HOMEOPATHY FOR DEMENTIA

Dementia is a chronic organic mental disorder, characterized by the following main clinical features

·         Impairment of intellectual functions

·         Impairment of memory, predominantly of recent memory, especially in early stages

·         Deterioration of personality with lack of personal care

Impairment of all these functions occurs globally, causing interference with day-to-day activities and interpersonal relationships. There is impairment of judgment and impulse control, and also impairment of abstract thinking. There is however no impairment of consciousness. The course of dementia is usually progressive though some forms of dementia can be reversible. 

Additional features may also be present. These include:

·         Emotional lability, marked variation in emotional expression.

·         Catastrophic reaction. When confronted with an assignment which is beyond the residual intellectual capacity, patient may go into a sudden range

·         Thought abnormalities, e.g. perseveration, delusions

·         Urinary and faecal incontinence may develop in later stages

·         Disorientation in time; disorientation in place and person may also develop in later stages

·         Neurological signs may or may not be present, depending on the underlying cause

Causes

Some common causes of dementia include:

Parenchymatous brain disease

·         Alzheimer’s disease

·         Pick’s disease

·         Parkinson’s disease

·         Huntington’s chorea

·         Lewy body dementia

·         Steel Richardson syndrome (Progressive supra nuclear Palsy)

Vascular dementia

·         Multi-infract dementia

·         Subcortical vascular dementia (Binswanger’s disease)

Toxic dementia

·         Bromide intoxication

·         Drugs

·         Heavy metals

·         Alcohol

·         Carbon monoxide

·         Analgesics

·         Anticonvulsants

·         Benzodiazepines

·         Psychotropic drugs

Metabolic dementias

·         Chronic hepatic or uraemic encephalopathy

·         Dialysis dementia

·         Wilson’s disease

Endocrine causes

·         Thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, adrenal dysfunction

Deficiency dementias

·         Pernicious anemia

·         Pellagra

·         Folic acid deficiency

·         Thiamine deficiency

Dementias due to infections

·         Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease

·         Neurosyphilis

·         Chronic meningitis

·         AIDS dementia

·         Other HIV –related disorders

·         Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)

Neoplastic dementias

·         Neoplasms and other intracranial space-occupying lesions

Traumatic dementia

·         Chronic subdural hematoma

·         Head injury

Hydrocephalic dementia

·         Normal pressure hydrocephalus

Management

·         Basic investigations: Complete blood count, urinalysis, blood glucose, serum electrolytes, renal function tests, thyroid function tests, serum B12, and folate levels, serological tests for syphilis, arterial Po2 and pco2, X-ray skull, EEG, lumbar puncture, CT scan/MRI scan of brain, neuropsychological tests, and drug screens.

·         Treatment of the underlying cause, if treatable.

·         Environmental manipulation and focus on copying skills to reduce stress in day to day activities.

·         Treatment of medical complications if any.

·         Care of food and hygiene.

·         Supportive care for the patient and family /carriers.

·         Short term hospitalization may be needed for emergent symptoms whilst a longer term hospitalization or respite placement may be necessary in later stages.

·         Drug treatment.

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES

Homoeopathy today is a rapidly growing system and is being practiced all over the world. It 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 DEMENTIA   is concerned there are many effective medicines available in Homoeopathy , but the selection depends upon the individuality of the patient , considering mental and physical symptoms.

 

ANACARDIUM ORIENTALE: Sudden loss of memory due to physical and mental lack of power. Suddenly forgets names, those around her and what she has seen. Bad memory. Absent minded.  Lack of confidence in himself or others.Senile dementia, especially in Alzheimer’s disease. Brain fatigue. Fear of examination in students. Nervous exhaustion after over-study. Anacardium patients are often confused about their identity, they think they have two wills one good and the other bad. Desire to swear and curse.  Very easily offended. Profound depression with tendency to use foul, violent language.

AMBRA GRESIA:  The memory is impaired, slow comprehension. Senile dementia. Cannot understand what one read and have trouble with calculations-even simple mathematics. Intensely shy, timid, blushes easily. Dread of people and desire to be alone. Jumping from one subject to another, never waiting to have first question answered. Melancholy, sits for days weeping. Music causes weeping and trembling.

