What is Arsenicum Album & What Does the Ministry of AYUSH have to Say About it?

What is Arsenicum Album?

Arsenicum album is a homoeopathic medicine, prepared from the potentization of arsenic trioxide. Arsenic trioxide is said to be a poisonous substance, but after its potentization, it becomes non-poisonous due to its minimal quantity which is not even traceable. This medicine has been proven by healthy human beings and has also been tested clinically. Arsenicum album is a Homeopathy medicine for immunity booster.

What Ministry of AYUSH has to say all about this during COVID-19?

COVID-19 or Coronavirus disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2), which is a highly contagious disease. It has been declared a pandemic by WHO in February 2020. The spread of this infection occurs from droplet infection via the respiratory tract, and its site of action is also the respiratory tract. Its incubation period varies from 6-8 days, and its symptoms remain for 1-2 weeks after it.
Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 present a wide range which includes:

I. Most common symptoms of the disease are:

• Cough
• Fever
• Myalgia or fatigue
• Difficulty in breathing

II. Less common symptoms include:

• Headache
• Haemoptysis
• Diarrhea

Also Read 5 Effective Ways to Boost Your Immunity Naturally!!

The above symptoms are seen during mild disease occurrence. The severe disease includes signs and symptoms, which are dyspnea, respiratory frequency -30/min, and reduced blood oxygen saturation (SpO2)-  93%. Critical disease condition leads to respiratory failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction (MOD) or failure (MOF) and results in death.

Apart from the symptoms mentioned above, there is a common mindset among most of the positive patients and in persons who have been quarantined in specialized quarantine centres. This includes fear of death, anxiety and fear of being alone, and excessive concern about health which even lead to sleeplessness and restlessness. These mental symptoms appear from the lack of definitive treatment, isolating the positive patients and fear of losing their lives. Due to the unavailability of definitive treatment and complete lockdowns followed by the whole communities, to prevent its spread, even the non-infected population, mental health is also at stake. They also have a common fear of getting infected by the virus with anxiety about their health and their loved ones too.

Prevention of COVID-19

Since currently there is no specific treatment or vaccine for its prevention are present; hence prevention is the key to staying safe and healthy. At the community level, lockdowns are the key to preventing its spread. At the personal level, Word Health Organization has recommended the following standard preventive guidelines for COVID-19:

• Frequently clean your hands with soap and water or if not available rub alcohol-based sanitiser.
• Cover your mouth and nose properly while coughing or sneezing with flexed elbow or tissue paper and throw it immediately and wash your hands.
• Avoid close contact with anyone having a cough or fever. Follow the norms of social distancing every time you go out.
• Cover your face with a face mask every time you go out.
• Seek medical help immediately if you experience fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
• Consumption of raw or undercooked meat should be avoided.

Currently, there is no specific drug treatment for COVID-19 disease. There is no vaccine developed now by scientists for its prevention. People are treated according to the symptoms developed. Patients who get cured of the disease develop antibodies against the virus, which is done by the natural defence mechanism of our body, i.e., the immune system of our body.

In this scenario, the scope of Homeopathy is high. As this is the science in which medicine is selected according to the symptomatology of the patient, which is capable of curing the whole body. The correct similar medicine given to the patient helps in improving the immunity of the patient and leads to a rapid and gentle cure without any side effects.

In India, for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 disease, the genus epidemicus declared by the Ministry of AYUSH is Arsenicum album-30. Genus epidemicus is a common medicine selected for the prevention of that concerned epidemic disease. It is selected after an extensive study of all the symptoms recorded from several patients.

There is a rich background of Homeopathy present in the field of preventive medicine. Previously its preventive and curative treatments have been notified during the outbreaks of Cholera, Spanish flu, Yellow fever, Scarlet fever, Diphtheria, Typhoid, etc. Even in the recent past, Homeopathic genus epidemicus has been given in the prevention of diseases like chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, etc., with good results. Keeping in view the clinical success in above mentioned severe viral diseases, Homeopathy should be given a trial in its treatment as well in the prevention of the disease.

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Benefits of Arsenicum album as stated by the authoritative literature

This medicine is chosen as per the logic that it can treat flu-like illnesses successfully and covers the mental sphere (mentioned earlier) of the people. Hence, it covers the physical domain as well as the cognitive domain of symptoms possessed by people. Also, it is a known fact that it helps to improve the immunity of the person if the symptoms correspond.

Raising our immunity helps our body to fight off the virus easily and refrains from developing the symptoms in the body. Arsenicum album is an immunity booster medicine. Hence, Arsenicum album and corona can be called foes.

Following are the symptoms for which Arsenicum album is indicated in general

In the mental sphere: When a person has a fear of death and fear of being left alone, it can be given. It is accompanied by cold sweat. He thinks that it’s useless to take medicine. Sensitive to disorder and confusion.

At the physical sphere: For thin, watery, excoriating discharge. My nose feels stopped up. For sneezing without relief. Unable to lie down due to fear of suffocation. For constricted air-passages and suffocative catarrh. Cough which worsens after midnight and on lying on the back. Scanty and frothy expectoration. When there is haemoptysis with pain between the shoulders and burning heat all over the body, it can be given.

Dosage

For prophylaxis as recommended by the Ministry of AYUSH:
Arsenicum album 30, daily once on an empty stomach for three days. The dose should be repeated after one month by following the same schedule until Coronavirus infections are prevalent in the community.

CONCLUSION

Arsenicum album is a homoeopathic medicine which is prepared from the potentization of arsenic oxide. According to the previous successful history of prevention in the past epidemic occurrence, Arsenicum album-30 has been declared as the genus epidemicus for COVID-19 by the Ministry of AYUSH. COVID-19 is a viral disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is highly contagious. It has been declared as a pandemic by WHO. The common symptoms are cough, fever and difficulty in breathing by which it is suspected.

Currently, there is no specific treatment and vaccine available for its treatment and prevention, respectively, in the conventional medicinal system. According to the mode of action of Homeopathic drugs, there is the scope of treatment and prevention by Homeopathic medicines.

As per the current mental and physical state of the population along with symptoms similar to the disease symptoms taken after the study of several cases of COVID-19, Arsenicum album has been chosen aptly as a homoeopathic prophylactic remedy. Various state governments of India have tested its efficacy with successful results. Hence Arsenicum album can be aptly called an immunity booster medicine, which can help in fighting against COVID-19.