A Case of Psoriasis

Italics are used to highlight pertinent phrases.

Mr. P. J. 39 years old came with the diagnosed palmar - plantar psoriasis on 26 April 2005.
He hailed from Uttar Pradesh and spoke fluent rather proficient Hindi.
I am presenting the english translation of the entire case with few of his Hindi words in bracket so that mere translation doesn’t miss the charm of “how he perceived and felt” in life.

“I have Psoriasis. It gets aggravated in summer. Itching is aggravated at night. There are many cracks with watery discharge and much bleeding. They are mainly on palms, soles and axillae."

"Since birth, I have weakness in left hand [shows his entire left hand]. I took Homoeopathy for it. I was better with it but still I can’t do much work with this hand. "

(Then he switches over to his present complaint of Psoriasis)

“Because of this complaint I can’t work, I can’t fold my palm, there is a lot of itching since four weeks. Because of it, I feel sad (`Aatmaglani’), I feel that I am lacking something.”

(So, this Psoriasis makes him feel sad—sad is too light a word to describe his exact feeling of “Aatmaglani”- a very deep sadness. Interestingly, his way of narration and the tone in which he describes psoriasis does not vibrate with the depth of sadness. Very soon, we will understand the connection between the two.)

“If someone tells me “you can’t even do this work”, it feels bad (Khatakta hai)”.

“What if this (points out at his palms) turns out to be some dangerous illness- like-Leprosy or Tuberculosis? Who will take care of my family then, their food? I feel very sad (Aatmaglani), society passes remarks upon that person with such sufferings [tana marte hai]; I will not be self-sufficient (`apne aap par BOJ’).

(So, now we understand from where this feeling of ‘Aatmaglani’ is emerging. The depth of his “sadness” directly connects to his view or to be more precise, his ill-view or delusion about psoriasis, which is Leprosy and TB.)

He continues further with more of his imaginations (perceptions) and the associated feelings

“Society considers him to be useless (Nikamma) and isolates him. ‘He must have committed some crime that’s why he developed such illness’ they’ll think. He will not be allowed to sit near them during any occasions, religious ceremonies, thinking he is having a contagious illness.”

“There is a stigma about TB. Such person dies without any proper care and respect.”

“Man is a social animal. He would feel-‘till yesterday people used to call him and talk to him with respect but today that has changed’. He feels sad (Glani) and neglected from society. He will be worried. He will isolate himself and will think of committing suicide because there is no social value left for him. He is dependent on his family and he can’t work for his family. He doesn’t understand what’s wrong with him, why people behave in such a way with him.”

“Social animal means we all have social responsibilities to fulfill, to be a man of morals. When society neglect him with illness, he feels very sad (Aatma glani).

(He gives another image to describe this.)

“Suppose we have an IAS officer. He gets lot of respect from society. But say after 10 years he develops leprosy, society neglects him, there is no respect left for him. People look down upon him like a servant”.

(So, from Psoriasis, he moves on to Leprosy, TB and how a person holding a lot of respect for himself in society gets neglected, isolated, left to die without due care and respect on developing such a dangerous illness. Hence, the associated feeling is deep sadness-Aatmglani)
(He continues further giving another image to describe it.)

“It is like a man who is running and suddenly he slips off or someone pulls his legs. He is running and just about to reach his goal and suddenly he loses it and can’t reach his goal due to his illness.”

(Very interesting! A running man slips off just before reaching his goal, (thus winning); a running man develops illness and misses’ goal. He compares illness with slip off- and this slip off is just before reaching the desired goal.)

“Everyone has some or the other goal. A laborer takes care of his family; he protects (Hifazat) his family, looks after their basic needs like food, clothes and shelter (Roti, kapda, makaan) etc. All these things I should fulfill.
(From laborer, he jumps to himself. Him is the laborer, laborer is him.)
While he is on his way to reach the goal, he gets this disease. A man at his age of 18-22 years suddenly loses his leg in an accident or he loses one limb!!! There is a big shock in his family. He loses his aim, his goal. (`Lakshya se bhatak jana’).

