Homeopathy For CoronaVirus Treatment Myth and Facts

Why Homeopathy for COVID-19?
by
Dr. Abhishek Kasana M.D Homeopathy, B.H.M.S, C.F.N (Delhi),  P.G.D.P.H (Public Health), Chennai, Di(Hom) U.K. Homeopathy Doctor In India
And Dr. Swati Kasana B.H.M.S (Gold Medalist), P.G.D.P.H (Public Health), Chennai, India.

 The COVID-19 is expanding very aggressively all over the world and daily we are getting new infected cases around us. Our health services continuously trying there best to overcome this pandemic, but not getting the desirable success. The classical homeopathy treatment can provide us healing helps to recover from covid-19, in a economical way without any side effect.

Introduction:COVID-19 declared as a global health emergency, has affected more than 199 countries and has affected almost 6 lakh people by now [1]. The therapeutic
strategies to deal with the disease at the moment are only supportive and the main weapon used to fight against the disease is hygienic and other preventive measures aimed to reduce community transmission. With the use of Homeopathy medicines, there is a scope for mass therapeutic prevention in the community and symptomatic management of affected person, which may serve as a very cost effective alternative way which can reduce mortality rate, can cut short hospital stay duration of patients and could even reduce the need of ICU support and ventilator support in the patients affected by the disease. This is an attempt to explain the possibilities of Homeopathy, as a therapeutic system in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. COVID-19, is a highly contagious viral disease, first identified in Wuhan, China, in early December 2019.

What Is Corona Virus?

Corona Virus is a type of virus which infects the Respiratory Tract of human beings. Novel Corona virus (Wuhan Sea Food Market Pneumonia Virus) is an enveloped positive sense, single strand, RNA Corona virus with a nucleoside of helical symmetry. In addition to human beings it also affects rats, dogs, horse, pigs, cats and cattle. Corona virus can also cause SARA – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and MERS – Middle east Respiratory Syndrome. [2]

Novel Corona Virus belongs to

Realm Riboviria,

Phylum Incertia Sedis,

Order Nidoviralis,

Family Corona Viridae,

Genus Beta Corona virus,

Sub genus Serbeco virus, Virus Wuhan Corona virus 2019.

Corona virus infection in human beings was first recognized in the year 1960. Corona is a latin word, which means halo or crown. Corona virus was named due to crown like projection on the surface of this virus. [3]

Origin Of Corona Virus:- Its origin includes camel and bats. In general, these animal are not able to pass the Corona virus into human beings. But at times corona virus mutates and can be transfer from animals to human being and then human to human. [3]

Types of Corona Virus?

1.       Alpha Corona Virus 229E (HCoV-229E)

2.       Beta Corona Virus OC43 (HCoV-OC43)

3.       SARS- CoV

4.       Alpha Corona Virus NL63

5.       Beta Coronavirus HKU1

6.       Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus

7.       Novel Corona Virus (2019-nCoV), also known as Wuhan corona Virus. Here Novel stands for newly discovered or newely originated. [4]

Novel Coronavirus:-  Novel Corona Virus (2019-nCoV) is newely discovered virus, also known as Wuhan corona Virus and 2019-nCoV. Here Novel stands for newly discovered or newely originated. Its outbreak was reported in Wuhan, china in December 2019. 1^st case of novel corona virus was identified by World Health Organisation on  31/12/2019, and hence labelled as 2019-nCoV.

Outbreak situation update ( as of March 28, 2020 Night ) : There are 6,17,351 confirmed cases and the number of deaths was 28,377. Of the 6,17,351 cases, 4,51,638 are active cases and 1,65,713 are closed cases. Of the 4,51,638 active cases, 4,27,623 (95%) are in mild condition and the remaining 24,015 (5%) are in serious/critical condition. Of the 1,65,713 closed cases 1,37,336 (83%) recovered from the disease and 28,377 (17%) died. 933 Confirmed cases were reported from India. [3]

How Dangerous is COVID-19?

