Hypoventilation syndrome or Pickwickian syndrome, is a breathing disorder that affects some people who have obesity. The condition results in too much carbon dioxide in your blood and not enough oxygen.
Without treatment this hypoventilation syndrome can lead to serious and even life-threatening health problems.
Sometimes syndrome affects people not having obesity; It’s because of individual lungs health and lungs functioning and sometimes environmental factor for example on Hilly areas/height, Brain malfunctioning, said Dr. Qaisar Ahmed.
Extra fat on patient’s neck and/or chest or across abdomen can make it difficult to breathe deeply and may produce that affect patient’s breathing patterns.
Patient may also have a problem with the way her/his brain controls the breathing. Sometimes people having obesity hypoventilation syndrome also have sleep apnea.
Patients diagnosed with obesity, may screen for hypoventilation syndrome by her/his doctor by pulmonary Function test (measuring blood oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels), Chest X-rays or an arterial blood gas or serum bicarbonate test and if needed MRI, sometimes Brain CT scan.
Patients with obesity hypoventilation syndrome, may feel sluggish or sleepy during the day, have headaches, or feel out of breath, snore loudly, choke or gasp, or have trouble breathing at night. may get worse over time.
Symptoms and Causes
Hypoventilation syndrome symptoms typically occur due to lack of sleep and low blood oxygen levels (hypoxemia). These symptoms may include:
- Shortness of breath.
- Fatigue.
- Lack of energy.
- Daytime sluggishness.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Depression.
- Loud snoring.
- Choking or gasping.
- Pauses in breathing.
Diagnosis
A doctor will document patient’s symptoms and perform a physical exam, measure patient’s height and weight and calculate his/her body mass index (BMI).
People with obesity have a BMI of 30 or greater.
Here are several tests to help diagnose hypoventilation syndrome:
- Arterial blood gas: Take a sample of blood from an artery to measure the amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen in patient’s blood.
- Pulse oximeter: Doctor will place a sensor to patient’s finger to measure the amount of oxygen in his blood. This test doesn’t measure the amount of carbon dioxide in blood. It also isn’t as accurate in measuring the oxygen level in the blood as a blood sample.
- Pulmonary function tests: These tests check patient’s lung functioning to rule out other possible causes of his/her breathing difficulty.
- Chest X-ray: A chest X-ray can also rule out possible causes of breathing difficulty.
- Sleep study (polysomnography): A sleep study determines if patient have sleep apnea as well, and if so, how severe it is.
Allopathic treatment for hypoventilation syndrome
There is not any proper treatment in allopathy for hypoventilation syndrome. Allopathic hypoventilation syndrome treatment includes weight loss and breathing assistance.
Weight loss
Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight for patient is the first step in allopathic treating hypoventilation syndrome. Weight loss alone may be all a patient need to manage the symptoms and treat issues associated with his/her condition.
Healthy lifestyle changes such as the following can help you reach your goals:
- Eat a healthy and organic diet.
- Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
- Develop good sleeping habits.
Depending on condition, an allopathic doctor may recommend weight loss surgery to help patient lose weight. This may include a procedure such as gastric bypass surgery.
Complication
Complications of hypoventilation syndrome include pulmonary hypertension; right heart failure, also known as cure pulmonale; and secondary .
Homeopathic treatment of Hypoventilation Syndrome
First of all, critically minimize weight. Tough exercises and strict diet regime. 
Medication
1. Calcarea Carbonica :
On top of list of weight loss medicines.
Excessive fat on the abdominal area and slow working metabolism (resulting in obesity and weight gain); flabby patients, tendency to perspire profusely – especially on the head, cannot tolerate cold air, craving for boiled eggs, and strange things like chalk, clay, pencils, lime, etc. Due to a sluggish metabolic activity, the patients are almost always constipated.
This medicine can also be considered if the excess weight gain is due to thyroid problems (hypothyroidism).
Post pregnancy Weight Gain –and Calcarea Carb
Calcarea carb is very effective in reducing weight gain that has occurred during pregnancy.
Constitutional symptoms indicating the use of Calcarea Carb must be present in the patient for Calcarea carb to be used. A typical patient of Calcarea Carb is constitutionally sensitive to cold, tends to be more obese around waist and is usually slow in movements. They can be emotionally very sensitive.
2. Natrum Mur:
Natrum Mur is also a significant medicine to lose weight.
An excess of fat mainly in the thighs and buttocks as compared to other parts of the body.
This medicine gives wonderful results if the person has gained excess weight due to long-continued stress or depression.
Excessive Body heat, intolerance to the heat of the sun, anemic, likes salty food, weeping tendencies, especially when alone, worsens when someone consoles him/her and reserved nature.
3. Lycopodium:
Lycopodium should be advised when the thighs and buttock areas have excess fat (like Natrum Mur).
But the constitutional symptoms of Lycopodium are unique.
The Lycopodium patients are chronic sufferers of gastric troubles like flatulence and constipation, tendency to crave for sweet to hot drinks and hot food. They eat far beyond their capacity with resulting bloated abdomen and weight gain.
Mentally, Lycopodium patients are irritable and easily roused to anger, especially on being contradicted.
