Case Quizes

Procrastination, Knee Pain, and Dandruff!

Written by Elaine Lewis

What is Lazy, Achy and Flaky? (Oy Vey!) Try and guess the homeopathic remedy!

  

“What is Lazy, Achy, and Flaky!”

Mom!  No one, and I mean no one, (except for Linda Santini), is going to get your reference to Johnny Carson’s “Carnac the Magnificent”—a skit he used to do on the “Tonight Show”!

They’re not?

No!

Might I suggest that we move on to the Death Report, which is very bad this month; good for the Grim Reaper maybe, but not anybody else!  A month ago we lost baseball home-run legend and right fielder for the Atlanta Braves, Henry “Hank” Aaron, at 86.

He will always be remembered as the home run king who broke Babe Ruth’s long-held, 39 year record.

Hank Aaron was my hero!  I’ll never forget when I heard the news on TV.  The news commentator said, “When we come back (from commercial) we remember Hank Aaron.”  I said, “What?  What do you mean we’re going to remember Hank Aaron?  What are you talking about?  Why do we have to remember Hank Aaron?  He’s not dead is he?  Would someone please tell me why we have to remember Hank Aaron???!!!!”  Well, yeah, he was dead, alright; and I had to sit through 4 minutes of commercials to find out.  Very upsetting news! 

Breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record was not an easy feat, mainly because Ruth was such a legend that the idea that someone might replace him, never mind a black player?  OMG!  It was apparently too much for some fans of baseball to handle!  Hank Aaron was subjected to an increasing number of death threats as he came closer and closer to Ruth’s record of 714 career home runs.  Here is a vintage clip of Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees:

Babe Ruth

 

 

But, fast-forward to 1974 and the highly celebrated day that Hank Aaron hits his record-breaking 715th home run at his home stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Sportscaster, Vin Scully, reports it on air as follows:

  “What a marvelous moment for baseball, what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking the record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us …”

 

 

Apparently baseball has it’s own hall of fame and Hank Aaron got inducted in 1982.  I had no idea.

Oh, he’s in the Hall of Fame, alright!

As much as I love Hank Aaron and would like to talk about him all day… is there anybody else we have to report on?

A month ago we lost Marc Wilmore,

a very important voice actor who played parole officer (and former crooked cop) Walter Burkett

on the highly acclaimed claymation satire on life in black America, “The PJ’s”; actually, Marc is show-creator Larry Wilmore’s brother!

Larry Wilmore

Larry used to have his own show on Comedy Central called “The Nightly Show” (after starting out on “The Daily Show”.)  Sadly, his brother Marc died of COVID-19.

Ugh!

Hopefully, some of you will remember that we have done quizzes on “PJ’s” characters, including, “What Remedy Is Thurgood Orenthal Stubbs?”

Revisiting: Another Famous Person Quiz–Muriel and Thurgood Orenthal Stubbs

 

It turns out The PJ’s had not one, not even two, but three creators!  One of them being the aforementioned Larry Wilmore who we know as Stephen Colbert’s replacement on Comedy Central when Stephen got awarded David Letterman’s spot on CBS many moons ago but then, sadly, Larry’s show got cancelled.

Yeah, I’ll tell you why it got cancelled; because Larry was inviting Bernie Sanders on his show during the 2016 election when it was clear that the networks were supporting Hillary Clinton!

Well, Mom, leave it to you to inject politics into any conversation!!!!

Well excuse me for knowing things!

Moving right along…another death from January is James Purify from the duo, James and Bobby Purify

who had a big hit in 1966 with a song called “I’m Your Puppet”.  Apparently the first Bobby was his cousin and then there was a different guy in the 70s.

How endlessly fascinating.

Anyway, their most famous song was, of course, “I’m Your Puppet”.  I actually found video footage of it but I’m pretty sure they’re lip-syncing.

No one cares, Shana!

 

 

Which brings us to February.  Sadly—and you might want to sit down for this, Mom—we lost Mary Wilson of the Supremes.

What??? No way!!!!   Mary Wilson????? This is a disaster!!!!!

She was 76.  I certainly did not see that one coming.  The Supremes, by the way, had 12 #1 hits!

