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Editorial: the many ways of homeopathyby Deborah Collins

This month’s issue illustrates several different approaches to homeopathy, with remedies from the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms.

In Claude Ghezi’s “Owl” case, we recognize the characteristics of this bird in a remarkable young girl, the daughter of a shaman, and observe the results as the remedy helps her to overcome her problems: she becomes less of a “night owl” and more of a sociable little girl.

Sam Scarffe vividly describes a woman who deals with her vulnerability in a similar way, taking on a strong persona, but with a distinctive animal flair to it, for which he prescribes Tigris with success.

Helene Renoux presents the touching story of a young woman who was certainly on the descending slope in life, losing a grip on her self-esteem after an abusive situation and slipping into alcoholism. Menyanthes not only helped her physical complaints but also helped her to “get her head above water,” as the plant itself, which strives in a hostile environment to keep its flower afloat.

Maarten van der Meer also talks of a young woman with a traumatic past and severe pain, which she refuses to give in to. Here, we see the themes of the Compositae plants, especially the Eupatoriaceae, between which he makes an interesting differentiation.

Arul Manickam’s patient, an elderly woman, collapses under the weight of her stress and develops ocular palsy – this complaint, as well as her anxiety, is relieved by Gelsemium, which he differentiates with Calcium carbonicum.

And finally, a case from my own files also responds to a well-known remedy, Cinnabaris, here prescribed for severe depression and sleeplessness, as well as a host of physical problems in a man who cannot resolve his anger towards his ex-wife.

The beauty of homeopathy is that we have so many different remedies for dealing with the after-effects of trauma and stress, each one fine-tuned to the individual and their own way of dealing with the situation. On the one hand, this makes it a challenging science, one that requires the patience for lifelong studies and the diligence and commitment to practice effectively. On the other hand, when one begins to master its intricacies, one is rewarded with a satisfaction beyond measure: seeing ourselves and our patients “blossom”. We hope that this issue inspires you to continue your quest, both in pursuit of your own health and happiness, and that of your patients.

Categories: Editorials Keywords: editorial Remedies:

Strange birds: a case of Bubo virginianus

by Claude Ghezi

In 2004, Karla was five. Her father was of Colombian indigenous descent, a Yoga teacher and shaman. Her mother was French, an artist. They live in a little two-story house, in a forest central southern France, in the “Montagne Noire” region, about thirty kilometres from the closest town, which they overlook.

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Her parents, whom I had already seen in consultation, invited me to spend a day with them, to enjoy the surrounding nature and a sauna. During this visit, they shared with me their concern regarding their daughter. She is starting school next year and barely utters a word. She understands all she is told; she smiles, laughs and plays with her older sister but does not say a word; “As if she was observing the world.” Their worry concerns her social life, including school, but not her mental health. With other children, she is uneasy, keep herself to herself, a bit wary, out of synch, and the others end up ignoring her.

Watching her, I notice that she sits very straight in the sandpit, where she spends long moments. If her sister does not play with her or nothing is asked of her, she just stays there, immobile, looking in the distance, turning her head from time to time, just to check the origin of a noise. She likes to take refuge in the tree hut facing the house, far from the noise and the children playing below – always quiet, showing no fear or excitation, as if she has no concern. One could think of autism but she quickly answers to calls, often with a smile.

She has good appetite. As they follow a vegetarian diet, I ask her mother how it goes with the children. For Anita, the oldest, there is no problem, she is happy with the food. For Karla, however, it is different: when she went to the neighbours for a meal, she literally pounced on the meat dish! So, we put some chicken on the table at home but we had to tell her to slow down, otherwise she would eat everything at once, without even chewing the food.

Looking at little Karla, quiet, smiling, proud, kind, never violent or angry, always happy with her life, calm and serene, I wonder how one could imagine her jumping on red meat or chicken, wolfing it down without even chewing it and not leaving a bit?

“Something else besides her mutism worries us,” says her mother. “After all, I like her as she is – as if she was the reincarnation of a ‘bruja’ (witch) – but she doesn’t sleep at night. She gets up every night, goes down the ladder and goes to the kitchen or outside.”

Claude Gezhi (CG): Is she sleepwalking?

Mother (M): “No, not at all, she is awake, she talks with me.”

CG: About what?

M: “About her day or what she has seen, what others have done.”

CG: So, she talks then! I understand better why you are not worried about her mental health or a possible deafness!

M: “Yes, but she’s tired during the day. She gets up at the same time as us; she doesn’t sleep much.”

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We enter the house and then I see the ladder mentioned earlier: a hand-made ladder, very steep and high with irregular rungs, which leads to the bedrooms of the second floor. There is no handrail; the whole floor opens onto the void.

CG: If my daughter had to go down on that in the middle of the night, I’d be very scared. Do you go down with her?

M: “No, most of the time I get woken up by the little mouse-like noises she makes. In fact, Karla sees the mice in the house, even at night.”

CG: She does not turn on the light?

M: “No…”

So, here is Karla’s case.

