Category: Skin

Exploring Holistic Solutions: Homeopathy for Childhood Food Allergies

In the complex realm of childhood food allergies, where the immune system reacts adversely to specific food components, finding effective and safe solutions becomes paramount. This article delves into the classification, mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and common allergenic foods associated with childhood food allergies. However, our focus shifts to an alternative approach – homeopathy, offered by Dr. Rajeshwari and Dr. Shailesh, as a potential avenue for managing and treating these allergies.

Understanding Childhood Food Allergies:

Childhood food allergies are characterized by immune reactions to specific food ingredients, resulting in a range of symptoms. These can be classified based on the time interval between ingestion and symptom manifestation: immediate allergic responses occurring within minutes to hours and delayed responses manifesting up to 2-48 hours later.

Mechanisms of Food Allergy:

These allergies may arise from immunoglobulin E (IgE) or non-IgE mediated immune responses, often triggered by proteins acting as allergens in ingested foods. Genetic factors, such as a family history of allergies, contribute to the likelihood of a child developing allergies. The immature intestinal tract in infancy increases susceptibility, with many children outgrowing allergies, especially to common allergens like milk and eggs.

Clinical Manifestations:

Symptoms vary widely, encompassing systemic reactions like anaphylaxis and growth failure, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal problems, and cutaneous manifestations. Recognizing these symptoms is crucial for timely intervention.

Common Allergenic Foods:

Various foods can elicit allergic responses in children, ranging from vegetables like peanuts and fruits to animal sources like fish, eggs, and dairy products. Cow’s Milk Allergy (CMA) stands out as the most prevalent, presenting with diverse symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, skin issues(Eczema, Dermatitis), recurrent cough and cold and gastro-esophageal reflux.

Diagnosis and Management:

Accurate diagnosis involves evaluating anaphylactic reactions and adhering to established guidelines. Skin prick tests, serum IgE measurements, and atopy patch tests aid in diagnosis. Management includes eliminating allergenic foods from the diet, reintroducing them cautiously, and adopting preventive measures like wearing medical identification bracelets for extreme cases.

The Role of Homeopathy:

Dr. Rajeshwari and Dr. Shailesh advocate for homeopathic treatment, emphasizing its potential to address the root causes and predispositions associated with various food allergies. Homeopathic medicines are tailored to individual tendencies and can offer a holistic approach to managing adverse reactions.

Preventive Measures:

In addition to treatment, the article underscores the importance of preventive measures, such as educating parents, teachers, and caregivers, promoting breastfeeding as a primary strategy, and fostering awareness about allergic reactions.

Conclusion:

As we navigate the intricate landscape of childhood food allergies, exploring alternative approaches like homeopathy becomes integral. Dr. Rajeshwari and Dr. Shailesh offer a beacon of hope for parents seeking holistic and personalized solutions to manage and treat their children’s food allergies. By combining traditional wisdom with modern understanding, they pave the way for a comprehensive and patient-centric approach to wellness.

Warts – cause, Symptoms, and Homeopathic Treatment

Warts are non-cancerous (benign) skin growths that develop in different parts of the body and come in various forms. They are caused by human papillomaviruses.

 There are more than 100 different strains of HPV. Each strain of HPV is responsible for infecting specific body areas

How are warts formed on the skin?

  • A person is infected with Human papillomaviruses, the virus then stimulates the outer layer of skin to grow faster. Ther by leading to the formation of the wart.
  •  The infected person  may effortlessly spread to someone else through direct skin-to-skin contact while shaking hands or sharing items like a towel

What are the types of warts?

Common Wart
Plantar wart
Flat Wart

There are five major types of warts. Each type appears on a different part of the body and has a distinct appearance.

  • Common warts:-Common warts usually grow on your fingers and toes but can appear elsewhere. They have a rough, grainy appearance and a rounded top.
  • Plantar warts:- Plantar warts grow on the soles of the feet. Plantar warts can make walking uncomfortable.
  • Flat warts:- Flat warts usually grow on the face, thighs, or arms. Flat warts have a flat top as if they’ve been scraped. 
  • Filiform warts:-Filiform warts grow around your mouth or nose and sometimes on your neck or under your chin. They are small and shaped like a tiny flap or tag of skin. 
  • Periungual warts:-Periungual warts grow under and around the toenails and fingernails. They can be painful and affect nail growth.