We need to understand three parameters in order to assess the magnitude of the COVID-! risk

·  Transmission Rate (RO) Number of newly infected people from single case.

·  Case Fatality Rate (CFR) Percentage of cases that result in death

·   Determine whether asymptomatic transmission is possible.

Rate Of Transmission : The attack rate of transmissibility of COVID-19 is indicated by its reproductive number,  which represents the average number of people to which a single infected person will transmit the virus, WHO has confirmed Human to human transmission. It is good to see that the transmission rate in India is less when compared to other countries. 

WHO's estimated (on Jan. 23) Ro to be between 1.4 and 2.5. [5]

Other studies have estimated a Ro between 3.6 and 4.0, and between 2.24 to 3.58. [6].

Preliminary studies had estimated Ro to be between 1.5 and 3.5. [7][8][9]

An outbreak with a reproductive number of below 1 will gradually disappear.

For comparision, the RO for common flu is 1.3 and for SARS it was 2.0.

Fatality Rate (case fatality ratio or CFR) of the Wuhan Coronavirus

The novel coronavirus' case fatality rate has been estimated at around 2%, in the WHO press conference held on January 29, 2020 [8]. Case fatality risk of influenza A(H1N1pdm09): a systematic review - Epidemiology. Nov. 24, 2013  However, it noted that, without knowing how many were infected, it was too early to be able to put a percentage on the mortality rate figure.

A prior estimate [9] had put that number at 3%.  A novel coronavirus outbreak of global health concern - Chen Want et al. The Lancet. January 24, 2020

Fatality rate can change as a virus can mutate, according to epidemiologists.

For comparison, the case fatality rate for SARS was 10%, and for MERS 34%.

Incubation Period (how long it takes for symptoms to appear)

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 (estimated ranges vary from 2-10 days, 2-14 days, and 10-14 days), during which the virus is contagious but the patient does not display any symptom (asymptomatic transmission).

Age and conditions of Coronavirus cases

According to early estimates by China's National Health Commission (NHC), about 80% of those who died were over the age of 60 and 75% of them had pre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.[10]

According to the WHO Situation Report no. 7 issued on Jan. 27:

·  The median age of cases detected outside of China is 45 years, ranging from 2 to 74 years.

·  71% of cases were male.

A study of 138 hospitalized patients with NCIP found that the median age was 56 years (interquartile range, 42-68; range, 22-92 years) and 75 (54.3%) were men.[11] The WHO, in its Myth busters FAQs, addresses the question: "Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?" by answering that:

·  People of all ages can be infected by the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

·  Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.

Age and Sex of the first deaths as reported by the China National Health Commission (NHC)

The NHC reported the details of the first 17 deaths up to 24 pm on January 22, 2020. The deaths included 13 males and 4 females. The median age of the deaths was 75 (range 48-89) years.[12]

WHO Risk Assessment: Global Emergency

On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a Global Public Health Emergency.

Comparisons:

·  Every year an estimated 290,000 to 650,000 people die in the world due to complications from seasonal influenza (flu) viruses. This figure corresponds to 795 to 1,781 deaths per day due to the seasonal flu.

·  SARS (November 2002 to July 2003): was a coronavirus that originated from Beijing, China, spread to 29 countries, and resulted in 8,096 people infected with 774 deaths (fatality rate of 9.6%). Considering that SARS ended up infecting 5,237 people in mainland China, Wuhan Coronavirus surpassed SARS on January 29, 2020, when Chinese officials confirmed 5,974 cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). One day later, on January 30, 2020 the novel coronavirus cases surpassed even the 8,096 cases worldwide which were the final SARS count in 2003.

·  MERS (in 2012) killed 858 people out of the 2,494 infected (fatality rate of 34.4%).

Spread Of COVID-19 [13]

COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick. Many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms, especially at the early stages of the disease. It is therefore possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not feel ill.

