When Gastritis Struck, Homeopathy Saved the Day
On 30th January 2022, Mrs. S.M, a 47-year-old resident of Kopar Khairane, Navi Mumbai, walked into the Life Force Homeopathy clinic in Vashi, seeking relief from her persistent gastric troubles (Patient ID:47276). She complained of persistent pain in the left hypochondriac region and pain would radiate downward to her abdomen. The pain wasn't sharp but dull and constant, enough to disrupt her daily life. The frequency of getting pain was 6-7 episodes daily lasting for 15-20 minutes. Alongside pain, she experienced abdominal bloating and constant heaviness in the abdomen. Gases followed her meals, making her discomfort even harder to ignore. She also complained of retrosternal burning which would get aggravated by eating sour food. Her complaints were always at their worst in the mornings, starting her days on a sour note. The recurrent gastric complaints affected her energy levels. The complaint would get better after passing flatus or after intake of cold food and drinks however spicy and sour foods were her enemies aggravating her complaints. She didn’t mention headache, vomiting, or indigestion. She strongly linked the onset of her worsening symptoms to the medications she took for COVID.
She was taking Famotidine 40 mg twice daily and Pantoprazole 40 mg occasionally. These medications were the only temporary fixes, leaving her frustrated and making her desperate looking for alternatives that would make her symptom-free for a longer period without dependency and side-effects of medicines.
Investigations:
- Date: 7th January 2022
- Impression:
- Liver normal in size diffuse heterogeneous parenchymal echo texture.
- The gall bladder is distended and normal bulky uterus with fluid collection within the endometrium cavity.
Physical generals:
She had a mixed diet and craved meat, sweets, and sour foods. She drank about three liters of water every day. There were no complaints of micturition or bowel movements, and her thermal status was hot. Her sleep was sound, and she slept on the left side of her body. She recalled dreams of her everyday routine.
Personal details:
The patient was a housewife whose husband worked as an IT professional in Hyderabad. Her teenage son was 19 and pursuing a B.E. in electronics, while her older daughter was 21 and studying commerce. According to her life profile, the patient was lonely and stressed during her early years but was now content and settled. She was shy and nervous by nature and occasionally showed irritable behavior.
The patient has previously had a tubectomy and an appendectomy.
Dr.Shah prescribed SULPHURIC ACID 30 as per the case evaluation.
Follow-ups:
During her first follow-up on 8th March 2022, the patient was approximately 30% better, there was a decrease in pain intensity and frequency, also bloating and flatulence were significantly reduced, and took only 4 antacids in a month.
During her second follow-up on 16 April 2022, the patient was much better than before, approximately 50-60% better, with only slight bloating and flatulence occasionally, heaviness of the abdomen was also reduced with no abdominal pain.
The patient was quite stable in her complaints and after continuous homoeopathic treatment, she was doing better.
Her last follow-up was on 6th Jan 2024 where she got no episode of bloating, abdominal pain, or heaviness. Only her acidity was getting triggered due to eating outside food too occasionally, but overall the patient was completely better having no major episodes.
Conclusion:
Homoeopathy addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of gastritis, leading to a complete resolution of symptoms and long-term improvement. This case highlights the effectiveness of homeopathy in managing chronic conditions like gastritis including other factors as significant contributors.
- Case study written by Dr.Shreya Hedaoo, MD (Hom), an associate doctor to Dr.Rajesh Shah, MD (Hom)