SURVIVING INDIA

Alternative First Aid at Home and Away

A comprehensive manual for treatments of common ailments 

by

Dr. Tina Berkovits R.C.P, PhD

About the Author

Introduction to the book “Surviving India”

The manual gives the traveler of lost and far-off places the ability to handle emergency situations and conditions until he/she will reach a health care professional. You’ll find countless little tricks that will make life easier when traveling, are not costly and at hand most of the time anywhere in the world.
The manual gives a background about ailments, ways to recognize them, self-help measures, homeopathic and herbal remedies, dietary approach, “do” and “don’ts”, and also some expected laboratory tests to ask for when reaching a hospital and possible allopathic medications that may be prescribed by medical doctors

When I traveled to India 2005 and settled in Goa, people in the area heard that I am a Naturopath and homeopathic doctor and came to see me for all kinds of ailments. Among them were simple ones like sore throat, abrasions and wounds caused by traffic accidents -mostly motor bikers-, simple falls, diarrhea, caused by the local diets and sanitary conditions etc.
The more difficult cases were the drug-abuse conditions, anxiety attacks, cancer, and an outbreak of impetigo among the children who lived in the area.
I soon found myself busy setting up a clinic in the guest house I lived in.
Since I brought with me some homeopathic and natural medicine for personal use only the supply was soon depleted and I had to look for a pharmacy that sold homeopathic remedies.
Though the local pharmacist was willing to bring some of the remedies I asked for from the city, it still became a major issue since he only went to the city every now and then and I needed the remedies promptly in emergencies.
Luckily I found a pharmacy that sold Dr Reckeweg remedies plus other natural medications in the next big city and bought a small supply of the most important remedies, Belladonna for fever, cantharis for burns, Probiotics for digestive problems, also iodine for cleaning wounds, gauze and band-aids etc.
I received some reading material about remedies sold in the same pharmacy and among it the booklet of Dr Reckeweg remedies, which helped tremendously when treating people without having my own remedies at hand.
Still, I missed the remedies I worked with at home and sometimes had to rely on my knowledge of homeopathic compositae and prepare a number of remedies myself which luckily were effective too.
Not all ingredients could be found so I had to be creative with diets and herbs;  my landlord made good liqueur that was good for diarrhea and upset stomach. So I used it! The landlady of a small local restaurant with an attached guesthouse asked me what to cook for a guest with diarrhea and stomach pains and we decided on a diet of locally grown rice, made as a soupy kind of drink, and chamomile tea that I found in another store and bought for her.
After 2 days with this diet her patient was well and about and she continued with a diet of cooked vegetables and rice and tea until he was well enough to eat regular food. This lady was my assistant for all the patients who had stomach problems. She knew what to do, was clean and enjoyed the extra income. Everybody was happy, patient were taken care of and became quickly healthy and could continue traveling or enjoy the time they had left in the village.
One guy with a more severe case of diarrhea needed a little more than rice soup and I still had a stock of Weleda’s birch coal tablets in my bag. I had only brought one package with me from Israel, which I wanted to have for myself and my friend just in case.
Well, I took pity on the guy since he was feeling so bad and on the verge of dehydration when I was called to see him.
I gave him 3 tablets to take during the day and told him to have plenty of chamomile tea and some rice soup from the restaurant I worked with.
Well, the guy became healthy in a matter of 24 hours and was walking around the next day to get food and after 3 days was ready to travel.

A girl I met in a restaurant was vomiting violently and couldn’t keep her fluids down after traveling on a bus for 24 hours. She was about ready to try anything to feel better. I got her to lick a few potato chips and have a sip of coca cola which made her well after 30 – 45 min and she was ready to eat real food.
These little tricks one doesn’t learn at college, university or books, but they still have the power to make a difference and are useful when traveling in areas where you cannot find professional health care.