Comparison of Signs and Symptoms (%) in different Countries.
Symptoms Country
Typical Symptoms [14]

COVID-19 typically causes flu-like symptoms including a fever and cough.

In some patients - particularly the elderly and others with other chronic health conditions - these symptoms can develop into pneumonia, with chest tightness, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

It seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough.

After a week, it can lead to shortness of breath, with about 20% of patients requiring hospital treatment.

Notably, the COVID-19 infection rarely seems to cause a runny nose, sneezing, or sore throat (these symptoms have been observed in only about 5% of patients). Sore throat, sneezing, and stuffy nose are most often signs of a cold.

80% of cases are mild

Based on all 72,314 cases of COVID-19 confirmed, suspected, and asymptomatic cases in China as of February 11, a paper by the Chinese CCDC released on February 17 and published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology has found that:

·  80.9% of infections are mild (with flu-like symptoms) and can recover at home.

·  13.8% are severe, developing severe diseases including pneumonia and shortness of breath.

·  4.7% as critical and can include: respiratory failure, septic shock, and multi-organ failure.

·  in about 2% of reported cases the virus is fatal.

·  Risk of death increases the older you are.

·  Relatively few cases are seen among children.

Pre-existing conditions

Pre-existing illnesses that put patients at higher risk:

1.    cardiovascular disease

2.    diabetes

3.    chronic respiratory disease

4.    hypertension

That said, some otherwise healthy people do seem to develop a severe form of pneumonia after being infected by the virus. The reason for this is being investigated as we try to learn more about this new virus.

Examples of possible development of symptoms (from actual cases)

A man in his 40s in Japan:

·  Day #1: malaise and muscle pain

·  later diagnosed with pneumonia

A man in his 60s in Japan:

·  Day #1: initial symptoms of low-grade fever and sore throat.

A man in his 40s in Japan:

·  Day #1: chills, sweating and malaise

·  Day #4: fever, muscle pain and cough

A woman in her 70s, in Japan:

·  Day #1: 38° fever for a few minutes

·  Day #2-3: went on a bus tour

·  Day #5: visited a medical institution

·  Day #6: showed symptoms of pneumonia.

A woman in her 40s, in Japan:

·  Day #1: low-grade fever

·  Day #2: 38° fever

·  Day #6: being treated at home.

A man in his 60s, in Japan:

·  Day #1: Cold

·  Day #6: Fever of 39° C. (102.2 F)

·  Day #8: Pneumonia

Another patient, in China with a history of type 2 diabetes and hypertension:

·  Jan. 22: Fever and cough

·  Feb. 5: Died

First death in the Philippines (a 44-year-old Chinese thought to have had other pre-existing health conditions):

·  Jan. 25: Fever, cough, and sore throat (hospitalized)

·  Developed severe pneumonia

·  Feb. 2: Died

How long do symptoms last?

Using available preliminary data, the Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission published on Feb. 28 by WHO, [15]

- World Health Organization, Feb. 28, 2020 which is based on 55,924 laboratory confirmed cases, observed the following median time from symptoms onset to clinical recovery:

·  mild cases: approximately 2 weeks

·  severe or critical disease: 3 - 6 weeks

·  time from onset to the development of severe disease (including hypoxia): 1 week

Among patients who have died, the time from symptom onset to outcome ranges from 2 - 8 weeks.

Symptoms observed in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Below we list the symptoms, with percentages representing the proportion of patients displaying that symptom, as observed in hospitalized patients tested and identified as having laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection. These findings refer to hospitalized patients, therefore generally representing serious or critical cases. The majority of cases of COVID-19 (about 80%) is mild.

