As A Counsellor, I Am Fortunate (?) To Experience A Varied Gamut Of Human Relationships Through The Cases That Come To Me For Therapy.one Such Case Was That Of A Young Adolescent Boy, Who Was Referred To Me For Academics, As Well As Behavioural Issues. On Meeting The Boy, He Seemed Compliant Enough For The Questions And Answered Them Willingly, But I Could Sense Intense Rage Within Him. On Probing, I Found That His Primary Anger Was Directed Against His Mother. Reason? She Insults Him In Front Of His Uncle And The Servant! The Mother Looked Surprised That This Was A Topic Of Dissent With The Boy. Her Logic Was That If He Is Scolded In Front Of Someone Else, Then He Would Learn To Behave Better. When I Asked Her What Her Expectations Were She Had Only One Thing To Say: I Want Him To Respect Elders.i Found Her Need To Be Very Amusing… Considering She Was Using Humiliation As A Tool To Discipline Her Son.everybody Has This Need In Them To Be Respected, Whether Young Or Old. How Could The Mother Expect The Child To Develop A Sense Of Respect And Reverence, When Everytime She Would Deride And Belittle Him Not Only In The Privacy Of Their Home But Also In Public? It Is, According To Me, The Lowest Form Of Disciplining Tactics, Which Would Have The Person At The Receiving End Seething Inside With Humiliation. I Remember, When I Was Working In A Publication Firm, We Would Have This Monthly Meetings, Which Were Called “hall Of Shame”. The Names Of All Those Editors Who Had Not Met Their Targets Would Be Written On The Board, And They Would Be Asked For Detailed Feedbacks And Explanations. This Could Also Be Done In The Cabins Of The Senior Professionals, But I Think They All Got A Perverse Pleasure, Seeing Them Squirm In Front Of An Audience. What Irreparable Damage Was Being Done To The Psyche Of The Person, I Dread To Think. A Personal Memo Calling The Person Filthy Names Is So Much Better Than This Public Flogging. Coming Back To The Case, When I Started Handling The Issues With The Mother, I Could Understand Where She Was Coming From. She Was A Perfectionist, And Theirs Was The Most Passive Marriage I Have Ever Seen! When Asked If She Expected Others To Respect Her As A Person And Her Opinions, She Wanted To Know What I Was Talking About! For The Husband, She Was Just A Wife; One Who Took Care Of His Physical And Biological Needs. He Could Not Describe The Person That She Was: Her Identity Was That She Was His Wife. She Was Labelled A Bad Mother Because Her Son Did Not Behave ‘properly’. So To Get Social Approval She Was Being Punitive With The Son. Her Life Revolved On Social Approvals. She Could No Longer Establish Her Own Identity, And Establishing The Importance Of Being Herself Became The Focus Of Counselling. She Was Gradually Able To Understand That You Do Not Demand Respect; You Command It. And You Can Only Teach How To Respect If You Practise It. The Point Took A While To Sink In; But When She Was Able To Withdraw From The Controlling Relationship, And Also Refused To Take Responsibility For Her Son’s Misbehaviour, And Refuse To Accept The Label Of Being A ‘bad Mother’ Simply Because He Misbehaved, Things Started Turning Around. When People Around Realised That She Was Not Accepting The Blame For His Behaviour, They Started Handling The Boy Differently; And He Too, In Subsequent Sessions Was Able To Understand The Scenario. Sessions Are Still On; The Husband Continues To Be Passive, Though He Is Beginning To Think There Is More To A Marriage Than Just Staying Together, And Is Slowly Willing To Enrich The Relationship.it Is Not ‘all Is Well’ As Yet…. But I Hope It Would Be.mohana Narayanan