Here’s one of them now!  The Supremes from 1965:

How can Mary tell me what to do, when she lost her love so true…

“Back In My Arms Again”:

 

 

I suppose we have to start the Quiz now.

Who’s in the Quiz this month?

Carlos Von Flurgg.

What?  What kind of a name is that???

All the other names were taken!

Fine.  What is wrong with “Carlos”?

I’ll let his mother tell it.  Basically, he’s a procrastinator, he puts everything off to the last minute, has to be nagged to do anything, and he’s going off to college in 5 days!

Well, that’s just great!

____________________________

Hi Elaine,

My son Carlos is leaving this Saturday (September 5) for university.  His main complaint (mine, really!) is procrastination!!  Funny enough, I guess I’ve been procrastinating about talking to you about it!  I was hoping he was going to spring into action – hahaha.  Procrastination has always been part of his personality.  We have been nagging him to get packed and he has been, but, with great effort/nagging from his parents!  He still hasn’t printed out a list, is winging it, etc, etc.  My husband and I were thinking that he has shelter (student residence) and food (flex meal plan) – maybe he needs to figure the rest out for himself.  He’s already reached out to his roommates and they’ve been communicating on what they can share, etc – so that’s good, at least.  He has been away from home before (3-week Cadet Camp and Europe School Trip) and did very well (but also didn’t pack till the last minute).  I’m more concerned because he’ll have to set the schedule himself whereas in cadet camp/Europe trip, it was already set out for him.  And, I want to give him the best tools to succeed!  I’m not sure how much cooperation I’ll get from him to complete the Questionnaire, but I’d like to try.  His last remedy was Vanadium 1M, I think it helped in the past, I’m not sure if it’s helping now.

So, if you could let me know if you’re able to take his case, that would be great.  But, if it is too rushed, I completely understand as well!!

Thanks,

Patsy

 

Adolescent Questionnaire

Adolescent’s name:  Carlos Von Flurgg

Parent’s name:  Mrs. Patsy Von Flurgg

Address:  [Place]

Telephone number:  5555555

Parent’s email address: ****@gmail.com

Date:  August 31, 2020

Gender (male or female):  male

Weight: 134 lbs

Height: 5’ 10”

Date of Birth: 2002

Body type: average height/thin.

Nationality/race: Canadian (English ancestry)

_______________________________________________

  1. What is the chief complaint?

Procastinating

Knees hurt

Dandruff, large flakes, itchy scalp

  1. When did the problems start if not already mentioned?

Carlos says that he was dealing with his emotional stuff and wasn’t really procrastinating.  (Mom & Dad) – elementary school, he would procrastinate when he didn’t want to do something – and say it was fine and be very stubborn about it.

In Grade 8, he lied to us saying that a project was already done – when it wasn’t.  He had a girlfriend then who was very controlling as well.

Knees started hurting in Grade 8 to 9.

  1. What aggravates your complaint/s?

Missing meals makes him more irritable, hard to have a conversation with him, gets easily frustrated.

Certain kicks in swimming irritate his knees or long-distance running.

  1. And now the opposite of #3: what makes the complaint, or you, better?

Eating seafood (favourite food) makes him happy. And, generally music makes him feel better.  Being active really helps.

  1. What is the worst time of day for you?

Morning upon waking – feel sluggish.

  1. What symptoms accompany the chief complaint?

Right knee constantly aching, if used feels sharp pain.  Left knee only sometimes.

Dandruff – large flakes

*************************************

  1. (This question is for Mom and Dad only, and all questions up to and including # 11, though Mom and Dad and friends, etc. are certainly welcome to add their “2 cents” to any of the other questions too!) What was the pregnancy and birth like?

Pregnancy – a lot of nausea.  Took nausea medication for 2 months.

First ultrasound showed cyst on head. Next ultrasound, cyst disappeared but new cyst showed on kidney, was non-existent at birth.

His heart-rate stopped during labour and an emergency C-section was performed.  But was born breathing normally and was fine.

Breast-fed for 9 months.

  1. Father’s health at time of conception:

Father had good health during conception.

  1. The child’s milestones:

Early to speak (11 months), Started teething at 3 months, walked at 14 months.  Toilet trained in 2 days.

  1. Was the child vaccinated?

DPT, MMR and Mennigitis.

