Hysteria

Hysteria is a form of mental disorder resulting from extreme anxiety. It is characterized by lose of emotional and physical control and sudden loss of consciousness. Oftentimes, it came as a result of repressed emotional conflicts hidden in the subconscious of the person. This disorder is often experienced by young women between 14-25 years of age although it can manifests itself on the opposite sex.

Symptoms
Common symptoms of hysteria are as follows: abdominal cramps, breathlessness, continuous sighing, feeling a presence of foreign obstacles in the throat, grinding teeth, headache, limb malfunctions, lung palpitations, muscle tensions, suffocation, swollen neck and jugular veins.

For severe cases, there are fainting spells, convulsions, extremely swollen neck, painful cries, and resorting to violent acts.

Emotional instability such as loss of willpower, lovesickness, and apathy are also experienced.

Hysteria attacks may last for days or even weeks. Patients having these attacks may appear to be under a deep sleep although their muscles are not relaxing.

Causes
Sexual repression and idleness are the most common causes of hysteria. Nervous disorders and emotional imbalance running through family history may also trigger the onslaught of this disease.

Depression, fear, prolonged sickness, stress and strain, mental worries, and traumas are factors that cause these emotional dilemmas.

Home Remedies
Jambul: Mix 3 kg of jambul fruit and a handful of salt in a jug filled with water. Leave under the sun for 1 week. Take 300 gm of these fruits on an empty stomach while drinking a cup of water taken from the jug. Continue this treatment for another 2 weeks.

Honey: Take 1 tablespoon of honey everyday for an effective relief of hysteria.

Bottle Gourd: Mash the pulp of bottle gourd and apply it on the head of the patient.

Lettuce: Mix a cup of fresh lettuce juice with a teaspoon of Indian gooseberry juice. Take it everyday during the morning for a month.

Rauwolfia: Mix 1 gm of powdered rauwolfia root with 1 cup of milk. Take it once in the morning as well as in the evening. Continue using this treatment until the patient is completely cured of hysteria.

Asafoetida: Take 0.5-1 gm of asafetida everyday. If oral medication is rejected by the body, administer an enema using an solution prepared by mixing 2 gm asafetida gum in a 120 ml of water. Smelling this gum will also prevent hysteria attacks.

Diets
Start the treatment with an exclusive fruit diet for several days. Eat plenty of succulent fruits such as apples, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, papaya, and pineapples 3 times a day.

Follow with an exclusive milk diet for a month. This will help produce healthy blood cells and calms the nerves. If milk alone is unsuitable for the patient, try mixing it with fruits instead. Follow again with a diet composed of fruits and vegetables, and grain, nuts and seeds afterwards.

Avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, white flour and white sugar products.

Other suggestions
Practice self-control and rightful thinking.

Married patients should be taught the proper sex education so that a normal sexual relationship will be enjoyed.

Take regular physical exercises or participate in outdoor games to take away the mind from worries.

Practice some yoga asanas such as bhujangasana, shalabhasana, matsyasana, dhanurasana, halasana, paschimottanasana, yogamudra, and shavasana to help heal any attacks of hysteria.

Have a whole body massage 3-4 times a week if the body cannot take too much rigorous exercises.