It was too good to be true. I was discovering the world of Birds through Jonathan Shore, whom I had listened to last year in Paris. This case made me think for the first time about the idea that there might be a difference between a “totem-animal” and a remedy, which represents a real suffering. It is not because Miss X thinks she’s an antelope that she necessarily needs that remedy. Here, however, the suffering was very real.

What are the elements of this case?

-         She does not speak, except at night

-         Aversion for company but resembling indifference more than aversion

-         Desires solitude

-         Observes the surrounding world, on her guard but without emotion

-         Desires meat, which she eats without chewing

-         Proud, imperial but without arrogance

-         Absent but quickly answering when called

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-         Calm, silent, kind, serene

-         Fearless of void and darkness

-         Sees at night; nyctalope

-         Hears the slightest noise; hyperacusis

Prescription: Bubo virginianus MK, the owl

Follow-ups

Ten days later, she stopped getting up at night and is now sleeping well. She started to speak like girls of her age and integrated into school without problems; she is now doing very well. The following year, they left France for Martinique (French West Indies). Two years later, I got news of Klara from her father, who was in France for a visit: she was doing well and had taken the remedy once more when they arrived in their new home.

In 2009, they move to Colombia, in the Guajira region. A friend visited them and told me that Karlita was doing very well. She’s been baptised by the Indian tribe of the area “Ocolote”, which comes from the word “Tocolote”, meaning “Owl”!  

PhotosShutterstock; Wooden house high on a tree forest;  Maryna Kulchytska   Wikimedia Commons; Profile shot of a great horned owl; Sam Whited

Categories: Cases Keywords: mutism, insomnia, desire solitude, indifference to others, observing, nyctalope, hyperacussis Remedies: Bubo virginianus

I have to be big and strong: a case of Sanguis panther tigris atlaica

by Sam Scarffe

The patient is a forty-year-old woman suffering from severe premenstrual symptoms. For about five days before her period, she becomes extremely oversensitive, with outbursts of rage at her partner, followed by tears. She has repetitive thoughts and describes herself as 'unstable and obsessive' at this time. She also has intense headaches in the cerebellum, achy shoulders, and a very sore throat and eyes. All these symptoms are much worse since the birth of her first child, eighteen months previously.

In the questionaire she writes: “I feel depressed in my heart when my period comes, as I wish to conceive our second child. Each month has become a roller-coaster of disappointment and sadness. Mainly, I wish to stop putting myself through this."

In the interview room, I find an attractive woman with striking eye make-up. She tells me she is a full time mother now but formerly worked as an illustrator. Her last project was "A spiritual book about 'Who you can be'....taking ten different subjects from nature".

Patient (P): "People don't like to reveal their vulnerabilities. For instance, the image I present is not always the real me. I present as confident and brash but I'm really very sensitive and vulnerable, especially when walking into new situations. If there is anything slightly inharmonious, I feel tense, my throat gets dry and a rash come up on

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my chest and neck. In my mother’s house, it's a discordant environment. You can feel the vibration if people are not being totally honest or totally genuine with you.

“I put myself through a brazen period, spent time as a bar manager in London. I thought you had to be tough, a strong empowered woman. I didn't have empathy for the vulnerability of others. I was on the attack, not letting anyone see what's going on. You don't let anyone take advantage of you, take you by surprise. You don’t let anyone get close. 

“My dad was a poor role model and my mother was weak. I chose to emulate my father because he was more powerful and seemed to be getting what he wanted. He was also trying to be something he wasn't – a social chameleon like me. It can leave you lonely because you're not really showing your true self to anyone. You're portraying a character in order to fit in, you're a control freak.

“I've had a lot of romantic rejection. For the first six months, I'd keep up the image of the perfect, sexy, attractive woman. Then, that would start to crumble because that's not what I was. I'd start to become clingy and needy, especially around my period. The guys would show they weren't going to be bossed by me and I'd go to extremes - bossy one moment, then pathetic the next.

“Sometimes, I wake up and feel like a she-devil, really grumpy; quiet, surly and short tempered for the first hour. I growl a lot. I feel exactly like a tiger, like I'm going to pounce. I used to have a cat that looked like a tiger.

“My child is really divine, a blessing. I feel like a small child myself - lonely, sad and flat. Each month, I get the stuffing knocked out of me again by not conceiving. I'm trying to create a happier home. When I was growing up, I didn't see our family as a cohesive unit. I want my family now to be warm and connected, not cold and separate. I went the opposite way, became open, big hearted, wanting to connect.

“I have repetitive thoughts about my mother. I'm angry about what I'd like to say but can't, so these thoughts keep going around my head. She said you've got to compromise in relationships. As a child, I saw her submissive and seething, keeping it all in. I'm lonely and isolated. I'd like more girlfriends, someone who understands me, but by wanting to connect to people I lose myself.

“There's a burning in my shoulders, from the top of my back up to the back of my head, like a vice; gripping and drilling in. My throat is burning dry and sore. Most of my life, I've had a raging thirst and drink too much water. I love to eat fish +++

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"My dreams are always about finding a permanent base. I'm a gypsy. I love nature and animals, especially warm-blooded mammals. I don't like spiders."

About her eye make-up: "I'm an artist...my eyes are everything!"

