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Umbilical Hernia
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C hapter
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Umbilical Hernia Homeopathy|Janet L. Levatin
PEDIATRIC DIAGNOSIS A ND MANAGEMENT Umbilical hernias are extremely common in infancy and childhood.1-3 The hernia is caused by imperfect closure or weakness of the umbilical ring, where protrusion of intraabdominal contents may occur during crying, coughing, or straining and can be reduced easily through the fibrous ring at the umbilicus.1 Predisposing factors include black race and low birthweight.4 The incidence is 1.9% to 18.5% in white (Caucasian) children.1 The occurrence of an umbilical hernia during infancy is congenital. The diagnosis is easily made by physical examination.2,5 The size of the defect varies from less than 1 cm in diameter to as much as 5 cm, but large hernias are rare. The great majority of pediatric umbilical hernias are asymptomatic, although they may occasionally cause intermittent umbilical or abdominal pain.1 Most congenital hernias disappear spontaneously by 1 year of age.2 Incarceration and strangulation are uncommon. Rupture of umbilical hernia with resultant evisceration is extremely rare. Strapping neither improves nor accelerates closure.1 Surgery is not advised unless the hernia persists to age 4 or 5 years, enlarges, causes symptoms, or becomes strangulated or unless the fascial defect becomes progressively larger after the age of 1 to 2 years. Defects exceeding 2 cm are less likely to close spontaneously.1,4
CAM THERAPY R ECOMMENDATIONS Homeopathy Before using this section, please see Appendix A, Homeopathy, for definitions of practitioner expertise categories and general information on prescribing homeopathic medicines.
Clinician Expertise Category 1 Category 1 includes simple umbilical hernia that is not strangulated and is unassociated with other anatomical defects. There are no controlled clinical trials of homeopathy for treatment of umbilical hernia, although the homeopathic literature contains evidence for its use in the form of accumulated clinical experience.1 It is safe to try homeopathic treatment for umbilical hernia unassociated with other anatomical defects and unaccompanied with strangulation, prior to beginning conventional therapy (surgery); however, homeopathy is less likely to be effective for an anatomical problem such as umbilical hernia than it is for a functional or energetic problem. 448
The goal in treating umbilical hernia homeopathically is to determine the single homeopathic medicine whose description in the materia medica most closely matches the symptom picture of the patient. Often mental and emotional states, in addition to physical symptoms, are considered. Once the medicine has been selected, it can be given orally or sublingually in the 30C or 200C potency once daily for 3 days. This regimen could be repeated once every 3 to 4 weeks until some other course of treatment is chosen, if needed. Once the hernia has begun to resolve, the medicine can be given less frequently or stopped. The following is a list of homeopathic medicines referenced in the homeopathic literature as medicines for patients with umbilical hernia.1 It must be emphasized that this list is partial and represents some of the probable choices from the homeopathic materia medica. If the symptoms of a given patient are not represented here, a search of the homeopathic literature would be needed to find the simillimum.1
Aurum metallicum The child with an umbilical hernia who needs Aurum metallicum is usually observed to be a serious, introverted, responsible child. Crampy abdominal pains may be associated with the hernia. Aurum metallicum may also be tried for inguinal hernias when they occur in a child similar in nature to the one described here.
Calcarea carbonica Calcarea carbonica is a medicine to consider when the inguinal hernia is present in a child whose abdominal wall muscles seem thin and weak. The child may have low muscle tone in general.
Nux vomica Nux vomica should be considered when the umbilical hernia occurs in a child or infant with constipation and straining at stool. The patient is colicky and has an irritable, oversensitive nature.
Sulphur The child with an umbilical hernia who needs Sulphur is usually a robust, warm-blooded child.
Veratrum album The child with an umbilical hernia who needs Veratrum album p0130 will usually be precocious, restless, and overstimulated. He or she may be prove to bouts of gastroenteritis.
Umbilical Hernia 449
1. Marinkovic S, Bukarica S: Umbilical hernia in children [in Serbian], Med Pregl 56:291-294, 2003. 2. Graf JL, Caty MG, Martin DJ et al: Pediatric hernias, Semin Ultrasound CT MR 23:197-200, 2002. 3. Scherer LR 3rd, Grosfeld JL: Inguinal hernia and umbilical anomalies, Pediatr Clin North Am 40:1121-1131, 1993.
4. Behrman RE, Kliegman RM, Jenson HB, editors: Nelson textbook of pediatrics, ed 17, Philadelphia, 2004, Saunders. 5. Armstrong O: Umbilical hernia [in French], Rev Prat 53:16711676, 2003.
Homeopathy 1. ReferenceWorks Pro 4.2, San Rafael, Calif, 2008, Kent Homeopathic Associates.
