Seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Episodes of depression, that occur at particular times of the year, are known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, and tend to happen mainly in the winter (Lurie et al. 2006). SAD is associated with lack of light, and occurs most prominently in countries that have dark winters. To some extent, mild cases are ‘normal’ (Eagles 2003). SAD is often associated with other conditions such as alcoholism, attention deficit disorder and bipolar disorder (Lurie et al. 2006; Purse 2009).

There are three conventional approaches to SAD, which are light therapy, antidepressants and CBT. There is not much evidence for the benefits of antidepressants for this condition, and not much research into the evidence for CBT (Lurie et al. 2006; Eagles 2003).

However, light therapy has a low risk of adverse effects, and can be effective if practised in the mornings for between 30 minutes and two hours (Purse 2009; Lurie et al. 2006). Interestingly, research by Rybak (2006) into the effects of light therapy on adults with ADHD showed that it decreased the ADHD symptoms and also improved the mood symptoms in the 29 adult subjects in the study.

The research emphasises the fact that light therapy is a medical treatment and should be monitored by a doctor. However, light therapy and exercise have been shown to be beneficial to SAD and thus a morning walk or jog in daylight can effectively alleviate the symptoms (Partonen et al. 1998; Eagles 2003).

There is an alternative of course. As homeopaths, Tamzin and I treat this condition regularly and there are many symptoms that we can find remedies for, such as ‘Winter aggravates’ or even ‘Winter solstice agg’ (Murphy & Murphy 2005, p.365), ‘Darkness aggravates the mental state’ (p 1023), ‘Depression, darkness aggravates’ (p 1029), and so on. This leads us to prescribe many different remedies to treat SAD, such as Aurum (gold), Causticum (potassium hydrate), and Stramonium (jimson weed). So we would suggest that if you think you have a bad case of SAD, then come and see us and we will do our very best to help you.

Bibliography

Eagles, J.M., 2003. Seasonal affective disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 182(2), pp.174–176.

Lurie, S.J. et al., 2006. Seasonal affective disorder. American family physician, 74(9), pp.1521–1524.

Murphy, R. & Murphy, R., 2005. Homeopathic clinical repertory : a modern alphabetical and practical repertory, Blacksburg, Va.: Lotus Health Institute.

Partonen, T. et al., 1998. Randomized trial of physical exercise alone or combined with bright light on mood and health-related quality of life. Psychological medicine, 28(6), pp.1359–1364.

Purse, M., 2009. Light Therapy: A Bright Idea. About.com Bipolar Disorder. Available at: http://bipolar.about.com/od/treatment/a/lightbox.htm [Accessed October 4, 2012].

Head lice and nits

Head lice

These little visitors are never welcome but tend to appear throughout the year on children at primary school. It’s nothing to do with personal hygiene at all, but has a lot to do with the fact that young children are much less inhibited about personal space than us grown ups, and so they roll around together much more, their little heads close together so those nasty creatures can get from one head to another with ease.

Of course, then your little sweetheart comes home and ‘spreads the love’, passing headlice on to brothers and sisters, mums and dads, and horror of horrors, onto granny and grandpa. The shame, the shame! Of course, any grandparent will have been through this themselves many years ago, and maybe just need gently reminding that it is an everyday hazard we have all experienced.

That said, how can we get rid of the pesky things? There are lots of toxic chemicals out there, shampoos and lotions for everyone, you just pay your money and take your choice. It’s wise to find out from your practice nurse which is the recommended product for the current infestation, as lice develop immunity to the old favourites and new products tend to work better initially.

But what if you don’t want to use the chemicals? After all, those chemicals do cross the skin barrier and seep into the bloodstream, and of course they are not just toxic to lice. How can you get rid of headlice without subjecting your child to continual, albeit small, doses of toxins?

Well, there are plenty of choices out there, all purporting to be natural and effective. Tamzin and I have tried them all, from tea-tree to neem oil, and have only found two things that work. The first one is boring and repetitive. You need to buy a large bottle of hair conditioner - the quality is not important - wet your child’s hair, put on the conditioner and nit comb before you rinse it out. The conditioner slows the head lice down and makes it easier and more comfortable to comb effectively and painlessly. Rinse the comb out in hot water after every stroke. We recommend doing this while watching TV, or while someone else reads your child a story to keep them amused. And you need to do it every other day, which we realise is tedious and time consuming. It’s grim, but it does work.

The second stage is the eucalyptus oil rinse. Put four drops into a cup of warm water, and rinse the hair with it after washing out the conditioner. Don’t rinse again, just leave the eucalyptus to dry in the hair. Do avoid getting it in the eyes, as it will sting and create a marked lack of co-operation in your child! The eucalyptus seems to dissuade the lice from re-infesting the hair, so it’s worth using after every hair-wash as a preventative.

The trick of both these stages is to keep calm and try to make the whole process as painless as possible, so that junior doesn’t dread the whole thing. After all, this will be something you need to do over and over again.

Lice don’t live for long without a host, so you don’t need to worry much about your carpets or furniture, and a 60°C wash will kill eggs and lice on bedding, hairbrushes and hats. If you are worried about something that can’t be washed but might be infected, simply seal in a polythene bag for a fortnight, that’s enough time to kill any eggs.

So, we are sorry. Our solution is boring, repetitive and not much fun. But it does work - and do remember it’s not forever. Your child will grow out of it eventually!