Prescription: Sanguis panthera tigris altaica (Siberian tiger blood) 200C  

Tiger has themes of being powerful to get what you want, being in control, concealment, toughness/proving oneself, taking the fathers role, isolation. Vision is paramount: he can see you but you cannot see him (eye symptoms and burning pains in the proving).

Telephone call after four weeks: "I've conceived! Now, I’m feeling wonderful. Every cell in my body is joyful...I feel integrated... outside and inside." 

Over the next year, I get three telephone calls requesting a repeat of the remedy. Meanwhile, the patient gives birth to her second child. In a recent card she writes: “I took the last remedy about three weeks ago. I'm feeling really amazing, no crying this time! I feel really alive and energised, like the remedy is forcing me out of my own suppression.”

Photo: Wikimedia CommonsAmur Tiger Panthera Tigris altaica; Derek and Julie Ramsey

Categories: Cases Keywords: severe premenstrual symptoms, difficulty to conceive, headache, raging thirst, burning eyes and throat, vulnerability masked by assurance Remedies: Sanguis panther tigris altaica

Keeping her head above water: a case of Menyanthes trifoliata

by Hélène Renoux

The first time I saw Josette, she was only forty-seven but looked quite a bit older due to the toll alcohol had taken on her beauty.

She was so weak at that time that I had to visit her in her impoverished flat, with bottles hidden under the bed and dirt and disorder in all the rooms. This disorder was a reflection of her inner disorder.

A photograph on the wall showed her some ten years previously, a beautiful, thin, black haired woman, like a Modigliani painting, with absent eyes looking into the distance, a terrible reproach to what she would become.

She lived with her husband and son. She should have left her violent husband but stayed because of the child. An atmosphere of hatred was floating in the entire flat.

It took me years to try to help her, mainly remaining the spectator of her slow and implacable fall, with her abusive husband, her selfish son, and last but not least, her employer. Fearing to lose her job, she had to work endlessly, from early morning until late in the evening, with illegal timetables, unable to react. Her only faithful friend was alcohol.

Like a leitmotiv, coldness was around each time she came to my office; like an icy blowing wind entering my room. She was always complaining of coldness with all her troubles. An inner feeling of ice accompanied each flu, rhinitis or enteritis.

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When her husband retired, he finally decided to leave Paris and live in his parents’ house, which he had just inherited. This gave some freedom to Josette, who decided to move to a new flat with her son, and began an affair with a new friend. She felt much better, and recovered some beauty and sense of quiet despite her employer, who continued to abuse her time and threatened her each time she was sick; he even called my office to collect some “information” on her. Once I had to call myself to tell him that Josette was unable to come to work. She was both frightened and delighted to hear me explaining firmly that privacy laws did not allow me to discuss her condition. I had a rude person on the phone and look at a very small and terrified Josette in front of me whispering “I hope he won’t take revenge afterward…”

The happiness of her new life did not last long. A few months later, her own parents died. Her son demanded that they move to their old house; when she saw all the expenses involved with this move, it became too much again.

She explained that she was drinking so much because life had become too hard for her: “Life is unbearable, I really want it to finish now!” She fell down her stairs, drunk. Her hands and feet were as cold as ice and her back was so painful that she could not even put her head up. It was already that way before the fall, but worsened afterwards. Her neck was very stiff, painful and heavy, nearly paralyzed.

She looked like a withered plant, with her swollen and icy feet stuck on the floor, her painful neck orienting her sight downward. Unable to fight adversity, unable to stand up strongly, she was just blown away by some cold wave. This gave me the idea of a remedy for her, and for the first time after all these years, I was able to help her.

Prescription: Menyanthes trifoliata

Follow-upShe immediately stopped drinking and slowly recovered the self-esteem necessary to face the abusive situations in her life. I still see her from time to time, when she comes for a repeat of the remedy if she feels she is sliding back into alcohol abuse. She has learned to say “No” to her son and to her employer, and she has not lost their respect or love.

Menyanthes trifoliateAlso called buck-bean or bogbean, it grows in boggy places. The whole plant is immersed in cold water, leaving only the head – the delicate flower – floating, twisting its neck to reach out to the sun, while cold water is tugging at the roots (the “feet”).

Many symptoms are better bending the head, like in submissive behaviour. A sensation of ‘cold wind’ goes through the whole body, even through the brain.

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A strange, peculiar symptom describes the skin feeling too tight; as if the whole body was too tight.

Some characteristic symptoms in the repertory:GENERALS - COLD - feeling - Tips of fingers, toes and noseSKIN - SMALL; he were crowded in a skin several times tooBACK - PAIN - Cervical region - Nape of neck - paralyzed; as ifBACK - TENSION - Cervical region - Nape of neck

Menyanthes is a beautiful flower, simple, and weak, using its energy to keep its head above the water’s surface, needing warmth while it lives in a cold environment. It has been proved by Hahnemann himself and was proposed to cure intermittent fevers when fingers, toes, and nose are icy, as well as for cramps in legs.

We can consider that this feeling of weakness and the endeavor to reach the surface are meaningful indications of this remedy. My patient knows now that she has enough inner strength to face the hardness of life and to hold up her head in the face of it.

