Sunday 1 March 2009

Pink eye for the homeopath guy


Posted by: Dr Thunder

Little Timmy is 7.

He's from a middle class family, and goes to a good school. But he's been ill a few times lately. Mum reports that he's been getting "pink eye" recurrently over the last few months.

Their GP has given them antibacterial eyedrops each time, and has showed them proper "eye toileting", which have cleared it up. But timmy's mother reckons their GP isn't treating the problem properly, because it keeps coming back. I had my doubts, as this GP is known locally as being very reliable. But that's why they ended up in the paediatric emergency department this time. They wanted a "proper opinion" from a paediatrics registrar.

Ironically, their GP used to be a paediatric emergency registrar in our department.

Anyway, I examined the eye, and it looked like pretty straightforward conjunctivitis. So, I took a swab to see if there were any bacteria growing, and sent him off with some antibacterial drops in the meantime.

I phoned Dr. Taylor, their family GP a couple of days later, to tell him that Timmy's swab didn't grow a bacteria. We were talking about the recurrent conjunctivitis, when the GP told me what was actually happening.

One kid in Timmy's class has had conjunctivitis for the last few months. It's an easily treatable condition. But it's HIGHLY contagious. This child's mum doesn't like conventional western medicine. So, she's been bringing him to see a variety of herbalists, and lately he's been going to a homeopath.

Meanwhile, he still has pink eye, and keeps giving it to his classmates. it's just going round in circles.
Dr Taylor is seeing his classmates on a regular basis, and has been giving the correct treatment and advice. But conjunctivitis is difficult to prevent when the "index case" is being treated with magic water.

His mum has told one of the other parents that she's using a homeopathic remedy called "Argentum Nitricum". I cannot find any studies that suggest it works. But, ya know, you don't have to bother with that kind of legwork if it's "alternative" medicine. 


The GP is going to talk to the teacher, and ask her to try to persuade them to get the kid to a doctor, as I'm  little unsure about the long term effects of untreated conjunctivitis. All this really needs is good cleaning, as it appears to be viral in nature. I've suggested the school ask parents to keep children with conjunctivitis at home.

This is likely to be the only thing that will make the index case's mum get proper medical treatment, as having a kid at home with pink eye is likely to affect her coffee morning attendance abilities.

Cases like this make me mad. People have a right to shun conventional medicine. But surely seeing half the class walking around with inflammed eyes would guilt any reasonable person into getting proper treatment.

I need to go and calm down I think. Now where did I put that herbal tea?........

Dr Thunder.


5 comments:

  1. Forgive me while I have a good chortle.

    I think this comment I got on my blog the other day, may have come from the child's mother...

    "Have you tried meditation? I recommend a very green diet with wheat grass. Try detoxing your body".

    *sigh*

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  2. I practice in Sydney, Australia. I believe 'pink eye ' is a disease of dogs.
    This sounds like adenoviral conjunctivitis, which is highly contagious, and from which I and my General Practice associate, my sister,who is our receptionist and my daughter-in-law, have recently suffered.
    I have had it 4 times in 20 years and it tends to recur. It is very painful and you feel like crap for 2 weeks with a flu-like illness as well! It can cause corneal damage and should be looked at by an ophthalmologist. After that, you can use topical steroid drops, (as long as it is not herpetic keratitis). Dr Anne.

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  3. Cracking. Just spotted this.

    "Argentum Nitricum" is, I presume, silver nitrate, as used in photography or in your school chemistry lab. Of course, in those two places it would not be diluted past the Avogadro limit to leave only the "spiritual memory" of the silver nitrate, as happens in homeopathy.

    Talking of spiritual memories, I wonder if homeopathic silver nitrate works on werewolves?

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Very interesting post about Pink eye for the homeopath guy, in these days pink eye is more common and people have to try to be careful with their health, for example I unfortunately spend much money in buying generic viagra only because I need it and well Im close to be a senior citizen.

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