An Excerpt From Emergencies of General Practice by Dr

8/13/2019 An Excerpt From Emergencies of General Practice by Dr

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An excerpt from Emergencies of General Practice by Dr. Douglas Borland

Essence of a lecture Dr. Douglas M. Borland gave in 1946

(Submitted by Marc VanWijk)

Acute cardiac failure:

Arsenicum: extreme fear, anxiety

- restlessness

- constant thirst for ice cold water

- extreme cardiac pressure, great weight on chest

- cannot get enough breath

- fear to die

- coldness

- anxious look

- sudden onset

Remarks: use the highest potency you have with you

- the response to the remedy should be quick, if no response
http://hpathycdn.hpathymedicalpvt.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/heart.jpg


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within 15 minutes, it is not an Arsenicum patient.

- after the acute phase is gone, you should not repeat Arsenicum,

but look for the complementary remedy

Antimonium Tartaricum:

- tendency to cyanosis (finger nails, hands, feet)

- down, hopeless and depressed

- no thirst

- < heat

- likes a fresh room but no stream of air

- tendency to edema of lower extremities

- tongue coated with thick white coat

- feeling of fullness in chest with rales in lower parts of chest

Carbo Vegetabilis:

- cold, sweaty skin

- mentally dull

- air hunger, want the air blowing on them

- paler rather than cyanotic

- great abdominal distension with flatulence

- < eating or drinking ; no thirst

- ice-cold extremeties

Remark: If a patient respond well up to a point on Carb-v, dont go to a


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higher potency to carry on the improvement. Look for a

complementary remedy.

Oxalic acid: most intense exhaustion

- sensation of numbness, as if having no legs

- cold and clammy skin with mottled cyanosis

- wants to keep absolutely still

- sharp precordial pains

Gradual Cardiac Failure with Tendency to Dilatation

It s difficult to distinguish between snake poisons; the most common being Lachesis and Naja.

Lachesis: purplish, bloated appearance

- feeling of tightness or constriction

- sensitive to heat

- < after sleep

- suffocative attacks when falling asleep

- < when turned over on the left side

- tremor

- mentally becomes fogged, confused


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Naja: mostly same symptoms but with a pronounced numbness of

mainly the left arm and hand.

Remarks: if stitching pain is more marked: give Naja

- if feeling of constriction is more marked: give Lachesis

Lycopus: heart is just starting to fail

- pulse becoming a little irregular

- pale appearance

- restlessness

- complains of a tumultuous sensation in cardiac region

- tendency to cough

- < when turned over to the right side

- dislike of any food, particularly the smell of food

Laurocerasus:picture of a congenital heart

- bluish-red appearance

- clubbed fingers

- extreme dyspnoea, < sitting up, > semi-prone position

Anginous attacks

Aconitum: absolutely overwhelming fear


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- is certain he is going to die

- unable to keep still

- < any movement

Cactus: fear of being incurable and dying

- sensation as from a tight band round the chest

- feeling of increasing tension

Arsenicum: feeling of constriction in the chest

- anxious, worried

- very chilly

- burning sensation in the chest

Iodine: feeling of constriction and tension in the heart

- anxious

- uncomfortable in heat

- flushed appearance

- underweight

Spongia: progressive sensation of swelling in the heart region

- < lying down

- chilly

- numbness of left arm and hand


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- face and neck look congested

Lilium tigrinum:

- symptoms as if angina but no cardiac lesion

- stabbing, radiating pains

- hyperesthesia of the chest wall

- depressed, irritable

- sensitive to heat

- < movement

- associated with pelvic lesionhistory of gynecological illness

Pain Killers

Acute earache:

Aconitum: very sudden onset

- after he has been out in very cold north-east wind

- restless

- pains are violent, burning

- irritable, scared

- extreme tenderness to touch


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Chamomilla:- pain even more intense

- patient beside himself with pain

- cross and irritable

- nothing satisfies

Capsicum: tenderness over mastoid region

- ear looks more prominent

- redness of external ear

- acute stabbing pains

- slight amel by hot applications

- patient feels extremely sorry for himself

Facial neuralgias:

Magnesium phosphoricum:

- acute trigeminal neuralgia

- sharp stabs

- < any draught of air

- extreme superficial tenderness of nerve

- mostly right side

- > applied warmth

- > firm pressing


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Colocynthis:- same conditions but affecting the left side

Orbital neuralgia:

Spigelia: sharp stinging pains (as from red hot needle)

- pains radiating along the course of the nerve

- pain is burning but after being touched, a strange cold sensation

is felt (only spigelia)

Post herpetic neuralgia:


- acute burning along the course of the intercostal nerve

Ranunculus:- history of herpes

- sharp shooting pains

- very sensitive to touch

- conscious of any weather change

Mezereum:same pains and modalities as Ranunculus

- < wet weather


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- affected area extremely sensitive to any cold draught; sensitive to

bathing with cold water

- < night

Sciatica:


- acute pain down sciatic nerve

- < any movement

- sensitive to cold

- > rest; warmth

- right sided

Colocynthis:- same symptoms but left sided

Kalium iodatum:

- warm blooded

- < warmth

- > moving

Rhus toxicondendron:

- chilly

- sensitive to damp; cold


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- > moving

Gnaphalium:- if associated with marked numbness

- tenderness over sciatic nerve

Plumbum: numbness associated with pain over sciatic nerve

- extreme constipation

Acute colic:

Useful in case of acute colic, renal, hepatic or intestinal.

Acontium: usually the first attack which is frightening, terrifying

- drives the patient crazy

- patient feels frightfully cold

- very anxious

- cannot bear a hot room

Belladonna:repeated attacks; short duration

- feeling of fullness in epigastrium

- < any fluids

- accompanied by flushed face and dilated pupils

- full, bounding pulse


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Chelidonium:- patient with liver problems

- fullness in right hypochondrium

- flatulence

- pains shoots through to the back, to angle of right scapula

- > very hot applications

- > drinking very hot water

Berberis: colics from renal or gallstone

- pain radiates in all directions


- severe colic pain

- > external pressure (rubbing)

- > bending double

- > heat

- in distress from the intensity of the pain

- clean tongue

- result of exposure to cold

Colocynthis:- severe colic pain

- > external pressure (steady, hard pressure)

- bending double


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- irritable, frightened, impatient

- violently angry

- slightly coated tongue

- sometimes follows on an attack of anger

- from over indulgence of cheese

Dioscorea: violent, spasmodic colic

- sudden onset, rising up to the head, then subsiding

- > applied heat

- >hyper-extended position

Ipecacuanha:cutting pains

- accompanied with intense nausea

- clean tongue

- feels hot and sweaty

- < motion

Lycopodium:colic accompanied by abdominal flatulence

- irregular areas of distension

- pains likely to start on the right side

- < 4 to 8 pm

- rumbling and gurgling in abdomen

- tendency to eructations


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- sour taste

Raphanus: colic accompanied by abdominal flatulence

- paralytic conditions after abdominal section; postoperative colic

- pain remains more or less localized in one area

- pockets of wind in irregular areas

- patient gets a little flushed

Opium: colic accompanied by abdominal flatulence

- paralytic conditions after abdominal section

- definite area of distension; everything is churned up to one point

- likely to be in the center of the abdomen

- patient becomes very flushed and hot

- paralytic ileus

- extreme hyperesthesia to noise during attack

Podophyllum: hepatic colics

- associated with diarrhea

- some degree of infection of the gall-bladder

- maximum temperature in the morning

- patient feels miserable, disgust of life

- pain in epigastrium as a whole

- < taking food


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An Excerpt From Emergencies of General Practice by Dr