Nearly all warts are harmless but once they pop up in places such as the face or hands, most people will do almost anything to get rid of them.

Conventional treatments offer to freeze, burn, inject, shave, electrocute, poison, or dig the poor wart out but with varying degrees of success.

Some can cause scarring while with others, the wart may regrow.

Homeopathic medicine and management for wart

  • Homeopathy has been proved to be very effective in curing the wart.
  • Does not cause any discoloration as commonly caused by acids
  • Enhance  your immune response and thus fight the virus
  • Removes  the wart from within without leaving any scars
  • 100% safe for children and adults as this treatment have no side effect.

Tips for Healing warts more quickly

  • Treat the wart:- A person having a healthy immune system, a wart will often go away on its own. But can take a long time. In the meantime, the virus that causes warts can spread to other parts of the body, which may lead to more warts.
  • Avoid shaving over a wart.:- When you shave, you create microtears in your skin.. you can spread the virus that causes warts from the wart to any skin that you shave.
  • Avoid sharing personal hygiene things like towels, soap, shaving kits, etc … If someone in your home has a wart, this helps prevent the virus that causes warts from spreading from one person to another.
  • Wash your hands often. Because HPV is so common, this helps to remove the virus from your skin
  • Treat hyperhidrosis:- This is a medical condition that causes people to sweat excessively sweating excessively making the skin damp and soft, this may increase the risk to get cause HPV infection.

Homeopathic Treatment for Molluscum Contagiosum

what’s molluscum contagiosum

Molluscum contagiosum is an infection caused by a poxvirus known as molluscum contagiosum virus( MCV). The rash has small clear or flesh-colored bumps. The bumps can spread from one part of the body to another or from person to person

what causes molluscum contagiosum

People catch molluscum contagiosum when they get the virus on their skin. This can happen by:

  • Having skin-to-skin contact with someone who has molluscum.
  • Touching an object that someone who has a molluscum touched.
  • Sharing a personal item, such as clothing or a towel, with someone who has molluscum.

Who Gets Molluscum?

Molluscum most often happens in kids. But teens can get it too, especially:

  • athletes who have close contacts, such as wrestlers, or athletes who share equipment, such as gymnasts
  • teens with health problems treated with long-term steroid medicine use
  • Those who live in a warm, humid area and have close contact with others
  • People who are sexually active
  • Anyone who has trouble fighting off infections

Where does molluscum contagiosum appear

Mollusca may occur anywhere on the body including the face, neck, arms, legs, abdomen, and genital area, alone or in groups. The lesions are rarely found on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.

How is molluscum contagiosum diagnosed?

  • Diagnosis is usually made by the characteristic appearance of the lesion, 
  • A doctor can often tell by just looking.

What are the complications of molluscum contagiosum?

some people experience complications, including:

  • impetigo, or a skin infection that develops after scratching the lesions
  • conjunctivitis, an eye infection 
  • disseminated secondary eczema, 
  • widespread molluscum contagiosum that are larger than usual, often on the face (this often develops in people with reduced immunity)
  • sudden scarring with a pitted appearance, either spontaneously or due to lesion removal surgery

Is molluscum contagiosum curable?

Molluscum bumps usually appear 2 to 6 weeks after viral exposure. The condition lasts for several months to a few years, with an average of about 1 year. During this time, some bumps may disappear on their own, and new ones can develop. 

Molluscum contagiosum is a self-limiting condition; which means that it gets cured if untreated. But if you don’t treat molluscum contagiosum, it usually takes 6-12 months for the bumps to clear up. During that time, you could spread the virus to other people. Some treatment measures may shorten the duration and reduce the chances of the spread.

Once the bumps are gone, the molluscum contagiosum virus is totally gone from your body — it won’t come back later. But you can get bumps again if you get another molluscum contagiosum infection in the future

 molluscum contagious image

Non-Surgical – Homeopathic Treatment for molluscum contagiosum 

Homeopathy has effective treatment for a range of viral infections including Molluscum contagiosum. Our specialized Homeopathic medicines will harmonize your immune response, improving your body’s ability to fight the virus.100% safe for children and adults as this treatment has no side effects. Only internal homeopathic medicines are used. Homeopathy offers painless, non-scarring,non-surgical solutions.