4. Nux Vomica:
Nux Vomica is the medicine of those who have gained excess weight due to sedentary habits, they are chronic sufferers of the most obstinate constipation, urge to pass stool but only a little stool is ejected at a time, intolerance to cold air, likes spicy food, fatty food, and stimulants like coffee or alcoholic drinks.
Mentally, these patients are extremely sensitive to external impressions and gets angry to an extreme degree.
5. Antimonium Crudum:
Antimonium Crudum is the medicine of obese children, child who possesses extreme irritability, very cross nature, and an aversion to being touched or be looked at, aversion to cold bathing, craving for acidic things like pickles.
The child’s/patient’s tongue in this case is usually coated thick white, stomach is deranged with alternate diarrhea and constipation due to overeating habits.
6. Ignatia along Natrum Mur:
When depression has led to obesity and excess weight gain.
Ignatia works effectively to decrease the weight when depression is the cause. The persons requiring Ignatia usually eat to a great extent due to sadness. They have a very fickle mood that changes from sadness to happiness and from laughter to tears.
Natrum Mur is prescribed to those overweight patients who weep a lot in depression and have an increased appetite.
Calcarea Carb and Lycopodium for weight loss in persons who have gained excessive weight due hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism refers to a condition in which the thyroid gland of the body that controls the metabolism becomes under-active; in result, various problems arise in the body owing to a sluggish metabolism and weight gain is a major health concern out of these problems.
7. Alumina and Nux Vomica- for Obesity and Hypoventilation Syndrome due to Intestinal Malfunctioning:
The patient(s) requiring Alumina have severe constipation, passing stools after many days. This is because their intestines work at a slower pace.
Nux Vomica suits those overweight persons who are constipated but the urge to pass stool is very frequent. The stool passed out of the body is insufficient and unsatisfactory.
8. Combination of Graphites and Sepia: 
Menopause – end of the monthly cycles that means “cessation of reproductive ability”.
The Hormonal changes that take place at this stage are responsible for weight gain. Women experience bulkiness and heaviness in their bodies.
Graphites and Sepia are both natural medicines that help menopausal women lose weight without any side effects.
Graphitus for weight loss -Graphitus mainly suits women with depression, cannot tolerate cold air, and suffer from chronic constipation.
Sepia women are irritable and indifferent in behavior towards their family, may have complain of hot flushes.
A prominent feature that serves as a clear indicator that Sepia is required for treatment is a bearing down sensations in pelvic organs.
9. Combination of Calcarea Carb, Natrum Mur, Pulsatilla and Sepia for women suffers from Polycystic Ovarian Disease:
Women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Disease mainly face problems such as suppression of the periods and weight gain. Calcarea carb, Natrum Mur, Pulsatilla, and Sepia could be advised for weight loss in this case.
10. Combination of Natrum Mur and Lycopodium- for overweight persons having excess fat in thigh and buttock area:
Both Natrum Mur and Lycopodium are for weight loss that help overweight persons with excess fat deposits in thigh and buttocks.
Patients with heated sensation, craving for salted food, and reserved in nature, excessive flatulence, craving for sweets and hot drinks, irritable in nature.
11. Ammonium Carb, excess fat in the upper body as compared lower extremities that are usually thin:
Ammonium Carb works well in sluggish patients who always feel tired and weak, patients with sedentary lifestyle, sensitive to cold air, habit of eating far beyond their capacity that’s why they usually suffer from gastric troubles.
Alternate loose stool and constipated stool are often their commons complains. Thickly white coated tongue is a prominent symptom.
12. Baryta Carb for Obesity and Hypoventilation Syndrome
Baryta Carb suits those obese patients who are timid and dull, mentally and physically dwarfish, and also have tendency to catch cold easily and suffer from recurrent throat infections.
Chloroformium
Complete muscular relaxation. Weak and quick pulse, shallow or stertorous breathing. Convulsions, nephritic or biliary colic, gastralgia.
Great weakness, especially on right side. Limbs very tired from knees down. Much perspiration all over face and chest; drowsy and dizzy; dry lips and throat; dry tickling cough at night. Flatulence: food regurgitates; sore and bruised feeling in stomach; catching pain around heart. Sharp pain in right chest when he takes long breath, shortness of breath on exertion.
Head: Delirium where excitement and violence predominate. Head drawn down upon the shoulders, eyes opened and closed rapidly, pupils contracted, rapid convulsive movements of face, of muscles, of extremities.
P. S: This article is only for doctors having good knowledge about Homeopathy and allopathy, for learning purpose(s).
For proper consultation and treatment, please visit our clinic.
None of above-mentioned medicine(s) is/are the full/complete treatment, but just hints for treatment; every patient has his/her own constitutional medicine.
To order medicine by courier, please send your details at WhatsApp– +923119884588
Dr. Sayyad Qaisar Ahmed (MD {Ukraine}, DHMS), Abdominal Surgeries, Oncological surgeries, Gastroenterologist, Specialist Homeopathic Medicines.
Senior research officer at Dnepropetrovsk state medical academy Ukraine.
Location: Al-Haytham clinic, Umer Farooq Chowk Risalpur Sadder (0923631023, 03119884588), K.P.K, Pakistan.
Find more about Dr Sayed Qaisar Ahmed at:
https://www.youtube.com/Dr Qaisar Ahmed
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