Homeopathic Healthcare: More Homeopathic Articles
George Guess, MD
Mononucleosis
As in the case of most viral illnesses, mononucleosis, an Epstein-Barr virus infection, stymies the best efforts of conventional medicine. Not so with homeopathy, which has a long and successful track record in treating this ailment, both the acute illness and protracted cases with tardy convalescence. Below is a case illustration from my patient files.
A 23 year-old female presented with the chief complaint of mononucleosis, previously diagnosed by her allopathic/conventional physician. She had been ill for ten days. She had an excrutiating headache located behind the eyes. She ran a fever from about 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. when she would have a profuse sweat. Her neck hurt considerably. She complained of feeling so tired that she was almost unable to hold her head up. Strong nausea precluded her eating much of anything. She was unable to even tolerate the thought of eating. Her nausea was worse after drinking anything and after eating. She felt full after eating one-third her usual meal. She had pain in the left upper abdomen on deep inspiration. She also complained of a raw throat, which felt as if it were closing up. Her lymph nodes everywhere felt inflamed and sore. Chills alternated with "boiling" heat when her fever was up at night. During fever she suffered severe headache in the temples and base of the neck, with stiffness of the neck. She was dizzy and almost fainted during fever. She was thirsty, but it hurt her throat to drink; hot drinks provided slight relief. She preferred warm drinks. During fever her legs were so extremely weak that she was unable to walk up and down stairs. She complained of mental dullness and inability to read. She was unable to even hold up a book due to arm fatigue. She had occasional night sweats. During fever her joints ached and her skin felt sore. Her urine was very dark yellow-brown; she thought her skin was "yellower," her toe nails as well. She was sensitive to light. The midsection of her abdomen was sore to pressure. She also felt anxious, sad and weepy.
Her physical exam showed the following abnormalities: sallow skin, enlarged lymph nodes in her neck and groin; inflamed, swollen tonsils; tenderness of the stomach and right flank; minimal enlargement of the spleen.
She was given China 200, one dose (peruvian bark or cinchona). Within a few hours she began to notice improvement in all of her symptoms. Within a day she was significantly better, and after two days essentially well!
On analysis of this case, what was most striking were the stomach and abdominal symptoms, especially the peculiarities pertaining to the nausea. When these symptoms were considered along with her abdominal tenderness, early satiety, and soreness of the skin, China presented itself as the most likely remedy, which fortunately it was. The effect was profound and lasting.
A number of homeopathic remedies can be effective for mononucleosis, each having to be individualized to the case at hand. Some of these remedies include: Cistus canadensis, Mercurius, Gelsemium, Conium, Calcarea carbonica, Muriatic acid, Carbo vegetabilis, Sulphur, Ferrum arsenicum — just to name a few. Such treatment is rather complex and not easily accomplished by self-treatment. Consultation with a homeopathic professional will yield the best result.
Dr. Guess, a family physician, has practiced classical homeopathic medicine for 25 years. He is the editor of the American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine. He practices in Charlottesville. 434-295-0362. Web page: www.doctorguess.com
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Dr. George Guess
2776 Hydraulic Rd, Suite 101
Charlottesville, VA 22901
office: 434-295-0362
fax: 434-295-0798
email: gguessmd@earthlink.net
website: http://www.doctorguess.com/
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