Homeopathy treatment, in turn, treats the ailment from within emphasizing the cure of the disease rather than suppressing of disease. Homeopathy works wonders in curing this ailment and should be opted for its beneficial and safe curative effect.

How can you prevent molluscum contagiosum?

  • Avoid scratching or picking at the bumps.
  • Avoid towel sharing and skin-to-skin contact while bathing with siblings.
  • Avoid shaving over, or sexual contact, with areas that have molluscum.
  • Wash your hands. Keeping your hands clean can help prevent the spreading of the virus.

Treatment of Lichen planus

Are you suffering from itching and a rash that is not getting cured in spite of the best Possible medication and also its keeps on spreading to another part of the body, and leaving behind dark skin pigmentation. There is a high chance you might have been suffering from lichen planus.

What is Lichen planus??

Lichen planus is a disease affecting skin, nails, hairs, scalp, mouth, and genitals. It is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that is manifested on the skin as

  • Flat-topped red to purple bumps with a round or irregular shape 
  • Itching 

It can be easily mistaken for other skin conditions like rash, and eczema which cause the skin to become Red, Itchy and flaky.

What is the cause of lichen planus?

  • Autoimmune
  • Post medication:- Chloroquine, Non -steroidal anti inflammatory drug
  • Some cases:- post viral infection 

Types of lichen planus.

  • Oral lichen planus
  • Genital lichen planus
  • Lichen planus of nails
  • Lichen planus of hair and scalp

The common area involved in lichen Planus 

  • Flexor part of wrist, forearm, shins, ankle 
  • The anterior part of the thighs
  • Mouth, Buccal mucosa
  • Less common on lips, tongue & genitals

what happens when Lichen planus is left untreated?

  • The lesions develop & Spread over the body over a course of several weeks or a few months.
  • The Oral Lichen planus- effect of the ability to eat & affected skin might Stay darker even after the rash cleans up. 
  • Oral Lichen Planus – increases the risk of oral cancer
  • Lichen Planus of the ear canal – may lead to hearing loss.
  • Genital lichen planus can lead to ulceration and bleeding, with severe pain.

Homeopathy Approach  for lichen planus

Homeopathic treatment for Lichen planus involves Getting the complete and detailed information from you about your Lichen Planus eruptions and coming to customized Homeopathic medicines for Lichen Planus for you. The scope of treatment is variable in different cases. In freshly diagnosed cases when homeopathy is taken as the first line of treatment the results are much more favorable as the case is not complicated with long use of steroids/ other medications.

Also preventing the further spread of disease to other parts of the body is also a good achievement. In most cases skin lesion resolves in 12-18 months, some rare complicated cases would need more than 24 months of treatment.

Recurrent red hives (urticaria)

Do you have a recurrent history of red swollen/raised-like eruption with itching and burning pain that appears suddenly lasting from a few hours to days/months? 

 

You may have hives or termed as urticaria.

 

Urticaria is known to affect up to 20 percent of the population and strikes people irrespective of age, race, or gender.

 

Hives most often appear in the evening or early morning just after waking. Itching is typically worse at night, often interfering with sleep.

 

Causes

  1. Hives can occur when too much histamine is released in the body by the immune system in response to allergens. Histamines are chemicals your body produces in an attempt to defend itself against infection and other outside intruders. Unfortunately, in some people, histamines can cause swelling, itching, and many of the symptoms that are experienced with hives. 
  2. Common allergen 
  • Dust
  • Food allergen:- 
  • Stress
  • Drug allergy
  • Insect bite
  • Sunlight




Types of hives

  1. Acute /allergic reaction:- episode occurring of less than six weeks. The most common causes of hives are allergic reactions. These can be caused by any allergen you might be sensitive to, including foods (such as nuts, milk, and eggs), pet dander, pollen, dust mites, insect bites, or stings, medications (primarily antibiotics, cancer drugs, and ibuprofen)

 

  1. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. In this condition, hives are often accompanied by breathing difficulties, nausea or vomiting, severe swelling, and dizziness. This type of case needs immediate attention/hospitalization.
  2. Chronic hive:- This is the case in which urticaria is from more than six weeks of time and is of recurring nature, due consideration should be given to rule out following underlying pathology.
  • celiac disease