Menyanthes could be a remedy helping to “keep one’s head above water.”

Photo: ShutterstockPortrait of a woman face underwater; Daniel Korzeniewski

Categories: Cases Keywords: alcoholism, coldness, icy sensation, weakness, painful stiff neck, violent husband Remedies: Menyanthes trifoliata

I won't give in to the pain: a case of Eupatorium aromaticum

by Maarten van der Meer

The patient is a twenty-year-old woman with a small build and a sharp, hard look in her eyes, where one reads her distrust. Her voice is also sharp. She places her fingers on the desk and talks clearly and directly. Her face is expressionless, almost a poker face; she tells of all that she has gone through in life with a black humour. Her head seems to distance itself from her body. She has brought a girlfriend with her, a large strong woman who is protective of her, but treats her like an equal.

She has had Morbus Bechterew for several years now. Her blood sedimentation it too high, and due to all the medication she takes, she has inflammation of the stomach and a spastic colon, for which she is not allowed to take medication. She has local prednisone injections. During the day, she takes tramadol and metotrexate and in the evenings, she takes morphine for the pain. She sleeps poorly and is very tired.

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The first symptoms started when she was seven years old, with juvenile spondylotrophia. She has inflammations everywhere: all her joints hurt and after exertion, she has swollen knees and ankles. She has a lot of problems with her ankles and her sacro-iliacal joint. Stiffness is worse with cold and wet weather.

Her menses has always been abundant and painful; she now uses a contraceptive injection to curb her menses. She often has bronchitis, bladder infections, and herpes labiales. She often has aphts in her mouth between her lip and her teeth.

Her father suffered from M. Bechterew, too, from his thirtieth on; his wife has always had to look after him. Her parents divorced when she was seven;  when she was thirteen her father committed suicide due to all the problems around the divorce, financial worries, and the fact that no one wanted to have anything to do with him anymore. He had been aggressive and violent towards her as well as the rest of the family. She often saw that he hit her mother and threatened to kill her. When her parents divorced, she felt “freed from that evil”. “I won’t give in to the pain, and I don’t want anyone else to know about it.”

AnalysisThe most prominent feature of the case is the Compositae theme: problems since a young age, violence, pain, vulnerable. Looking for protection and not finding it. A hard appearance in order to mask the pain and feelings of weakness.

Causes: fights, parents fighting. Father plays an important role in her life: Eupatoriaceae.

Within this group, three specimens are known in homeopathy: Eupatorium perfoliatum (which suits people with a “victim feeling”), Eupatorium purpurae (for soft and gentle people), and Eupatorium aromaticum, which I have seen to work well in cases where suicide plays a role. It has “aphts in the mouth” as a keynote.

Differential diagnosis

Lacs: Louis Klein talks of the Lacs, the milk remedies, in problems with nutrition and aggression. People requiring a Lac remedy are more like an “open book”.

Spiders: threat, alertness. These people do not shut themselves off so much; they are very alert to any sense of danger.

Solanaceae: these people are highly charged and the sense of “danger” is quite abstract.

Lanthanides: auto-immune, the theme of the “shadow”, Thulium muriaticum, stage 15, has issues about being cared for; aphts.

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Prescription: Eupatorium aromaticum 6C, one dose. This potency was the only one I had on hand.

Follow-upsDuring the next two weeks, she had a hard time: profuse yellow diarrhoea, fainting, and the need for a lot of sleep. Her temperature was raised and she had spikes of fever. She became very angry because her body was not doing what she wanted it to do. She also panicked because she did not know what to do.

After these tumultuous two weeks, everything suddenly improved. Within three months, her blood tests were normal and her pain medication could be decreased and finally stopped. These days, her pain is controllable. She is supple, less stiff. She is emotionally better as well; much more cheerful than before. “I am opener towards my friends and softer towards myself. I used to degrade myself all the time, saying: ‘You are useless, no one wants you, who do you think you are.’ Now, I feel good about myself.”

Note about potency: in practice, it appears that a well-chosen remedy will work well no matter which potency is given, and it hardly, if ever, needs to be repeated. Many remedies are capable of bringing about a reaction in a given person – if it is the correct remedy, one dose is then enough. The less accurate the remedy is, the more it needs to be repeated and the more tumult it creates. In case of a relapse, it is often better to wait instead of simply repeating the remedy; this gives one the chance to see if the remedy is indeed the right one. If it is correct, the relapse will be temporary or only partial.

Photo: ShutterstockWoman hold her knee; Poprotskiy Alexey

Categories: Cases Keywords: Morbus Bechterew, juvenile spondylotrophia, swollen and painful joints, aphtae, suicide and violence in the family Remedies: Eupatorium aromaticum

Shattered and shocked: a case of Gelsemium

by Arul Manickam

Our patient, a middle aged woman, has had a CT scan which shows left third cranial nerve palsy, due to left posterior communicating artery aneurysm.

The oculomotor nerve is responsible for the majority of eye movement (eye, eyelid, and pupil). Paralysis leads to ptosis, pupil dilation and impaired movement of the eyeball.

