Alzheimer's Disease and Homeopathy

Alzheimer’s (AHLZ-high-merz) disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. As Alzheimer’s progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations.

Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, new treatments are on the horizon as a result of accelerating insight into the biology of the disease. Research has also shown that effective care and support can improve quality of life for individuals and their caregivers over the course of the disease from diagnosis to the end of life.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a group of conditions that all gradually destroy brain cells and lead to progressive decline in mental function. Vascular dementia, another common form, results from reduced blood flow to the brain’s nerve cells. In some cases, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia can occur together in a condition called "mixed dementia." Other causes of dementia include frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease advances at widely different rates. The duration of the illness may often vary from 3 to 20 years. The areas of the brain that control memory and thinking skills are affected first, but as the disease progresses, cells die in other regions of the brain. Eventually, the person with Alzheimer’s will need complete care. If the individual has no other serious illness, the loss of brain function itself will cause death

While scientists know Alzheimer’s disease involves progressive brain cell failure, they have not yet identified any single reason why cells fail. However, they have identified certain risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s.

The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is increasing age. Most individuals with the disease are 65 or older. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles about every five years after age 65. After age 85, the risk reaches nearly 50 percent.

Another risk factor is family history. Research has shown that those who have a parent, brother or sister, or child with Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The risk increases if more than one family member has the illness. When diseases tend to run in families, either heredity (genetics) or environmental factors or both may play a role.

Scientists know genes are involved in Alzheimer’s. There are two categories of genes that can play a role in determining whether a person develops a disease. Alzheimer genes have been found in both categories:

1) Risk genes increase the likelihood of developing a disease, but do not guarantee it will happen. Scientists have so far identified one Alzheimer risk gene called apoliprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4).

APOE-e4 is one of three common forms of the APOE gene; the others are APOE-e2 and APOE-e3. APOE provides the blueprint for one of the proteins that carries cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Everyone inherits a copy of some form of APOE from each parent. Those who inherit one copy of APOE-e4 have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Those who inherit two copies have an even higher risk, but not a certainty. Scientists do not yet know how APOE-e4 raises risk. In addition to raising risk, APOE-e4 may tend to make symptoms appear at a younger age than usual.

Experts believe there may be as many as a dozen other Alzheimer risk genes in addition to APOE-e4.

2) Deterministic genes directly cause a disease, guaranteeing that anyone who inherits them will develop the disorder. Scientists have found rare genes that directly cause Alzheimer’s in only a few hundred extended families worldwide.

When Alzheimer’s disease is caused by deterministic genes, it is called “familial Alzheimer’s disease,” and many family members in multiple generations are affected. True familial Alzheimer’s accounts for less than 5 percent of cases.

Genetic tests are available for both APOE-e4 and the rare genes that directly cause Alzheimer’s. However, health professionals do not currently recommend routine genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease. Testing for APOE-e4 is sometimes included as a part of research studies.

Age, family history and heredity are all risk factors we can’t change. Now, research is beginning to reveal clues about other risk factors we may be able to influence.

Head injury: There appears to be a strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s. Protect your head by buckling your seat belt, wearing your helmet when participating in sports, and “fall-proofing” your home.

Heart-head connection: Some of the strongest evidence links brain health to heart health. Your brain is nourished by one of your body’s richest networks of blood vessels. Every heartbeat pumps about 20 to 25 percent of your blood to your head, where brain cells use at least 20 percent of the food and oxygen your blood carries.

The risk of developing Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia appears to be increased by many conditions that damage the heart or blood vessels. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high cholesterol. Work with your doctor to monitor your heart health and treat any problems that arise.

General healthy aging: Other lines of evidence suggest that strategies for overall healthy aging may help keep the brain healthy and may even offer some protection against developing Alzheimer’s or related diseases. Try to keep your weight within recommended guidelines, avoid tobacco and excess alcohol, stay socially connected, and exercise both your body and mind.

Some change in memory is normal as we grow older, but the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are more than simple lapses in memory.

People with Alzheimer’s experience difficulties communicating, learning, thinking and reasoning — problems severe enough to have an impact on an individual's work, social activities and family life.

