Essence of a lecture Dr. Douglas M. Borland gave in 1946
(Submitted by Marc VanWijk)
Acute cardiac failure:
Arsenicum: – extreme fear, anxiety
– restlessness
– constant thirst for ice cold water
– extreme cardiac pressure, great weight on chest
– cannot get enough breath
– fear to die
– coldness
– anxious look
– sudden onset
Remarks: – use the highest potency you have with you
– the response to the remedy should be quick, if no response
within 15 minutes, it is not an Arsenicum patient.
– after the acute phase is gone, you should not repeat Arsenicum,
but look for the complementary remedy
Antimonium Tartaricum:
– tendency to cyanosis (finger nails, hands, feet…)
– down, hopeless and depressed
– no thirst
– < heat
– likes a fresh room but no stream of air
– tendency to edema of lower extremities
– tongue coated with thick white coat
– feeling of fullness in chest with rales in lower parts of chest
Carbo Vegetabilis:
– cold, sweaty skin
– mentally dull
– air hunger, want the air blowing on them
– paler rather than cyanotic
– great abdominal distension with flatulence
– < eating or drinking ; no thirst
– ice-cold extremeties
Remark: If a patient respond well up to a point on Carb-v, don’t go to a
higher potency to carry on the improvement. Look for a
complementary remedy.
Oxalic acid: – most intense exhaustion
– sensation of numbness, as if having no legs
– cold and clammy skin with mottled cyanosis
– wants to keep absolutely still
– sharp precordial pains
Gradual Cardiac Failure with Tendency to Dilatation
It’ s difficult to distinguish between snake poisons; the most common being Lachesis and Naja.
Lachesis: – purplish, bloated appearance
– feeling of tightness or constriction
– sensitive to heat
– < after sleep
– suffocative attacks when falling asleep
– < when turned over on the left side
– tremor
– mentally becomes fogged, confused
Naja: – mostly same symptoms but with a pronounced numbness of
mainly the left arm and hand.
Remarks: – if stitching pain is more marked: give Naja
– if feeling of constriction is more marked: give Lachesis
Lycopus: – heart is just starting to fail
– pulse becoming a little irregular
– pale appearance
– restlessness
– complains of a tumultuous sensation in cardiac region
– tendency to cough
– < when turned over to the right side
– dislike of any food, particularly the smell of food
Laurocerasus: – picture of a congenital heart
– bluish-red appearance
– clubbed fingers
– extreme dyspnoea, < sitting up, > semi-prone position
Anginous attacks
Aconitum: – absolutely overwhelming fear
– is certain he is going to die
– unable to keep still
– < any movement
Cactus: – fear of being incurable and dying
– sensation as from a tight band round the chest
– feeling of increasing tension
Arsenicum: – feeling of constriction in the chest
– anxious, worried
– very chilly
– burning sensation in the chest
Iodine: – feeling of constriction and tension in the heart
– anxious
– uncomfortable in heat
– flushed appearance
– underweight
Spongia: – progressive sensation of swelling in the heart region
– < lying down
– chilly
– numbness of left arm and hand
– face and neck look congested
Lilium tigrinum:
– symptoms as if angina but no cardiac lesion
– stabbing, radiating pains
– hyperesthesia of the chest wall
– depressed, irritable
– sensitive to heat
– < movement
– associated with pelvic lesion – history of gynecological illness
Pain Killers
Acute earache:
Aconitum: – very sudden onset
– after he has been out in very cold north-east wind
– restless
– pains are violent, burning
– irritable, scared
– extreme tenderness to touch
Chamomilla:- pain even more intense
– patient beside himself with pain
– cross and irritable
– nothing satisfies
Capsicum: – tenderness over mastoid region
– ear looks more prominent
– redness of external ear
– acute stabbing pains
– slight amel by hot applications
– patient feels extremely sorry for himself
Facial neuralgias:
Magnesium phosphoricum:
– acute trigeminal neuralgia
– sharp stabs
– < any draught of air
– extreme superficial tenderness of nerve
– mostly right side
– > applied warmth
– > firm pressing
Colocynthis:- same conditions but affecting the left side
Orbital neuralgia:
