2nd Blog Post From Tanzania

2^nd Blog post from Tanzania

February 7-8, 2011

     Mornings begin here very early with the sounds of call to prayer; the horns used initiate a call and response from dogs and roosters alike throughout the area, resulting in a cacophony of sound in the dark of early morning. This is followed around 6am with the birdcall symphony at the hint of first light. If I am not up, this sound mixes with the termites rather loud biting and chewing noises coming from inside the bed headboard… (and no they are not yet exiting into the bed!) Early mornings are cool, and Kilimanjaro’s snowy summit is usually visible during the dry seasons, an inspiration for early morning walks in the air before the day’s heat begins in earnest by 10 am. Everyone is up early here, as it is equatorial with about equal hours of day and night. A large group of school kids in uniforms are walking on the road before 7 am, and by 8 am the road is teeming even in remote areas with people who have been walking from their villages on tracks to reach town to sell their produce or go to jobs. Women, colorfully dressed, with loads of bananas on their heads, or large plastic buckets of tomatoes (tanga), avocado, mango (mme) are all en-route, hips swaying and torsos motionless, conversing in Swahili with their neighbors on the trek. Then the bikes loaded with many cases of soda bottles, or piled unbelievably high with firewood, or even a wife balancing on the back- all whizzing by. And then there are the Piki-Pikis, motorbikes with 2 or 3 people on them, travelling to work or being used as taxis. Most amazing of all are the dali-dalis, minivans with the interiors removed, where the side door is the exit and entrance for hoards of people crammed in like sardines, the whole vehicle straining up any incline for the sheer weight of humanity it carries. Cars and trucks are the least numerous on vehicles on the road, but the rush of red dust and/or diesel that coats all the other travelers is memorable and frequent on most roads. Speed bumps are common, and all vehicles slow for these spine crunching, head bashing the roof obstacles in the roadway.

     No description of Tanzania would be complete without attempting to fathom in words the market- a 3D sensory overload on every level. The women are dressed in the brightest colors –dresses of hot orange, with lime & black colored patterns, or red and yellow gold patterns and headscarves to match! Their vegetables are spread out in front of them on cloths in fantastic arrangements, or in plentiful piles- tomatoes, eggplant, avocadoes, green and red hot peppers (pili pili), blood fruit, mangos (mme), pineapples (nananas), greens, and of course the ever present profusion of bananas (ndizi). If it is a big market there are enormous piles of dried fish (smaki) in all forms- heads, tails, huge and tiny, and also bowls brimming with lentils, rice (wali), maize (mahindi), and loads of nuts (njugu).

     When the day turns hot (njoto) everyone disappears under large umbrellas- produce and all, to peek out and call for business as you go by “Jambo! Mzungu”. The smells of the ripe fruit, people, the wares, together with the dust, and the sun baked heat are totally overwhelming and at the same time tantalizing! So you get a day’s worth of fruit (matunda) & produce for about 2,000 shillings, which amounts to $3 US.

    Most places are best seen on foot, which in Tanzania is the primary mode of getting around; to go longer distances locally people use the dala dala (microbus). When you walk after 10 am the heat has begun in earnest, so pole pole (slowly slowly) is the pace until after 5, when there is about another 1.5 hours of light. Mzungu’s need to be in before dark in many places- because white skin here means to Tanzanians you are rich, (no exceptions) and the taking is good in the darkness of no street lights and very frequent power outages (by this I mean daily for long stretches). So to walk along dirt tracks connecting villages or dirt roads with enormous potholes and red dust clouds when vehicles pass is wonderful- the smell of the earth here is reminiscent of the new earth in spring after winter, mixed with Jacaranda scent, and the many colors of bougainvillea, and so many of your favorite house plants in giant sizes along the roadsides as hedges!