Why Am I Feeling So Anxious About Everything? Many People Have This Thought Once In A While. Anxiety Is A Protective Phenomenon Fitted In The Brains Of People By Nature. Yes Buoyant Individuals Without Any Anxiety Whatsoever About Anything Rarely Can Perform Well In Life. This Statement Can Be A Great Reliever For Neurotic People Feeling Anxious About Anxiety Per Say! Hypochondriacal People Always Have Heightened Susceptibility To Stimuli That Lead To Excess Anxiety And Worry About The Apparently Casual Situations. In Such Cases, Anxiety Becomes Morbid At Times And Out Of Proportion To The External Circumstances. Also It May Last Long After The Threatening Situation Is Gone. This Kind Of Anxiety Needs Intervention And Good Psychological Counseling. Causative Factors Of Anxiety- (1) Psychological Illnesses Like Depression, Schizophrenia, Etc (2) Long Standing Illnesses (3) Certain Familial Traits And Genetic Contribution To Anxiety Cannot Be Denied (4) Unexpected Life Events With Poor Tolerance Level (5) Sometimes It May Be The Result Of Relatively Minor Day To Day Events (6) Some Physical Illnesses Like Hyperthyroidism, Hypoglycemia, Alcohol Withdrawal, Epilepsy, Pheochromocytoma, Arrhythmias, Etc Clinical Features Of Anxiety- (1) Fear Of Impending Disaster Is One Of The Chief Presenting Symptoms In Most Cases (2) Excessive Irritability (3) Restlessness With Fidgety Feeling All Over The Body (4) Tremors, Sweating, And Palpitations May Be There (5) Some Patients Complain Of Dizziness, Headache, Sudden Diarrheic Spells, Enhanced Frequency Of Urination, Etc (6) Breathlessness, Headache, Insomnia (typically During Initial Sleep), And Poor Concentration Are Observed Too (7) Severe Anxiety Can Result In Some Or The Other Physical (somatic) Illness Including Fever, Malaise, Dullness, Body Ache, Etc Some Peculiar Types Of Anxiety- There Are Many Types Of Anxiety; However, Mainly We Can Classify It Into Phobic Anxiety (phobia) And Panic Disorder. An Abnormal Fear Brought On By A Particular Object Or Situation Because Of Which The Person Avoids That Stimulus Is Termed As Phobia. Phobias Are Commoner In Women And Genetic Contribution Is Important To Consider. Scientists Have Attributed These Types Of Phobic Anxieties To Some Traumatic Event On The Childhood Of The Patient. This Boosts The Homeopathic Physician’s Concept Of Seeking Detailed Childhood History Of The Patient, In Which Lies The Answer To His Or Her Anxiety In Adulthood. Panic Disorder Is Sudden Onset Of Unpredictable And Severe Anxiety. They Usually Are Not Related To A Specific Situation And They Are Linked With Depressive Disorder. In This Variety, The Physical Symptoms Like Palpitations, Chest Pains Etc Are Prominent. The Patient Fears That He Is About To Die. Management Of Anxiety- Choice Of Treatment Goes A Long Way In Establishing The Normal Homeostasis In The Emotional Sphere Of Patient’s Life. Many People Deny That Anxiety Needs To Be Treated. But It Is Evident That Without Treatment, Sulking, Brooding, Irritability, And Excessive Worry Do Not Lessen But Aggravate To Take Graver Form. Therefore, Management Of Anxiety Is A Very Important Step Towards The Person’s Brighter Future. Psychological And Homeopathic Approach- Psychological Counseling Is The Most Important Pillar Of Anxiety Treatment. An Expert Psychologist Can Reassure The Patient And Can Inculcate In Him The Confidence That He Can Get Better. As Homeopathy Deals With Mind Effectively, A Homeopath Himself Is A Great Psychologist. Seeking Apt Data From The Patient Is An Art And Only That Homeopath Succeeds In Treating The Patient, Who Has In-depth Understanding Of The Patient’s Psyche. Therefore We Can Say That Psychological Counseling And Homeopathic Case Taking And Analysis Go Hand In Hand. They Cannot Be Separated. Even For Psychosomatic Anxiety, Importance Of Counseling Cannot Be Underestimated. Specific Relaxation Techniques Help A Great Deal In Patients Of Anxiety. Specific Yoga Techniques, Pranayam, And Homeopathy Together Can Work Marvelously Well In These Patients. Anxiety Is A Disorder In Which Conventionalists Have Very Limited Role. If You Do Not Want To Fall Prey To Heavy Doses Of Anti-depressants That May Leave You Dizzy All Day Long, Seek An Expert Counselor Homeopath That Can Help You Find The Best Equilibrium In Your Physical, Mental, And Emotional Realms. Talking To A Homeopath Is A Great Way To Find The Best Emotional Catharsis For Sure!

