HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER

Somatic symptom disorder involves having a significant focus on physical symptoms — such as pain or fatigue — to the point that it causes major emotional distress and problems functioning. You may or may not have another diagnosed medical condition associated with these symptoms.

Excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors in response to physical symptoms may lead to frequent doctor visits. You often think the worst about your symptoms and continue to search for an explanation, even when other serious conditions have been excluded. Health concerns may become such a central focus of your life that it's hard to function, sometimes leading to disability.

If you have somatic symptom disorder, you may experience significant emotional and physical suffering. Treatment can help ease symptoms, help you cope and improve your quality of life.

Causes

The exact cause of somatic symptom disorder isn't clear, but any of these factors may play a role:

Genetic and biological factors, such as an increased sensitivity to pain

Family influence, which may be genetic or environmental, or both

Personality trait of negativity, which can impact how you identify and perceive illness and bodily symptoms

Decreased awareness of or problems processing emotions, causing physical symptoms to become the focus rather than the emotional issues

Learned behavior — for example, the attention or other benefits gained from having an illness; or "pain behaviors" in response to symptoms, such as excessive avoidance of activity, which can increase your level of disability

Symptoms

Symptoms of somatic symptom disorder may be:

·         Specific sensations, such as pain or shortness of breath, or more general symptoms, such as fatigue or weakness

·         Unrelated to any medical cause that can be identified, or related to a medical condition such as cancer or heart disease, but more significant than what's usually expected

·         A single symptom, multiple symptoms or varying symptoms

·         Mild, moderate or severe

Pain is the most common symptom, but whatever your symptoms, you have excessive thoughts, feelings or behaviors related to those symptoms, which cause significant problems, make it difficult to function and sometimes can be disabling.

Excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors can include:

·         Having a high level of worry about potential illness

·         Considering normal physical sensations as a sign of severe physical illness

·         Fearing the medical seriousness of symptoms, even when there is no evidence to support that concern

·         Appraising physical sensations as threatening, harmful or causing problems

·         Feeling that medical evaluation and treatment have not been adequate

·         Fearing that physical activity may cause damage to your body

·         Repeatedly checking your body for abnormalities

·         Frequent health care visits that don't relieve your concerns or that make them worse

·         Being unresponsive to medical treatment or unusually sensitive to medication side effects

·         Having a more severe impairment than would usually be expected related to a medical condition

For somatic symptom disorder, more important than the specific physical symptoms you experience is the way you interpret and react to the symptoms and how they impact your daily life.

Risk factors

Risk factors for somatic symptom disorder include:

·         Having anxiety or depression

·         Having a medical condition or recovering from one

·         Being at risk of developing a medical condition, such as having a strong family history of a disease

·         Experiencing stressful life events, trauma or violence

·         Having experienced past trauma, such as childhood sexual abuse

·         Having a lower level of education and socio-economic status

Complications

Somatic symptom disorder can be associated with:

·         Poor health

·         Problems functioning in daily life, including physical disability

·         Problems with relationships

·         Problems at work or unemployment

·         Other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression and personality disorders

·         Increased suicide risk related to depression

·         Financial problems due to excessive health care visits

Prevention

Little is known about how to prevent somatic symptom disorder. However, these recommendations may help.

If you have problems with anxiety or depression, seek professional help as soon as possible.

Learn to recognize when you're stressed and how this affects your body — and regularly practice stress management and relaxation techniques.

If you think you have somatic symptom disorder, get treatment early to help stop symptoms from getting worse and impairing your quality of life.

Stick with your treatment plan to help prevent relapses or worsening of symptoms.

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES

Every individual suffering from Somatic symptom disorder may consider Homoeopathy to provide relief and life time cure. Homoeopathy today is a rapidly growing system and is being practiced all over the world.Its strength lies in its evident effectiveness as it takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual through promotion of inner balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels. When Somatic symptom disorder   is concerned there are many effective medicines are available in Homoeopathy, but the selection depends upon the individuality of the patient, considering the mental and physical symptoms.

IGNATIA AMRA 200---Ignatia amara is one of the top remedies for  Somatic symptom  disorder with great sensitiveness to external impressions.  It is best adapted to the  sensitive, excitable, nervous temperament,  women of a sensitive, easily excited nature, dark hair and skin , but mild disposition, quick to perceive, rapid to execute. Complaints from grief, fright or emotional chocks.  Ignatia patient laugh and cry alternately.  Spasmodic laughter often ends in screaming. The patient is oversensitive and sensitive. Constantly frustrated. Silently brooding. Sighing and sobbing. Congestive headaches feels as if a nail were driven through the side. The patient have an inclination to choke. They get ulcerative pain in soles with jerking of limbs.  Faints easily. Girls who faint when go to church or who fall in love with married men.  Anguish, shriek’s for help. Ignatia patient is intolerant of contradiction of reprimands. The patient has a tendency to clonic spasms with marked hyperesthesia of all senses. The physical symptoms of Ignatia are mainly as a result of worry and grief.

ARNICA MONTANA 200—Arnica is effective for Somatic symptom disorder , where a person is subjected to physical symptoms consequential to emotional trauma. Arnica is used after severe mental stress and shock.  Arnica patient feels the body is tender to touch and feels extremely sensitive, sore, lame, bruised and stiff. They have an immense fear of being touched or approached. Arnica patients are apathetic and are unable to perform continuous work. There is vertigo and ringing in ears. They pass involuntary stool while sleeping.

CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA 200---Cimicifuga racemosa is best adapted to nervous persons , resulting from anxiety and overexertion. These patients have great depression with dreams of impending evil. They are despondent, seems to feel under a heavy black cloud. Cimicifuga racemosa  acts on cerebrospinal and muscular system, particularly in patients who are tense and restless with pain. Pains are muscular, crampy and like electric shocks.

KALMIA LATIFOLIA 200—Kalmia is effective for Somatic symptom disorder where there is severe shooting pain with stiffness, numbness or cold sensation in the muscles that affects a large part of a limb. Pains come suddenly , shift suddenly, get worse from motion, at night and from leaning forwards. Facial pains are mainly on the right side.The patient feels confusion of mind. Memory and mental faculties are perfect in a recumbent position , but on attempting to move , vertigo. The patient have great anxiety and palpitations and they are cross and irritable. There is a warm sensation in the stomach with nausea and vomiting. In women there are menstrual irregularities with palpitation.

PHYTOLACCA DECANDRA 200—Phytolacca is another effective remedy for Somatic symptom disorder where the patient is restless with aches, discomfort and prostration. It is best adapted to syphilitic patients who are sensitive to damp weather. The patient is sensitive to electric changes and rain.  The patient is indifferent to life, loses weight, loss of personal charm and disregard of surrounding objects. . Feels faint on rising. The muscles feels extremely stiff and sore with exhaustion. Pain is shooting , changing spots and is worse from movement, in damp cold weather, at night and feels better by warmth, rest and lying down.  There isa feeling that heart leaped into throat , with loss of voice and difficulty in breathing.

RANUNCULUS BULBOSUS 200—Ranunculus is prescribed when the patient complains of shocks throughout the whole body. The patient is irritable with pains.  These patients are receptive to touch and complain of aches and muscle stiffness of the neck and back. Pain is stabbing with feeling of soreness felt near the spine and shoulder blades, especially on the left side. Pain is worse after consuming alcoholic beverages. Great fear of ghosts in the evening, dares not to be alone .Depression of spirits and desire to die. The patient feels day blindness , mist before eyes as from smoke.