Lichen planus 11632...India
A 45-year-old woman was suffering from dark, flat, and itchy papules on her hands and feet and vagina during winters, for the last seven years. In addition, the skin on her palms, wrists, knees, ankles and feet was dry and itchy for the past three years, which had worsened in the last year and a half. For the past 10 years, she also suffered from dust allergy, runny nose, continuous sneezing, and difficulty in breathing - this surfaced when she cleaned out cupboards and did dusting around the house. To some extent, she would get relief by taking allopathic anti-allergic medication. In Mar 2021, her doctor, on physical examination, diagnosed her itchy condition to be ‘lichen planus’, an autoimmune disease, and prescribed tablets and a steroid ointment. She used only the ointment but it gave her very little relief. She contracted Covid in Apr 2021 from which she recovered after taking allopathic treatment.
She approached the practitioner seeking help for her skin condition and expressed her concern of getting re-infected with Covid. On 28 July 2021, she was given:
For lichen planus:
#1. CC12.4 Autoimmune diseases + CC21.3 Skin allergies…TDS and also in olive oil for external application…BD
For recuperation post-Covid: our standard combo as follows
#2. CC3.1 Heart tonic + CC3.7 Circulation + CC4.1 Digestion tonic + CC11.3 Headaches + CC12.1 Adult tonic + CC15.1 Mental & Emotional tonic + CC19.3 Chest infections chronic + CC19.4 Asthma attack + CC19.6 Cough chronic + CC19.7 Throat chronic + CC20.1 SMJ tonic + CC21.11 Wounds & Abrasions…TDS for three months along with IB remedy…OD
She started taking the remedies on 3 Aug 2021. After a week, itching improved by 20% and it progressed to 50% in another one week. The papules were also becoming lighter in shade. After two more weeks, there was 100% improvement in all her skin symptoms and she was excited that her skin had become very smooth! By 30 Sept, her allergy symptoms also disappeared.
#1 was reduced to BD on 30 Oct for two weeks and slowly tapered down before stopping it on 30 Dec. #2 was given for three months and so discontinued on 30 Oct 2021, with advice to continue the IB remedy at OD. She now felt fully relaxed on all counts.
As of July 2022, the patient continues to do well with no recurrence of any symptom.
Editor’s Note: Lichen planus (LIE-kun PLAY-nus) is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the skin, nails, hair and mucous membranes. On the skin, lichen planus usually appears as purplish, itchy, flat bumps that develop over several weeks. In the mouth, vagina and other areas covered by a mucous membrane, lichen planus forms lacy white patches, sometimes with painful sores. It is not caused by an infection, and you can’t pass it on to others. Diagnosis is confirmed by a biopsy. Lichen planus has no cure but if you have symptoms, such as severe itching or sores in your mouth or genital area, treatment can help. If you have lichen planus on your scalp, treatment is important to prevent permanent hair loss.