Minutus

1.5 year old girl with umbilical hernia from birth. The umbilicus "hangs out" of the abdomen, looking almost like a small penis. Slight bluish discoloration. Not painful to the touch.
The child was screaming on Thursday night, and the parents at first thought it was because she wanted to nurse - she's only now being weaned away from nursing during the night. Then they realised the abdomen was very hard, body was rigid and limbs hanging limp. The torso was also very warm, and the limbs cold. It turned out that from the screaming - which may or may not have been because she wanted to nurse - the muscles around the umbilicus tightened up, incarcerating part of the intestine. At the hospital the staff pushed the intestine back in manually and the child did not need any surgical procedure.
The hernia is from birth. The birth was long and difficult, in the end vacuum was used, and the cord was found to be wrapped around the baby's neck two or three times. The doctors always assured her that the hernia itself was painless, it could close on its own, and they give it up to 4 years before surgery. However, now it seems that when the stomach muscles are exercised - there is pain and risk of intestinal incarceration. This child also suffers from constipation - the stool itself is changeable, sometimes large, sometimes pasty, sometimes regular, but the child is also learning to eat all kinds of different foods and doesn't have a regular diet at present. However, the mother has always reported that the child cries when making and just before. We assumed that it was because there was pain in the rectum - now the possibility arises that it may be from pain in the abdominal muscles or partial incarceration of intestines every time the child makes.
Any opinions on this one?
Regards,
Vera

--
----------------------------------------
Vera Resnick RCHom
Classical Homeopath
Alternative Medicine
054-4640736

The hernia has been incarcerated once, so it can occur again, always with the risk of bowel necrosis and the need of urgent surgery, bowel resection and possible complications.
The child seems also to have pain every time there is an increase of intra-abdominal pressure.
There are a few choices:
- proceed with surgery to avoid the above
- procrastinate but with mechanical precautions, like a compressing bandage at all times; if badly positioned, can be a false security, annoying at least, but gives the advantage of waiting for more growth and thicker, stronger abdominal wall if repair is still needed, often the hole is smaller, making surgery easier, or disappears altogether
And in any case, a general homeopathic treatment would help; there has been case reports in the old literature, if I remember well, where hernias have disappeared under homeopathic care (was it Lycopodium in an inguinal hernia, Margaret Tyler or Clark?)
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

Thanks for this - doesn't seem too promising though. Is there a connection between umbilical and inguinal hernias in children?
Thanks
Vera
The hernia has been incarcerated once, so it can occur again, always with the risk of bowel necrosis and the need of urgent surgery, bowel resection and possible complications.
The child seems also to have pain every time there is an increase of intra-abdominal pressure.
There are a few choices:
- proceed with surgery to avoid the above
- procrastinate but with mechanical precautions, like a compressing bandage at all times; if badly positioned, can be a false security, annoying at least, but gives the advantage of waiting for more growth and thicker, stronger abdominal wall if repair is still needed, often the hole is smaller, making surgery easier, or disappears altogether
And in any case, a general homeopathic treatment would help; there has been case reports in the old literature, if I remember well, where hernias have disappeared under homeopathic care (was it Lycopodium in an inguinal hernia, Margaret Tyler or Clark?)
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

Both are defects in the abdominal wall, and in children, signs of delayed/arrested development, which can lead to some rubrics.....
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

Dear Joe
My understanding was that the inguinal hernia in boys was due the weakness left in the structure when the muscle structure parted to allow passage of the testicles when the testicles made their way from near the kidneys to where they normally present outside of the body.
Is this correct?
How many cases are there of inguinal hernias in females compared to males.
What is the cause of the umbilical hernia?

Regards

Soroush

Both are defects in the abdominal wall, and in children, signs of delayed/arrested development, which can lead to some rubrics.....
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

You are correct, and the location is still open partially to give passage to the spermatic cord, hence needing a little bit more space in boys than in girls, in which there is only a residual ligament. A lot more inguinal hernias in boys, but still quite a few girls have hernias as this is a place of weakness when the closure is incomplete.
Same with umbilical hernias, equivalent in both sexes as far as I remember as this is the passage for the umbilical vessels and it should close soon after birth.
Incomplete development = incomplete closure.
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

Hi Dr Roz I know that Clarke has Ingunial hernia under Nit ac MM Vol 2 P595 under Abdo – “Inguinal hernia even in children”

I was reading it a couple of days ago and remembered it!