The Alzheimer's Association has developed a checklist of common symptoms to help you recognize the difference between normal age-related memory changes and possible warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

There’s no clear-cut line between normal changes and warning signs. It’s always a good idea to check with a doctor if a person’s level of function seems to be changing. The Alzheimer’s Association believes that it is critical for people diagnosed with dementia and their families to receive information, care and support as early as possible.

1. Memory loss. Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia. A person begins to forget more often and is unable to recall the information later.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People with dementia often find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. Individuals may lose track of the steps involved in preparing a meal, placing a telephone call or playing a game.

What's normal? Occasionally forgetting why you came into a room or what you planned to say.

3. Problems with language. People with Alzheimer’s disease often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand. They may be unable to find the toothbrush, for example, and instead ask for "that thing for my mouth.”

4. Disorientation to time and place. People with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost in their own neighborhood, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.

5. Poor or decreased judgment. Those with Alzheimer’s may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the cold. They may show poor judgment, like giving away large sums of money to telemarketers.

What's normal? Making a questionable or debatable decision from time to time.

6. Problems with abstract thinking. Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are for and how they should be used.

7. Misplacing things. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.

8. Changes in mood or behavior. Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may show rapid mood swings – from calm to tears to anger – for no apparent reason.

9. Changes in personality. The personalities of people with dementia can change dramatically. They may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful or dependent on a family member.

10. Loss of initiative. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities.

A physician should be consulted about concerns with memory, thinking skills and changes in behavior. For people with dementia and their families, an early diagnosis has many advantages:

It is also important for a physician to determine the cause of memory loss or other symptoms. Some dementia-like symptoms can be reversed if they are caused by treatable conditions, such as depression, drug interaction, thyroid problems, excess use of alcohol or certain vitamin deficiencies.

In this section, you will learn how Alzheimer's is diagnosed, the types of tests doctors use and how to live with Alzheimer's after a diagnosis.

The primary symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss, disorientation, confusion, and problems with reasoning and thinking. These symptoms worsen as brain cells die and the connections between cells are lost. Although current drugs cannot alter the progressive loss of cells, they may help minimize or stabilize symptoms. These medications may also delay the need for nursing home care.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two classes of drugs to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The first Alzheimer medications to be approved were cholinesterase (KOH luh NES ter ays) inhibitors.

· and galantamine (approved in 2001 under the trade name Reminyl® and renamed Razadyne® in 2005).

Tacrine (Cognex®), the first cholinesterase inhibitor, was approved in 1993 but is rarely prescribed today because of associated side effects, including possible liver damage.

All of these drugs are designed to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine (pronounced a SEA til KOH lean), a chemical messenger in the brain that is important for memory and other thinking skills. The drugs work to keep levels of the chemical messenger high, even while the cells that produce the messenger continue to become damaged or die.

About half of the people who take cholinesterase inhibitors experience a modest improvement in cognitive symptoms.

Memantine (Namenda®) is a drug approved in October 2003 by the FDA for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.

Memantine is classified as an uncompetitive low-to-moderate affinity N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, the first Alzheimer drug of this type approved in the United States.It appears to work by regulating the activity of glutamate, one of the brain’s specialized messenger chemicals involved in information processing, storage and retrieval.

Glutamate plays an essential role in learning and memory by triggering NMDA receptors to allow a controlled amount of calcium to flow into a nerve cell, creating the chemical environment required for information storage. Excess glutamate, on the other hand, overstimulates NMDA receptors to allow too much calcium into nerve cells, leading to disruption and death of cells. Memantine may protect cells against excess glutamate by partially blocking NMDA receptors.

Vitamin E supplements are often prescribed as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, because they may help brain cells defend themselves from “attacks.” Normal cell functions create a byproduct a called free radical, a kind of oxygen molecule that can damage cell structures and genetic material. This damage, called oxidative stress, may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease.

Cells have natural defenses against this damage, including the antioxidants vitamins C and E, but with age some of these natural defenses decline. Research has shown that taking vitamin E supplements may offer some benefit to people with Alzheimer’s.

Most people can take vitamin E without side effects. However, any change in medications should first be discussed with a primary care physician because all medication can cause side effects or interactions with other medications. A person taking “blood-thinners,” for example, may not be able to take Vitamin E or will need to be monitored closely by a physician.