(All the examples that he gives -whether the IAS officer or that runner or the laborer or a person facing an accident, all represent his own self. What is important is the presence of a single common experience in all these examples. The experience is of a loss, slipping off just before reaching the goal / the destination. This loss can cause loss of respect, isolation, made to suffer in loneliness till death, like how a person with leprosy/TB is destined to die in isolation. This is the issue; this is the problem, which is causing Aatmaglani.)

(When asked to describe the experience in Aatmaglani, he said-
“If Cancer, T.B., Leprosy, AIDS like big, life threatening illnesses happen to a man from a rich family, he will be forsaken by society and family, but he’ll at least get food. But if a poor man is forsaken by society, he will not even get food /shelter etc. Everybody will reproach him; he will get suicidal thoughts”.

(He could not describe any thing further beyond loosing basic needs of life and made to suffer in isolation till death)

When asked about his dreams, he said he doesn’t remember any.

When asked to speak of any Incidence having a deep impact upon him, he said, “I don’t have a male child and when my brother reproaches me for that I feel bad. There will be no one to give fire to my dead body after I die. I am so unfortunate (Abhaga) that I don’t have male child.”

(And the history was over at this point.)

Understanding of the case:
His basic issue is loosing just before reaching the goal that amounts to tremendous loss of respect, suffering in isolation, loneliness, till death.

When we think of what kingdom his issue is pointing at. His issue is neither speaking of sensitivity towards a particular sensation- plant kingdom nor is it talking of any victim v/s aggressor issue or survival problems- animal kingdom.
His issue is of loss, of lack, (in the beginning he said this illness of psoriasis makes him feel lacking something), these are the issues of structure, minerals, he belongs to mineral kingdom.

He is talking about loss at the level of basic needs of life like food, shelter, clothes, protection, security of /for the family etc. the illness will cause inability to take care of his family with respect to such issues. Inability to protect and provide basic needs is the issue of series 4 where we have elements like Potassium, Calcium etc on extreme left, Ferrum, Cobalt, Niccolum in center and Arsenic, Bromide, Krypton on extreme right of periodic table.

In his case, the loss happens just before reaching the goal, at the successful position.

In periodic table, the elements present in tenth column represents the highest point of success, the winning point. Thus, the achievement point of goal with respect to the issues of the series they belong.

Meaning, Niccolum, which is at the cross point of column tenth in series four represents the one with highest amount of protection capabilities. He is the best as far as the issues of protection, shelter, providing / achieving of the basic needs of food, shelter etc is concerned.

Picture of Niccolum metallicum as described by Scholten,
Essence: must be on top and have everything under control.
Successful at work
These symptoms from Complete beautifully describes the state of Niccolum-
CONTRADICTION: INTOLERANT OF: EVENING AMEL. {0> 1> 0}
DREAMS: FALLING: LOFT, FROM. {0> 1> 0}
(Delusion falling from loft/high places and delusion on top represents the same thing in its opposite poles. The feeling of Niccolum is that he is on top, hence the fear of falling down from top. Also, at that high position, they cannot tolerate any contradiction. They are the best, on top most position.}

And, so with the Palladium (Column 10 + Series 5) and Platinum (Column 10 + Series 6) which represents the highest success with the issues of creativity, performance and the issues of leadership, power respectively.

Coming back to series 4, the issue of loosing just before reaching the height is an element just before Niccolum, which is Cobaltum.

When I read Cobaltum metallicum, from Complete, under section of Mind,

DELUSIONS, IMAGINATIONS: CRIMINAL, THAT HE IS A: OTHERS KNOW IT, AND. {0> 1> 0}
(He feels people will feel he has committed crime and will isolate him)
Also, I have learnt that the feeling of guilt and crime go hand in hand in Cobaltum. And these feelings come from their underlying feeling of being failed at the given task, not able to finish /achieve the task, failing just before achievement.

Further, mind symptoms from complete repertory,

Anxiety: conscience, of.
Delusions, imaginations: criminal, that he is a.
Delusions, imaginations: despised, is.
Delusions, imaginations: wrong: he has done.
Sadness, despondency, depression, melancholy.
MORTIFICATION: GENERAL: MORTIFIES HERSELF. {0> 1> 0}
(His issue is loosing respect in society to an extent that he is not allowed to participate /to sit near anybody on various occasions and religious ceremonies.)

