Reprinted courtesy Petr Zacharias from: Case Quizzes And Clinical Hints For Devoted Students Of Classical Homeopathy – by Petr Zacharias
Case 1 – Vertigo
Woman of 37 years has been suffering from constant dizziness last 2 years. First time it happened in front of the class, and then it was okay and then 2 weeks later in same curcumstances (in front of the class). She is a very enthusiastic teacher with no stage fright. She eats pork more than ever last months (3). She is very emotional, sometimes crying very strongly with sobbing (2) thrice in last two months. It started in 2012 when she began to teach. She had an idea about how and what to teach but the reality was different. She has lump in throat sensation when she has strong emotions. She says spontaneously that the most intense feeling she has had since then is unfulfillment (3). She is very emotional, trying to resist crying during interview. She is very pedantic and pushing herself a lot. Dizziness is worse when lying on the right side (2). She has it every day. She feels hopeless most of the time and experiences frequent mood swings (2-3). She is very irritable (3) with attack of rage when alone. When angry, she curses a lot (2) and screams (2).
Follow-up after six weeks
One day after the remedy amelioration of vertigo and then strong aggravation of it for 2 weeks. Then next 2 weeks the vertigo was about 40% better and then for another 2 weeks it is almost gone. Last few days it is worse but she is going through a very stressful situation in her personal life. Feelings of unfulfillment were much better and there was no single anger episode with sadness. Mood is stable; no swings as it used to be and she spontaneously says that she can cope with life more easily without being so much affected by stress.
Analysis of the case
I was thinking of Ignatia from the very beginning because of the etiology of disillusionment that she experienced at the new job. She had had a different expectation than when she finally met the real situation of teaching. This kind of etiology is a root cause for a vast majority of Ignatia cases. She had weeping spells with sobbing but not so often. There was no sighing at all and no other confirmatory symptoms of Ignatia could be found.
In cases when there is a clear etiology, the most crucial step is to understand what kind of emotions were felt most intensely at the beginning (during situation that has been identified as a triggering cause). In Ignatia there is always disappointment which is most intense but here she had been emphasizing a feeling of unfulfillment as the most intense emotion which was not only at the beginning but which has been torturing her since then.
At the moment she said this, I thought of Tuberculinum and when she mentioned strong craving for pork last year I suspected this remedy even more. As she kept telling her story, I found out that she has strong spells of anger. I knew that for Tuberculinum to be a remedy, it is very characteristic they are very destructive during anger with amelioration by breaking something. When I asked her about it, she said: I am not only throwing or breaking things but I hit myself in the head. When I break something I feel relief. And this together with feeling of unfulfillment, grinding of teeth, desire for pork, mood swings and anger spells with throwing and amelioration when she is breaking something are keynotes of Tuberculinum. Now there is a rubric in synthesis: VERTIGO – LYING – side-right, agg and there are 7 remedies only. Tuberculinum is one of them. So the remedy here was Tuberculinum 200C in single split dose.
Case 2 – Female 37 – Infertility
Female 37 years, with history of repeated abortions (after artificial insemination). The main problem is infertility. She had been taking hormonal contraceptive pills until the age of 26. During that period she suffered from generalized swellings (2-3) and mood swings (2). Especially when she was exposed to the sun, she had sudden attacks of violent rage (3). Menses has always been regular but with cramps (3). Irritability before menses (2). She was treated homeopathically by different homeopaths with Aurum muriaticum natronatum, Natrum muriaticum, Foliculinum, Silicea, Thuja and Phosphoric acid but without any effect. The last 10 years she can´t bear anything around her neck. Last 3 years, she has had intense heat in cheeks that she describes as burning sensation (3), especially when she has any emotions.
Follow-up after two months
She was more irritable the first days after the remedy but the cramps during menses had ceased completely soon after and her psychological condition has improved in a way that she is more stable and without mood swings. Irritability before menses diminished completely as well as flushes of heat with burning sensation in cheeks.
Follow-up after three months
She called me in a panic saying “I feel as I am going to become crazy“. Last 5 days she lost concentration and feels physically exhausted (3). This relapse followed after a greatly overworking.
Follow-up after five months
She was much better in every respect. The feeling as if she was about to go crazy has diminished and she can concentrate much more easily. Last three days she developed a strong headache (she had such headaches 12 years ago) and along with this she complains about strong bearing-down sensation in uterus. All the other symptoms she had, had diminished.
Follow-up after one week since the last follow-up
She felt immediate relief after the remedy from both the headache and bearing down sensation and now she is pregnant.
Note: Now it is more than year and she delivered a very healthy child.
Analysis
Amyl nitrosum is one of the main remedies having local flushes of heat. They are located in the upper part of the body, especially. in face and chest. They come very suddenly and with a great intensity and they are accompanied by foreboding that something bad is going to happen. This anxiety is very characteristic and can take a form of fear of having heart attack but it could be just very strong foreboding. This remedy is most similar to Lachesis which has flushes of heat as well but those flushes are not local, they are generalized. Both of these remedies share jealousy and aggravation by tight clothing but Lachesis does not have this anxiety.
Now Belladonna has also flushes but what is very characteristic is congestion in head, especially in cheeks and these phenomena can accompany almost any complaint. When the head is congested in Belladonna (which can be a result of fever or overheating as was true in this case) there can be an emergence of strong rage. Both Belladonna and Lachesis are very aggravated by sun and alcoholic drinks. Amyl nitrosum has this also but sometimes the sun does not aggravate the patient. Belladonna has a great relation to abortions (as well as Sabina, Kali carbonicum, Sepia, ferrum metallicum, Natrum carbonicum, Apis, Ipeca, etc.)
So the first remedy was Belladonna 200C in single split dose. Then when she called in panic, I asked what triggered such a relapse and she answered that she had been working a lot for many weeks as there was a relief after the first remedy. I connected the strong fear of insanity together with the etiology of overworking. Calcarea carbonica is complementary to Belladonna that acted curatively in this case. So the second remedy was Calcarea carbonica 200C in single split dose. After Calcarea carbonica she had been doing very well until symptoms of Sepia emerged and then, after Sepia 200C in single split dose she became pregnant. Now it is more than a year and she delivered a healthy baby.