Talk to your doctor about what treatment may be right for you or the person in your care. A medication's effectiveness, and the side effects it may cause,,can vary from one person to the next. For one individual, one drug may be more effective but have greater side effects. For another person, the same drug may be less effective but have no side effects.

Ask the doctor the following questions when you discuss any treatments. They will not address all treatment needs, but the answers to these questions will help you understand the options and make informed decisions.

· How much time will pass before you will be able to assess the drug's effectiveness?

· Is one treatment option more likely than another to interfere with medications for other conditions?

· What are the concerns with stopping one drug treatment and beginning another?

· At what stage of the disease would you consider it appropriate to stop using the drug?

Several herbal remedies and other dietary supplements are promoted as effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases. Claims about the safety and effectiveness of these products, however, are based largely on testimonials, tradition, and a rather small body of scientific research. The rigorous scientific research required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the approval of a prescription drug is not required by law for the marketing of dietary supplements.

Although many of these remedies may be valid candidates for treatments, there are legitimate concerns about using these drugs as an alternative or in addition to physician-prescribed therapy:

· EEffectiveness and safety are unknown. The maker of a dietary supplement is not required to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the evidence on which it bases its claims for safety and effectiveness.

· Purity is unknown. The FDA has no authority over supplement production. It is a manufacturer’s responsibility to develop and enforce its own guidelines for ensuring that its products are safe and contain the ingredients listed on the label in the specified amounts.

· Bad reactions are not routinely monitored. Manufacturers are not required to report to the FDA any problems that consumers experience after taking their products. The agency does provide voluntary reporting channels for manufacturers, health care professionals, and consumers, and will issue warnings about products when there is cause for concern.

Coenzyme Q10, or ubiquinone, is an antioxidant that occurs naturally in the body and is needed for normal cell reactions to occur. This compound has not been studied for its effectiveness in treating Alzheimer’s.

A synthetic version of this compound, called idebenone, was tested for Alzheimer’s disease but did not show favorable results. Little is known about what dosage of coenzyme Q10 is considered safe, and there could be harmful effects if too much is taken.

Ginkgo biloba is a plant extract containing several compounds that may have positive effects on cells within the brain and the body. Ginkgo biloba is thought to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, to protect cell membranes, and to regulate neurotransmitter function. Ginkgo has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine and currently is being used in Europe to alleviate cognitive symptoms associated with a number of neurological conditions.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (October 22/29, 1997), Pierre L. Le Bars, MD, PhD, of the New York Institute for Medical Research, and his colleagues observed in some participants a modest improvement in cognition, activities of daily living (such as eating and dressing), and social behavior. The researchers found no measurable difference in overall impairment.

Results from this study show that ginkgo may help some individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, but further research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms by which Ginkgo works in the body. Also, results from this study are considered preliminary because of the low number of participants, about 200 people.

Few side effects are associated with the use of Ginkgo, but it is known to reduce the ability of blood to clot, potentially leading to more serious conditions, such as internal bleeding. This risk may increase if Ginkgo biloba is taken in combination with other blood-thinning drugs, such as aspirin and warfarin.

Currently, multicenter trial with about 3,000 participants is investigating whether Ginkgo may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia.

Huperzine A (pronounced HOOP-ur-zeen) is a moss extract that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Because it has properties similar to those of FDA-approved Alzheimer medications, it is promoted as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Evidence from small studies shows that the effectiveness of huperzine A may be comparable to that of the approved drugs. Large-scale trials are needed to better understand the effectiveness of this supplement.

In Spring 2004, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) launched the first U.S. clinical trial of huperzine A as a treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Because huperzine A is a dietary supplement, it is unregulated and manufactured with no uniform standards. If used in combination with FDA-approved Alzheimer drugs, an individual could increase the risks of serious side effects.

Phosphatidylserine (pronounced FOS-fuh-TIE-dil-sair-een) is a kind of lipid, or fat, that is the primary component of cell membranes of neurons. In Alzheimer’s disease and similar disorders, neurons degenerate for reasons that are not yet understood. The strategy behind the possible treatment with phosphatidylserine is to shore up the cell membrane and possibly protect cells from degenerating.

The first clinical trials with phosphatidylserine were conducted with a form derived from the brain cells of cows. Some of these trials had promising results. However, most trials were with small samples of participants.