Presenting history - Drooping of left sided upper eye lids (ptosis) for fifteen days, no pupillary light reflex, mydriasis (pupil dilation), eye movements reduced - History of left sided headache for the past five or six years. Throbbing pain in left temple. Angry when disturbed during headache, scolding others when angry. During headache, pain in the eye, as if she wanted to pull the eye out. - Vomiting  four to five times, with an odor of neem seed

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Physical generals - Chilly patient, unable to tolerate winter with rainy weather- Bowel motions: once every four or five days. Difficulty to pass stool ++- Sleep: sleepy , overpowering +++- Sweat: profuse; offensive odor; smell of neem seed

Mental generalsThe main incident that affected her is her son-in-law’s death, one year previously. She feels forsaken, with nobody there to take care of her health and her daughter’s family: “Who will look after my family, who will take charge of my grandchildren’s education?” On hearing of her son-in-law’s death, she went into a shock and fell down suddenly in an unconscious state. At the time, her main experience was “shattered and shocked”.

She has a great anxiety about her grandchildren and family, with a fear that someone will tell bad things about her grandchildren. She is fearful about having an operation, wondering if it will end successfully or in her death. She is sympathetic in nature.  

Totality of symptoms - Forsaken feeling- Intense anxiety, anticipatory- Shocked and shattered- Insecurity- Ailments from grief, shock- Sleepiness- Constipation- Perspiration profuse , offensive- Left sided paralysis, left sided headache- Chilly patient- Ptosis

Prescription: Gelsemium 200 C, one dose

Follow-upsIn the course of the next year and a half, the progress is slow but steady. The patient regains her energy, is not drowsy, and she sleeps well; she becomes active and energetic. She has no difficulties with her stool, and her perspiration loses its acrid odor. More importantly, her eye regains its mobility and the eyelid ceases to droop. Her vision improves and her eye ceases to water, as it had previously done. Her pupils are dilating appropriately. Her headaches gradually disappear. In general, she is feeling more secure in herself and is not so “shocked and shattered” anymore.

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Differential diagnosis: Gelsemium – Calcium carbonicum A Gelsemium patient’s reaction is shock: “How could this happen? I was just talking to them yesterday and now they are dead.” Gelsemium feels shocked and shattered. A Calcium carbonicum patient’s reaction is anxiety from watching or hearing about cruelty, for instance on TV; they leave the room and close their eyes. Although many rubrics suit Calcium carbonicum – fear of operation, fear of the opinion of others, insecurity, dependent, horrible sad stories affected her profoundly, profuse, offensive perspiration, constipation, chilly – Gelsemium is better indicated as drowsiness is more characteristic of Gelsemium than Calc carb. Calcium carbonicum is a right-sided remedy, here the affinity is the left side.

Photo: ShutterstockShattered dancer; Markos86

Categories: Cases Keywords: intense anxiety, shocked and shattered, insecurity, ptosis, headache, sleepiness, constipation Remedies: Gelsemium

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Comments:

Arnon Vered Posts: 1

GelsemiumReply #1 on : Thu October 02, 2014, 01:51:20

Gelsemium is like a close friend that will come to ones help when things seem dire. It was his sucesses with gelsemium that motivated Hale to write his classic New Remedies. In the essay on gelsemium Hale states that there is still much to learn about its possible applications. A century and a half later this still holds true.Thank you for this interesting case.

October 2014

I'm still angry at my ex-wife: a case of Cinnabaris

by Deborah Collins

Forty-eight-year old man, accompanied by his wife.

Patient (P): “I’m stressed. I can hardly sleep for the last twenty years. It started with a depression after my divorce. I am always thinking about my past; family life, all the lies, the deceptions. I am the youngest of eleven children; it was a turbulent time. I was always a bit on the outside. I mostly had problems with my siblings, with my parents it was OK. The others went out and didn’t take me with them, so I was left alone at home. We lived in the countryside with no neighbours, no car. I was always timid, I always felt alone, on the outside of things. I was always left out if there were games at school, never chosen to be on the team. At the age of eight, I already had a stomach ulcer from stress.

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“I always have a sore stomach. I can’t sleep because of it. I am always irritable, ready to explode. I feel like I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. I feel like throwing everything, but I hold it all in. There’s a rage inside, it’s hard.”

Wife (W): “He keeps everything inside, he never says anything. I notice his changes first. He says he’s OK, but he’s not. He doesn’t want to do anything, go anywhere, he just gets closed off in himself and I can’t approach him. I know he’s afraid that I will leave, too.  I can’t bear it anymore (tears).”

P: “I always had to serve my brothers and sisters – they hit me, teased me, humiliated me. I was operated on a hernia at birth, also on an atrophied testicle. Now, I only have one testicle and my brothers tease me about that, too. I became sterile because of mumps and yet, I love children. We tried to have IVF but my sperm was not good. I am the only one in the family who does not have children. Again, I am different, not like the rest. We are made to have children, I miss them.

