Homeopathy For ‘Septic' Disorders

Septicaemia, also known as blood poisoning, is a systemic condition caused by the presence of microorganisms, or their toxins, in circulating blood. among the symptoms produced are fever, chills, prostration, pain, headache, nausea and diarrhoea. Fortunately, there are certain homeopathic remedies with a ‘like’ profile to address the potentially serious disease.

- Dr Barbara Etcovitch

First things, first. Arsenicum Album is a dependable remedy, when symptoms ‘match’ with the patient’s illness. The patient in need of Arsenicum to treat septicaemia is anxious, weak, restless, pale, emaciated, and chilly. The restlessness is caused by anxiety which seeks relief in motion, and so the Arsenicum type is fidgety and constantly moving. The restlessness is made worse by pain. The patient is irritable, easily offended, and quarrelsome, startles easily and is very sensitive to pain.

The weakness is out of proportion to the ailment. Even the slightest physical exertion depletes the vital force.

There is much fear associated with the anxiety and restlessness, the fear of death being the greatest. The patient believes that they will never recover and is about to die. As a result, they need people around and is afraid to be alone. With the anxiety and weakness, death seems inevitable and there is an overwhelming sense of sadness and hopelessness.

The image of death pervades the whole person. The eyes are sunken and glassy; the face is ashen and pale, yellowish and cold to the touch. Lips, mouth and tongue are parched and almost immobile. The patient constantly sips cold water in a reclining position and will not sit erect for fear of fainting.

The heartbeat becomes irregular and weak; fatty degeneration of the heart muscles arises. The blood becomes less able to coagulate and the red corpuscles of the blood are decreased. There is burning in the stomach and bowels and watery, cadaverous-smelling diarrhoea. Dark blood may ooze from the orifices and there may be cold, clammy sweat, or dry pungent heat of the skin.

The patient is worse after midnight with the most prominent time of aggravation being 1:00-2:00am, when the anxiety, restlessness, fever, diarrhoea and pains are worse.