Individual muscles or groups of muscles capable of little or no movement are said to be paralysed; in flaccid paralysis the nerves fail to stimulate contraction of the muscles, and in spastic paralysis they fail to stimulate relaxation. Paralysis may be temporary or permanent, depending on the nature of the damage to the nerves; prolonged disuse causes muscles to waste.
Nerves supplying muscles can be damaged by impact. Injuries (especially those involving the brain or spinal cord), by infections polio and Tetanus, for example), by oxygen starvation (as in a Stroke), by pressure or compression (caused by a tumour or a Prolapsed Disc, for example), or simply by the process of ageing. Nerve damage may also be congenital, as in Spina Bifida or Cerebral Palsy.
Conventional treatment is to encourage the person to be as mobile as possible; support measures include physiotherapy and other manipulative therapies (chiropractic, osteopathy), and various mobility aids. Homeopathy can offer constitutional treatment and also remedies for use in acute cases.
Specific remedies to be given every hour for up to 8 doses
- Movement difficult after an accident Arnica 30c
- If Arnica produces no improvement Hypericum 30c
- Loss of movement in a hand or foot (provided not due to lead poisoning) Plumbum 30c
- Paralysis of eye muscles Conium 30c
- Writer's cramp Gelsemium 30c or Cuprum 30c
Self-help: Extra vitamin B1 may be beneficial. Check possibility of excess mercury, lead or iron in diet or environment. |
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