“I was bored at school. I would rather work than go to school. I wanted to show that I could work, be independent. I worked well until secondary school, was top of the class a primary school, but then at college a teacher scolded me.  He compared me to my brother, who had a bad reputation: ‘If you’re like your brother, don’t bother coming to school.’ Then, I was the last, at the bottom of the class.

“I never integrated in the village we live in now; there are lots of blockages, barriers. I don’t trust anyone. I feel inferior to others. I like helping people, but I don’t trust them. Only my mother keeps me alive. She completely accepts my wife. She is very kind.

 “I am solitary. I want to think by myself, ruminate alone in my corner, or in front of the TV. Before I have my coffee in the morning, nobody should talk to me – I am closed in myself.

 “My ex-wife cheated on me with several men. I ‘knew’ it, but didn’t want to know. It comes back in flashes. I had to be locked up for a month in hospital. I feel disgusted by her, yet I don’t hate her. I’m not a bad person. I used to shout at her, I hit her sometimes. I would go out to avoid doing worse.  She would drive me to despair. The police had to make sure I wouldn’t hurt her.

“It was a shock when she left me, I trusted her. She took everything, left me with nothing but huge debts. I am always thinking of her infidelity, how she left me like that, while I trusted her. I tried to commit suicide several times, ended up in the psychiatric hospital for one month. I took pills, tried hanging myself. My nephew found me, every time I was saved. Even if you don’t really want to commit suicide, you are pushed to do

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it. It wasn’t really me. You do things without knowing. There’s a whole week of my life that I know nothing about.

“I have lost confidence in everyone. I am afraid that my new wife will leave me too. We work together, but we never take time to do things together.”

W: “It is terrible what his wife did, leaving him with a debt like that. I came along six months later, he paid off all his debts. His whole family just left him alone, didn’t help him. He got out of debt by himself.”

Medical history: Born with one kidney. The remaining kidney is twice its normal size. Hernia  inguinal at birth, operated on. Testes atrophy, one testicle removed.Mumps at sixteen, infertile. IVF attempts failed. Ears OK. Tinnitus especially left side. Loss of hearing 30% on left side.Tonsils enlarged. Throat: often tight, scraping throat all the time. “As though there is something around my throat.”Chronic sinusitis, always swollen noseProfuse salivation at night. Metallic taste in mouth sometimes. Teeth – many teeth removed, rotten. Parents did not have money for dentist. Headaches. Feeling of grinding in neck on relaxationAppendectomyNo heart problems. Palpitations when angryTrembles when angry, when holding onto something. Profuse perspiration at night +++ very hot. Never cold, always in a T-shirt. Heat is always radiating from him. Gastro-intestinal: stomach problems started in childhood: stomach ulcer at 8 years. “I am always bloated, even though I don’t eat much. It is as thought I have chronic gastritis.” Cysts in intestines. Flatulence. Intestines gurgling continuously. Stinking diarrhoea. Eructations. Frequent urination at night, gets up 2-3 times. Tendons are tense – carpal tunnel syndrome. Tendinitis in shoulders, had corticosteroid  injections in past. Attributes this to his hard physical work.Food: Desire: everything but fish. Desire bread and butter, though it brings on diarrhoea. Desire cabbage, but brings on bloating. Does not drink alcohol. Dreams: I dream of war: I can’t run, I can’t save myself. I’m blocked, paralysed. I feel as though my legs are paralysed, like after a fright, a shock – trembling. Nightmares +++ even as a child. Falling or a big block falling on top of me – often. Sleep apnoe : “ I thought I would die. Could not talk, hardly breathe.” Pneumologist could not find anything. Snores loudly.Fear: “I’m afraid of snakes attacking me+++.” “I don’t take any medicine, for fear of the side-effects.”

AnalysisThis is a very deep-seated case, with many physical problems right from birth: born with one kidney, atrophied testicle, umbilical hernia. Stomach ulcer at eight years. His suicide attempts point to the syphilitic miasm, and the physical modalities point to Mercurius, although one could also consider a snake remedy. Considering his problematic relationship with his siblings, one might think of Mercurius phosphoricum, yet it is his relationship with his ex-wife that prevents him from sleeping, even twenty years later. He is given Cinnabaris, well-known for its effects on chronic sinusitis as well as other Mercurius symptoms. Also known as red mercury, Cinnabaris is a sulphate of mercury. Jan Scholten describes its theme in relationship to the partner: “Anger concerning the partner, I could kill anyone who touches my wife.”

Prescription: Cinnabaris 200C, one dose

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Follow-upsAfter a few days, he phoned quite concerned about his mental state. “I have stopped thinking, my mind is empty. What is happening to me? I am usually thinking all the time.” I reassured him that there was nothing to worry about.  Six weeks later: I see a happy couple emerging from their car, beaming, holding hands and smiling, almost dancing in the parking lot.

What has changed?P: “Everything! The first thing to go was the nightmares, the whole bad history. It was as though I was still living in the past, all the deceptions of my ex. Then, I was able to sleep better without those nightmares. Before, it would take hours to fall asleep. I would get up, watch TV. I was always tired. I sleep well now, I just go to bed too late – midnight and have to get up at 6:00 – but I sleep the whole night; a good sleep. I’m not so agitated inside anymore. I used to be angry inside.”

