Beyond the Creams and Ointments: Homeopathy's Holistic Approach in-treating difficult case of Recurrent Eczema.

Recurrent Eczema is a chronic skin condition characterized by repeated episodes of inflammation, dryness, and itchiness. The symptoms can range from mild to severe and may appear anywhere on the body, most commonly on the hands, feet, face, and behind the knees. In some cases, the condition can lead to the formation of small, raised bumps or blisters that may ooze fluid and crust over.

CASE STUDY:

A 56-year-old patient with recurrent eczema (Patient ID: 47481) visited the Life Force Malleswaram branch on February 22, 2022.

She has been dealing with Eczema for three years. Her symptoms were eczematous eruptions with intense itching, bleeding, and burning pain in the feet, soles, and fingers of the hands. The episode would start in winter and last for 3 months or more yearly. There were cracks in hand fingers, feet, and soles.

On inquiry while consultation it was found that there was a history of prolonged exposure of hands and feet to detergents and cleansing liquids, as the patient had the habit of frequently cleaning house and vessels.

She also had a hypothyroidism and was on a thyroid supplement for the same. Upon initial consultation, a comprehensive case history was taken, focusing on physical and mental state.

Physical generals:

The patient had a mixed diet, with an average appetite and thirst. She didn’t have any urinary complaints; her bowels were very regular. She had a sound sleep schedule.

Family History and Background:

She was a homemaker and stayed with her husband and only daughter. Her father had diabetes; the rest of the family members stayed healthy.

Mental generals:

The patient had a great childhood with a loving family. As a person, she was very mild, gentle, and polite, and she would get very anxious about her health.

Upon reviewing her comprehensive case history, Dr. Shah indicated PSORINUM as a constitutional remedy for her recurrent eczema.

Follow ups:

When the patient gave her first follow-up on April 4th, 2022, two months after starting medication, she was stable. The itching persisted but was better than before. The same medications were continued to see further positive changes.

After four months, on June 24, 2022, the patient was 25% better; however, itching was still present, and there was improvement in eruptions. There were no breakouts till December 15, 2022; she was considerably better, and the itching had subsided.

On 25th February 2023, mild eruptions in the toes started with itching and redness because of winter, however, the intensity was much less than compared to old eczema episodes. On 15th March 2023, a severe relapse happened probably because of cold winter weather and frequent contact with detergents. As per case need the additional medicines were sent. By 6th September 2023, the patient was much better her eruptions had subsided.

On 11th February 2024, the patient was overall 80% better and stable however 2 weeks before visiting us she again had a severe relapse of eruptions with pain, itching, and discharge. Dr.Shah evaluated the case and new medicines were prescribed.

On May 21, 2024 patient was much improved, there were no new patches and all old eruptions had healed. The patient expressed her gratitude towards Dr. Shah and the entire life force team for their effective treatment of her difficult and recurrent Eczema.

Conclusion:

This case demonstrates the effectiveness of a holistic, constitutional approach in homeopathy in dealing with recurrent allergic deep-seated skin diseases like Eczema. The conventional treatment helped her temporarily however with homeopathic treatment patient experienced long-term relief without side effects and also there was no need for surgical intervention.

• Case study written by Dr. Shweta R., MD (Hom), an associate of Dr. Rajesh Shah, MD (Hom)