The Medical Care Of The Child During Its First Two Years Of Life Not Merely Requires Of The Physical, But Also Of The Mental Health And Development. This Begins, Not At The Time Of Birth But In Utero. It Is Essential To Guard The Health Of The Mother During Pregnancy, Her Mental And Physical If The Best Possible Child Is To Be Born. There Are Various Disabilities From Which The Mother May Suffer Which Have An Adverse Effect On The Unborn Infant. Some Are Conditions Peculiar To Pregnancy: Others Are Ailments Which Attack Indiscriminately The Pregnant And Non-pregnant. Let Us Take First A Few Of The Conditions Peculiar To Pregnancy. On The Physical Side We Have Excessive Vomiting, Albuminaria, Constipation With Toxic Absorption, Or Diarrhoea. On The Mental Side There Are Such Things As Undue Depression, Morbid Fears, Sleeplessness, And The Effects Of Frights. In This Sphere Homoeopathy Has Much To Offer In Advance Of Ordinary Medicine. For Example: Excessive Vomiting Of Pregnancy, If Allowed To Continue, Will Lead To The Death Of The Foetus, Either Naturally, Or Artificially Induced To Save The Life Of The Mother. In A Very Large Percentage Of Cases, When The Vomiting Of Pregnancy Starts, A Few Homoeopathic Doses Of Ipecacuanha Will Completely Control It. The Danger Is Prevented And Does Not Need To Be Met. In Those Unfortunate Cases In Which The Condition Has Not Been Homoeopathically Treated From The Start, The Response To The Homoeopathic Drug Is Startling, Though The Choice Of The Drug Is More Difficult And Is Dictated By The Symptoms Of The Individual Case. Albuminuria Of Pregnancy Is One Of The Terrors Of The Obstetrician. It Is One Of The Great Danger Signals, One Of The Signs That The Strain Is Telling On The Mother, And Through Her On The Child. It Is The Precursor Of Convulsions With All Their Horrors And Anxieties. Small Pills Of Homoeopathy Remedies Like Apis, Plumbum, Acidum Phosphoricum Or Terebinthina Remove The Albumin From The Urine And Make The Case Settle In No Times. Constipation In Pregnancy Is A Common Trouble. Where It Exists Toxic Absorption Is Bound To Follow, And While It Persists The Patient Is In Danger Of The Severer Complications Due To Infection By The Bacillus Coli. In The Great Majority Of Cases A Few Doses Of Nux Vomica, Opium, Or Alumina Will Put Matters Right, Provided The Mother's Diet Is Rational. Diarrhoea In Pregnancy Is Always A Serious Matter, And If Not Speedily Relieved May Lead To Miscarriage. The Gentle Action Of A Small Dose Of Aloe, Podophyllum Or Mercurius Can Give An Instantaneous Relief. Rubella, Or German Measles If Acquired During Pregnancy, Especially During The First Four Months, May Have An Adverse Effect On The Unborn Child. In The Event Of Exposure To Infection During Pregnancy It Would Be Wise To Prescribe The Rubella Nosode. On The Mental Side The Effects Of Morbid States In The Mother Have A Very Definite Effect On The Foetus. The Morbid Depression Will Fade Away After The Judicious Administration Of Pulsatilla, Aurum, Or Sepia. Fears Lose Their Terror Under The Action Of Aconitum Napellus, Arsenicum Album, Argentum Nitricum, Ignatia Amara Or One Of The Dindred Drugs. Sleep Returns To The Weary Mother Helped By Aconitum Napellus, Belladonna, Coffea Cruda, Nux Vomica, Etc., And The Fright Loses Its Evil Effect Under The Sedative Influence Of Aconitum Napellus, Ignatia Amara, Opium, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla Nigricans, Etc. The Mother's Nervous System Has Not Been Dulled, Not Has The Unborn Infant Been Poisoned By Any Of These Drugs. The Next Factor Seriously Affecting The Well-being Of The Child Is Its Birth. Here There Are Great Possibilities Of Injury; Unavoidable Injury At The Hands Of The Most Skilful Attendant, Due To The Necessity For Manipulation Of Instruments, Or Injury Due To Prolonged And Difficult Labour, Without Any Outside Interference. These Injuries May Be To Limbs Or, Much More Serious, May Involve Intracranial Haemorrhages And Consequent Brain Damage. There Are Two Problems To Be Considered Here: How To Avoid The Risk, If Possible; And What Can Be Done For The Infant Who Is Suffering From The Effects Of A Difficult Labour. It Is An Experience Common To Homeopathic Doctors Everywhere, Who Are Conducting A General Practice, That Their Patients Do Not Suffer From Difficult Labour. That Does Not Prove Anything, But It Is A Fortunate Fact For The Patients. There Are Two Factors Which Have A Bearing On This Happy Experience: A Pregnant Woman Who Is Treated Throughout Her Pregnancy With Homoeopathic Medicine Will Approach Her Confinement Freed From The Physical And Mental Ailments Which So Often Are Factors In The Production Of An Unsatisfactory Confinement; And, There Is A Drug, Caulephyllum, Which Has The Power Of Regulating The Processes Of Labour, A Fact Which Was Known And Used By Homoeopaths Many Years Ago, And Is Equally True To-day.