Hair Loss and Constipation

 

Clinic Date: April 12, 2013

 

Externship Clinic Supervisor:  Lisa Decandia DSHM, RHom, RCSHom, MSc

 

Patient Name: Kennedy

Initial Chief Complaints:  hair loss – digestion

 

Case Analysis: 10 year old girl came in due to hair loss recently. Upon further discussion it was revealed that she has major digestion issues and pectus excavatum. This little girl is thin – fun – loves to dance (very flexible)!  After discussion we realized she has had digestive issues (and lots of stinky gas) since birth. As an infant she only had a bowel movement once every 15 to 20 days.  She was put on high levels of senokot (senna laxative) till her toddler years.  She now has a bowel movement about once a week.

 

Case Objectives:

My current objective with Kennedy is to find a remedy to help her with the hair loss, digestion (constipation) and pectus excavatum.

 

Treatment Strategy and Case Symptoms:

Kennedy presents a comprehensive totality of symptoms that nicely balanced between mind and generals. Symptoms are presented in order of importance to the case with corresponding rubrics.

 

Symptom: sympathetic – to people and animals

Related Rubric:MIND-SYMPATHETIC

Kennedy is very sympathetic especially to animals, and also cares much about everyone. She is the kind of kid that will give you her candy because she feels sorry for you. It’s partly a desire to please, but definitely sympathetic and this is a big part of who she is. Very big hearted

 

Symptom: losing hair like crazy

Related Rubric: HEAD – HAIR – falling

This is the reason she came to see me – she is loses hair like crazy – I ran my hands through it and took out about 50 strands – she is only 10, so hair matters. Her hair is very slow to grow.

 

Symptom:  She bites her nails off

Related Rubric: MIND – BITING – nails

Kennedy bites her nails off – right down – all them – all the time. This is very striking.

 

Symptom: headache over right eye

Related Rubric: HEAD – PAIN – Forehead – right

When she gets a headache is it is ALWAYS this spot – so it is worth being in the rep chart. She doesn’t get many headaches and they don’t last, but always over the right eye.  After school – long day – she will get them before bed

 

Symptom:She has big stools

Related Rubric: STOOL – LARGE

She is this little – petit, dancer – girl – age 10 and her bowel movements are the size of a hamster – she only goes once to twice a week. When she was a baby she would go once every 20 days – now better. She leans forward while on the toilet touching her ankles and it will come out.  She will have blood sometimes and she says her “butt hole” hurts one to two hours after her bowel movement.

 

Symptom: She is always cold

Related Rubric:GENERALS – HEAT – lack of vital

She is always cold – comes home from school and puts polar fleece pajamas on with feet in them. She wears those all year around – all summer even at the cottage unless it is like 40 celcius out. Took them to Dominican this past month when on vacation

 

Differential Analysis:

 

The top Rx in the repertorization for Kennedy’s case is:

Phos

Nat-m

lyc

 

Materia Medica Reference Sources:

 

• [Boger] A synoptic Key of the Materia of the Materia Medica
• [V.Lippe] Keynotes and Red Line Symptoms of the Materia Medica
• [Murphy] Fundamentals of Materia Medica
• [Gibson] Studies of Homeopathic Remedies
• [Allen T.] Primer of Materia Medica
• [Kent] Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica
• [Neatby] A Manual of Homoeopathic Theraputics
• Radar

 

Phos

Same:

• Very fetid stools and flatus
• Stools long and narrow (her mom described them this way – can’t believe they come out of her)
• Difficult to expel stools (again this is her, she has learned how to make it happen faster by leaning forward and touching her ankles)
• Involuntary; seems as if anus remained open She complained of this sensation after her stools
• Discharge of blood from rectum, during stool. (again her)
• Hair falls out in large bunches (her chief complaint)
• Over-sensitive to external impressions (she is very sensitive to what is going on around her – friends – animals- how they feel matters)
• Ravenous hunger at times
• Open, extroverted, lively, expressive (She is all of these, everyone wants to be her friend)
• Sympathetic especially with animals (She loves animals and she is very big hearted when it comes to animals)
• Headaches due to sensitivity of environment (noises or odors) or after exertion (She can get a headache at school when there is screaming from the other kids at recess or gym)
• Headache is amel by cold (she likes a cold pack and sleep when she has one)
• Face: fine featured with fine skin
• Loves meat/fish (She loves steak)

 

Different:

• Thirst for large quantities of cold drinks (she really doesn’t drink as much as she should)

 

Natrium-muriaticum

Same:

• Mainly warm, but can be chilly
• Agg noise (loud screaming at school can bring on her headaches)
• Falling of hair (her CC)
• Dreams a lot in sleep (she claims to have frequent dreams, but doesn’t remember them)
• Constipation and strains to pass her stool (she has to bend over and pull on her ankles to make the stool come out)
• Flatuance rumblings

 

Different:

• Introversion (She can be shy at first, but she is very lively and open)
• Agg Sun (she loves the sun)
• Hatred of people (She loves being with people)
• Sleepy all day but cannot sleep at night (she is a good sleeper, just rolls around and occasionally talks in sleep)

 

Lyc

Same

• General flatulent distension
• Incarcerated flatulence
• Contraction and protrusion during hard stool

 

Difference:

• Boastful and haughty  (she is lovable and a people pleaser)
• Hair becomes gray and falls out (hers has not changed colours just is falling out in strands)
• Night sleep restless, with anxious dreams and frequent waking (she rolls around a lot at night but doesn’t wake and doesn’t remember her dreams)

 

Remedy and Potency of Choice:   Phosphorus 30ch

 

• Phosphorus 30ch  in 4oz of water 3/3/1 (3 succussions, 3 drops, in 1tsp) every day
• Follow up:  in 3 weeks

 

Reasons why Phosphorusis the Most Clearly Indicated Remedy:

 

1.  It is known to help Pectus excavatum – it is a remedy within the tub misaim

2. She is constipated and phosphorus does have this in children.

3. She is flexible – thin and loves to dance – phosphorus is known to be flexible (as in double jointed) and tall and very thin.

4. Very fetid stools and flatus – Her mother claims she can clear a room when she has flatulence.

5. Hair falls out in large bunches – this is her chief complaint that she came to see me for – although she ties in nicely with many other areas of phosphorus. We cannot forget this!

6. She is that childlike phosphorus that can be fidgety and full of life. She is fun loving and everyone wants to be her friend.

 

Follow up #1: May 10^th

 

About 45mins after taking the first dose mom reports that she had an aggravation and was hyper, running around like crazy, being silly for about 3 hours.  Then she calmed down and has never had that happen since.

Her hair loss has stopped completely.

She reported her “tummy felt lighter”

She is gaining weight and starting to grow

She is drinking more water!

Her bowel movements have improved. Size is the same, but a little less hard and DAILY with no straining and no blood due to the straining!

 

Next steps:  continue with Phosphorus 30ch in water 3/3/1 and follow up in 4 weeks.

 

Follow up  – July 24^th 2013

– Hair loss has completely stopped other than normal amounts.

– She is now having normal size bowel movements instead of huge “hamster” size (her words).

-starting to gain weight and grow

*she did stop taking the remedy while on a trip and within a day she was back to no bowel movements.  When she finally went it was painful and difficult. When she got home she started the remedy again and everything was back to normal

 

Next Steps:

-continue the remedy of Phosphorus 30 in water