  1. How did the child react to the birth of a younger sibling? How would you describe his or her childhood from your standpoint?

He gave his brother one of his special blankets when he was a baby.  Very sweet boy, very happy boy.  Caring towards his family and people in general.  Never rushed into anything – if he saw kids running to do something, he would stand back and observe first.  Struggled with close friends through grade school and high school.  Did well at military camp for the first two years and then by the third year, he lost interest in the politics of it. Struggled with girlfriends (meeting girls who would treat him nicely, sometimes letting them walk all over him).

*****************************************

  1. How do you react to school?

For the most part, he really enjoyed school.  Struggled with time management on “big projects”, had to constantly remind him to do homework.

  1. How do you feel about spending the night away from home?

No problems.

  1. How do you feel about traveling?

It’s something I enjoy but not crave all the time.

  1. Give an idea of how much prescription drug treatment you’ve had over the years, and for what?

Antiobiotics a few times for inflamed tonsils.

  1. Any skin conditions treated with cortisone-type cream?

Eczema (6 months) – temporarily treated with cortisone cream.  Stopped and changed diet and used homeopathy.

  1. Did you have an especially severe childhood illness? Explain.

No.

  1. When you’re ill or upset, to what extent do you want sympathy, consolation and support; or would you prefer to be alone?

When he was younger, he wanted consolation and support.  But now, prefers to be alone. But, will reach out to his parents to talk it out.

  1. What are your well-meaning friends and relatives always trying to change about you or help you with?

My friends say “be more positive about myself”.  My parents say, “try to plan out your study schedule”.

  1. What feed-back do you get from teachers, school counselors, camp counselors, coaches, etc.?

If we could have more kids like Carlos in our classroom, that would be great.  He is very polite, very courteous student.  Very well put together for presentations (oral presentations done very well).

  1. How do you feel about and treat animals?

Likes animals but not too affectionate with them.

  1. What foods and drinks do you love?

Seafood, sushi, spicy foods (hot-spicy), Red-bull, green tea.

  1. What foods and drinks do you have an aversion to?

Apple juice, carrots, eggs and pork.

  1. Do you desire ice or ice-cold drinks?

No.

  1. Describe the kind of eater you are.

Wishy-washy – trying to change that now but before would just eat whenever.  Usually no breakfast – because of no appetite in the morning. Before, would sometimes forget to eat but he is now trying to have a better schedule (trying to put on weight).

  1. What fears do you have?

Used to be afraid of spiders but that is getting better.  Heights used to bother him but not so much anymore.  Afraid of not being enough for people I care about in my life (close friends and family) – and that I would be a disappointment for them.

  1. Do you tend to be chilly or hot?

Neither.

  1. When are you most likely to perspire and where on your body?

Underarms, sternum area.

  1. How affectionate are you?

Don’t like to show too much affection.

  1. How sympathetic are you? (Concerned with the suffering of others)

Very much so.

  1. How affected are you by music?

Love music, one of his passions. Can amplify emotions for him.

  1. What emotion tends to predominate in you?

Mellow.

  1. How neat or messy are you?

Very neat in his bedroom (makes his bed everyday) but sometimes surrounding areas can be a little untidy.

  1. How sensitive are you to criticism or reprimand?

I like constructive criticism (got that from military camp) – feel like I’ve built a thick skin to it.  I work to improve.

  1. Do you have any digestive complaints?

Bowel movements every day.  Never really been constipated (only as a baby for a short time).

  1. Any complaints with sleep?

Sometimes hard to get to sleep (thinking too much).

  1. Any skin issues–warts, moles, rashes, acne, etc.?

Acne, small amount (chin and forehead), blackheads mainly on nose.  Scalp is quite flaky (very large flakes) – not really itchy but tends to pick at scalp to remove flakes.

  1. What is most striking, defining or characteristic about you?

My curly hair. Left-handed and ambidextrous.

  1. How cooperative are you?

Very cooperative, likes to get along with others.

  1. What’s standing in your way of moving ahead, making progress, reaching your goals?

(Mom & Dad answering) He says not really anything.  He’s lacking in motivation and having attainable goals.  Has big dreams and says he going to do a,b,c but struggles with getting started.  Fears failing at the first try (saw this with sports, art, etc). Analyzes in his head before physically trying it and then gets very frustrated when he can’t get it right the first time.

