Clinical Cases

Homeopathy in Auto-immune Diseases- Three Cases

Written by Resie Moonen

Dr. Resie Moonen presents three cases of auto-immune ailments, Alopecia areata, Crohn and MS, solved with periodic table.

Case 1 Luca, Alopecia areata, born in 1993

Background: Luca first came to my practice at the age of 12 with the complaint of alopecia areata occipital. He was treated then with a well-known homeopathic remedy. After four years he had a relapse and then a Lanthanide remedy was needed.

Case: The falling of the hair started before an important examination in school. The result of the examination is used to determine which will be the appropriate secondary school for the child. For some children this provokes a lot of stress.   Past History of Luca: He had chronic ear infections when he was a young child, and because of this his hearing is diminished. He has an allergic constitution with complaints of his nose, eyes and sometimes asthmatic breathing. Luca was always a restless child, he asked for a lot of attention from his parents and from his teachers in school. He played rather wildly, for example he once broke his arm at school, running into a wall. He is a warm blooded child, although his allergic complaints are worse in the cold, humid season, and when the weather changes. He had a lot of problems with his teeth: easy caries and deficient enamel. He bites his nails, especially when he has to sit still and when he is nervous. From the age of 6 he frequently had growing pains. The only food craving he has is a desire for meat.

I gave him the first remedy at the age of twelve: CALCIUM FLUORATUM MK ONCE AND D12 EVERY DAY. Follow-up after 6 weeks: There are already new hairs on his alopecia spots. His nail biting decreased. He is still restless in class, and feels insecure about himself. The hair growth returned completely to normal, and he had no relapse during 4 years. After 4 years he had a sudden relapse: 5 spots of alopecia on the vertex and back of his head. First I repeated the remedy Calcium -fluoratum M, but it had no effect! Retaking the case I found the following new information:

Family History: His mother has vitiligo and diabetes mellitus I, his father has vitiligo, and a nephew has alopecia as well (all auto-immune diseases!). He is still very restless and he has difficulties concentrating in class. He feels very insecure about himself, especially how he looks. He wants to be popular and cannot tolerate if anybody laughs at him. He is very sensitive about this, even when his older brother laughs at him he gets very angry. He teases other children, and he has a strong aversion to being teased himself. Since one year he has psoriasis on his right elbow, which is sometimes itchy. He does not want to go for help with study anymore, but wants to do it by himself! He wants to be very independent, earning his own money while working in a restaurant in the evenings and during the weekend. He wants to make his own choices in buying his cloths with the brands he wants. He loves changes in life, he feels easily bored. He loves travelling, experimenting, trying new things and having money to spend for himself.

New prescription: LANTHANUM FLUORATUM 200, every 2 weeks one dose.

Follow-up: alopecia disappeared in 3 months with new black hair. His psoriasis was much better and he hardly had any eruption and no itching anymore. He had no allergic problems anymore, without using any anti-allergic medication. His concentration is much better. He had good results in study, and even decided to start studying at the University in Amsterdam, International Business. His follow-up is 4 years now without relapse!

INFORMATION ABOUT LANTHANUM FLUORATUM:

  • Lanthanum (stage 3): Insecure about themselves, do not want others to see it
  • Jesting when rejected
  • Teasing, aversion being teased and laughed at themselves
  • Fast, restless
  • Fluoricum: problems with teeth and bones, growing pains
  • Difficulty in concentration
  • Their appearance is very important.
  • Fear of poverty, wanting to have enough money, but spends money easily
  • Restless, warm blooded.

Conclusion: A well-known remedy (Calcium fluoratum) helped him for 4 years, but then he needed Lanthanum –fluoratum for his auto-immune diseases with very good long-lasting result.

CASE 2 Ella with M. Crohn, born in 1992.

Background: Recurrent otitis and upper tract infections as a child. At the age of twelve Ella started to suffer from bowel related problems: she regularly had blood in her stools, and she had anal fissures. Her doctor suspected Crohns’ disease, and a treatment of Mesalazine (Claversal) and Budesonide (Entocort) 9 mg. a day was started. The treatment was not sufficient, so Azathioprine (Imuran) 120 mg a day was prescribed. During this treatment she suddenly had strong abdominal pain, vomiting and could not pass stools. She had an emergency operation and it turned out to be a total obstruction. A part of the jejunum was removed, and the pathologist confirmed the diagnoses of M. Crohn. After the operation the treatment with Imuran was continued.