This line of investigation came to an end in the 1990s over concerns about mad cow disease. There have been some animals studies since then to see whether phosphatidylserine derived from soy may be a potential treatment. A report was published in 2000 about a clinical trial with 18 participants with age-associated memory impairment who were treated with phosphatidylserine. The authors concluded that the results were encouraging but that there would need to be large carefully controlled trials to determine if this could be a viable treatment.

“Coral” calcium supplements have been heavily marketed as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Coral calcium is a form of calcium carbonate claimed to be derived from the shells of formerly living organisms that once made up coral reefs.

In June 2003, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filed a formal complaint against the promoters and distributors of coral calcium. The agencies state that they are aware of no competent and reliable scientific evidence supporting the exaggerated health claims and that such unsupported claims are unlawful.

Coral calcium differs from ordinary calcium supplements only in that it contains traces of some additional minerals incorporated into the shells by the metabolic processes of the animals that formed them. It offers no extraordinary health benefits. Most experts recommend that individuals who need to take a calcium supplement for bone health take a purified preparation marketed by a reputable manufacturer

Reality: In the past people believed memory loss was a normal part of aging, often regarding even Alzheimer’s as natural age-related decline. Experts now recognize severe memory loss as a symptom of serious illness.

Whether memory naturally declines to some extent remains an open question. Many people feel that their memory becomes less sharp as they grow older, but determining whether there is any scientific basis for this belief is a research challenge still being addressed.

Reality: Alzheimer's is a fatal disease. It begins with the destruction of cells in regions of the brain that are important for memory. However, the eventual loss of cells in other regions of the brain leads to the failure of other essential systems in the body. Also, because many people with Alzheimer’s have other illnesses common in older age, the actual cause of death may be no single factor.

Myth 3: Drinking out of aluminum cans or cooking in aluminum pots and pans can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Reality: Based on current research, getting rid of aluminum cans, pots, and pans will not protect you from Alzheimer’s disease. The exact role (if any) of aluminum in Alzheimer’s disease is still being researched and debated. However, most researchers believe that not enough evidence exists to consider aluminum a risk factor for Alzheimer’s or a cause of dementia.

Reality: Several studies have been conducted on aspartame’s effect on cognitive function in both animals and humans. These studies found no scientific evidence of a link between aspartame and memory loss.

Aspartame was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 for use in all foods and beverages. The sweetener, marketed as Nutrasweet® and Equal®, is made by joining two protein components, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, with 10 percent methanol. Methanol is widely found in fruits, vegetables and other plant foods.

Myth 5: There are therapies available to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Reality: At this time, there is no medical treatment to cure or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. FDA-approved drugs may temporarily improve or stabilize memory and thinking skills in some individuals.