Findings from the Wang et al study published on JAMA and based on 138 hospitalized patients [16]

Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China - JAMA, Wang et al., February 7, 2020

Common symptoms included: (Wang et al study) [16]
Fever	98.6%
Fatigue	69.6%
Dry cough	59.4%

The median time observed:

·  from first symptom to → Dyspnea (Shortness of breath) = 5.0 days

·  from first symptom to → Hospital admission = 7.0 days

·  from first symptom to → ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) = 8.0 days (when occurring)

Full list of symptoms from the Wang study:

From: Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China - JAMA, Wang et al., February 7, 2020

Findings from the Huang et al study published on The Lancet and based on 41 hospitalized patients [17] Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China - Huang et al., The Lancet. January 24, 2020

COMMON SYMPTOMS AT ONSET OF ILLNESS (Huang et al study) [17]
Fever	98%
Cough	76%
Myalgia (muscle pain) or Fatigue	44%
LESS COMMON SYMPTOMS:
Sputum production (coughing up material)	28%
Headache	8%
Haemoptysis(coughing up blood)	5%
Diarrhea	3%

Findings from the Chen et al study published on The Lancet and based on 99 hospitalized patients [18] [20] Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study - Chen et al, The Lancet, January 30, 2020

Signs and symptoms at admission (Chen et al study) [18]
Fever		83%
Cough		82%
Shortness of breath		31%
Muscle ache		11%
Confusion		9%
Headache		8%
Sore throat		5%
Rhinorrhoea (runny nose)		4%
Chest pain		2%
Diarrhea		2%
Nausea and vomiting		1%
More than one sign or symptom		90%
	Fever, cough, and shortness of breath	15%

Information on Coronavirus Symptoms from Government Health Officials

Canada Public Health Agency

The Canadian PHAC section dedicated to the 2019 novel coronavirus states that:

·  You may have little to no symptoms.

·  You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu.

·  Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to the virus. This is the longest known infectious period for this virus.

Symptoms have included:

·  fever

·  cough

·  difficulty breathing

·  pneumonia in both lungs

In severe cases, infection can lead to death.

UK Government and NHS

The UK National Health Service (NHS) section dedicated to Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) lists the following as the main symptoms of coronavirus:

·  a cough

·  a high temperature

·  shortness of breath

The GOV.UK novel coronavirus guidance for the public page says:

·  Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

The GOV.UK clinical guidance on Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV): epidemiology, virology and clinical features notes that:

·  Fever, cough or chest tightness, and dyspnoea are the main symptoms reported. While most cases report a mild illness, severe are also being reported, some of whom require intensive care.

Australian Government

The Australian Government Department of Health informs that symptoms can range from mild illness to pneumonia, adding that some people will recover easily, while others may get very sick very quickly. According to their list of novel coronavirus symptoms, people may experience:

·  fever

·  flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and fatigue

·  shortness of breath

1.    United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Symptoms of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC has published the following infographic on its Symptoms of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV):

World Health Organization

The WHO has issued an interim guidance on the clinical management of suspected cases in which it says that

·  "nCoV may present with mild, moderate, or severe illness; the latter includes severe pneumonia, ARDS, sepsis and septic shock."

  RECOMMENDATIONS AND ADVICE FOR THE PUBLIC During previous outbreaks due to other coronavirus (Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), human-to-human transmission occurred through droplets, contact and fomites, suggesting that the transmission mode of the COVID-19 can be similar. The basic principles to reduce the general risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections include the following: • Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. • Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment. • Avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals. • People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands). • Within health care facilities, enhance standard infection prevention and control practices in hospitals, especially in emergency departments. WHO does not recommend any specific health measures for travellers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travellers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share their travel history with their health care provider. [19]

Symptoms in Different Stages :
First Stage (Day 1 to 4): Starts as throat pain, anosmia, anorexia, mild diarrhea or vomiting and then develops fever, fatigue, muscle pain and dry cough.
Second Stage (Day 5 to 7) : The patient may develop pneumonia like respiratory symptoms, especially if he has some underlying disease like diabetes, hypertension, obesity or any other systemic illness reducing immunity and may need hospitalization. Those with good immunity recovers.
Third Stage (Day 8-10) : Those with less immunity, passes to this stage and may develop acute severe respiratory syndrome and may need admission to ICU.