Also, we see Sun agg. (Phatak rep.)
(His Psoriasis gets aggravated in summer)

When I read Cobaltum from Scholten, under the section of Non-homoeopathic uses, I find-
“The name is derived from the word 'kobold', meaning 'bad spirit', because this metal was an unwanted discovery in the search for more precious metals like copper, silver and gold”.

Interestingly, this feeling of unwanted, go off, keep aside, and isolation we get as a center theme of this case. Such expressions point towards leprous miasm.
Leprous theme of Cobaltum was confirmed from following symptoms
Sense of guilt. (Vermeulen)
Thinks too little of himself. (Vermeulen)

For the symptoms of skin, I found,
Bleed easily when scratched. (Vermeulen)
Itching of the skin when warm in bed at night. (Clarke)
Aggravation Heat of bed or sun

Remedy given: Cobaltum 30 1pill.

Follow ups:

Follow up on 17th May 2005:

Much better.
Cracks on palms and soles are better.
Feverish feeling since today, lethargic feeling.
Overall >
No dreams.

Plan: Cobaltum 30 1pill

Follow up on 31st May 2005:

"My tongue feels strange; there are lots of cracks on my tongue.
More improvement in skin. Now hopeful, it’s not a contagious disease, I will get all right.
Mentally, feeling much better. Previously `Mayusi’, sadness, depression, now feel more hopeful. Previously felt “my sin from the past is affecting me”. Now, mentally strong. I feel it will get cured."

No dreams.
Sleep- Good.
(We appreciate the development of hope and dilution of feeling of sadness and guilt and unfortunate (suffering due to past sin) along with constant improvement of Psoriasis.)
Interestingly, when I referred to Materia Medica, I Found following symptom of tongue-
Tongue coated white with cracks across the middle (Clarke)
One case of photosensitive dermatitis by Dr. Rajan Sankaran also presented with cracks on tongue or either side of midline.

Plan: Placebo

Follow up on 14th June 2005:

Skin >>>
No problem in sleep/appetite.
Dreams- "In village, there was two parties; they were fighting. I went ahead to solve the problem but they started fighting back with me. I got scared, my body got imbalanced (Asthir) and mind became overactive (Gatisheel). I started running and got up from sleep."

(We can observe the development of awareness at the level of subconscious about the issue of fight and protection (series-4) and still at a position of not able to handle it (issue below column 10) but being successful in running off in problem- a successful coping up)

Plan: Placebo

Follow up on 30th Aug. 2005:

Skin- completely clear. But again started scaling on palms for the last 4 days.
"I have tension about wife’s health."

Plan: Cobaltum 200 1P
(At this point, I thought of repeating the dose, as there was development of scaling again.)

Follow up on 27th Sep. 2005:

Skin >3+; only 1-2% left now.
Overall much difference.
"I feel happy as my skin is improved.
Last time when I had come, I was weepy. But now no such problems.
Developed fungal infection- inguinal region -Itching is there, due to sweat."
No dreams.
"I am little worried about wife’s health, no anxiety about health/guilt now."

Plan: Placebo.

(He kept doing well, his skin completely got better, and his fungal infection was also better. He was happy, no tension, no feeling of guilt, felt hopeful. His coping in difficult situation of life was much balanced. He felt active and enthusiastic in life. So he was asked to stop the treatment and follow up if any problems. He met me after a year with some exfoliation of skin in palm, Cobaltum 200 was repeated in single dose. His palm got better, I monitored him for one more month with no complaints and again asked to stop treatment and see me if required. So far, no news from him.

It was a wonderful ride myself to witness his flight of “Ease”- getting freed from “Dis-ease” which bound his life force, thus altered his perceptions, feelings and finally mounted to cause physical discomforts. His free flowing flight to life is warranted with the Assurance policy for holistic health, popular by the name “Homoeopathy”.

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Dr. Urvi Chauhan
SWASTHYA HOMOEOPATHIC CLINIC
106, Dinar Building, 1st floor, 20- station road, Santacruz (West), Mumbai- 54. Maharastra. India.
PHONE: +91-22-26046245
Email: drchauhan@vsnl.net
swasthyaclinic@vsnl.net
Website: www.homeohome.com