  1. How often do you get sick?

Once a year with a cold (typically swollen tonsils, sore throat). Has had large tonsils all his life.  Allergies sometimes in the summer.

  1. Ask your mom what illnesses run in the family.

Cancer – maternal grandmother (died 59), dementia – maternal grandfather. Rhuematoid arthritis/psoriasis – paternal grandfather.  Diabetics (paternal grandparents). Maternal grandmother (thyroid cyst) and Paternal Grandmother (thyroid removed), kidney stones, high blood pressure.

  1. What do you really love to do?

Being active and being creative.

  1. Time-line (you may need your parent’s help):

Birth – Emergency C-Section

Age 3 – front tooth went black (unsure if it was a fall?) had to be removed.

Age 4 – thyroid glossal cyst was removed (day-surgery), no reoccurrence

Grade 9 & Grade 11 – issues with friend group – was “ghosted”, felt very hurt and alone.

Grade 10 – concussion from football game.

  1. Are you on any drugs or supplements at the moment, if not already stated?

Zinc (always tend to be low), paraguard (for parasite) and vitamin C.

  1. Do you throw the covers off at night or stick your feet out of the covers?

Covers on, feet out.

  1. Please give me an idea of what you eat/drink in a day.

Late morning (11:00 am) bagel with cream cheese

Lunch (1:30 pm) – meatloaf

Dinner (6:00 pm) – chicken fingers w/green beans

Snacks – popcorn/noodles (11:00-12 pm)

  1. Who’s a difficult person or persons in your life and why?

Grandmother (always criticized him, her racist comments, older mind-set).

  1. Describe your nature.

Very considerate, cool and collected, doesn’t really show too much emotion.  However, is very open to talking to his parents about issues, problems, etc.  Family orientated – loves his brother and is close with his parents.

  1. What do you want to change about yourself?

Wants to be 6’ tall and wants his knees to stop aching.

  1. What happens to you over and over again (the “story of my life”, as they say)?

In school, leaves things to the last minute.  (Mom & Dad answering) His poor school performance in grade 11 was, in our opinion, directly related to his girlfriend.  He was constantly getting pulled and manipulated and wasn’t focusing on school.

He finds new friends and they eventually “ghost” him and he becomes upset.  This has happened twice.  He has a core group of friends that have stuck by him but when he searches for more friends (perhaps, cooler friends?) – they don’t last for too long.

  1. What are you most proud of?

My musical knowledge.

  1. What makes you cry?

If friends hurt him but he says he doesn’t cry a lot.

  1. What makes you angry? What do you do when you get angry?

Can feel frustrated but doesn’t really feel he gets angry.

  1. What bothers you most in other people, how do you respond to it?

When they’re not punctual.  Gets disappointed.

  1. Describe your thirst/drinking habits.

Thirsty at night but not during the day.

  1. Sleeping: Any issues here?

Not really.  Sleeps on his back, covers on but feet out.

  1. What are you sensitive to?

Clutter in his room.  Allergies – pollen/ragweed.

  1. Anything note-worthy about your appearance or your voice?

Curly, mid-length hair.

  1. What really gets on your nerves?

Build up of clutter and lots of problems all at once.

  1. What’s your ambition?

Still figuring it out.

  1. Describe your energy

mellow but energetic with physical activity.

*********************************************

Answers to follow-up questions:

Hi Elaine,

I’ll try and answer some of your questions.

Cadets is a youth organization based on military (air, sea and land squandrons) provided by the federal government where the kids learn their specific discipline, Carlos was air.  Marching, drills, classroom lessons, community volunteering, outdoor excursions, etc.

So, I would say he’s naïve and trusting.  With his Grade 8 girlfriend (not the same one in Grade 11) – I think he was naïve and trusting and then didn’t know how to get out of it.  She was mad at him one day and slapped him in the face in front of friends, and I think for the first time, he stood up for himself and yelled, “What the heck did you do that for??!”  Apparently, she quickly became quiet and then apologized.  The girlfriend was very bossy and with him being 13 – we stepped in and told Carlos he needed to end things.  He actually lied to us and went behind our backs to see her but did quickly break up on his own with her before we discovered his lie.  Once he stood up to her, it was like it was more of an attraction for her.  She was still pining for him for the entire Grade 9 year but after breaking up with her, he never looked back.  I think in regards to the Grade 11 girlfriend, he wanted a girlfriend and didn’t think too highly of himself so would put up with her shenanigans just to have a girlfriend.  He’s still a virgin and thankfully, both he and his girlfriend agreed that they didn’t want to take things too far.  And, I think once he’s had enough of being walked on (and he does thankfully get to that point), then he’ll break up with them.  And once, his mind is made up – he doesn’t want to look back.