Sweat? P: “From time to time. I used to be bathed in sweat all night, had to change the pillow all the time. Especially my head. No more saliva, from the first day. Still hot, though less bothersome than before.

Stomach?P: “It’s fine. At first, it was swollen as soon as I ate, now it’s fine. It changed a week after the remedy. Suddenly, it relaxed, as though it had an elastic around it that let go. No more eructations. Less diarrhoea, but still a bit from time to time. It used to be liquid all the time. Now, it’s solid, and just once per day. I do not feel my intestines anymore.”

Sinuses? P: “They were running and running. I used to go to the doctor to get something for them, but now they do not run at all. It was running down my throat, now it’s OK.

Tinnitus? Less noise in my ears, sometimes I forget it. I used to have it permanently.

Tonsils?P: “Still enlarged, but not painful.  No more metal taste. First week, I had a strange taste in my mouth, now it’s OK.”

Headaches? P: “No more headaches – had them twice this last month, but it’s OK now.

Wrists are still blocked. Tremor is gone.

Emotionally? P:“Everything is working well. I don’t take things as seriously as before. I used to think that people were teasing me all the time, I used to take it personally. My wife is very direct, I thought she was hurting me. I used to think that she would leave me anyway, now we are happy together. I feel like doing things together with her (wife is beaming). I

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used to be thinking all the time, thinking about the situation with my ex – it was exhausting. Now, it is over.”

Continuation: I see him from time to time, when he brings family members to the practice. He continues to remain well and happy. The carpal tunnel syndrome did not improve with Cinnabaris, but was later resolved with Rhus tox, as it originated from overuse at his work. He has required two additional doses of Cinnabaris in the space of two years.

Photos: ShutterstockScared and lonely little blond boy; Lesley RiggHappy couple smiling; wavebreakmedia

Categories: Cases Keywords: depression, insomnia, anger at ex-wife, nightmares, profuse perspiration, tinnitus, chronic sinusitis, digestive problems Remedies: Cinnabaris

Panorama: seminars and books

by Editor

                                                                           BOOKS

Birds, Seeking the Freedom of the Sky by Peter Fraser

  

 

This book offers a clear differentiation between the different bird species. If Bird remedies are relatively well known, the differences between the species have been difficult to establish. The book is well organised, following the scientific classification of order, family, genus, and species, which makes it easy to work with. Individual remedies are examined, drawing out their individual important aspects, enabling us to differentiate between the subtle differences of each bird remedy. In total, forty remedies are explored, from the familiar Falco peregrinus to the less known Pharomachrus mocinno. One down side to this

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otherwise interesting book is the lack of accompanying cases, which would have been welcome to complement the remedy pictures. "Peter brings a fine focus that penetrates the outer veils to reveal the simpler and truer nature of things. This leads to brevity of expression as well as concentration of the material: an aqua vita from which we may sip and understand. The information given is really useful in practice, helping me to recognise similima. I have been eagerly awaiting this book." Misha Norland

  

Wonderful Plants by Jan Scholten

 

After many years of intensive research, Jan Scholten’s long-awaited book on the taxonomy of plants, Wonderful Plants, is now available in English. Jan Scholten’s previous works on the systematic classification of the elements of the periodic table as homeopathic remedies was the greatest breakthrough of the last ten years in homeopathy. His discoveries have been confirmed in thousands of successful cases. Yet, the main thrust of Jan Scholten’s research is not the Mineral but the Plant kingdom. This can easily be seen in the thoroughness and precision of the information offered in his monumental new work.

The same natural laws that can be seen in the series and stages of the periodic table also underlie the taxonomic system of the enormously varied plant families. The path to the required remedy is not as easy to recognize as with the mineral elements – indeed, it is still evolving! One of the timeless values of this work lies in the essences of the plant families.

 

 

 

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Homeopathic remedy pictures for animals by Vicki Mathison

 

 

Sixty homeopathic remedies for animals, portrayed with delightful cartoons and trenchant keynotes - studying remedy pictures has rarely been such fun! The New Zealand veterinary homeopath Vicki Mathison combines in this work a fine artistic talent with profound sensitivity for the nature of the animals and the remedies they require.

"What better way to study than to capture the essence of a remedy in caricature. Vicki knows the spirit of equus as only a horse-lover can, sensing from the most minute detail the disposition and mood of the horse before her. Dogs, too, occupy a special place in her heart and her household, their antics portrayed in cartoon form in such a way that one “sees” the animal more clearly than before. Vicki not only has the ability to crisply draw the essence, she also paints a clear image with her words. Through her eyes, the remedies come alive and are no longer merely a list of symptoms. The sadness of Natrium muriaticum, the agitation of Arsenicum, the restlessness of Iodum all take on an easily recognizable form. As she says, it is so beautiful to watch an animal “show” her a remedy picture.

This book will surely find its way into the homes of many animal lovers, whether they are familiar with homeopathy or not, and into the practices of veterinary homeopaths, for even those with much experience can be inspired to see animals in a fresh way."