Coughs colds and flu

Coughs, colds and flu

Before I launch into some information about useful remedies for coughs and flu, there are a few points I would like to make about prescribing homeopathic remedies for acute conditions.

The first point is - don’t be scared! If you give someone a remedy, and they get worse, then don’t give them any more. It’s that simple. If they are worse because of the remedy (which is unlikely but possible) then stopping the remedy and waiting will nearly always mean that they will slowly get better. That’s what we call the homeopathic aggravation and a true aggravation is nearly always followed by improvement.

If on the other hand they don’t get better and continue to get worse, even though you have stopped giving them the remedy, then it’s obvious - the remedy isn’t curing them and so their illness is just getting worse and worse, just as it would if you had given no remedy at all! So try a different remedy. With luck, the new symptoms will guide you to a better choice.

The second point is don’t expect a miracle. If they have been ill for a few days, then it will take more than one dose to make them better. Give the remedy time to act, and I would usually suggest repeating the remedy for 24 hours before you decide to change it. If they are better after 24 hours, then the remedy is working - so keep going. If they are not better, then you can re-prescribe. Don’t expect to get it right first time every time!

The third point is that we are lucky enough to have the NHS. If in doubt, ring NHS Direct or go to your doctor or local hospital. Doctors are great at diagnosis, and sometimes you just need the re-assurance of knowing what the problem is before you prescribe. Better safe than sorry!

So those are my three important points for this blog. Bear these in mind, and have a go at prescribing for coughs, colds and flu over this winter. Remember, you can always ring us if you are not sure what to do next - we love to help people do our job for us!

Remember the code for reading remedies:-

	< means ‘Worse for’ > means ‘Better for’

 

There are thousands of homeopathic remedies and the following are just a few of the most likely - if you can’t find a description of the symptoms you are trying to treat, you might need to get a homeopathy first aid book or speak to one of us.

Cough remedies

Aconite - The cough starts suddenly after exposure to a cold dry wind, and is often worse at night. It may also be < when the patient goes into a warm room having been outside. The cough is usually short and dry with no phlegm.

Bryonia - Like Aconite this is a dry cough, but it can be hard too and cause a sore chest.  The cough is much < for motion, even breathing can trigger it. The cough can be so painful that the patient tries to hold their chest still with their hand or arms.

Hepar sulph- The poor Hepar patient is much worse for any cold or draught, which will make them cough and cough. This is a looser cough, with lots of thick yellow phlegm, and the patient may cough until they gag or retch.

Drosera - this is a cough that comes from a tickle in the throat, and the patient may cough and cough until he vomits. The cough is worse at night, and comes from deep in the chest. The patient’s voice may be quite hoarse.

Cold remedies

Aconite - This is a cold that comes on suddenly after exposure to cold, or a cold wind. Feverish, thirsty, with a headache and a sore throat and a tight chest. The patient will be restless and anxious, especially at night.

Allium cepa - made from onion, this remedy treats the symptoms of a cold that are like the sptoms you get after slicing onions - runny eyes and nose, frequent sneezing and soreness below the nose. > in open air, < in a warm room.

Natrum mur - profuse watery clear nasal discharge with lots of sneezing, much worse in the open air. Bursting headache and cold sores.

Pulsatilla - Lots of thick yellow mucus, bunged up and stuffy, better in the open air. The patient is likely to be a bit weepy and doesn’t want to be alone. < evening.

Flu Remedies

Flu manifests usually with chills, fever, headache, general aches and pains. The following remedies can be useful..

Arsenicum album - Restless, anxious, aching and irritable. Thirsty for sips of water, and chilled by cold drinks. > hot drinks.  Dislikes the smell and taste of food. May have burning pains, and is likely to be < after midnight. Watery discharges.

Bryonia  Alba - Everything < from the slightest motion. A bear with a sore head - patient wants to be left alone. Very thirsty, dry mouth and lips. Dryness generally, e.g. mucous membranes. Flu tends to go to chest, resulting in a painful dry cough.

Eupatorium perfiolatum. - Deep aching in the bones as if they were breaking, even the eyeballs may feel sore.. Exhausted. Thirsty with the chill.  Scanty sweat. More restless than Bry. Shivering

Gelsemium Sempervirens - gradual onset, chilliness, aching, weakness and fever. Not thirsty. Indifferent to life. Eyelids droop. Intense weariness, and trembling, < physical exhaustion. Feel > after urination.

Nux Vomica - Irritable, chilly, sensitive and < for odours, noise, open or cold air. > Lying down, warmth. Generally complaints from getting cold, cold wind, draughts. < in the mornings

Phosphorus - particularly when colds go to the chest and produce a dry tight cough with burning in the chest. Thirsty for ice-cold ad refreshing drinks. Anxiety about health.

DOSAGE - 30c –Take one dose and repeat up to four times daily. 6c or 12c - repeat up to six times daily.

 Stop taking the remedy if:

•  The symptoms go.
• You have taken the remedy for three days and nothing has changed.
• If the symptoms get worse. In this case, stop the remedy and wait - it is likely to work well in the next two or three days.
• If in doubt call either of us - we are happy to help!

It's always wise to go to the doctor, get your problem checked out and get a diagnosis before treating yourself. Don't assume you know what's wrong, and remember pain is always a warning that something is not right.