 1X or 1C potency
• Succussion in between dilutions
• Common potencies :- 6C, 30C, 200C,
1M, 10M, 50M
Precipitating Factors
• Acute grief reaction - Ignatia
• Suppressed grief - Natrum Mur.
• Emotional shock - Opium
• Worry,grief,homesickness,disappointed
love - Phosphoric Acid
• Resentment - Staphysagria
• Loss of property - Aurum
Aurum (Gold)
Often suicidal thoughts - talks of suicide
and desires death,but also fears
it.Dreams of death.
Ideas of worthlessness,critical of self and
others
Broods,wants to be alone.Sensitive to
noise
Craves alcohol-can feel better for it
Often unable to cry
Natrum Sulph.(Glauber’s Salt)
Often suicidal thoughts,but fights against
them
Often early morning wakening, 4-5 am
Hates coversing
Poor memory
Periodicity,down every spring
Arsenicum Album(White
Arsenic)
Depression and anxiety or agitated
depression.Very restless,never placid
Despairing,hopeless,irritated
Fears + + death,being alone
Lack courage,aggressive to others
Very tidy
Hallucinations of smell and sight
Exhausted after slight exertion
Cimicifuga(Actea Racemosa)
Depression & anxiety“like a black cloud”
Often pre-menstrual
or puerperal
Feeling of impending
evil
Fears- going
mad,being killed
Hallucinations-rats
and mice
Calc .Carb.(Chalk)
Depression with psychomotor retardation
Sit staring in front,heavy,dull, not restless
Broods over little things
Fears- insanity,illness,dark, “something
terrible” will happen
Sensitive to injustice to others
Silent tears
Poor memory
Phosphoric Acid
Extreme indifference
Settled despair - often after grief, worry,
homesickness, disappointed love
TATT
Impaired memory
Often young people
Useful in PVFS with depression
Phosphorus
Disinclined to work,study or converse.
Weary of life.Indifference even towards
own children.Weeps before menses.
Anxious and restless esp.in dark or
twilight.
Memory poor.Dread of death when alone
Ignatia (St.Ignatius`Bean)
Acute grief reaction usually expressed,
often remorseful
and self-critical
May be silent and
brooding
Natrum Muriaticum (Salt)
Depression following grief, rejection prolonged grief reaction
Indifferent (usually sympathetic)
Anxiety,hypochondriacal
Poor appetite,bad dreams
Afraid will go to hell,but may feel
suicidal
Worse pre-menstrually
Staphysagria (Delphinium)
Suppressed
resentment or guilt
(esp. sexual)
Difficulty expressing
anger
Anxious, irritable,
hypochondriacal
Very sensitive to
remarks of others
Prefers to be alone
Edward Bach 1886-1936
Cherry Plum
• Uncontrollable fears
- going mad ,
suicide
• “Out of control”
Sweet Chestnut
• Intense severe
suffering.Feel
trapped. Isolated.
Silent tears. Not
usually suicidal , but
feel ttere is no way
out.
Gentian
• Depression when
the cause is known
eg. disappointment
in job or love.
• Disillusion , doubt .
Gorse
• Hopelessness ,
despair
• More profound than
Gentian , but not so
acute as Sweet
Chestnut.
• Useful in terminal
illness , patients in
long term care .
Mustard
Depression when
cause unknown .Out
of the blue “like a
black cloud”
(cf.Cimic.) Lifts of its
own accord Not as
hopeless as Gorse.
Can be useful for
SAD
Star Of Bethlehem
After effects of loss ,
grief .
Depression that feels
like a loss .
Can seem to cope
superficially , but no
joy ,anhedonia .
Honeysuckle
Useful for regrets after
a bereavement .
Keynote - “ Living in
the past”
Clematis
Can be useful in grief .
Lack of concentration ,
thinking of lost
person
May escape into
alcohol or drugs .
Keynote - lack of
interest in the
present .
Hornbeam
Mental fatigue and
lassitude .
Don’t want to get up ,
can’t be bothered .
Olive
Exhaustion,
longstanding
overwork, burn-out
.
Overtired , can’t sleep
.
More physical than
Hornbeam .
Pine
Guilt .Punish
themselves
Often insidious
depression .
Unhappy relationships
because they feel
unworthy .
Feel guilty if they relax
or go on holiday workaholics .
Willow
“ Victim mentality “
Not true depression ,
but may present as
such .
Resentment ( cf. Staph
)
Not happy with
improvement
Put responsibility for
their feelings onto
Elm
Overwhelmed by
responsibility .
Usually temporary .
Normally capable
,take on too much
and feel inadequate
and depressed .
Less physical than
Olive
Wild Rose
Apathy and
resignation .
Chronic illness or
situation .
Reluctant to change .
Flat affect .Sit down
heavily
Scleranthus
Uncertainty,
changeable .
Useful for mood
swings , cyclothymic
or bipolar illness .
“ Bach remedy
lithium”
Outcomes for Patients with
Depression 1996 - 2000 n=24
GHHOS
0=No improvement
1=Minor
``
2=Moderate ``
3=Major
4=Cured
``
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
1+
2+
3+
4+
DNA