  • lupus
  • type 1 diabetes
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • thyroid disease
  1. Dermatographism:- these are the cases wherein general scratching/stroking on the skin creates a red hive-like eruption. 
  2. Temperature-induced hives Sometimes change in temperature can induce hives in people who are sensitive to such changes. Cold-induced hives may occur from cold water or air exposure, while body heat from physical activity may cause exercise-induced hives. Exposure to sunlight or tanning beds may also bring about solar hives in some people.
  3. Infection-induced hives Both viral and bacterial can cause hives. Common bacterial infections causing hives include urinary tract infections and streptococcal throat. Viruses that cause infectious mononucleosis, hepatitis, and colds often cause hives.
  4. Angioedema:- In this type of case swelling happens under the skin, seen around the eye & lips occasionally genitals, hands, and feet.

 


Management:-

  • Identifying the cause and possible refrain and avoid consuming such food/ allergens.
  • Avoid using steroids in such cases, steroid-dependent cases take a little longer to heal in the long run.
  • Although urticaria manifestation is visible on the skin, the problem is the system disorder( immune system), which needs to address deeper error. Addressing the local issue will only give temporary results, with recurrence on withdrawal of medicine.
  • Homeopathy plays a crucial role to address the cure from the root cause. Rather than just suppressing outward manifestation of symptoms.
  • Homeopathic treatment for urticaria is more beneficial because, with conventional medicines, there are chances of long-term dependency on anti-allergic medicines. While Homoeopathic treatment involves analyzing complete and detailed information from the patient to select the right constitutional medicine for providing marked improvement with long-term relief.
  • Homeopathic medicines reduce both the intensity and frequency of attacks of urticaria and help in improving the quality of life of patients. Individualized homeopathic treatment is associated with significant alleviation of urticaria symptoms, thus also leading to a reduction in the use of conventional anti-allergic medication.

 

Can I prevent hives? 

If you know what triggers your hives, you may be able to prevent an outbreak by avoiding certain situations or making small changes to your diet.

If you’re not sure what triggers your hives, you may find it helpful to try:

  • Keeping a food diary — to help you identify and keep track of foods that might trigger your condition. Peanuts, eggs, or shellfish can be triggers for some people
  • Wearing loose, light clothing — if heat or physical pressure trigger your hives
  • Avoiding excessive heat, spicy foods, or intense physical exercise — if getting hot or sweating makes you break out in hives
  • Avoiding aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications — these medications can make hives worse, or trigger an outbreak if you are sensitive to them
  • Avoiding alcohol — can trigger an immune response that causes hives in some people

It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to prevent all cases of hives, but the prevention above may help provide relief if they do occur.



 A common question asked by the patient in the clinic

 

Are urticaria hives contagious?

Urticaria hives aren’t contagious, meaning you won’t develop them on your skin by touching hives on another person. However, the trigger that causes this skin reaction can be contagious.

How is urticaria diagnosed?

Diagnosis is typically reached using the patient’s history along with a physical examination. Laboratory workup is based on clinical suspicion and is used to exclude underlying causes, although most cases constitute unknown or spontaneous causes.

 

Are the hives and urticaria the same?

Yes, urticaria is the medical terminology name for hives.

 

Urticaria how long does it last?

In acute cases, it all depends upon the causative /trigger factor, the earlier we remove or stop it the episode of recurrence if ints intensity and frequency may stop.

Chronic hives last a longer time. Most often more than 50% of the time it is autoimmune. The analyzing of homeopathic constitutional medicine and continuing for six months to two years have shown a considerable decrease in its frequency and intensity with complete remission of symptoms.

 

Why urticaria occurs at the night?

Urticaria can be triggered at any time, there is no time preference noted as such.

Another reason may be possible that you are exposing yourself to the irritant causing the hives more in the evening, resulting in a more severe reaction/renewed reaction.

 

What is cholinergic urticaria?

Cholinergic urticaria is a type of hives brought on by raised body temperature. It typically develops when you exercise or sweat. More often than not, Cholinergic urticaria appears and disappears on its own within a few hours.

Itchy Dry Skin

Itchy Dry Skin Psoriasis or Eczema? How to Differentiate?

