ENT
CONDITIONS
Allergic conditions
(like Allergic Rhinitis)
Allergic rhinitis is a common disorder, which is usually characterised by spasmodic attacks of severe sneezing and rhinorrhoea. It is a reaction to certain allergens.
Causes
Age: Usually it affects young adults from the age of 15 years onwards, and tends to recede after the age of 40 to 50 years. It may affect young children also.
Sex: Both sexes are affected.
Predisposing Factors
Heredity: It may run in families. If both parents are allergic, there is a high incidence of the disease occuring in children.
Hormonal: Sinc the disease often begins at puberty and increases during pregnancy, a hormonal basis is possible.
Climate: Change in humidity, and atmospheric pollution may make the nose more susceotible to allergy.
Emotional: Psychological factors may affect the nose. This factor is more likely in cases of vasomotor rhinitis.
Precipitating Factors (Allergens): The allergens are exogenous or endogenous:
- EXOGENOUS (External agents) :
Inhalants (The commonest allergens) : Dust, pollens, animal odour, feathers, moulds, house dust and mites.
Ingestants : Foods like eggs, fish, milk, citrus fruits and cocoa.
Contactants like cosmetics and powders.
Irritants like fumes and smoke.
Drugs : Aspirin, hypotensive drugs, iodides.
Infection : Bacteria, fungi and products of inflammation may casue allergy, or they may be secondary invaders.
- ENDOGENOUS (Within the body) :
Intestinal helminths, tissue proteins in transudates and exudates.
Symptoms
Irritation in the nose is the initial symptom.
Paroxysmal Sneezing of recurrent type is usually present, which exhausts the patient. In chronic cases, sneezing may be less.
Rhinorrhoea is watery and copious.
Nasal Obstruction due to venous stasis is often present.
Anosmia may be present intermittently or continuously.
Headache can be present.
Concomitant allergy
Eyes: Itching and watering of eyes is often present.
Ears: Eustachian tube blockage may lead to middle ear problems.
Allergic Pharyngitis may occur.
Asthma may be present. Attacks of bronchospasm may follow attacks of nasal allergy.
Treatments
Detecting the allergens and staying away from them is a part of treatment.
Homoeopathy gradually removes the symptoms and removes the patients sensitivity to the different allergens. Day by day patients becomes less sensitive to the allergens and the symptoms also fade away. Immunity of the patient builds up.
Homoeopathic medications which help in such patients are allium cepa, arsenic album, palladium metallicum etc.