Then in the upland places are very tall eucalyptus and fig trees, and also Cinchona trees (the tree from which Samuel Hahnemann created the first remedy, China Officianalis, to cure malaria). In the dry climates are Acacia and wide based Baobab trees. And long vistas that stretch on to mountain ranges beyond, in which you will often see the Massai people in colorful robes herding their goats and cattle with a stick. They carry on despite dust storms that turn the air so dark that trucks and cars must halt; this is one reason why they are called warriors!

     When you walk in the highlands through tribal villages, the mud and stick homes (nyumbani) are perched literally on cliff side locations, with little garden patches for maize, potatoes and vegetables scratched out, and lovingly tended. If you cross a bridge over a stream you will often hear people breaking up rocks by hand with a hammer to make gravel, one rock and one hammer stoke at a time, all day, until a pile is formed, and later a road repaired.

The toil in labor to have the smallest stuff of life here is far beyond most first world peoples’ imagining. Water: people walk for kilometers with large plastic buckets to fill for the day’s supply. Fuel: trees and brush are cut and carried by hand or bike for huge distances to make charcoal fires for cooking. This in turn causes erosion problems. Electricity and plumbing do not exist outside town, and may be sketchy in town as well. Education in primary grades is free but only if you can afford to buy school uniforms, books and supplies. Then children can attend school through the exams that come at age 12 or 13: if you fail, which most do, you are bound for the field or maybe cooking and cleaning for a Mzungu: only 1% of Tanzanians make it to secondary school.

Those that are sick must pay for health care, and in one of the world’s poorest countries, this is a huge issue. So when people come in for care their conditions have been by necessity, neglected, and the situations are often severe.

     In one of the Homeopathy for Health in Arica Clinics last week a woman came in with large eroded 3”x3” leg ulcers on both legs that she had endured for 18 years after all forms of medical treatment had failed to help her. That is not a typo- not 18 hours or 18 days, but 18 years. The smell of her rotting flesh was cadaverous. With the care she received homeopathically, these ulcers will heal and this woman will be grateful beyond words. Such is life here- TB, HIV, neglected infections, one generation gone from AIDS, leaving their aging parents to care for their orphaned children. Yet by lifelong feats of endurance, undaunted spirit and deep faith, most people survive. Many that come to the clinics held by Homeopathy for Health in Africa have a level of sadness unimaginable except perhaps to Rwandan and other genocide survivors.

There is so much need here that the poorest of first world citizens with nothing has many thousands of times more than millions of Tanzanians. It is hard to believe that the have's can't share a bit more with the have not's so there would be less discrepancy and all people could have the basics in life- food, shelter, education, healthcare...

     To help people receive the benefits of homeopathy in Tanzania, Camilla and Jeremy Sherr moved here in 2008 to set up from scratch clinics in rural areas to treat HIV & AIDS. The conditions of the clinics are varied, but most are in the home or tiny office of people who volunteer to hold the clinic. By now it will be obvious that there is no air conditioning, fans, electricity, or plumbing most places, and the conditions for case taking are these: it is about 95 degrees F, street noise and diesel fumes or Kerosene fumes from cooking are a constant, and let it not be forgotten that you are working with skilled translators who painstakingly get the case in Swahili and hope you can then understand it in English over the din of the street outside! You pray your laptop does not overheat or the battery dies before the day ends…so the conditions are challenging even to the most resilient homeopath, and the whole experience is a nothing less than a labor of love.

So here are a few of the many hundreds of cases taken at homeopathic clinics in Tanzania that I have seen in the past weeks, so you can get a feel for the kind of help that is happening with homeopathy here.

GIRL WITH AIDS AGE 8- born 2003

Case referred to Jeremy Sherr in December, 2010 by hospital staff due to large drop in CD4 level- they are worried about her.

CD4 12/09 was 904- big drop in 1 year to 205 in Oct 2010

Initial consult in December, 2010:

She loves to be hugged, had nightmares of her parents, both dead form AIDS, she had dry and itchy skin. She desired meat, had night sweats. Due to loss of her parents, she likes to cuddle  Jeremy holds her- her grandmother is her caregiver.