Patsy, how do you reconcile Carlos being a procrastinator and disorganized with making great oral presentations in class?

The presentation comments were Carlos’.  I think he was referring to a couple of his presentations that he did well on in English (he really enjoyed the topics).  But, I don’t believe all his presentations are done to that extent in every class.  At times, I think Carlos amplifies the positive to make himself feel better.  I would say he does well in classes but is not consistent – his energy nor his follow-thru aren’t consistent.

He said he’s also anxious and hasn’t been sleeping well because he knows he’s moving and is going to be 5 hours away from home.

Dear Patsy,

I’m thinking the remedy is __________30C, 3 times a day, in water, with five succussions before each dose.  A striking improvement means stop dosing for as long as the improvement lasts.  Also, if he gets worse, stop dosing.

Hi Elaine!

I gave Carlos his first sip of the __________30C in water at 11:35 am (as he was waking up), and around 1:00 pm he asked his dad if it was ok if he took the car to meet his friends for a milkshake.  What?!?!  He never asks to take the car!  In the past, we have had to push him to take the car to see his friends, run errands, etc!  I will keep you posted, but, this is truly amazing!  And, just for curiosity sake, is the remedy stronger in water than just taking the pellets directly?

Yes, stronger.

He also packed last night – his dad said he could leave it till the next day but he did it before he went to bed.  He even asked about the bedding (which has been washed/folded and sitting on a chair for the last two weeks)?  So, cool!

Hi Elaine,

Carlos just called and, although we didn’t talk for long, he sounded great.  Things seem to be going really well with his roommates and he appears to have settled in well.  He was buying his school books online today as classes are starting on Sept 9 (what?!  Isn’t leaving it till the last minute?!!).  I asked him about his knee pain and he said it’s still the same.

Thanks,

Patsy

 

Five Months Later:

Hi Patsy, please tell me how Carlos is doing.

HI Elaine!

We’re going to see him on Wednesday of this week (it’s his reading week) so I can get more info then.

But, I would say his procrastination has greatly diminished since he’s done very well for his first semester.  I don’t think his dandruff bugs him anymore since he’s not constantly itching his scalp on FaceTime calls as he was before.  But, I believe his knee pain is still there.  Carlos previously said it was just a constant ache but he can ignore it, so I still don’t know what that means.  He did say that very strenuous exercise can exacerbate it for a few days.

His girlfriend is absolutely lovely and it appears they have a good relationship and really enjoy each other’s company.  Also seems to have a good relationship with most of his roommates.  He had an issue with one of them being loud until 3 or 4 in the morning, and Carlos spoke to him about it. Not sure if it’s resolved because he kept on doing it so Carlos has escalated the issue with his Resident Administrator.  But, Carlos dealt with the issue head-on!

And, he drove 4 hours from university to the cottage today in snowy weather and overall seems in good spirits.  Btw, he took his car to university after Christmas (he previously had no interest in driving at all).

Talk soon,

Patsy

__________________

Alright, everybody, that’s it!  Do you know what the remedy is?  Write to me at [email protected] and let me know.  The answer will be in the March ezine.  See ya then!

__________________

Elaine Lewis, DHom, CHom

Elaine takes online cases. Write to her at [email protected]

Visit her website: https://ElaineLewis.hpathy.com

About the author

Elaine Lewis

Elaine Lewis, D.Hom., C.Hom.
Elaine is a passionate homeopath, helping people offline as well as online. Contact her at [email protected]
Elaine is a graduate of Robin Murphy's Hahnemann Academy of North America and author of many articles on homeopathy including her monthly feature in the Hpathy ezine, "The Quiz". Visit her website at:
https://elainelewis.hpathy.com/ and TheSilhouettes.org

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