Case: In 2008, two years after the operation, she consulted me for homeopathic treatment at the age of sixteen. The medication was steadily reduced in six months and at the moment of consultation she was not taking any medication. Her complaints at the time were painful cramps in her abdomen, with a sudden urge to pass stool. It was causing her mental distress, because she did not dare to go out with her friends anymore, because she was afraid she would not be able to find a toilet when she had this sudden urge. It also caused her shame, and she did not dare to talk about it with her peers. Ella was in her fifth year of Secondary School, but she looked younger than her age suggested. She had very low self-confidence, she was insecure and this resulted in a perfectionistic attitude to work. She was always doubting if she had done enough for school, but she refused help. She wanted to do it on her own, without help. Her parents suggested extra tuition, but she refused. She is the youngest of three children; she has two older brothers. Ella was always very affectionate and asked for lots of attention from both her parents. She was very insecure, hesitating and timid, especially when confronted with strangers, and her low confidence is as well regarding her school work. She does not dare to dance at class parties, because she is afraid people look at her, and are laughing at her. She takes after her father: he is also insecure and timid. Although Ella is feeling insecure, she likes to make her decisions independently and she asserts herself in an autonomous way.

Considering all this information I gave her the remedy Lanthanum carbonicum C200, once every two weeks and later C1000, once every month. I chose this Lanthanum because of the auto-immune disease and her autonomous behavior (aspects of the Lanthanides series), although she is insecure, and I selected Carbonicum because of her insecurity regarding her work and the similarity she has with her father. Also I saw a big resemblance with Barium carbonicum, which is in stage 2 of the Periodic Table in the same Series, but as we know the Baryta-Carbonicum personality is dependent, and Ella showed a very independent character. In 12 months her stool became normal: she did not have diarrhea anymore, and did not experience cramps or pain in her abdomen. Also her energy got better, and she was doing fine at school.

Then suddenly after one year she had blood in her stools again and she had a long period of coughing. The cough was provoked by changes in temperature, such as going from a warm room to a cold room. The causation was that she had quarrels with her friends and that her brother left home, and she did not feel protected anymore by him. She still had an independent spirit and wanted to do everything her own way.

I decided to change the remedy to Lanthanum phosphoricum C200, once every three weeks. I chose a Lanthanum but now used the combination with Phosphoricum because of the cause of her relapse: problems with friends and missing her brothers, and of course because of the blood loss and her cough that is provoked by changes in temperature, which is a keynote of Phosphorus. Then the symptoms disappeared completely, within some weeks. Now, five years after the first dose of Lanthanum phosphoricum, she has not had a relapse of her Crohns disease.

Six months after the first dose of Lanthanum phosphoricum I examined her blood and she had normal levels of CRP, BSE, Hemoglobin and ferritin. She does not use any other medication. At the moment she is studying law at university, with good results and good energy. She talks passionately about being a leader of young children at a social club during the weekend; she particularly enjoys working with the youngest children, where she feels very free to talk and express herself.

Conclusion: This young girl needed a Lanthanide for her M. Crohn, first Lanthanum carbonicum and later Lanthanum phosphoricum, which has helped her for six years, the last five years without relapse.

CASE 3 EVA, BORN IN 1980. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

Background: Eva came to see me in November 2009, with progressive neurological complaints: she had an electrical sensation in her lower limbs, her fingers were numb, and she had a feeling of paralysis in her lower body. Her family doctor already suspected multiple sclerosis, so referred her to the hospital for further examination. With MRI and a lumbar puncture the neurologist confirmed the diagnosis of MS. At the time, Eva was 29 years old. She had to stay in hospital for five days and was given a daily dose of 500 mg of intravenous Prednisone. After a week, she could go home, and the treatment with daily Copaxone (Glatiramer, an immunomodulator) subcutaneous injections were started. She reacted very badly to the injections: she had a feeling as if a band was around her chest, as if she was in a tube that was too narrow, greatly constricting her breathing, and then she fainted. She had the feeling that her muscles were completely out of Oxygen. Due to the strong side effects of the injections, she decided to stop the treatment, and so she came to consult me for homeopathic treatment.

Case: Eva was the first child of parents who had a very difficult relationship with each other and who later divorced. She has two younger sisters. During her childhood, she felt as if she was an orphan, neglected by her father, who seemed to have no interest in her. She had the feeling she had to find out everything on her own: she had to be responsible for herself at too young an age. At the age of 20 she was seen by a psychiatrist. This psychiatrist abused her sexually during her treatment. Later he was found guilty for sexually abusing girls in his care. Her reaction was to feel hermetically sealed, and indeed she turned out to have severe vaginismus. She said: “I was totally blocked, completely closed and stuck.” I asked her to tell me about being stuck: “I feel I am completely stuck in the shit!” was her reply.