PHOS 12c was given in December, 2010

Both parents  are dead from AIDS, and her grandmother takes care of her.

On Followup today her dry, itching skin is much better- she used to scratch until she cried and now the itching is improved.

The night sweats are better; her sleep is better now, her mood is happy; she  plays and is much improved says her grandmother.

Phos was given- b/c it is a tubulcalar miasm remedy

Next CD4 is 6 months

RX: will FU in March 2011 and continue Phos 12c daily.

BOY- Charles AGE 13- born1997

(Observations wearing a- pink striped button down shirt, he is very SHY, red eyes head down with eyes averted, small for stated age)

DID NOT PASS PRIMARY EXAMS SO WILL HAVE TO GO TO WORK IN THE FIELDS NOW

MOM DEAD OF AIDS, as is an infant sibling, who died several days after the mother passed in 2008.

DAD IS HIV  NEGATIVE and is here with his son

BOY HIV POSITIVE

6/2009 CD4 –   35- STARTED ARV MEDS & SEPTRIN

10/2009 CD4 153

3/2010 CD4 - 255

7/2010 CD4 - 210

12/2010 CD4 122

CC:

Charles is not responding to HIV TX-

Low weight- Weight 26 kg- was 29 (very low)

Fever

Swollen glands- large submandibular glands

Night sweats after 8 pm

TB previously- gone after using drugs- he previously had wet cough

Cough aggravated with rainy and cold

Previously had vertigo

HA- right temple- typical of HIV

OK appetite but losing weight= this is TB= Nicknamed CONSUMPTION

He likes meat and vegetables

Digestion: normal

Right ear discharge yellow & smelling very bad

Red eyes

Clean pink tongue with tiny bit of black on the side

Soft hair- sign of HIV & merasmus

DREAMS:

DREAMED BEATEN BY HIS MOTHER

MOM DIED IN 2008- HE WAS 11

It affected him in this way: the last child also died at same time- the baby was admitted to hospital at same time and died several days later.

Mood & nature: obstinate

His dad says that his son was severely beaten by the mother and left to sleep outside a lot- thus TB. When asked he says he does not miss his mom-

JS RUBRICS:

FEVER-NIGHT

CHEST- TB- PTHISIS

FACE- SWELLING SUBMAXILLARY GLANDS

EAR DISCHARGES- OFFENSIVE

MENTAL QUALITIES- VICTIM

ANALYSIS:

Boy left out in the cold literally and figuratively in abuse by mother -he got respiratory infections and then TB

cough << damp and cold = Dulcamara

Also consider Silica

Remedy:

Dulcamara = dulcamama

Remedy for the bitter sweet mom – sweet then abusive

dulc- sweet

mara= bitter

Dulcamara 12c daily

ADIJA -Girl age 8 with AIDS

Followup 1 week after very sick and weak, and was carried to the clinic in an emergency

She is smiling, wearing an Orange dress with flowers- mostly bald head- (see picture of her)

She was given acutely Phos 12c 2X daily for CHEST PAIN, LIPS CRACKING AND SORES AROUND MOUTH, LYING AND HARDLY MOVONG, SWEATING ON FACE AND HEAD WITH FEVER, ore throat, weakness, and thirst less, arm rashes are decreases and ear discharge right has stopped since remedy but ear smells.- YELLOW DISCHARGE ALTERNATING RIGHT AND LEFT EARS, 3 YEARS DIARRHEA > gone after SEPTRIM. DESIRES COLD DRINKS AND ICECREAM.

After 1 week of Phos 12c he is up and walked the long distance to today’s clinic, she is playing outside,  energy dramatically improved, fever gone, and she is back to her old self- says her mom\, who is grateful and amazed at her dramatic recovery.

FU  in 1 week continue Phos 12c but decrease to 1x/day.

