This is the case of Mr. V.D (Patient Ref. No. 2623) a 39 years old male patient who had complaints of eczema for 3 years. He would develop vesicular eruptions on both the palms which would progress to scaling over a period of time. Later there would be intense itching of the palms. He also had reddish rashes on the dorsum of the hands and this would remain more or less steady. His eczema had started about 3 years back, then he reported to us and it was slowly spreading. Some of the lesions had even spread to his arms and shoulders. In the past, he had contact with a lot of chemicals such as paints, thinners, cleaners, etc. He would sweat profusely on the palms. Initially, the eczematous lesions would occur only during the hot season and when he would wear gloves for a long time. At that time the eruptions would last for a while and then disappear by themselves. But later the lesions persisted and started increasing gradually. His complaints would get worse on contact with water, soaps, perfumes, etc. Eczema would be somewhat better in the cold weather.

He had complaints of allergic reactions to various substances whereby he would develop intense itching of the eyes and nose, bouts of sneezing, and redness of the eyes.
He had been on steroid ointments for eczema and had also taken oral steroids for the same. The problem had improved temporarily to some extent with the steroids but it had relapsed in a more severe form after the stoppage of steroids. He was on anti-allergic medicines which gave him some relief.

He was fond of sweets, sour things, pork, and chicken. His thirst was quite less than average. He would sweat a lot, especially when under any kind of stress. His sleep would be sound though he would often get dreams of people chasing him, of experiencing difficulty in climbing hills, etc.

The patient was an aircraft mechanic and a reserved person by nature. He was quiet and shy but at the same time, very strong and dependable, as described by his wife. He would get angry when things would not be in his control and would express his anger to people who were close to him, not to others. There was much stress on his job front where he had to work to achieve deadlines in spite of limited resources available to him. He had feelings of being exploited and insulted by people and he would frequently dwell on these feelings for a long time. He would love motorcycle riding and would be very upset when he would not get time even on weekends to go for a ride.

In the past, he had suffered from multiple complaints which included congenital intestinal blockage for which he had been operated. He had also undergone surgery for undescended testes in childhood. He would frequently suffer from an athlete's foot. At the age of 20, he had developed acute pneumothorax with mediastinal emphysema and there was no apparent cause for it. He had urticaria in the past due to an allergy to soaps and mango sap.

His mother had hypertension and hypercholesteremia. Paternal grandfather had prostate cancer and maternal grandfather had ischemic heart disease. His father would frequently get allergic rhinitis in the spring season.

Based on this history, the patient has been prescribed a remedy called Natrum Muriaticum in the 200th potency initially and later in ascending potencies. Within 6 months of treatment, his eczema was much better than before and the skin on the palms and arms had almost returned back to normal. He would keep getting occasional eruptions for some more time but these would be much lesser than before. The patient reported that in all these years of allopathic treatment, he had never got any results similar to that from homeopathy, and that too in spite of taking all the necessary precautions. Apart from eczema, his complaints of allergies to various substances also reduced drastically with the treatment and he would no longer react excessively to the allergens in his surroundings.

Remark: The remedy prescribed in these cases is patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the symptoms specific to the patient at that point of time. It is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any self-medication.