Natural Homeopathic Remedies for Interstitial Lung Disease
Interstitial lung disease, ILD or pulmonary fibrosis, includes more than 200 chronic disorders of the lungs, according to the University of Chicago Medical Center. The term applies to scarring of the tissue in the lungs surrounding the air sacs.
Interstitial lung disease, ILD or pulmonary fibrosis, includes more than 200 chronic disorders of the lungs, according to the University of Chicago Medical Center. The term applies to scarring of the tissue in the lungs surrounding the air sacs. Homeopathic medicine may provide relief for symptoms, slowing the progression of the disease. Homeopathy initiates the body's natural response to an external trigger or stimulus, allowing the person's immune system to heal itself.
Causes
ILD is caused from variety of sources. It is usually chronic, non-malignant and non-infectious, writes UAB Medicine. They add that although symptoms vary from person to person, all forms of the condition arise from inflammation either involving the small airways in the lungs, the air sacs or the small blood vessels. In all cases, scarring occurs as a result of the inflammation, making breathing difficult to nearly impossible due to hardening of the lung tissue.
Known causes of ILD are damage from radiation, connective tissue diseases such as scleraderma, genetics, sarcoidosis and various pharmaceutical medications.
Symptoms
Each case is different regarding specific symptoms; however, there are some commonalities among most people. Common symptoms are shortness of breath made worse with exertion, loss of weight and appetite, weakness, chest discomfort, dry cough without expectoration, difficulty breathing and lung hemorrhage in certain cases.
Homeopathic Beryllium
Beryllium is indicated for people suffering from sarcoidosis, a multi-system disease characterized by the formation of granulomas or nodules that form in the lungs and may appear in other bodily systems and organs, writes O.A. Julian, in "Materia Medica of New Homeopathic Remedies." Additionally, beryllium has been found useful in the treatment of sarcoma in lung cancer. It is indicated for cases when the individual has difficulty breathing and lung pain made worse when she moves. There may also be a deep, dry cough and other respiratory diseases present, such as emphysema.
Homeopathic Silica
Silica is indicated in cases of silicosis, "stone cutter's disease" and other dust-borne diseases, writes homeopath William Boericke, M.D., in the "Materia Medica and Repertory." The onset often occurs after exposure to fine dust or if asbestos is inhaled. Fibroid development of the lung tissue is characteristic, with thickening and scarring. The individual needing silica may be chilly, wanting to sit by the heater for warmth. He may have an aversion to drafts, have cold hands and feet, have a lack of appetite and experience mental prostration. The remedy may be helpful for relieving sharp pains in the lungs, hemorrhaging in the capillaries and coughing with thick phlegm.
Reverse Chronological Tautopathy
Reverse chronological tautopathy, or RCT, is a homeopathic technique that treats damage to the body caused by the side effects of pharmaceutical medicines, according to Manfred Mueller, president of the North American Society of Homeopaths. He explains that the remedies used are made from the actual drugs that caused tissue damage. In other words, medications covering a wide arena of use such as Effexor, Paxil, Prozac, Cytoxin and Macrodantin, to name a few, whose side effects cause pulmonary fibrosis, are given in homeopathic form to relieve symptoms of the disease they caused. Although there is no scientific research for RCT, Mueller states that he has a great deal of anecdotal evidence from patients with regard to this technique being highly effective in the treatment of ILD as well as other diseases. Each remedy is unique based on its drug picture found in the "PDR Guide to Drug Interactions and Side Effects."
Other Considerations
Do not attempt to treat ILD or any of its symptoms by yourself. An experienced homeopathic practitioner who can properly assess your case and prescribe the correct remedy or series of remedies to help you get well should handle treatment. Homeopathic remedies are available through your practitioner, who will advise how to take them.