Abstract
The term autism first was used by psychiatrist Euger Bleuler (1908). He used it to describe a schizophrenic patient who had withdrawn into his own world. The Greek word “autos” meant self and the word “autism” was used by bleuler to mean morbid self-admiration and withdrawal within self. Leo Kanner (1943) published the first systematic description of early infantile autism. He concluded that this was a neurodevelopmental disorder and that ‘these children have come into the world with an innate inability to form the usual, biologically provided contact with people.
Keywords
Homeopathy; Autism; Management
Introduction
Autism is a developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact with other people. It impacts the nervous system and affects the overall cognitive, emotional, social and physical health of the affected individual. The pervasive developmental disorders make up a neurobiological diverse group of conditions characterised by deficits across many areas of functioning that lead to a remarkably pervasive but diffuse disruptive of developmental processes.
Globally, autism is believed to affect 168 million children and adults. The United Kingdom is the country with the highest autism rate in the world, with a prevalence of 700.07 per 100k. The prevalence of autism varies significantly across different countries, through it is generally accepted to be higher in more developed countries.
Homoeopathy is based on “Similia Similibus Curenter” which means like cures like. According to homeopathic principles, functional changes are categorized under the fundamental miasm-psora similarly autism can also be considered as a psoric disease and can be treated with holistic approach of homeopathy.
After doing the proper case taking and understanding the proper signs and symptoms of the patient and with the help of a proper repertorization we can give a homeopathic medicine to the patient and with the help of right homeopathic medicine we can treat the patient as a whole.
Defintion
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behaviour. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is described as a “developmental disorder “ because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a guide created by the American Psychiatric Association used to diagnose mental disorders, people with ASD have:
1. Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people
2. Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors
3. Symptoms that affect the person’s ability to function in school, work, and other areas of life.
Causes
The exact cause of ASD is unknown. The most current research demonstrates there’s no single cause but it’s depend upon some genetic and environmental factors.
Some suspected risk factors for ASD include:
- Having an immediate family member who’s autistic
- Certain genetic mutations
- Fragile X syndrome and other genetic disorders
- Being born to older parents
- Low birth weight
- Metabolic imbalances
- Exposure to heavy metals and environmental toxins
- A maternal history of viral infection
- Fetal exposure to the medications valproic acid or thalidomide (Thalomid).
Homeopathic approach to Autism
- In the homeopathic system the treatment is based upon individualization, thus considering each and every individual to be unique.
- Some homeopathic medicines covering the symptomatology of autism all as follows:
1. Belladonna: The patient has furious rage and anger. He spits, bites and strikes those around him. He picks up the bed clothes, tears them to pieces and throws them off. He breaks into fits of laughter and gnashes his teeth, presenting a picture of absolute and violent insanity. Have acuteness of senses, sensitive to light, noise and jarring. Boring head into pillow, epileptic attacks, drawn backward and forward, rolls side-to-side, moaning, and hearing one’s own voice.
2. Hellebores niger: Unconscious and stupid when questioned answers slowly. Very much irritable and easily angered; does not want to be disturbed. Weak and delicate patient. The child seems suspicious, talkative, lascivious, and foolish with grate hilarity, incline to talk at everything. The child attempts to run away with delirium and low muttering speech. Often speaks louder, desire to strike, bite, and fight, insult scold, speechless with fear and plays with fingers.
3. Phosphorus: Oversensitive to external impressions- light, noise, touch, odor etc. unwilling to talk, thinks slowly, moves sluggishly. Restlessness, patient moves continuously. Cannot stand still for a moment. Hyposensitive and laughs over serious things.
4. Lycopodium: Melancholy, little things annoy, extreme sensitiveness, averse to undertake new things, awakes angry sad and anxious, weak memory, confused thoughts, spells or write wrong words and syllables, misanthropic, cannot bear to see anything new. Sense of smell very acute, hears humming and roaring in the ears with hardness of hearing.
5. Arsenicum album: Great anguish and restlessness, change place continually, great fear with cold sweat, nightly aggravation, have over sensitiveness, general sensibility increased and sensitive to disorder and confusion. Often have trembling, twitching, and conclusive spasm of extremities. Violence; self torture, pulls her hair, bites her nails, tears his own body. Roaring in hears, hard bearing to human voice, cannot bear the sight or smell of food.
6. Stramonium: Patient continuously laughing and talking. Cannot remain in dark room alone. Patient gets up and wants to escape and, therefore he runs away and hides himself in corner.
7. Calcarea carbonica: Scrofulous children with fatty, pot-bellied, large headed forgetful, poor learner, confused, misplace and express words wrongly. The child desires to go home, depressed, low-spirited, and melancholic, and weeps always. Anxious and suspicious, mischievous and obstinate, sits and thinks about nothing and breaks sticks or things all day. Have sleeplessness and nightmares often.
8. Sepia officinalis: Indifferent to those loved best, averse to occupation, to company, family, irritable, easily offended, yet dreads alone, anxious and fearful over trifles very sad and anxiety in the evening. Do strange things, wants to go away, sits quiet or answers monosyllables great sensitivity to orders, nausea at the smell or sight of the cooking food, disposition to vomit after eating always. Have hysterical tonic, colonic spasm and fidgety. Child looks old, cannot bear reflected light and oversensitive to noise and music.
9. Nux vomica: Excessive irritability. Very nervous. Wants to be alone. lii-humored. Easily become angry at very silly matters. Frequent and ineffectual desire for stool and urine. Loud sounds are painful, smells acute and fainting from odors.
10. Pulsatilla pratensis: The child is mild and gentle with yielding disposition, sad and rapidly weeps when talking, changeable, contradictory, aliments from abuse of drugs. Great sensitiveness, timid irresolute and likes caresses. Fear of being alone, of dark, ghosts, suspicious and miserly, answers yeas or no or by nodding head.
Conclusion
The research aim to evaluate the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment in alleviating the symptoms of Autism, such as communication difficulty, social interaction and behavioral issues. The study concludes that homeopathy may offer a complementary approach to managing autism symptoms in children.
References
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