Do you have itchy skin with red eruption dry hard skin, that won’t go away? If yes, you may have eczema or psoriasis. While psoriasis and eczema can look similar, it’s important to know the difference. They have different causes and can have different treatments. It’s usually best to have a healthcare provider help you with your skin problems, but there are some ways to tell the difference between psoriasis and eczema on your own.

What are basic difference?
Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease. That means your immune system becomes dysfunctional and chronically activated, resulting in skin changes. It causes raised, red, scaly patches on your skin or scalp There are multiple subtypes of psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is the most common and accounts for nearly 80-90 percent of psoriasis cases. People with plaque psoriasis typically have sharply demarcated, raised, itchy, painful red plaques covered with silvery scales. The plaques are most often found on elbows and knees, but they can occur anywhere.
Eczema is an inflammation of the skin that can have numerous triggers. Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema. It typically occurs in people with a personal or family history of asthma, hay fever or other allergies, and it is often seen In children It makes skin more sensitive and more prone to infection. At any time in your life, you can develop eczema from dry skin or chemicals that contact the skin and trigger irritation or allergic reaction

 

When do psoriasis and eczema usually appear? 
Psoriasis usually appears between the ages of 16 and 22, but it can happen at any age. Eczema usually begins younger, appearing as early as 6 months of age. Although some people grow out of eczema, many people continue to have it throughout their life. Even if you have eczema for a long time, there may be periods when it gets better or worse.

What do psoriasis and eczema look like?

Signs and symptoms of psoriasis
The most common type of psoriasis is plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis appears as
thick, raised, red patches on the skin that are covered with white scales made of
old, dead skin cells. These plaques can be itchy and painful. They can also crack
and bleed.
Psoriasis can affect any part of the skin, but it usually shows up on the knees,
elbows, scalp, and lower back. Other forms of psoriasis can occur on the genitals
or in your skin folds, like in your armpits (known as inverse psoriasis). Psoriasis
can also just involve the hands and feet (known as palmoplantar psoriasis).

Up to 35% of people with psoriasis also have nail changes related to psoriasis. This
includes:

  • Small pits or holes in the nail
  • Yellow or brown nail color
  • Thickening of the nail
  • Changes to the nail shape

Signs and symptoms of eczema
Eczema appears as red, dry patches of skin that are very itchy. Some people with
eczema scratch these areas a lot, which can lead to bleeding and thick or leathery
skin. Unlike psoriasis, eczema can become infected with bacteria or viruses. Although eczema can affect any part of the skin, some areas are more common. In infants, eczema usually happens on the cheeks, elbows, and knees. In older children and adults, eczema usually affects the insides of the elbows, behind the knees, and the hands and wrists. Eczema is often associated with 2 other conditions: asthma and allergic rhinitis (also called hay fever). In a large study, researchers found that 1-year-old children with eczema were 7 times more likely to develop asthma and 12 times more likely to develop hay fever by the age of 3. Many also developed allergies to certain foods. Common ones include peanuts, milk, and eggs.

 

Are eczema and psoriasis contagious? And can they turn into each other?

These are 2 very common questions — and the answer to both is no. 

Eczema and psoriasis are definitely not contagious — you can’t “catch” either by touching it. And eczema and psoriasis are completely different skin diseases. Psoriasis cannot turn into eczema, and eczema cannot turn into psoriasis.

 

What happens if psoriasis is left untreated?
There are several other serious health problems that can be more likely if you have
psoriasis. Some of the more common issues include:

  • Psoriatic arthritis. It’s estimated that as many as 40% of people with
    psoriasis also have a joint disease called psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis
    is a chronic condition that can cause permanent joint damage if not treated.
    Psoriatic arthritis usually starts 10 to 20 years after the start of psoriasis.

Metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes. Up to half of all people with
psoriasis have metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like heart disease
and high blood pressure. People with psoriasis are also more likely to have type 2
diabetes and be obese
Is Psoriasis caused by stress? Can emotional stress cause psoriasis?
Certainly not, they do can act as a triggers factor which can aggravated the skin
eruption.


Final Conclusion
Not all skin rashes are psoriasis or eczema. Even between psoriasis and eczema, it can be hard to tell the difference. Always consult your doctor with questions about your diagnosis and treatment.