On average, people who recover from the virus are discharged from the hospital after 2.5 weeks.

Risk of getting the infection : For most people in most locations the risk of catching COVID-19 is still low. However, there are now places around the world (cities or areas) where the disease is spreading. For people living in, or visiting, these areas the risk of catching COVID-19 is higher. [1]

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT COVD-19 :

Can homeopathy help?
Homeopathic medicines have been used extensively in epidemics around the world. If you decide to take a homeopathic medicine, this should be in addition to the various measures outlined above and should not be your only approach. Selection of the most appropriate homeopathic medicine is based on an individual’s unique symptoms. However, Arsenic Alb30, Gelsemium 30c and Bryonia 30c are commonly used for flu-like symptoms and have a long-established, traditional usage over many years.

Homeopathic options can form one part of your approach to the current Covid-19 outbreak but should always be used alongside other measures. If you have current symptoms or are concerned that you may have been exposed to coronavirus.

Prevention :
Homoeoprophylaxis.:

In the light of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and the report of its incidence in India, the central Ayush ministry had issued an advisory and they recommended that homeopathic medicine Arsenicum album 30 could be taken empty stomach daily for three days as a preventive medicine against the infection.
As per our Master Dr. Hahnemann single time use of Arsenicum Album 30 as prophylactic may not give a protective effect for the epidemic if it prevails for a longer period. So, it is better repeat Arsenicum Album 30 as prophylactic medicine in the prescribed potency once a week ( as done by our Master Dr. Hahnemann in cholera epidemic in the past) until the epidemic subsides.

Evidence that Homoeoprophylaxis is effective in flue like illness and respiratory infections :
Examples from the past.

For at least the past 150 years homeopathic practitioners have used the medicine Influenzinum as a flu preventive. Influenzinum is a homeopathic medicine (nosode) made from flu viruses, rendered completely safe and non-toxic by a homeopathic pharmacist. A nosode is the term for any homeopathic remedy that is made from disease material. Homeoprophylaxis is the term used for the homeopathic prevention of disease.

Between 1968-70, a survey conducted in Indian factories and offices compared the results of allopathic (conventional) vaccines and homeopathic prevention of influenza. The purpose of this survey was to determine the effectiveness of Influenzinum as a homeopathic preventative (prophylactic). Almost 20 percent of the patients treated by conventional medical physicians contracted the flu. Among those who used Influenzinum, only 6.5 percent came down with the disease. The homeopathic patients who did become ill, recovered more rapidly than their allopathically treated patients. The number of working days lost by the allopathically treated patients was nearly eight and a half times greater than those lost by homeopathic patients.

In 1998 the French Society of Homeopathy conducted a survey of 23 homeopathic doctors concerning their use of Influenzinum as a flu preventive (Coulamy, 1998). The survey included use of Influenzinum over a 10 year period (1987-1998) in 453 patients. Results of the survey were remarkable. In approximately 90 percent of the cases no instances of the flu occurred when Influenzinum was used preventatively.

There are three methods of Homoeoprophylaxis.
1. By administering potentised homoeopathic preparation of the causative agent in the community.
2. By Finding a Genus Epidemicus.
• In known diseases – If the symptomatology of the disease is known - by using a
medicine which covers the generic totality of the disease. i.e, Homeopathic medicine which is proved to be capable of producing the symptomatology of the disease under
consideration, in healthy individuals.
• In new diseases – by studying the symptomatology of as many individuals affected with the disease to construct a picture of the disease and achieving prevention by using a medicine which is capable of producing the similar disease picture in healthy individuals.
3. By using the Constitutional medicine.
In COVID-19, as the generic symptomatology is known from the studies in China and other countries, a preventive medicine could be selected on the basis of those symptoms.

 Repertorisation of available symptoms.

