This is a case of a middle-aged
man from Gulbarga. He looked very anxious and restless with
a very pale, puffy earthy looking face and was extremely
weak.
He had brought his Lab Investigation
reports. Initially he wasn’t informed by the specialists that
he was suffering from “CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA - BLOOD
CANCER.”
The specialists had advised chemotherapy
and blood transfusion if needed. The patient was not told
about the diagnosis. But he came to know that something was
seriously wrong by the reaction of his close relative who
accompanied him.
_________________________________________________
Chronic Mueloid Leukemia
is a haematological malignancy marked by a sustained increase
in the number of granulocytes, spleen enlargement and a specific
cytogenetic anomaly — the Philadelphia chromosome
in the bone marrow of more than 90% of patients. The disease
affects one or two people per 100,000 and median survival
is about 4 years.
CML results from a trans location
of genetic material between chromosome 9 and 22. The translocation
results in the production of an abnormal tyrosine kinase that
makes affected cells immortal.
_________________________________________________
Investigation :
- Low HB (10.4 gm%).
- Total WBC count — 20,000/mm3
(high).
- Presence of Myeloblast (7),
Myelocyte and Metamyelocyte (30), Band cells (30) and Mature
Neutrophil (20).
- There was Neutropenia (39)
and Lymphocytosis (L-58).
- He had mild hepatosplenomegaly.
He complained of :
- Severe loss of appetite since
6 months.
- Weakness : extreme with drowsiness
and indolence.
- Recurrent epistaxis from (Rt)
nostril < heat.
- Dull pain in extremities <Exertion
<Standing.
- Oedema over face.
- Dyspnoea on exertion <Ascending
stairs.
Personal History :
- Appetite : Decreased. (Previously
good)
- Desire : Meat++,
Green Veg., Fish++, Eggs, Sweets++,
0ily++, Cold things.
- Aversion : Milk.
- Thirst : Thirsty patient.
- Tongue : Large moist, pale.
- Throat : 0cc. pain <Cold
drinks
<Cold air draft.
- Head : Headache, Pressing nature
— temples <Tension
<Loss of sleep
- Eye : Dimness of vision of
(Lt) eye.
H/o Foreign body trauma.
- Nose : 0cc coryza < Cold
bath.
Redness of nose during coryza.
- Back : Lumber pain < Stooping.
- Perspiration : Profuse.
- Sleep : Excessive sleep, Pillow
required.
Drowsiness++ now sleeps
from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.
Yet wants to sleep more, i.e.
Unrefreshing sleep.
- Thermal : HOT, Cannot bear
heat in any form.
< Cold air draft.
I continued the consultation
as follows:
How is your nature?
I am a hard worker but now I feel
very weak. I like to be in the company of others. I am a jolly,
fun loving person and like cracking jokes. I like to travel
long distances since childhood. I have good social contacts.
How was your childhood?
I am the eldest amongst 4 brothers
and a single sister. I wanted to do business since a very
young age and so left education after the 7th standard. Then
I worked very hard in a garage. After earning sufficient money,
I started my own small business. I don’t like cheating anybody.
I believe that a good name in society is more important than
earning lots of money.
In childhood, if anyone scolded
me, I used to run away from home and then my family used to
search for me and bring me back.
Any specific fear?
I am afraid of accidents.
Also, I cannot see burnt faces or distorted ugly bodies.
Any Tension?
My father died of a heart attack
3 years ago. I thought it was a turning point in my life.
I took the responsibility of my mother and family for their
well being.
My younger brother was in bad
company. He used to waste time and earn nothing. I somehow
sent him to Riyadh for work. But he didn’t work hard enough
and came back without earning anything. He did not even bear
the responsibility of his own family. I provide everything
for his family even now. Still, he is very ungrateful.
I feel very sad. He has created
a bad impression of our family.
When do you feel sad?
After my brother came back from
Riyadh, he was a total failure. At that time I helped him
and allowed him to join me in my business. My view was also
to expand the business and to get a good reputation. The business
was doing pretty well. But unfortunately I got this illness
and for the past seven months I have no physical strength
to attend to my business. He took advantage of this situation
and started saying publicly, “See! It is me who does all the
work... my brother just sits idle!
I feel extreme sadness at these
rude comments! (He couldn’t hold back his tears while narrating
these words!)
Why don’t you just kick him
out of the house?
Oh No! I won’t do that! People
will criticize me for such behavior. “Izzat Nahin To Kya Jeena?”
