Dr.S.P.Koppikar, worlds renowned physician, and former president of Tamil Nadu Homoeopathy Medical council, is having clinical experience for more than 70 years. He has written many articles and presented papers in national and international seminars. His works were collected and published as, “ Koppikar’s Clinical Experience Of 70 Years In Homoeopathy” recently. He had shared his clinical experiences in a seminar organized at Nilgris Nest by the TNHA Chennai Chapter. Dr. N.R. Jayakumar,Dr. M. Peter Martin, Dr. T. Ambika and Dr. Jessie Gloria Priscilla were the comperer.

Dr.S.P.Koppikar

Dr. N.R. Jayakumar: I have come across some unusual cases in my practice regarding tonsils. Numerous patients with tonsil hypertrophy, but without any active signs of infection or respiratory symptoms come for treatment. Please suggest a few respiratory complaints and your line of treatment for such cases.

Dr. S.P. Koppikar: In such cases, information about the age of the patient as well as the duration of the problem is very essential for treatment. I also try to gather information about the possible etiology and circumstances of how the patient developed hypertrophied tonsils.

It is my observation that rheumatism is directly related to tonsillitis and hypertrophied tonsils. I traditionally used to use medicines such as Baryta Carb, Baryta Mur, and Baryta Iod. I also prescribe Calcarea Phos 3x. These were based on the teachings of Dr.Clarke, my Guru, but around 1965, I came across an article that stated that 80% of all infections were streptococcal. After this I have started prescribing streptococcinum, Tuberculinum, Botulinum and occasionally Psorinum in high potencies in intervals of 15 days. Of late, I have found excellent results in “Agraphis” for both tonsillitis and adenoids.

Dr. N.R. Jayakumar:-Please enumerate your experience in treating bacterial endocarditis.

Dr.S.P. Koppikar : As I had stated previously, there is a direct relationship between Rheumatism and Bacterial infections, especially streptococcal infections. Long time ago, I had a case of this kind in Madurai. A ten-year-old boy with continuous high fever for ten days accompanied with tachycardia of around 150 beats per minute, was brought to me for treatment. So I gave him just three doses of Pyrogen 200. It brought about instantaneous results and fever resolved. Sulphur is again an excellent anti-bacterial medicine against streptococcal infections. Belladonna is another medicine that I have used generously against such infections. The role of Belladonna is mainly to eliminate the infection. I somehow find Aconite to be ineffective in Chennai.

Dr. N.R. Jayakumar: Please share your experiences with nosodes in treatment of respiratory disorders

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: Respiratory disorders is a very broad and generalized term. I would prefer to look at the treatment in a more specific point of view. I had a patient with severe vomiting for years. On inquiry, the patient stated that he had a head bath immediately after cycling in the hot sun and only after that he had developed a bout of vomiting. It is a well-known fact that Rhustox is the indicated remedy for “drenched when overheated” but it also neither helped in curing a case of vomiting nor mentioned in any Materia Medica. Carol Dunham’s method of a case taking has proven to be the most useful one in understanding the essence of case taking. I was also inspired by Hahnemann’s case in the book Clarke’s Prescriber. As regards the use of nosodes, I have already shared a few of my experiences, and I would also like to share my experience regarding a case with you. A patient had recurrent attacks of bronchitis after having a D.P.T. vaccination. The first attack occurred ten days after administration of the vaccination and two subsequent attacks in gaps of ten days. I prescribed the patient one dose of Pertusin followed by Drosera and a weekly dose of Tuberculinum on a weekly basis. It brought about fantastic result. The most frequently used nosodes are Tuberculinum Bovinum, Psorinum and Streptoccocinium. The variety of nosodes available today, the topic is very large. They should be used judiciously.

Dr.N.R.Jayakumar, Dr.Peter Martin

Dr.N.R.Jayakumar: Homoeopathic physicians find it very difficult to treat urticaria specially its frequent recurrences in the patient. Please share your experiences in treating this stubborn disease.

Dr. S.P.Koppikar: An ideal way of treating urticaria would be finding out specific allergen or trigger factor. The medicines that I use are Magnesium Muriaticum, Natrum Muriaticum and Rhustox. Dulcamara is also effective in certain cases; Sulphur or Psorinum should also be tried intercurrently depending on the thermal relationship of the patient. One specific indication for Magnesium Muraticum is aggravation during menses.

Dr.N.R.Jayakumar: How do you treat cases of fungal infection?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: Graphites, Croton Tig are great boons for fungal infection. Psorinum is another well-known remedy. In case of fungal nails, I prescribe an external application with the combination of Thuja and Calendula. The other medicines that can be thought of are Nitric Acid and Graphites. If still persistent, Gunpowder 3x works wonders. Gunpowder is an excellent medicine for boils and abcesses. In skin related cases, location of the infection is an important pointer to select the remedy. For example, Natrum Muriaticum can effectively treat warts on hands.