Rubrics Selected : ( Main Symptoms )
1.Generalities; weakness; fever; during
 2.Cough; dry; fever; during
 3.Fever, heat; zymotic fevers
 4.Respiration difficult; fever; during
 5. Chest; inflammation; lungs, pneumonia;
 6.Kidneys; suppression of urine, anuria; fever, during

Repertorial Result :
Ars 4+3+4+1+4+3 19/6
Bry 3+4+4+1+4 16/6
Arn 134043 15/6
Hyos 234033 15/5
Nux-v 34404 15/5
Phos 44304 15/4
Apis-t 331331 14/6
Rhus-t 41404 13/4
Puls 31314 12/5
Bell 113033 11/5
Lach 31403 11/4
Nat. Mur 34013 11/4

Dr. Hahnemann advice is to select a non antipsoric medicine in acute diseases.

Analysis of the remaining symptoms : ( Less common symptoms )
1. Cough; loose; fever, during Ars3, Bry1, Phos1, Rhus-tox1, Pus1, Bell1.
2. Head; pain, fever; during Ars3,Bry2, Phos2, Nux-v3, Rhus-t2, Apis3, Puls3, Bell3, Ign2.
3. Rectum; diarrhea; fever; during Ars2, Bry2, Phos3, Nux-v2, Rhus-t2, Apis2, Puls2, Bell1
4. Nose; coryza; fever, during Ars2, Bry3, Phos3, Nux-v3, Rhus-t2, Puls2, Bell2.
5. Stomach; vomiting; chill; during Ars3, Bry1, Phos1, Nux-v2, Rhus-t1, Apis1, Puls2, Ign2.
6. Chest; pain; fever; during Ars1,Bry3, Phos2, Nux-v1, Rhus-t2, Puls2, Bell1, Ign2.
7. Abdomen; pain; fever; during Ars3,Bry2, Phos2, Nux-v2, Rhus-t3, Apis1, Puls3, Bell1, Ign1.
8. Smell; diminished; taste, and; coryza; with : Ars1, Nux-v1, Puls2.
9. Chest; inflammation; lungs, pneumonia; weakness, with : Ars1, Phos2.
10. Generalities; weakness; disease; out of proportion to : Ars2
11. Generalities; lie down; inclination to; fever heat, during : Ars3, Bry2, Nux-v3.
12. Respiration; difficult; pneumonia, in Phos2, Nux-v1, Rhus-t2, Puls1.And if we consider the season

13. Fever, heat; warm weather Ars1, Bry1, Nux-v1, Puls1, Bell1.

Ars alb itself is the first medicine coming up on repertorising the available symptoms and it is worth trying in individuals with a possibility of exposure, as the contagiousness and mortality rate of the disease is high and as there is no other clinically proven prophylactic or vaccine available for the time being. Everyone should follow the precautionary preventive measures recommended by WHO and the state health authorities, even though they are taking homoeopathic preventive medicines.

The possible prophylactic medicine. ( Immune booster against the specific disease )
recommended by Ministry of AYUSH, India :

Medicine : Arsenicum album
Potency : 30th potency
Repetition : Arsenicum album 30, daily once in empty stomach for three days. The dose should be repeated after one month by following the same schedule if coronavirus infection persist in the community.
Avoid continuous repetition of the medicine especially in individuals who have no chance for contact with an affected case.
MEDICINAL MANAGEMENT :
Therapeutic management in Homeopathy is through medicines which are capable of producing similar symptoms of the disease in healthy individuals.