U
Ref erences Pediatric Diagnosis and Management
C hapter
59
Umbilical Hernia Homeopathy|Janet L. Levatin
PEDIATRIC DIAGNOSIS A ND MANAGEMENT Umbilical hernias are extremely common in infancy and childhood.1-3 The hernia is caused by imperfect closure or weakness of the umbilical ring, where protrusion of intraabdominal contents may occur during crying, coughing, or straining and can be reduced easily through the fibrous ring at the umbilicus.1 Predisposing factors include black race and low birthweight.4 The incidence is 1.9% to 18.5% in white (Caucasian) children.1 The occurrence of an umbilical hernia during infancy is congenital. The diagnosis is easily made by physical examination.2,5 The size of the defect varies from less than 1 cm in diameter to as much as 5 cm, but large hernias are rare. The great majority of pediatric umbilical hernias are asymptomatic, although they may occasionally cause intermittent umbilical or abdominal pain.1 Most congenital hernias disappear spontaneously by 1 year of age.2 Incarceration and strangulation are uncommon. Rupture of umbilical hernia with resultant evisceration is extremely rare. Strapping neither improves nor accelerates closure.1 Surgery is not advised unless the hernia persists to age 4 or 5 years, enlarges, causes symptoms, or becomes strangulated or unless the fascial defect becomes progressively larger after the age of 1 to 2 years. Defects exceeding 2 cm are less likely to close spontaneously.1,4
CAM THERAPY R ECOMMENDATIONS Homeopathy Before using this section, please see Appendix A, Homeopathy, for definitions of practitioner expertise categories and general information on prescribing homeopathic medicines.
Clinician Expertise Category 1 Category 1 includes simple umbilical hernia that is not strangulated and is unassociated with other anatomical defects. There are no controlled clinical trials of homeopathy for treatment of umbilical hernia, although the homeopathic literature contains evidence for its use in the form of accumulated clinical experience.1 It is safe to try homeopathic treatment for umbilical hernia unassociated with other anatomical defects and unaccompanied with strangulation, prior to beginning conventional therapy (surgery); however, homeopathy is less likely to be effective for an anatomical problem such as umbilical hernia than it is for a functional or energetic problem. 448
The goal in treating umbilical hernia homeopathically is to determine the single homeopathic medicine whose description in the materia medica most closely matches the symptom picture of the patient. Often mental and emotional states, in addition to physical symptoms, are considered. Once the medicine has been selected, it can be given orally or sublingually in the 30C or 200C potency once daily for 3 days. This regimen could be repeated once every 3 to 4 weeks until some other course of treatment is chosen, if needed. Once the hernia has begun to resolve, the medicine can be given less frequently or stopped. The following is a list of homeopathic medicines referenced in the homeopathic literature as medicines for patients with umbilical hernia.1 It must be emphasized that this list is partial and represents some of the probable choices from the homeopathic materia medica. If the symptoms of a given patient are not represented here, a search of the homeopathic literature would be needed to find the simillimum.1
Aurum metallicum The child with an umbilical hernia who needs Aurum metallicum is usually observed to be a serious, introverted, responsible child. Crampy abdominal pains may be associated with the hernia. Aurum metallicum may also be tried for inguinal hernias when they occur in a child similar in nature to the one described here.
Calcarea carbonica Calcarea carbonica is a medicine to consider when the inguinal hernia is present in a child whose abdominal wall muscles seem thin and weak. The child may have low muscle tone in general.
Nux vomica Nux vomica should be considered when the umbilical hernia occurs in a child or infant with constipation and straining at stool. The patient is colicky and has an irritable, oversensitive nature.
Sulphur The child with an umbilical hernia who needs Sulphur is usually a robust, warm-blooded child.
Veratrum album The child with an umbilical hernia who needs Veratrum album p0130 will usually be precocious, restless, and overstimulated. He or she may be prove to bouts of gastroenteritis.
Umbilical Hernia 449
1. Marinkovic S, Bukarica S: Umbilical hernia in children [in Serbian], Med Pregl 56:291-294, 2003. 2. Graf JL, Caty MG, Martin DJ et al: Pediatric hernias, Semin Ultrasound CT MR 23:197-200, 2002. 3. Scherer LR 3rd, Grosfeld JL: Inguinal hernia and umbilical anomalies, Pediatr Clin North Am 40:1121-1131, 1993.
4. Behrman RE, Kliegman RM, Jenson HB, editors: Nelson textbook of pediatrics, ed 17, Philadelphia, 2004, Saunders. 5. Armstrong O: Umbilical hernia [in French], Rev Prat 53:16711676, 2003.
Homeopathy 1. ReferenceWorks Pro 4.2, San Rafael, Calif, 2008, Kent Homeopathic Associates.
U
Ref erences Pediatric Diagnosis and Management