Dr.Peter Martin: How successful are we in managing Hypertension ?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar:There is a very common misconception among physicians that hypertension is an alarming condition requiring immediate attention. Basically there are two types of hypertension. Physiological and pathological. Physiological hypertension occurs in various conditions as in compensatory mechanisms. For example, in patients with renal disorders, due to the diminished capacity of kidneys to filter blood, the body compensates by increasing the rate of flow of blood to the kidneys thus inducing physiological hypertension. In such cases, reduction of the blood pressure might result in renal insufficiency and even renal failure. The criteria I follow for normal systolic blood pressure is age of the patient +100, this could be considered ideal. In terms of treating hypertension I have found medicines like Glonine, Natrum Muriaticum and nux vomica to be very effective. Even medicines like Amyl Nitrosum is very useful in every day practice to control hypertension.

Dr.Peter Martin : Please enlighten us about the line of treatment you will adopt in the case of cardiovascular disorders

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: I have used medicines like Aurum Metallicum, Naja and Calcarea Flouricum to treat conditions like ASD and VSD, I cannot state with conviction that these are sure shot remedies due to insufficient feed back from the patients. In the case of myocardial infarction, Latrodectus is my drug of choice.

Dr. Jessie Gloria Priscilla, Dr.Ambika

Dr.Ambika : Can we treat conditions like Achalasia and Dysphagia through homeopathic drugs, kindly comment.
Dr.S.P.Koppikar: Yes, of course. Kali Carbonicum, Nitric Acid are the two medicines specifically indicated for difficulty in swallowing. Phosphorus has a specific action on the cardiac orifice. Vomiting relieved by drinking cold water is a typical symptom of Phosphorus.

Dr.Ambika : Please describe your experiences in treating Gallstones and Appendicitis.

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: It is very important to assess the size of the gall stones. In case the stones are large, modern techniques like lithotripsy should be adopted, as they are quicker in bringing relief to the patients. In case of smaller stones I prescibe Chelidonium, Cardus Marianus, Chionanthus, Cephalandra Indica, and Berberis Vulgaris. Belladonna is an excellent remedy to relieve pain in the case of appendicitis, Iris Tenax, Lycopodium, and Bryonia work wonders in such cases.

Dr.Ambika :Is epilepsy curable by Homoeopathy?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: Yes. It is curable with medicines like Silicea, Oenanthe Crocata, Belladonna, Cuprum Metallicum, and Hyoscyamus, but extreme caution is to be taken in weaning of the allopathic medication. At least, a two-year time period should be given to treat the patient. It is important to note that epilepsy is a disease of relapse and the patient should be sufficiently educated about his condition.

Dr.Ambika: Do we have specific medicines for strengthening the memory?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: Lycopodium helps to increase the confidence and memory. Students benefit from Anacardium andGelsemium. Also, give the Nosode of the illness from which the patient had suffered recently, in case poor memory is secondary to a specific disorder.

Dr.Ambika: Doctor, I have spent sleepless nights to find the right remedy for treating insomnia. Can I seek a dawn for this answer?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: I follow a schedule for treating insomnia. Try to find out which part of the night is the most difficult for the patient to sleep. Treatment should be applied according to the most sleepless part of the patient.
1st three hours-Coffea and Pulsatilla
2nd three hours-Arsenicum Album and Nux vomica.
3rd three hours-Kali Carb and Thuja.
Insomnia related to business-Hyoscyamus.
Absolute lack of sleep-Natrum Muriactium.

Gathering

Dr. Jessie Gloria Priscilla: I would like to know if a patient could be prescribed two constitutional remedies at the same time. I had a patient who needed Kali Carb (constitution) to cure her back pain, but did not relieve her migraine symptoms. The migraine symptoms were characteristic of Sepia, which helped cure the migraine. If the patient presents with characteristic features of two drugs, is it correct to prescribe both medicines?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: There is absolutely no harm in prescribing two constitutional remedies to the same patient. Nowadays, many patients present with complex symptoms where one remedy may not be sufficient to cover his entire spectrum of symptoms and a second remedy might help to bring quick and complete relief.

Dr. Jessie Gloria Priscilla : A number of medicines we use in our daily practice have a specific duration of action. Some remedies are deemed quick acting while there are also long acting remedies. In the case of long acting remedies, do you advise us to wait until the stipulated period of time for the medicine to act or is it better to switch to another medicine if the patient has no particular relief ?

Dr.S.P.Koppikar: The first and foremost duty of the physician is to bring faith to the patient. In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, it is very difficult to convince the patient that the medicine may take some time to act. It is always better to wait for a reasonable amount of time and then try an alternative prescription. For longstanding diseases, it would be better to educate the patient beforehand regarding the approximate duration of cure to help reduce his anxiety.