First Stage :
Repertorisation of rubrics of first stage.
1.Generalities; weakness; fever; during
2.Generalities; pain; tearing; muscles; fever heat, during
3.Cough; dry; fever; during
4.Throat; pain; fever, during
5.Rectum; diarrhea; fever; during
6.Smell; diminished; taste, and diminished; coryza; with
7.Abdomen; pain; fever; during
8.Fever, heat; weather; warm, in
9.Fever, heat; zymotic fevers
10.Stomach; appetite; wanting; fever;


Onset : Probable medicines according to onset of symptoms.
If it begins as cough,

Cough; chill; before:
apis puls RHUS-T sep
Cough; dry; chill; before:
RHUS-T
If it begins as diarrhea
Rectum; diarrhea; fever; before:
ant-c chin cina puls rhus-t
If it begins as vomiting
Stomach; vomiting; chill; before:
ANT-T apis arn ARS chin CINA PULS sul-ac VERAT
If the vomitus is food
Stomach; vomiting; food; chill; before:
ARS CINA
If the vomitus is mucus
Stomach; vomiting; mucous; chill; before:
PULS verat
If it begins as sore throat,
Throat; inflammation, sore throat; coryza; before:
LACH

Differentiation of Main symptoms :
1. Weakness; general
extreme : (207 medicines - almost all medicines in the above list)
lying; amel (36 medicines). : Ars1, Bry1. Lach1, Nit-ac1, Verat1.
motion; agg.; least, slightest (17) : Ars3, Verat1.
restlessness, with(63) : Ars3, Nux-v2, Rhus-tox3, Apis1, China2, Kali-c1, Merc1.

2. Pain; general,
motion; agg.; least, slightest (16) : Ars2, Rhus-tox1, Bry2. Ip2, Lach2.

weakness, with (134 medicines ) : Bry is not found under this rubric.

3. Respiration; difficult; motion; agg.; slightest (11) : Ars2, Verat1. Sep2

The totality construction should be strictly acute totality. Presence/absence of any of the listed symptoms or presence of other individual symptoms will decide the choice of the remedy. Extreme care should be given in differentiating the medicines because most of the first line

Medicines share many symptoms in common. The medicine could be repeated according to the need of the situation. The expected result after a correct homeopathic similimum is complete recovery from the illness without any complication ie., without entering into the second stage. within a comparatively less period of time than when left without any medicine.

Second Stage : With features of Pneumonia.Repertorisation of rubrics :
1.Chest; inflammation; lungs, pneumonia; influenza, in or after
2.Respiration; difficult; pneumonia, in
3.Chest; inflammation; lungs, pneumonia; weakness, with
4.Chest; pain; cough; during
5.Generalities; lie down; inclination to
Repertorial Result :
Phos 33233 14/5
Ant-t 33221 11/5
Carb-v 12232 10/5
Merc 21133 10/5
ferr 20233 10/4
lyc 02232 9/4
acon 11033 8/4
am-c 20222 8/4
camph 03122 8/4

If the symptoms are severe, the patient may need an acute non antipsoric remedy frequent repetition and if the symptoms are mild or moderate, an antipsoric single dose. A remedy like Camphor, which is coming up for the symptoms of third stage if prescribed on the basis of indicated symptoms in this stage may prevent the progress of the disease to third stage. While making a prescription in the 2nd and 3rd stages of the disease better go for remedies which have a positive relation (complementary or follows well) to the medicine already prescribed. The expected result after a correct similimum in this stage is complete recovery from pneumonia without more complications, with minimum hospital stay.
Third Stage: With features of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Features of multi system failure, especially renal failure. ( Especially in old people )
Repertorisation of Rubrics :
1.Generalities; collapse; threatening
2.Generalities; collapse; fever, during
3.Chest; inflammation; lungs, pneumonia; old people
4.Respiration; difficult; pneumonia, in
5.Respiration; difficult; pneumonia, in; old people
6.Chest; inflammation; lungs, pneumonia; collapse, with
7. Kidneys; suppression of urine, anuria
Repertorial result :
Camph 1323323 17/7
carb-v 2222003 11/5
phos 2023002 9/4
ars 1210003 7/4
verat 2110003 7/4
As the condition is severely acute, a non antipsoric medicine will be the first choice, with frequent repetition of a lower potency.
The expected result after correct similimum is recovery with minimum systemic complications, less need of ICU care and ventilator support and less hospital stay.