Stage 1:	No impairment (normal function)
	Unimpaired individuals experience no memory problems and none are evident to a health care professional during a medical interview.
Stage 2:	Very mild cognitive decline (may be normal age-related changes or earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease)
	Individuals may feel as if they have memory lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a medical examination or apparent to friends, family or co-workers.
Stage 3:	Mild cognitive decline Early-stage Alzheimer's can be diagnosed in some, but not all, individuals with these symptoms
	Friends, family or co-workers begin to notice deficiencies. Problems with memory or concentration may be measurable in clinical testing or discernible during a detailed medical interview. Common difficulties include: · Word- or name-finding problems noticeable to family or close associates · Decreased ability to remember names when introduced to new people · Performance issues in social or work settings noticeable to family, friends or co-workers · Reading a passage and retaining little material · Losing or misplacing a valuable object · Decline in ability to plan or organize
Stage 4:	Moderate cognitive decline (Mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease)
	At this stage, a careful medical interview detects clear-cut deficiencies in the following areas: · Decreased knowledge of recent occasions or current events · Impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic-for example, to count backward from 100 by 7s · Decreased capacity to perform complex tasks, such as marketing, planning dinner for guests or paying bills and managing finances · Reduced memory of personal history · The affected individual may seem subdued and withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging situations
Stage 5:	Moderately severe cognitive decline (Moderate or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease)
	Major gaps in memory and deficits in cognitive function emerge. Some assistance with day-to-day activities becomes essential. At this stage, individuals may: · Be unable during a medical interview to recall such important details as their current address, their telephone number or the name of the college or high school from which they graduated · Become confused about where they are or about the date, day of the week, or season · Have trouble with less challenging mental arithmetic; for example, counting backward from 40 by 4s or from 20 by 2s · Need help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion · Usually retain substantial knowledge about themselves and know their own name and the names of their spouse or children · Usually require no assistance with eating or using the toilet
Stage 6:	Severe cognitive decline (Moderately severe or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease)
	Memory difficulties continue to worsen, significant personality changes may emerge and affected individuals need extensive help with customary daily activities. At this stage, individuals may: · Lose most awareness of recent experiences and events as well as of their surroundings · Recollect their personal history imperfectly, although they generally recall their own name · Occasionally forget the name of their spouse or primary caregiver but generally can distinguish familiar from unfamiliar faces · Need help getting dressed properly; without supervision, may make such errors as putting pajamas over daytime clothes or shoes on wrong feet · Experience disruption of their normal sleep/waking cycle · Need help with handling details of toileting (flushing toilet, wiping and disposing of tissue properly) · Have increasing episodes of urinary or fecal incontinence · Experience significant personality changes and behavioral symptoms, including suspiciousness and delusions (for example, believing that their caregiver is an impostor); hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there); or compulsive, repetitive behaviors such as hand-wringing or tissue shredding · Tend to wander and become lost
Stage 7:	Very severe cognitive decline (Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's disease)
	This is the final stage of the disease when individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak and, ultimately, the ability to control movement. · Frequently individuals lose their capacity for recognizable speech, although words or phrases may occasionally be uttered · Individuals need help with eating and toileting and there is general incontinence of urine · Individuals lose the ability to walk without assistance, then the ability to sit without support, the ability to smile, and the ability to hold their head up. Reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid. Swallowing is impaired.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. As Alzheimer’s progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations.

Conventional medical wisdom has it that there is no cure for AD and no effective means of slowing its progress. Fortunately, this has not prevented medical researchers and alternative medicine practitioners from discovering several ways of halting or at least slowing the progression of AD.

The first and absolutely crucial step in the fight against AD is to ensure that the diagnosis is correct. Insist that your doctor take all the necessary steps to rule out other causes of dementia. To spend the rest of your life in a nursing home as a vegetable because a vitamin B-12 deficiency was misdiagnosed would indeed be a cruel twist of fate.

It also makes sense to follow the suggestions given for preventing AD with an increased intake of antioxidants and vitamins as prescribed by your health care provider. Removal of amalgam fillings at this point can also bring about dramatic improvements(1,36). Amalgam fillings should always be removed by a dentist specially trained to do so - otherwise the condition may worsen.

British scientists believe that sage oil may be effective in the treatment of AD. They found that sage oil inhibits the action of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down acetylcholine. An abnormally low acetylcholine level in the brain is a key feature of AD. It is interesting that the 17th-century herbalist, John Gerard, said about sage: "Sage helpeth a weake braine or memory and restoreth them being decayed in a short time"(37).

Ginkgo biloba is the most prescribed medicine in Germany and is effective in correcting conditions of cerebral insufficiency (including memory loss) and intermittent claudication(1,39,40).

Homeopathic treatment of AD is an important option. The remedy alumina was discovered by the founder of homeopathy, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, in 1829. Dr. Hahnemann found it highly effective in treating "Great weakness or loss of memory" and in cases where "Consciousness of personal identity is confused"

Homeopathy is based on the principle that a substance which in relatively large amounts will cause a disease will, when given in infinitesimally small (homeopathic) amounts, cure that same disease. It is ironic that homeopaths knew over 150 years ago that homeopathic concentrations of aluminum oxide would cure symptoms of dementia while we are just now realizing that much larger amounts of aluminum may actually cause these symptoms.

Alzheimer's disease is a cruel, debilitating and demeaning disease which can turn many a period of hoped for "golden years" into a living hell. Research is constantly uncovering new facets of the disease and preventive measures and promising new therapies are being developed which will ultimately halt its relentless progress. There is hope!

