Homeopathy School for Health Professionals & Serious Students
Distance Learning Program

Caduceus Institute 
of Classical Homeopathy

 

Home
Certification
Homeopathy
Basic Program
Advanced Program
Clinical Training
Instructor
Lectures
Recent Graduates
Student Comments
Tuition/Registration
Articles

Home ] Certification ] Homeopathy ] Basic Program ] Advanced Program ] Clinical Training ] Instructor ] Lectures ] Recent Graduates ] Student Comments ] Tuition/Registration ] Articles ]

Bioweapons

Small Pox

Karen Lynch, MD

Small pox is an infectious disease caused by variola virus - a member of the pox family of viruses and unrelated to chickenpox which it physically resembles, but which is in the herpes virus family.

Small pox is infectious via the respiratory route - usually by inhaled droplets from face to face contact from an infected person, also by an aerosol of suspended particles which may remain in the air for some time and be carried by ventilation systems or air currents, and finally, by viral particles from open small pox lesions or contaminated bedding or linens.

From the time of exposure to onset of symptoms (the incubation period) is 12-14 days on average but may be 7-17 days. There are four stages to the disease. The prodrome is the first stage, with symptoms of fever between 102 and 106 degrees F, headache, myalgia (muscle aches), especially in the back, abdominal pain, vomiting and occasionally a blotchy red rash, which is temporary. This lasts 3-4 days and then the symptoms improve and the small pox lesions begin to occur. They begin first in the mouth with painful sores on the mucous membranes, then flat spots on the face and forearms which become firm to the touch. These multiply and spread to the legs and trunk. The lesions may remain separate or merge together. They remain most concentrated on the face, forearms and lower legs. The underarms usually have few lesions. This is the early eruptive phase. Then the vesicular stage begins 3-4 days after onset of rash. The spots become bumps (papules) and then fill with clear fluid, (vesicles). The fluid becomes cloudy over the next few days and bleeding may occur into the vesicles or the skin. This is the pustule stage. During this final stage, the fever recurs lasting until the disease resolves. The pustules develop central indentations (called umbilications) form crusts, then scabs and scabs fall off leaving scars which can be deep. The entire disease lasts about three weeks.

Variations include milder versions, especially in people previously vaccinated who have fewer skin lesions, or sometimes none, and much more severe versions. The usual death rate is 30%, but in the most severe form the illness occurs with onset of severe prostration (weakness), fever, bone marrow depression, hemorrhage into the skin and general bleeding. Death occurs within 3-4 days with no pox lesions occurring. Other complications include secondary infection of the pox - usually with staphylococcus aureus, bacterial pneumonia and sepsis; encephalomyelitis, osteomyelitis, joint effusions, orchitis, conjunctivitis, keratitis and iritis.

There is no treatment in allopathic medicine for small pox, immunization of all people exposed to an infected person within 3-4 days of exposure, is the recommended course. Strict isolation and sterilization of all linens are also recommended.

The most important factor is to differentiate small pox from chicken pox. In small pox all the lesions in any area of the body are at the same stage. In chickenpox, the lesions may occur at different times. Also, the order in which the lesions break out in small pox is different than chickenpox.

Homeopathic treatment of small pox

Prevention: Variolinum - 200 cc q wk (never use less than 200 cc and use no other remedy
on the same day).
Malandrinum - for prevention or for ill effects of vaccination for small pox - especially if skin remains rough, dry and unhealthy after vaccination (If given with
vaccine, vaccination will not take).
Sarracenia may also be preventative.
Vaccinininum may also be used for prevention.

First Stage, prodrome

Bryonia - high fever, great thirst, all symptoms <motion, eruptions slow to appear
Sarracenia for shortening incubation period
Veratrum Viridae - headache, worse in back of head, fever with perspiration with
head hot and extremities cold, pulse and rapid.
Mercurius swollen glands, especially parotid glands, profuse saliva, greenish mucous stools.
Belladonna - throbbing headache, purplish face, dry throat, full bounding headache, holding the head and tying a cloth around it ameliorates
Ant Tart - any stage, especially the second stage.
Sarracenia - Any stage.
Cuprum Aceticum - accelerated pulse, cramping spasms in chest, dyspnea, weakness, decreased appetite, face red and swollen, cramps in the calves, deliriousness, spots of different sizes
Ant Tart - (Farrington) - useful before the eruption appears, when the patient has a dry, teasing cough. Also for the eye symptoms which occur.
Also given instead of bryonia in variola when the eruption of variola does not
come out properly, with difficulty in breathing, face bluish or purplish; patient drowsy, twitching, rattling breathing, confusion , headache, throbbing on the head, especially on the right, with unwillingness of patient to be looked at, irritability vertigo, convulsions. Ant Tart will restore the eruptions and save the child.

Second Stage, Early eruptive stage

Antimonium Tart - normally given when lesions have formed, moderates the entire course of the disease.
Sarracenia - Any stage, stops pitting
Larchesis - when skin eruptions have characteristic dark blue color (Nash)
Apis - when itching and swelling are intense (Farrington).

Third & Fourth Stages , Vesicular & Pustular stages

Ant Tart - Any stage
Sarracenia - any stage
Thuja - for milky, flat, painful, offensive pustules on a dark, inflamed area (especially in sycotic pt).
Phosphorus - for complications of pneumonia or marked hemorrhage, or both. Bright red blood from lungs which is so severe as would induce fainting and
exhaustion. Bleeding from small points or individual pocks.
Hammamelis - hemorrhagic small pox with dark oozing, bleeding from gums, nose, rectum and genital organs.
Nitric Acid - hemorrhage from bowels and violent bleeding from nose. Blood is
Bright and hot.
Muriatic Acid - last stage of disease where perspiration is excessive and the patient is in a sunken, exhausted and collapsed condition. Patient loses control of his functions as a result of disorganization of the blood.
Hepar Sulph - to hasten the suppuration of diseases, glands or abscesses.
Lachesis - Putrid types of the disease with general exhaustion, stupor and blood
Crotalus - disorganization
Secale - for hemorrhage (Clarke)
Hippo zaeninum - if confluent (Clarke)
Rhus Tox - if the eruption turns livid and typhoid symptoms occur (Nash)
Rhus Tox - when pustules turn black and there is diarrhea with dark bloody stools (Farrington). Also, with pain tearing down the thighs during stool (Farrington).
Thuja - give when vesicles turn into pustules to prevent scarring (Farrington quoting Boenninghausen).
Anacardium - when loss of memory is aftereffect of small pox (Farr)
Mercuruis - prevents pitting.

Other remedies mentioned: 

Boger (arsenicum
         (Sulphur

Clarke Apes An. Oc. Croth. K.m. Sle.
Bap Anthra Cnd. Lach Src
Ch.s Ag.n. Cu.a. Mld. So.n.
Pho. Chl.x. Ham Mr. sol. Vac
Sin.m. Caus. K.i. Rhs. Var

SOURCES: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine - 1977
Select Your Remedy, Rai Bahadur Bishambar Das
Leaders in Homeopathic Therapeutics - Nash
A Clinical Repertory - J. H. Clarke
A Syncoptic Key to Materia Medica - Boger
Clinical Materia Medica - Farrington

 

Willa Keizer, CCH,  Director
PO Box 538
Aromas, CA 95004
Tel: 1-800-396-9778
Email: willa@homeopathyhome.net