ASHWAGANDHA: Loss of memory, in total or partial destruction of intellect. Power of thinking, memory and expression is paralyzed. Students who cannot fix their attention on any subject nor can memorize their lesson, nor express what they have read.

BACOPA MONNIERI: A specific remedy for dementia. It is mostly used a tonic for absent-mindedness and short of memory. Sharpens dull memory.

BARYTA CARBONICUM: Loss of memory, mental weakness. Forget the words that he is about to speak. Forgetfulness while speaking and the mind seems clouded. Senile dementia. Increasing mental weakness in old people. Dementia in old people after a stroke.   Absent mindedness in old people. The child has great trouble in concentration on studies and takes a long time to comprehend a sentence and reads it over and over again. The child is dwarfish both mentally and physically. Slow mental grasp and backward. Lack of confidence.  Timid, shy and is averse to meeting strangers.

CANNABIS INDICA:  Very absent –minded, forgetful, cannot finish a sentence. Sudden loss of speech, begins a sentence bur cannot finish it.  He or she forgets the words in between a conversation and does not remember what he or she is about to say. Difficulty in communicating.  Sudden loss of memory. Exaltation of spirits. Constantly theorizing. Lost in thoughts.  Time seems too long, seconds seem ages. A few miles an immense distance.  Hallucinations and imaginations.

GINKGO BILOBA:   Ginkgo biloba mother tincture is effective for memory loss, especially in old people. It increases the circulation of blood to head.

LAC CANNINUM:  Very forgetful in writing. Cannot remember the right words when writing and makes frequent mistakes. Cannot concentrate while studying or anything. Absent minded with a feeble memory and forgetfulness. Makes purchase and goes home without picking them up. Goes to post a letter and comes back with the letter in his pocket.

HELLEBORUS NIGER: Apathy, dullness, stupid, slowness and blankness of mind. Poor memory  following a stroke. Inattention.  Poor concentration. Slow in answering.

KALI BROMATUM:  Loss of memory, forgets how to talk, has to be told the word before he can speak it. Senile softening of the brain. Amnesic aphasia. Memory weakness from grief and anxiety. Slow, hesitates, omits, or mixes up words in talking and writing. Fidgety, busy hands, fumbles. Moves arms about wildly.

KALI PHOSPHORICUM:  A brain tonic. Weak memory because of mental exertion. Both mental and physical exhaustion. Slightest labor seems a heavy task. Indisposition to meet people. Anxiety with nervous dread. Depressed and gloomy.

LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM: Weak memory, confused thoughts. Dyslexia. Spells or writes wrong words and syllables. Cannot read what he writes. Weakness of memory after influenza.

MEDORRHINUM:  Weak memory. Poor concentration. Loses the thread of concentration. Forgets names and words. Forgetting the names of friends and familiar people. The patient may not even remember their own names. Forgetfulness while writing, both regarding the words that are to be written as well as their spelling. While speaking the person may forget the appropriate words. During a conversation the patient may forget what he was asked; and the question has to be repeated. Cannot speak without weeping, tells it over and over again. Time passes too slowly. Desperate. Sad, tearful and fearful.

NUX MOSCHATA: Confused mind and impaired memory.  Dreamy and bewildered, as in a dream. Sudden loss of thoughts. Absent –minded and dreamy. Thoughts suddenly vanish, while talking, reading of writing. Using wrong words, especially during headaches. Vague or space-out as if intoxicated. Clairvoyant states. Changeable moods, laughing and crying.

PHOSPHORIC ACID:  Impaired memory. Weak memory. Apathetic . Indifferent to everything. Aversion to talking. Cannot collect his thoughts or find the right word. Difficult comprehension. Efeects of grief and mental shock.

SULPHUR: Absent –minded. Poor concentration.  Very forgetful. Dull, difficult, thinking, misplaces or cannot find proper words when talking or writing. Aversion to do mental or physical work. Very selfish, no regard for others.