 

 

 

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Homeopathic Mind Maps - Remedies of the Animal Kingdom by Alicia Lee

 

 

As the practice of homeopathy evolves the methods of case-taking, research, and analysis become simultaneously more simplified and increasingly more sophisticated.  Homeopaths need new ways of viewing the remedies, a linear model is no longer solely sufficient and an additional new integrated model is now imperative.

Mind maps are a multi-dimensional concept, which allow the homeopath to view the remedy in a holistic and visual form. Alicia Lee has created her mind maps using the key group analysis concepts of Rajan Sankaran and Jan Scholten in a unique structure allowing the picture to unfold in an intuitive, logical and natural manner. This gives us an alternative to the previous form of definition, with the old familiar pictures to which we are accustomed, and allows for key concepts to be highlighted and primary symptoms to arise from a central scaffold and unfold in a cascade. This form also allows a full view to be seen at a glance and the relationship of symptoms to emerge in an engaging and easily assimilated way.Images also assist us to give texture, tone, emotion, sensation and energy to the remedy picture and photographs are a simple and effective way of achieving this. The Images on these mind maps are vibrant and powerful and assist in bringing the mind maps to life.

 

 

 

 

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Spectrum of Homeopathy - Insects - October 2014

 

Have you heard of Anax imperator or Schistocerca gregaria? The first one is the emperor dragonfly, a particularly magnificent specimen from the dragonfly group, which comprises a total of 5,680 species. Like all its fellow species, it has sophisticated abilities technically equivalent to a combat helicopter – despite its dazzling beauty, it uses its hooked feet to snatch its prey in mid-flight.

A young lad with a developmental disorder and severe restlessness could unknowingly draw this species, as it strongly resembles his favorite Star Wars character: a robot with two hooked talons and four green-blue illuminated laser swords. The striking similarity of the boy's robot sketches to Anax imperator led Markus Kuntosch to the potentized but so far unproved dragonfly: the successful progress of the case indicated that his hunch was spot on.

What about Schistocerca gregaria, the desert locust, which can mutate from a strange loner to a swarm weighing several tons, able to strip whole landscapes bare? Only a few of you will have heard of this insect remedy but it has been proved just as thoroughly as the related Schistocerca americana. Despite the solid homeopathic data, Jonathan Hardy and Heinz Wittwer additionally make use of insect themes and the particularly “locust-like” nature of their patients when prescribing Schistocerca.

Themes and signatures in the sense of a species' biological peculiarities always play a key role in the homeopathic approach to this ancient and most species-rich class of animals. This is also true of such well-known remedies as Apis mellifica, Formica rufa, or Coccus cacti, as shown by the cases presented by Sigrid Lindemann, Rajan Sankaran, and Shekhar Algundgi. Ulrich Welte gives us a glimpse of the impetuous, erratic charisma of Cantharis vesicatoria, primarily known as a bladder remedy.

The work with themes and signatures also enables an initial homeopathic differentiation within the confusing kingdom of the insects. A fascinatingly original approach is taken by Peter Fraser with his contribution on the style of nutrition found in the insects. “You are what you eat” is his motto and, indeed, the differentiation between blood-sucking insects, cannibals, plant-eaters, coprophagous (feces-eating), and nectar-sucking insects is a rich vein of new homeopathic knowledge. The same is equally true of the question of parasitism, which Jörg Wichmann and Angelika Bolte address using Coccus cacti and Hirudo medicinalis, and Jean-Thierry Cambonie with Sarcoptes scabiei. Ulrich Welte supplements these observations with information on bugs, fleas, and other nuisances. The

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equally annoying housefly, Musca domestica, and the mosquito, Culex musca, are carefully analyzed in terms of their stress patterns by Andreas Richter.

Turning to the large crawling insects, we must not forget to examine the common cockroach, which is reputed to be so tough that it can even withstand a nuclear catastrophe. In her contribution on the Indian variant Blatta orientalis, Bhawisha Joshi first provides an overview of the general themes of insects, seeking overlaps with other remedy groups, such as spiders, rodents, or the fourth series of the periodic table.

For an ardent illustrator, the insects are obviously a real godsend, if not always terribly appetizing – see Fraser's remarks on cannibalistic and coprophagous insects. Disgust is an important theme of these animals, as is beauty. When in doubt, we have chosen beauty for the illustrations! Accordingly, we chose a butterfly rather than a cockroach to grace the cover of this issue. Lepidoptera represent this theme for the entire class of insects. Patricia Le Roux's book drew our attention to the use of butterfly remedies for hyperactive children who lack a sense of orientation. With the contributions of Jonathan Hardy, Alize Timmerman, and Jenna Shamat, we can see how these remedies are also connected to adult themes, such as love and metamorphosis, death, and rebirth.

Even this multifarious issue with its wide range of example cases can come nowhere near representing the stupendous breadth of the insect spectrum. For the moment, we have to accept that this is still largely unmapped terrain for homeopathy, in which themes and signatures can play an important role in orientation, but without replacing the need for new remedy provings. With this issue of SPECTRUM, we would like to give you a feeling for the special energy of the insects and encourage you to engage more closely with this intriguing kingdom. 

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