Homoeopathy — Page 658
Sulphur 658 Like Silicea, in tuberculosis and chronic lung diseases, Sulphur should also be used with the utmost care for fear of provoking a severe response from that part of the body. The lungs, already weakened, may rupture. Sulphur exposes the causative organisms (tuberculous bacilli), out of the cells and their protective shells just as in Silicea. If bacteria are abundantly present and overwhelming, then the weakened body will not be able to cope with them. Rather it will be overcome with the disease. Silicea has the natural tendency to expel foreign bodies from the body, which may merely be a particle of sand, a retained bullet or a piece of glass. Silicia will provoke a severe body response in the presence of advanced and well-established tuberculosis, the patient may even die. It is the duty of every good homoeopath to avoid giving a very high potency Silicia to such a weak person. At the outset, a low potency should be administered and then as the body gets acclimatised, higher potencies may gradually be administered. Additionally, Stannum may also be used to build up the defensive capability of the body. It should not be forgotten that a Sulphur patient is of a hot constitution and a Silicea patient is of a cold constitution. Calcarea Carb, unlike Silicea and Sulphur, helps form a protective shell of calcium around the bacteria which become imprisoned. It should be remembered that the administration of Sulphur immediately after the treatment with Calcarea Carb can cause severe complications. If Sulphur has to be given at all, Lycopodium must be used prior to its use. Sulphur also works well in the treatment of shingles (herpes zoster). Sulphur is also useful in the treatment of morning diarrhoea. Dr. Kent has, however, warned against the use of Sulphur in treating morning diarrhoea in a patient of tuberculosis, because by suppressing the diarrhoea it will badly affect the lungs already diseased, resulting in serious consequences. The diarrhoea of a tuberculosiis patient should first be treated with milder remedies and then the attempt may be made to cure the tuberculosis. Sulphur is also very useful in the treatment of measles. If the burning sensation and restlessness aggravate, but the typical rash does not appear and there is a fear that the disease could affect the internal linings, then besides Sulphur, Arsenic may also be used. In Sulphur, restlessness is not as profound as in Arsenic, though the feeling of intense burning is similar to Arsenic.