MAAYANGE  -MALE AGE 75

Prev CC:

SHARP PAIN IN LEGS

CAN’T WALK OR URINTE

STOOL HARD AND SMALL LIKE GOAT

HIV status unknown

RX Prev ZINCUM 12C 8/24/10 for 1 month then no fu until now

Sharp pain in the leg bones is not there now- now he can walk much better.

Legs are now not weak

Urination good now-

Palpitation he had for 8 months are gone- not waking him in the night

Sleep is now good- dreams are good now

Previously dreamed someone doing something bad to him

Stool now normal!

Energy and appetite good now

SX remaining now is FEVERS- lots in past 2 days- with vertigo

Went to hospital 1/7/11 with vertigo and then got fevers recently

The vertigo is a new symptom

RX: Zincum 12 C

ZAWADI FEMALE DOB 6/30/73 AGE 38

CD 4 WENT UP FROM 460 IN FALL 2010 AND NOW IS 760 1/2011

INITIAL VISIT12/17/ 2010 RX: MAG-M 12C DAILY

OB:  Energetic woman with gold earrings, in grey t-shirt, looking well)

Occupation = Kindergarten teacher.

Says remedy helped her a lot except for knees and sleep.

Situation was that she caught husband with house girl and left him, has many worries about how to feed kids and worrying all the time.

Dreamed being in forest and being chased by animals- now no bad dreams- sleeping deeply now.

AVERSION VEGETABLES, BUT APPETITE GOOD- WANTS TO EAT MORE NOW

Healthy except for knees making noise when she squats down

and she does not sleep well.

HA AND STOMACH ULCER & APPETITE BETTER WITH LAST REMEDY

Irregular menses- 28 days or 2-3 x/month:

After the remedy 1/9/11 menses and then 1/28/11

Not tired with menses now- was very tired with menses prev.

Energy is good.

Assessment: good result – CD4 is improved

Continue Mag-mur 12 c daily and FU 1 month

HIBANI -BOY AGE 8

CASE  #718- Camilla Sherr

OBS: boy with red-strapped backpack on in white shirt with khaki shorts

FU:

Initial 5/12/10  Prev rx OLIVE

HIV+ & is on ARV’s

Previous CC: Sweats, TB & rashes and pimples prev. are now gone…They went quickly after the remedy

Cough went away and is now returned again.

Took TB meds prior to visit 5/10

Cough now only at night

Nightmares gone with remedy

Talking in his sleep is gone, as is fear of dark

Strong fear of fighting if people are fighting (if on TV he has to look away)

HA after school gone now

He is growing and bigger than before

Weight 17 kg recent – only 2 kg weight gain in 1 year.

He does not talk about his mother

He likes to play with his friends

He never cries- if people hit him he does not cry

He obeys teacher at school

He gets angry and facial veins stick out- no shouting or hitting with anger.

Sweats a lot – whole body- at night and the sweats smell like ARV meds.

Analysis:

OLIVE—he did so well on this, so continue.

*OLIVE- (OLEA-EUROPIA) for malnourished kids who are orphaned, thin & failure to thrive

He lost his mom, the parents were split up and he was living with his mom until she died- he then went to live with his dad- he was eating a lot and still failing to throve.

He was really tiny- eating due to loss of nourishment from the mom.

He used to have a lot of nightmares, talking in sleep, sweating lots and big cough, HA after coming home from school.

REMEDY:

OLIVE 12C DAILY

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That is a snapshot of Tanzanian life and the good work being done here in Homeopathy.

Time slows down here compared to other places, and due to that, no matter how much time you spend here it is a worthwhile and unparalleled learning experience both to see pathologies uncommon in developed countries, and to make a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of people who need folks from elsewhere to care.

I'll be taking in the views starting this Friday 2/10/11, as I make my way up Kilimanjaro on the Lomosho Crater and Western Breech route- so send me a breath of O2 long about next Wed-Friday! Asante Sana

Baadaye (see you later!)

www.homeopathyforhealthintanzania@blogspot.com

Wendy