Conclusion:

  Arsenicum album 30C, is a homeopathic medicine prepared by diluting aq. arsenic trioxide until no arsenic remains. It is used in respiratory disorders and has been in widespread use for more than 200 years with a good safety record, it worked as effective prophylactic medicine during the swine flu epidemic in India in 2009.   

“We don’t claim 100 % protection with Arsenicum album. “All general measures given by WHO for airborne infections have to be taken.” Further if people get infected, they must consult our health centre through Video consultation, to study the symptomatology and getting best homeopathic medicine for that individual. Use of homeopathy will be cost effective and good step to control the epidemic.

Selection of Arsenicum alb. was based on clinical features of cases in China which was published in The Lancet on January 24, We fed these symptoms into a tool called the homeopathic repertory. The repertory is a database of historic texts on homeopathy, and when practitioners enter symptoms, the tool fetches the texts’ recommendations on which medicine needs to be given. “Every time we repertorize a patient, we are pretty much consulting all these generations of homeopaths that have contributed to this database,”. By matching the clinical features, the repertory found Arsenicum album 30C to be a suitable fit for the current outbreak. We strongly recommend it as preventive and Best suited for 1st stage, Phosp30 for 2nd stage and camphor30 for third stage. Further for confirmed cases we should consider totality on the basis of video consultation(After thoroughly individualized examination of each patient, only then can a homeopath, succeed in finding a suitable homoeopathic remedy) . Homeopathy medicine boost the immune system of the body, and hence can potentially reduce the virulence of the coronavirus, thereby tempering disease intensity.

Why we select 30C potency :

Potency selection based on following factors:

- Suitable for wide range of Age groups.

- Works in all susceptibility. 

- Must not lead to Homoeopathic aggravation.

- Work on acute severe conditions.

Considering above factors, as per our experience 30C Potency is medium potency and covering all possibilities.

(Note: Homeopathic medicine should be taken under the guidance and observation of Homeopathic Doctor only.)

Dr.Abhishek advocate individualized homeopathic medicines. “A careful and honest, statistical analysis of the study results will speak the scientific truth,”. The knowledge which is essential for enabling us to choose a most suitable homeopathic medicine can only be obtained by complete survey of disease picture, of not only a single patient, but perfectly deducing it from several number of patients.

References:

1.    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

2.    https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

3.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus

4.    https://www.viracor-eurofins.com/test-menu/200400-human-coronavirus-4-types/

5.    Statement on the meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) - WHO, January 23, 2020

6.    Preliminary estimation of the basic reproduction number of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China, from 2019 to 2020: A data-driven analysis in the early phase of the outbreak - Jan. 30, 2020

7.    Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic prediction - Jonathan M. Read et al, Jan. 23,2020.

8.    Early Transmissibility Assessment of a Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan, China - Maimuna Majumder and Kenneth D. Mandl, Harvard University - Computational Health Informatics Program - Posted: 24 Jan 2020 Last revised: 27 Jan 2020

9.    Report 3: Transmissibility of 2019-nCoV - 25 January 2020 - Imperial College London‌

10. Coronavirus: Window of opportunity to act, World Health Organization says - BBC, Feb,\. 4, 2020

11. Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China - Wang et. al, JAMA, Feb. 7, 2020

12. Updated understanding of the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019nCoV) in Wuhan, China - Journal of Medical Virology, Jan. 29, 2020

13. https://www.mygov.in/covid-19

14. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51048366

15. Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) [Pdf]

16. Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China - JAMA, Wang et al., February 7, 2020

17. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China - Huang et al., The Lancet. January 24, 2020

18. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study - Chen et al, The Lancet, January 30, 2020

19. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200221-sitrep-32-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=4802d089_2

20. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30183-5/fulltext

21. History of the Treatment of Epidemics with Homeopathy by Julian Winston

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