She studied at the art academy, after which she wanted to start her own career and become an independent artist. She felt as if she was blocked and she did not know how to go any further. The idea that other people will see what she was making was frightening for her; she doubted if she will ever be able to show her creations to the public. The symptoms of MS made her life seem smaller: she felt as if she was living in a very small environment, not seeing lots of other people, closed and blocked. Eva doubted whether she could ever trust her body again. She was becoming more and more frightened by her physical symptoms, which made her feel insecure and closed-up inside herself. She even had panic attacks, with cramping of the chest muscles, and breathlessness. She also had vitiligo – another auto-immune disease – from a very young age

thuliumFirst prescription: I started her treatment with THULIUM OXYDATUM. She has the independence of a Lanthanide, wanting to make her own decisions and live autonomously from a very young age. MS is of course an autoimmune disease. I decided to give her Thulium, because MS is a disease with destruction of the nerves, and there was a lot of destructive energy in her case. Thulium stage 15, has a lot of destructiveness, with loss of health. The darkness of the sexual abuse and the effect it has on her life can also relate to stage 15.  Oxygen is definitely an important element in her case: She has the feeling of being a neglected child and she was indeed sexually abused. She feels like being a victim. The side effects of the Copaxone gave her the feeling of not being able to breathe anymore, that her muscles were out of oxygen, and she fainted.

The reaction to Thulium oxydatum was that all her symptoms from the beginning returned. She had a paralyzed feeling in her left leg, and she felt very tired and depressed. She felt as if she was oversensitive to all external impulses, and she closed up more and more in herself: “I am hermetically closed.” She still could not make art. She felt as if her life had stopped: she knew she wanted to be an independent artist and she had ideas, but on the other hand she had a lot of doubts and fears to display her art to other people, which blocked her completely.

As an intermediate remedy I gave her Oxygen, which made her feel more energetic and gave her the feeling that her muscles had enough oxygen again. There was, however, no effect on the MS symptoms. I then decided to retake her case, and I found some key words : Independent, closed, enclosed, stuck, loner, having to do everything on my own, fear creating new things, closed off in my own world, isolated, artist, doubt. Feeling of being a victim, abuse, sexual abuse, neglected, no respect, no oxygen, panic attacks, loss of breath.

Second prescription: I decided to give her Cerium oxydatum 200, once every two weeks. After Cerium oxydatum, her energy improved, her menses were more regular, and … her MS complaints started to diminish! She had no feelings of paralysis in her body, her feet felt normal. The only complaint remaining is that the outer three fingers were still feeling numb but she could use them normally. Progress: Four months after the first dose of Cerium oxydatum, she meets a man who she falls in love with, and for the first time in her life she has no vaginismus; she can have a normal sexual relationship. She feels her life and her body have opened up, and she is more in contact with others. This all makes her feel very happy. She tells me it gives her a feeling of being connected with other human beings, that she can feel love and can express it. It makes her feel connected to people of all ages and at all times, such a deep human feeling, for the first time in her life – truly amazing! Her energy is still getting better and better, and she decides to start training as an art therapist.

She can ride her bike, go on long walks, and she never has any more panic attacks with breathlessness. She feels she can still be sensitive to the energy of other people, but she does not close up anymore. She goes to her studio again to make things and she loves doing it. She finds out more and more what really belongs to her. In her relationship, she wants to have her freedom as well, finding out what she really likes, and what belongs to her.

Follow-up: She has now been taking Cerium oxydatum for four years: in 200 potency in the first year and since last year, in 1M potency every 6-8 weeks. Her MS symptoms are now hardly noticeable. In 2012 she got pregnant with a beautiful female baby; during and after her pregnancy (2 ½ year ago she delivered the child) she had no MS complaints. She had not been using any other medication during the previous three years.

Conclusion: Cerium Oxydatum could help this 29 year old woman with Multiple Sclerosis in a very total and profound way. The strongest indication for Cerium is the feeling of not being in contact with the world. Patients express this sensation as like being in a cocoon, the feeling of a glass wall between oneself and others, feeling hermetically closed off inside oneself, and the feeling of being isolated. They have various ideas about what they want to do in life, but there is still doubt how to do it, and they fear starting anything new. They want to do it for themselves, not so much for others. They easily become insecure when others take a critical approach. Their autonomy, their own decisions and choices are very important for them, and they want to do it on their own, despite feeling insecure! If they persevere, they are amazed how it can feel and how it works out, and that gives them an intensely satisfied and happy feeling. That is what happened in this case!

Literature:

Scholten, Jan: Secret Lanthanides, Utrecht, the Netherlands: Stichting Alonnissos, 2005

Welte, Ulrich: The Periodic Table in Homeopathy – The Silver Series, Kandern, Germany: Narayana Publishers, 2010

About the author

Resie Moonen

Resie Moonen, MD, Holland, began her homeopathic career in 1985 as a family practitioner in a homeopathic clinic. A teacher of homeopathy since 1995, she teaches at the Homeopathic School for Doctors in Holland and at many seminars around Europe, in New York and in Asian countries. She also gives talks at LIGA congresses and Narayana seminars. Resie is known for her lively presentations of Materia Medica, which show clear pictures of the remedies. She is a very popular lecturer.

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