It is why I decided to write this manual.  It gives some answers in emergency situations that are relatively simple and not costly and can sometimes save life, or at least save the situation until you reach the next city and medical care.
It is not enough of course to rely exclusively on the manual for medical conditions, and not the intention of the writer to provide extensive medical knowledge of the layman, but it intends to give the guidelines about what to do and what not to do until reaching medical help

Content of the book “Surviving India”

An Example from the manual SURVIVING INDIA

About Homeopathy
(Reference: http://www.vithoulkas.com/EN/homeopathy.html)
Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that can be used to treat a wide variety of illnesses. It is based on two primary beliefs:

Homeopathy or Homeopathic medicine, the 'energy medicine', is a branch of medical science based on the principle that disease can be cured by strengthening the body's defense mechanism with substances selected for their energy-giving properties. The term homeopathy is derived from the words 'homeo' and 'pathos', meaning 'similar suffering'.
A cure (e.g. herb) is selected which, in its crude form, would produce the same symptoms in a healthy body as found in a sick person suffering from the specific disease.
But this crude substance, selected from herbs, minerals, or chemicals, is diluted and purified beyond the point of harm to its quintessential state of energy.
In contrast to traditional (allopathic) medicine, by which symptoms are treated with toxic drugs which weaken the body, homeopathic medicine aims to change the body's energy levels which lie at the root of disease.
Founded in the nineteenth century by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, for whom Philadelphia's Hahnemann Hospital is named, the practice of homeopathy has, over the last ten years, experienced a resurgence of interest, as more and more doctors and patients discover the powers of natural curative energies.
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For mild or chronic stage

For acute stage:

The tablet dosage usually is:

The dosage for globules usually is:
For mild stage:

For acute stage:

There are some remedies which complement each other and are indicated in the table as:

Often there are several choices for the same disease and are indicated in the table as:

The remedies in bold (R0) are the remedies of first choice
As with all medications unexpected difficulties may arise. When this happens

Information:
Most of the composites refer to Dr. Reckeweg ® remedies and are recognized as “R…”, and to remedies from Weleda ®, which are  usually recognized with the ending “….doron” and remedies from Heel ®, easily recognized by the ending:…eel”
These companies are highly recommended and graciously gave their permission to use their remedies in the manual. Most of the remedies are available everywhere in the world in homeopathic pharmacies

Abbreviations:

Tablets: tabs
Globules: glob
Capsules: caps
3 times daily: 3xd
30 c / 6x refers to the potency of a homeopathic remedy
Tinc: a tincture is an alcoholic extract (e.g. of an herb) usually taken ½ - 1 teaspoon 3xd.
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Disclaimer:

The service provided by this manual is no substitute for a visit with a qualified, licensed health care professional. The manual refers to possible health problems, and suggests natural treatments, substances and products that have been used successfully by others with similar conditions.

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Small example of book of content

 Allergy:
(Extracts from http://medlineplus.gov/ )
See also:

An allergic reaction is when the immune system reacts to substances (allergens) that are generally harmless and in most people do not cause an immune response.
Allergens include

Some people have allergic-type reactions to

 Symptoms:
When an allergen enters the body of a person with a sensitized immune system, histamine and other chemicals are released by certain cells.
This causes itching, swelling, mucus production, muscle spasms, hives, rashes, and other symptoms.

Treatment   
The goal is to reduce the symptoms caused by inflammation of the affected tissues.
Avoid everything you are allergic to.
Call for medical help
if severe symptoms of allergy occur, if previously successful treatment has become ineffective, or if symptoms appear severe or do not respond to treatment.
Tests:
CBC -- may reveal an increase in eosinophils and/or basophils.
Complement levels -- may be abnormal.
Increased antibody levels (particularly IgE) 

Hay fever:
(Extracts from http://medlineplus.gov/ )
Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms, predominantly in the nose and eyes, caused by airborne particles of dust, dander, or plant pollens
Examples of plants commonly responsible for hay fever include:

Hot, dry, windy days are more likely to have increased amounts of pollen in the air than cool, damp, rainy days when most pollen is washed to the ground.
Symptoms   

Treatment: 
Reduce allergy symptoms caused by the inflammation of affected tissues

Food Intolerance
(Extracts from http://medlineplus.gov/ )
Food intolerance is an adverse reaction to food caused by an enzyme deficiency such as lactase, which results in the inability to digest milk properly.

Causes:
Food additives may cause food intolerance rather than food allergy.
Most people's symptoms are caused by intolerances to foods such as:

Treatment:
Avoid the offending foods

Food allergy:
(Extracts from http://medlineplus.gov/ )
While many people have a food intolerance, food allergies are less common.
A food allergy is an exaggerated immune response triggered by eggs, peanuts, milk, or some other specific food. A food allergy can begin at any age.
If you develop symptoms shortly after eating a specific food, you may have a food allergy.
Foods:
Any food can cause an allergic reaction, but the most common food allergies are caused by: