| THIS IS A dramatic case. To convey the drama, I present the clinical symptoms of the case first, then introduce the person and his symptoms – physical, mental and general. There are several reasons why this is an appropriate way to present this particular case. The first is, it is a case based on an injury received by the body. The second is that homeopathic treatment even of the physical symptoms was applied only after the client's long journey through allopathic and many other alternative methods. The third is that remedies like Hypericum, Aconite, and the cell salt, Magnesium Phosphate, chosen mainly to relieve physical symptoms, and to address acute situations, proved deeply effective at the mental and general levels, relieving some symptoms and allowing others to emerge, thus pointing the way to what may have been the fabled similimum, which seems to have cured the case, even though I was not skillful enough to see and administer it at the first interview. |
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The Injury
A Caucasian male, 35, was referred by the Ontario Homeopathic Association on September 29, 1995. He had been hit by lightning in the ear while talking on the telephone, at his job as a youth worker in a portable classroom four years earlier, during the Spring of 1991. His initial post-electrocution symptoms had subsided over a period of time. Some went quickly, on their own: Clammy sweat (2 weeks); sense of elephantine heaviness, fainting, stuttering (2 weeks). He had been able to return to work after a short recovery period, and remained there for two years. But some "after-effects" persisted, including acute spasms of "pain" several times a day (the urge to shriek passed), and light streamings. These became problematic because he would blank out and lose track of what was happening in the classroom. He felt his lapses were acceptable. His colleagues couldn't understand or sympathize with what he was going through, and they lost confidence in his ability to work in the teaching team. He hoped homeopathic treatment would earn him a medical certificate of competence which would require his employer to reinstate him. The Person At this point, I'll introduce the person as R. His build is short and stocky. He is soft-spoken, slow and deliberate in his movements. He dresses very casually, but with an air of deliberation. He gives the impression of being sincere, consistent with a background of excellence in martial arts, which also relates to a quiet confidence about him. In contrast to these qualities, R. manifests anxiety and nervousness in his voice when he talks about his fruitless search to regain health, the injustice of his work layoff, and the misunderstanding of his condition he has experienced on all sides. He responds strongly to being understood. He always wore sunglasses and a hat indoors to reduce discomfort of photophobia. The Presenting Symptoms When R. came to see me, his remaining physical symptoms and presenting complaints were:
The mental symptoms which remained with him, and which had grown worse the longer they persisted, are given here in his own words. Throughout our initial interviews, while reflecting on his experience of the past four years, he would repeat the following phrases: "I thought I was dying," "I am not going to make it," and, "I don't know why this is happening." Generally, these phrases contributed to a symptom picture that included: feeling very fearful; depression and hopelessness; anxiety that he would die in his sleep. But hopelessness never quite fell into despair. From the positive side of his character came the deliberate choice to live; also the determination to maintain his existing health level, no matter what. The Case Management On the basis of his symptoms and a summary study of cases of trauma following lightning strikes, I took the attitude he had been enduring a sympathetic nervous system burnout leading to parasympathetic dominance with probable myelin destruction and neurotransmitter interference. I interpreted this situation homeopathically as "nerve damage" with shooting pains, and suggested Hypericum 30CH qd 5 days. I decided to sidestep the constitutional approach and, initially, to go lesional – to apply a remedy directly to the surface layer of symptoms. Accordingly I went directly to Hypericum, "the Arnica of the Nerves," because it fit so many of R.'s basic symptoms, and relates to the basic aetiology of electrical insult to the nerves originating in a head injury. There is further detailed support for Hypericum in the observations of the following practitioners. Morrison's keynotes gives Hypericum as "One of the main remedies for head injuries leading to convulsions," which R. experienced nightly. Boericke says of Hypericum: "Excessive painfulness is a guiding symptom to its use." R.'s pains were classic Hypericum pains, SHOOTING, lancinating pains ALONG NERVES, crawling and numbness. He also seemed badly frightened by his experience: "Removes bad effects of shock, fright or mesmerism" [Allen]. And he was very depressed: "Nervous depression following wounds, surgical operations" [Mathur]. I chose 30CH to reach the mental level without going too far from the lesional, and a daily dose of three pillules for five days because I sensed R.'s vital force was very strong, but also somewhat thickly covered by his long suffering. One dose might not get through. I thought of the repetition of the remedy as poking and knocking repeatedly to gain admittance. October 5 Follow-up R. reported a dramatic change in a symptom that had not come out during the first interview. He volunteered that for the past nearly five years he had entirely stopped dreaming. He describes his nights as "a black slate, plus tremors." (It is known that the REM sleep state during which dreaming occurs is due to the intervention of sympathetic nervous system activity during parasympathetic dominant sleep time.) He told me that after the first few days on Hypericum, he experienced a night of heavy non-stop dreaming, as he said, "for eight hours." This gave him a feeling of tremendous hope. "I never thought I'd see a dream again." He continued to dream normally each night until this interview. (His dreaming has continued to be "normal" up to the time of his "cure.") As a result of this improvement in his situation, R.'s depression has decreased, his general state of mental and physical pain has decreased. R. has become able to recollect many painful memories of his trauma and some painful episodes of his recovery that he had blocked out. His clarity increased. He feels less confused. He has come into touch with some anger, sadness and indignation. He is able to articulate a sense of helplessness in relation to the comings and goings of the tremors; the intense mental and physical pain remaining from his photophobia and flashbacks. (Photophobia remains at the same intensity. He continues to wear sunglasses and a hat indoors as well as outdoors.) He feels intensely helpless about the lack of understanding of his condition by people around him, particularly his employer and colleagues. He feels he cannot communicate to others what he goes through, how he feels, that he feels "normal" despite his flashes of pain, that they are keeping him from his rightful work. I interpreted these symptoms to be, homeopathically, "Anger from indignation, helplessness, and intense concern for the opinion of others." Accordingly I suggested Staphysagria 200CH, single dose split over 24 hours. October 12 Follow-up No change. Feeling understood at least in my office, he is showing his weepy side. His despair is softening. He now wants a cure. Although I have not given the Staphysagria enough time to really manifest its agency (one week), my sense tells me it is not the correct remedy for this stage, and I choose instead to go back and deal with the crude fact of the original shock to his system, and the concomitant intense fear and anxiety. This naturally leads to Aconite. I suggest a single dose of Aconite 50M. This is my reasoning. Aconite, according to Morrison's keynotes is indicated for "COMPLAINTS THAT BEGIN AFTER A FRIGHT, ANY KIND OF A SHOCK. You must remember to give Aconite in high potency, 50M-CM , because the symptoms are very intense, very powerful, so you must match it with the potency." Vermeulen also points to some of R.'s symptoms: Extreme RESTLESSNESS, and fear, FEAR of DEATH. TOSSING. ATTACKS of panic/terror, unreasonable and unaccountable fear, . . . often started after a frightful experience . . . . Anxious expression during complaints. SUDDENNESS and ACUTENESS of complaints, very violent and frightening. ACUTE PAINS and extreme restlessness and fear. PAINS are INTOLERABLE, drive him crazy, shrieks with the pain. It is true that some of these symptoms belong, in their full intensity, to R.'s past. But I decided to experiment with the notion of removing even traces of the original trauma from the case, before proceeding further towards a constitutional treatment. I did not bother antidoting the Staphysagria because there were no specific symptoms which called for that measure. As it turned out, Aconite, which is much more than an acute remedy, was effective, and rapid in its action. October 20 Follow-up R.'s concentration is much better. He feels happy for the first time in years and for the first time, laughs during our interview. He reports his general sense of pain is reduced about 80%, his tremors are less violent and better by 20%. Stronger sense of will to live. He adds that shortly after leaving my office last week some new symptoms began to emerge and continued to emerge during the week. He reports an experience of blue light streaming over him. He recalls that as a young boy he frequently had visions of a white smoky light running through his body up and down his back, along with clairvoyant experiences. I suggested he take a cell salt – Magnesium Phosphate 3x, once daily for a few weeks, to support neural regeneration, and to help begin dealing with the spasms and "flashing" neural pains that remained. These "flashing pains" are part of what is coming to be known as "post electrocution syndrome." They arise as an echo of the original temporal lobe trauma. It seemed to me that at this point a very low potency remedy was called for, at the tissue level. The practice of interspersing low potency cell salts was suggested to me by one of my teachers, A.U. Ramakrishnan. The method is quite popular in India and I use it occasionally with quite good results. Here are some of Scheussler's observations on Mag. phos. that are consistent with R.'s case in general and in some particulars. Diseases having their seat in the nerve fibre cells or in the terminal bulbs of the nerves, in the muscles or in the muscular tissue itself, are cured by this remedy. It corresponds to pains of all kinds with the exception of burning pains; it is especially related to cramping pains. Pains which are darting, spasmodic in character, boring, lightning – like, accompanied by a constrictive feeling. They are often changing in locality, and are relieved by warmth and pressure. It is purely antispasmodic, and hence is curative in cramps, spasms of the glottis, tetanus, epilepsy, spasmodic retention of the urine, paralysis agitans, etc. . . . Attacks are often attended with great prostration and sometimes with profuse sweat . . . . The Mag. phos. patient is languid, tired, exhausted, unable to sit up, whether he is suffering from acute or chronic affections. October 27 Follow-up The pain is slowing down to a manageable level. He's pretty happy. He still can't believe the change. The tremors continue to slow down. He has started meditating again. He feels "half-human." He is not so afraid to look into his own mind. His mind can be still now. He is taking up Aikido again. He also reports he was fitted with contact lenses which have enormously reduced his discomfort from light sensitivity. Taking into account some keynotes that had come up during several interviews including: aversion to meat, sleep > left side, anxiety, flashes of light, flashes of clairvoyance starting in childhood, I suggested he take Phosphorus 200CH – a single dose split over 24 hours. November 2 Follow-up Entered the office smiling, expressive, and animated. Large tremors and leaping spasms are totally gone. No jolting or shaking of bed at night. Slight twitching in his neck remains. His daily pain is gone. He is no longer merely coping – but is beyond that. He feels more than half-human. His attitude towards life has calmed down. He finds himself able to converse without anxiety. For the first time in years, he can just sit and read a book. I decided there was no need to give the remedy again. Wait. Follow-up Visits of November 9 and Thereafter Remains free of major symptoms of tremors. Gets occasional dark moods and little sparkles of pain. He is not moved to cry or be depressed or conceal himself from others. He is still has anticipatory anxiety about being allowed to return to work. That is a realistic worry. He feels a bit condemned by the past. He feels sensitive and open to the future. He feels a big change coming. This positive state, with its little anxieties, is confirmed by follow-up visits in December and January 1966. He reports that he is back at work and dealing with adjusting to that challenge. He continues to practice his martial art. There has been no need, even at this time of writing, March 1996, to give any further remedy. Summary R.'s case seems to reveal a pattern of healing that occurs as levels of the problem are addressed and the vital force responds. Hypericum seems to have repaired the neural damage to the sympathetic fibres in short order (2 days). The immediate result was restoration of the mental function of dreaming. This, in turn, released a flow of positive emotion or confidence that healthy functioning could be restored. It is fair to say that at this level, a lesional approach led to a deep mental response, consistent with Hering's Law of Cure. Aconite continued the process in the same pattern. Having dealt with the physical injury to the neural pathways, and having repaired the interruption of function, it seemed necessary to address the energetic level on which the shock had registered and where it remained as a blockage of function. Again the remedy acted quickly, and the response at the physical level, i.e., the reduction of spasm and restlessness, was matched by a mental response – increased cheerfulness. Magnesium Phosphate was given with the intention of strengthening the neural function, now repaired and unblocked. There was a further reduction in tremor and an increase in vital force manifesting as cheerfulness and optimistic approach to life.
For the practitioner, the most important result at this stage was the
emergence of the deepest, oldest symptoms which expressed the
constitutional remedy, Phosphorus. It is clear now, at this time of
writing, that the earlier mentals, based on emotional symptoms, which
had led to Staphysagria, were misleading because they were typical
rather than personal. There is nothing very definitive in feeling
indignant when you are being treated unfairly. There is nothing specific
about feeling depressed when you lose your job and can't get it back.
These are fairly typical, appropriate responses, and don't really point
to a response from an individual's vital force. However, the fact that
the case now yielded symptoms characteristic of R. from early childhood, such as the
flashes of light and clairvoyance, made those symptoms significant. The constitutional remedy these symptoms
indicated appears to have been the similimum, and seems to have cured
the case. |
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