Lyc MM Vol 2 p342 has Hernia on R side under abdo “Tearings and shooting pulsation and pressure on inguinal ring as if hernia were at the point of protruding”

Nux Vom Vol 2 p624 “ under abdo “sensation of weakness in inguinal ring as if hernia were about to protrude, Hernia: incarcerated hernia.”

Hope this helps Pauline
From: minutus@yahoogroups.com [mailto:minutus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD,NMD.
Sent: Monday, 5 November 2007 8:18 AM
To: minutus@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Minutus] case of child with umbilical hernia
The hernia has been incarcerated once, so it can occur again, always with the risk of bowel necrosis and the need of urgent surgery, bowel resection and possible complications.

The child seems also to have pain every time there is an increase of intra-abdominal pressure.
There are a few choices:
- proceed with surgery to avoid the above
- procrastinate but with mechanical precautions, like a compressing bandage at all times; if badly positioned, can be a false security, annoying at least, but gives the advantage of waiting for more growth and thicker, stronger abdominal wall if repair is still needed, often the hole is smaller, making surgery easier, or disappears altogether
And in any case, a general homeopathic treatment would help; there has been case reports in the old literature, if I remember well, where hernias have disappeared under homeopathic care (was it Lycopodium in an inguinal hernia, Margaret Tyler or Clark?)
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.

"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

From Banerji’s Materia Medica
CALC Carb 200
GROUP N - 1

Hernia in thin-built children.

Inguinal and umbilical hernia, walls of abdomen so thin that a truss cannot be used.

Pressing and pain in left groin.

Pain and as if swollen in inguinal region with hardness on touch or pressure.

Infantile hernia and moist excrescence or polypus from navel.
Dose At interval of two days.
Note Hernia with these symptoms responds to Calcarea carb.200

when used for a month or two. When the hernia is of

obstinate type and does not respond to Calcarea carb.200, a

few doses of Lycopodium 1000, once a week have been found

useful. Left sided inguinal hernia responds better to Ipecac

200. The moist excrescence or polyp from the navel with

hernia is the characteristic of Calcarea carb.200. While

under Homoeopathy, a patient is not required to use a truss.

And here is a little extract from the Complete Repertory:
Abdomen; HERNIA; General; inguinal region (l, 107, 27-104): Acon., aesc., alco-S., All-c., ALUM., am-c., Am-m., amph., anac., Ant-c., Apis, arg., Ars., Asar., AUR., bar-c., BELL., berb., bor., Bry., Calc., Calc-AR., Calc-f., Calc-p., calen., camph., cann-S., CAPS., Carb-an., Carb-v., carc., CHAM., chin., Cic., cina, Clem., COCC., Coff., colch., Coloc., con., Cub., Dig., Eug., euph., gels., GENT-C., graph., GUAI., hell., ign., iod., Ip., iris-fa., Kali-bi., Kali-c., Kali-n., LACH., lob., LYC., M-ARCT., m-art., m-aust., MAG-C., mangi., Meli., merc., mez., mill., Mur-ac., Nat-m., Nit-ac., NUX-V., OP., ox-ac., petr., ph-ac., Phos., picro., plat., Plb., prun., psor., puls., rheum, RHUS-T., sarcol-ac., sars., sep., Sil., Spig., spong., stann., Staph., stram., stront-c., Sul-ac., SULPH., symph., Tab., ter., teucr., thea., THUJ., VERAT., wies., Zinc.

Abdomen; HERNIA; General; inguinal region; children, in (m, 20, 3-14): acon., ant-c., AUR., BELL., bor., Calc., carc., Cham., cina, cocc., Lyc., Nit-ac., Nux-v., op., Sil., stann., sul-ac., Sulph., thuj., verat.

Abdomen; HERNIA; General; umbilicus (l, 25, 1-5): amph., aur., bor., bry., Calc., Cham., cina, cocc., gran., Lach., Lyc., nit-ac., Nux-m., NUX-V., Op., plb., Puls., Rhus-t., sep., Sil., stann., Sulph., thuj., tub., verat.

Abdomen; HERNIA; General; umbilicus; children, in (m, 5): aur., Cham., NUX-V., Sulph., verat.

So here you go, you can fully repertorise this child and let us know what happens.
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

Finrod wrote:
umbilical cord during the birth process. So that has to be one way it
occurs. It also seems to occur as a congenital defect.
Namaste, Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."