(What’s life without dignity?)
OBSERVATION :
-
Despite his great sufferings the patient looked very
cheerful and talkative. He is a highly conscientious person
and managed his business honestly. Due to fear of severe illness
he seemed sluggish and dull.
-
He is a family oriented person and tried to help his
brother in his critical days. He also allowed him to join
his business.
-
Respectful behaviour.
-
Business oriented.
-
During admission I observed that he was impatient and
business minded, as he didn’t want to waste his time in hospitalization
despite the grave pathology. He wanted to go back and start
working.
-
Image conscious.
-
Although illiterate, there was softness in his behaviour!
-
He was a religious person.
-
The Ailmentary factor - the disease started when his
brother started interfering and taking undue advantage of
his modesty!
TOTALITY:
- Decreased appetite.
- Epistaxis of (Rt) nostril.
- Desire: Meat Sweets Fat
- Excessive sleep, Unrefreshing
sleep.
- Profuse perspiration.
- <Cold air draft.
- Business interest.
- Problems in relations/Forsaken
feeling by beloved ones.
- Image conscious.
- Fear of Accidents — ugly faces.
- Industrious.
- Conscientious about trifles.
- Jesting desire.
- Impatient.
- Cheerful.
- Social.
- Family oriented.
- Honest.
- Indolence.
- THERMAL: HOT.
- MIASM: SYPHILIS.
Remedy Selected : SULPHUR
- 30.
SULPH is a HOT patient but <
by air drafts.
RESPONSE :
After giving SULPH - 30, his weakness
decreased. And his WBC count reduced considerably (20,000/mm
— 5,100)
At the end of the third month,
WBC count reduced further. But a drop in HB - 8 gm% indicated
that the action of the dose was weaning.
So, SULPH was repeated. After
that the Neutrophils increased with a remarkable rise in platelet
count. Even the blood investigation showed absence of any
micro-macro-megalocytes. Hb% at the end of one and half year
rose to 14 with platelet count — 2,20,000 (perfectly
within normal limits).
| Date |
22.10.04 |
15.01.05 |
19.09.05 |
16.11.05 |
24.02.06 |
| HB |
10.4 |
08.0 |
11.6 |
13.2 |
14.0 |
| TLC |
20,000 |
4,600 |
9,800 |
9,900 |
10,650 |
| P |
39 |
30 |
53 |
54 |
56 |
| L |
58 |
68 |
44 |
43 |
42 |
| Platelets |
40,000 |
78,000 |
2,20,000 |
2,20,000 |
2,20,000 |
| Cell
Morphology |
Micro-Macrocyte |
Micro-
Macrocyte Hypochromic. |
Normocytic
Normochromic |
Normocytic
Normochromic |
No
abnormal cells. |
Two years have passed and he is
now experiencing a joyful and energetic life with the help
of homoeopathic medicines only. He is not under any other
medication or chemotherapy.
During his last follow-up he said,
“Doctor, now I get up at 5 a.m. and work in the shop till
9 p.m. without any break. There is no bleeding from my nose,
no bodyache and now I eat so much that it is troubling my
wife otherwise !“ (His jesting nature).
D/D :
KALI-SUL : Are more disciplined,
duty-conscious and family oriented persons. KALI-S does not
give much importance to honesty, religiousness and the disgraced
feeling is not so prominent! KALI-S is more neat and tidy.
SULPH (this patient) is more dull, untidy and indifferent
to appearance. Compared to SULPH, KALI S is a more Restless
and anxious remedy due to KALI factor.
NAT-SULPH : has tendency
towards more dropsical diseases (Hydrogenoid constitution)
like hydrocephalous, and also at cellular level ascitis. NAT
SULPH has profound sadness and any business failure provokes
his suicidal tendency. Also the forsaken feeling, religiousness
and honesty are more marked in SULPH. NAT-SULPH has < Cloudy
wet weather and> Dry weather and open air.
*Note :
For the last 2 years he is well
maintained on SULPH-30 repeated just 2-3 times when his physical
generals were down.
Unfortunately, in Sept. 2006,
he suffered from Chikun gunya, and was treated by his local
physician with painkillers, steroids and antibiotics. The
result was that his health deteriorated with a rise in WBC
and fall in platelet count (40,000) and HB 4gm%.
I advised him to throw away all
those poisons and repeated the SULPH- 30 after Blood Transfusion
as a life-saving measure. He followed my instructions faithfully
and is now improving rapidly.