Anacardium: IMPAIRED MEMORY, depression, and irritability; diminution of senses (smell, sight, hearing). Weakening of all senses, sight, hearing, etc. Aversion to work; lacks self-confidence

Fixed ideas. Hallucinations; THINKS HE IS POSSESSED OF TWO PERSONS OR WILLS.. Anxiety when walking, as if pursued. Profound melancholy and hypochondriasis, with TENDENCY TO USE VIOLENT LANGUAGE. BRAIN-FAG. ABSENT MINDEDNESS. VERY EASILY OFFENDED. Lack of confidence in himself or others. Suspicious [Hyos.]. Clairaudient, hears voices far away or of the dead. Senile dementia. Absence of all moral restraint.

Alumina: TENDENCY TO PARETIC MUSCULAR STATES. Old people, with lack of vital heat, or prematurely old, with debility. Sluggish functions, heaviness, numbness, and staggering, and the characteristic constipation find an excellent remedy in Alumina. Disposition to colds in the head, and eructations in spare, dry, thin subjects.

Low-spirited; fears loss of reason. Confused as to personal identity. HASTY, HURRIED. Time passes slowly. VARIABLE MOOD. Better as day advances. Suicidal tendency when seeing knife or blood.

Baryta Aceticum: Produces paralysis beginning at the extremities and spreading upward. Pruritus of aged. Forgetful; wavering long between opposite resolutions. Lack of self confidence.

Baryta Carbonica: Diseases of old men when degenerative changes begin;cardiac vascular and cerebral; who have hypertrophied prostate or indurated testes, very sensitive to cold, offensive foot-sweats, very weak and weary, must sit or lie down or lean on something. Very averse to meeting strangers. Affects glandular structures, and useful in general degenerative changes, especially in coats of arteries, ANEURISM, and senility. Baryta is a cardio-vascular poison acting on the muscular coats of heart and vessels. Arterial fibrosis. Blood-vessels soften and degenerate, become distended, and aneurisms, ruptures, and apoplexies result.

Loss of memory, mental weakness. Irresolute. Lost confidence in himself. Senile dementia. Confusion. BASHFUL. Aversion to strangers. Childish; grief over trifles.

Conium: The ASCENDING PARALYSIS it produces, ending in death by failure of respiration, show the ultimate tendency of many symptoms produced in the provings, for which Conium is an excellent remedy, such as difficult gait, trembling, sudden loss of strength while walking, painful stiffness of legs, etc. Such a condition is often found in old age, a time of weakness, languor, local congestions, and sluggishness. It corresponds to the debility, hypochondriasis, urinary troubles, weakened memory, sexual debility found here. Troubles at the change of life, old maids and bachelors. Growth of tumors invite it also. General feeling as if bruised by blows. Great debility in the morning in bed. WEAKNESS OF BODY AND MIND TREMBLING, and palpitation. Cancerous diathesis. Arterio-sclerosis. Acts on the glandular system, engorging and indurating it, altering its structure like scrofulous and cancerous conditions.

Excitement causes mental depression. Depressed, timid, averse to society, and afraid of being alone. No inclination for business or study; takes no interest in anything. Memory weak; unable to sustain any mental effort.

Secale cor: A useful remedy for old people with shriveled skin- thin, scrawny old women. All the Secale conditions are BETTER FROM COLD; the whole body is pervaded by a sense of great heat. Haemorrhages; continued oozing; THIN, fetid, watery black blood. DEBILITY, ANXIETY, EMACIATION, THOUGH APPETITE AND THIRST MAY BE EXCESSIVE. Facial and abdominal muscles twitch.

Picric acid: Causes degeneration of the spinal cord, with paralysis. Brain- fag and sexual excitement. Acts upon the generative organs probably through the lumbar centers of the spinal cord; prostration, weakness and pain of back, pins and needle sensation in extremities. NEURASTHENIA. Muscular debility. Heavy tired feeling. Sallow complexion.

Lack of will-power; disinclined to work. Cerebral softening. Dementia with prostration, sits still and listens.

Dr Samir Chaukkar M.D. is a Classical homoeopath practicing Homoeopathy since last 15 years in Mumbai. He is at present working extensively on homoeopathic advanced treatment in geriatric disorders especially Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsonism, Addictions in Seniors etc. at his clinic in Vashi and at Y.M.T.Hom Medical College where he is a Professor in Materia Medica since last 15 years. Email : drsamirac69@gmail.com