Spigelia: – sharp stinging pains (as from red hot needle)
– pains radiating along the course of the nerve
– pain is burning but after being touched, a strange cold sensation
is felt (only spigelia)
Post herpetic neuralgia:
Magnesium phosphoricum:
– acute burning along the course of the intercostal nerve
Ranunculus:- history of herpes
– sharp shooting pains
– very sensitive to touch
– conscious of any weather change
Mezereum: – same pains and modalities as Ranunculus
– < wet weather
– affected area extremely sensitive to any cold draught; sensitive to
bathing with cold water
– < night
Sciatica:
Magnesium phosphoricum:
– acute pain down sciatic nerve
– < any movement
– sensitive to cold
– > rest; warmth
– right sided
Colocynthis:- same symptoms but left sided
Kalium iodatum:
– warm blooded
– < warmth
– > moving
Rhus toxicondendron:
– chilly
– sensitive to damp; cold
– > moving
Gnaphalium:- if associated with marked numbness
– tenderness over sciatic nerve
Plumbum: – numbness associated with pain over sciatic nerve
– extreme constipation
Acute colic:
Useful in case of acute colic, renal, hepatic or intestinal.
Acontium: – usually the first attack which is frightening, terrifying
– drives the patient crazy
– patient feels frightfully cold
– very anxious
– cannot bear a hot room
Belladonna: – repeated attacks; short duration
– feeling of fullness in epigastrium
– < any fluids
– accompanied by flushed face and dilated pupils
– full, bounding pulse
Chelidonium:- patient with liver problems
– fullness in right hypochondrium
– flatulence
– pains shoots through to the back, to angle of right scapula
– > very hot applications
– > drinking very hot water
Berberis: – colics from renal or gallstone
– pain radiates in all directions
Magnesium phosphoricum:
– severe colic pain
– > external pressure (rubbing)
– > bending double
– > heat
– in distress from the intensity of the pain
– clean tongue
– result of exposure to cold
Colocynthis:- severe colic pain
– > external pressure (steady, hard pressure)
– bending double
– irritable, frightened, impatient
– violently angry
– slightly coated tongue
– sometimes follows on an attack of anger
– from over indulgence of cheese
Dioscorea: – violent, spasmodic colic
– sudden onset, rising up to the head, then subsiding
– > applied heat
– >hyper-extended position
Ipecacuanha: – cutting pains
– accompanied with intense nausea
– clean tongue
– feels hot and sweaty
– < motion
Lycopodium: – colic accompanied by abdominal flatulence
– irregular areas of distension
– pains likely to start on the right side
– < 4 to 8 pm
– rumbling and gurgling in abdomen
– tendency to eructations
– sour taste
Raphanus: – colic accompanied by abdominal flatulence
– paralytic conditions after abdominal section; postoperative colic
– pain remains more or less localized in one area
– pockets of wind in irregular areas
– patient gets a little flushed
Opium: – colic accompanied by abdominal flatulence
– paralytic conditions after abdominal section
– definite area of distension; everything is churned up to one point
– likely to be in the center of the abdomen
– patient becomes very flushed and hot
– paralytic ileus
– extreme hyperesthesia to noise during attack
Podophyllum: hepatic colics
– associated with diarrhea
– some degree of infection of the gall-bladder
– maximum temperature in the morning
– patient feels miserable, disgust of life
– pain in epigastrium as a whole
– < taking food
Dear sir,,
Very good article and it will help to every one very much. but one thing which is very much important for Homeopath that potency of each medician must be appear
very good snopsis. acute treatment is really a challenge, as it gives no time but chronic disease.very helpful to new homeopaths
Very informative an good synopsis. I will request to all Physicians to give the potency for each remedy with open hearted that will help to others .
Thanks n best regards.
As we’re talking mostly about severe acutes here, I would suggest nothing less than 30C, more likely 200C and possibly as high as 1M.
@ Elaine – If you read this book, Dr. Borland actually preferes 10M & higher. Only in a few cases of severe pathology, he goes for 1M.