One of the common complaints is abdominal pain. One is aware of Appendicitis which causes pain in the right lower abdomen with vomiting. But there are other ordeals within the cavity of the abdomen that can affect the the pancreas also called as Pancreatitis.
Pancreas is a gland in the abdomen just behind the stomach which produces Insulin that helps in breaking down of sugar in the blood and translates into energy and also glucagon for digestive help. All is well but after a heavy fatty meal in the night, excessive alcohol consumption or a condition like gall bladder stone which blocks the duct coming out from pancreas; there is an inflammation of the gland called as pancreatitis. This acute condition makes the person ill and immediate help is necessary. There is a severe pain in the upper abdomen which travels across on either sides into the back and there is a sudden development of fever with a rapid pulse. This causes loss of electrolytes in the circulation and weakness ensues. If related to the pancreatic gland there is an elevation of the amylase and lipase levels in the blood circulation and an ultrasound scan may reveal gall bladder stones or swollen or bleeding changes in the pancreas.
This acute condition needs hospitalization and there is an urgent need for electrolytes like sodium, potassium and bicarbonate even as the levels of calcium, magnesium. Nutritional supplements are the second on the cards while anti inflammatory agents like Ars alb , Merc sol , Phos. are some remedies that can help as complementary application. More often than not patients do recover well when promptly treated but the patient can slip into a state of shock if not managed appropriately.
But what can be of concern is that some amount of inflammation can remain and lead to a condition called as chronic pancreatitis. Such patients develop recurrent episodes of abdominal pain with fever and vomiting and seem to have limited digestive capacity. These patients need to abstain from alcohol and reduce fatty foods in their diets significantly and need space their meals at intervals so as to not to burden the pancreas. They need to guard their weight and if the enzymes are not enough to complete the digestive process and they could suffer from oily stools etc. Homoeopathic medicine has good remedies like Phos , Iris vers , Chelidonium , Chenopodium , Nux vom etc., that can get back the tissue of pancreas on the tracks if that has not been damaged considerably and keep pancreatitis away.
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