Revisiting: Another Headache!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Same to you, Shana! Oh look, here you are with one of your many Christmas presents:

Classic Rock Trivial Pursuit!

I nailed the question on Smokey Robinson! “What group did Smokey Robinson start out with?”

Mom, everyone knows it’s The Miracles!

They do?

What’s your favorite Miracles song?

Oh geez…. How about… “I Got To Dance To Keep From Crying”?

Come on and dance for me swingers, alright;

dance for me swingers, alright….

Mom!!!! Sit! None of our readers from India and Pakistan have any idea what you’re talking about! Now, if we can possibly get back to my timely announcements… Bon Jovi….

Aaaaah!!!! Rick!!!!!!!!

Is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his debut album…it was the start of their career! Some DJ in New York listened to it, liked “Runaway”, and played it. The album was recorded in 1982 when he was very young, 21, and it took him until he was 24 or so in 1986 when “Livin’ on a Prayer” finally made him famous.

My goodness, this is interesting—NOT! Do you have anything else you want to say?

Mom, need I remind you that we have to be nice to Jon Bon Jovi because he’s a humanitarian!

Yeah, yeah, alright, Bon Jovi is right and your mother is wrong.

Moving on to my next announcement, “Drake and Josh” turned 20 on January 11th. Remember the quiz we did on Drake and Josh? Find their constitutional remedies?

Yeah, Shana, that was a great quiz, very informative! (No, seriously, it was.)

They’re two step-brothers, Josh is honest and responsible and gets straight-A’s and Drake is an irresponsible ladies-man who keeps getting Josh in trouble!

Here’s a clip that should appeal to “Seinfeld” fans. It’s an episode where Drake pretends to be a doctor to pick up girls while visiting Josh in the hospital. One of the real doctors at the hospital was played by John O’Hurley (who played “Mr. Peterman” on “Seinfeld”).

They never should have written “Mr. Peterman” out of “Seinfeld”! He was the funniest character! Look at him! He’s even funny standing still!

Also I love how this show did a homage to the “I love Lucy” Candy Factory sketch. I really think producer, Dan Schneider, was a fan of the old sitcoms. There was another episode, mimicking “4 Rms Ocn Vu” from “Family Ties” where Alex turns the house into a hotel. Anyway, here’s a clip from the Drake and Josh “tip-of-the-hat” to this theme, featuring Helen…(Josh’s boss at the movie theater). Remember Helen?

Helen was a riot! She kept forgetting who Josh was! She thought Drake worked at the movie theater!

Here she’s singing “I’m So Excited” by the Pointer Sisters (and by the way, the passing of Anita Pointer in 2022 was another death we forgot to announce).

I didn’t realize “Drake And Josh” had also done the “teenagers turn their parents house into a hotel” bit!

Next announcement: “Meet the Beatles” (US release) turns 60 on January 20th, but guess what?

Um……………?

Apparently it wasn’t their first album. Were you aware there was another album called “Introducing the Beatles”?

No, I do not recall such a lengthy title.

It was released by Vee-Jay on January 10th, and apparently it was delayed for various reasons.

Hmm….various reasons, you say….well; I will have to ponder that endlessly.

We also saw The Temptations Musical “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations” at the Academy of Music. In fact, we saw it last night!

The tickets were a Christmas present from my mom, and it was an interesting experience because I found out that “War” by Edwin Starr, which went all the way to #1, was actually written for The Temptations! But Berry Gordy wouldn’t let them do it! He didn’t want his Motown acts making political statements.

Actually, I can totally hear Dennis Edwards singing lead on that, can’t you?

(Below, from l-r: Paul Williams, Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams)

The Temptations

I think it would have gone to #1 for them too! Berry finally relented, though, and let them do “Ball of Confusion” which had the line, “People all over the world are shouting End The War!”

When it came to the story of The Temptations, I only knew the 1998 biopic movie in which original lead singer, David Ruffin, was depicted as an egomaniac who, after demanding the name of the group be changed to “David Ruffin and the Temptations”, got fired and replaced by Dennis Edwards of The Contours.

Votes

Nux vomica

China

Bryonia-2

Gelsemium-2

Mag-phos.

Hello and welcome back! Who wants to go first this time?

Hi Elaine,

Hi Edina!

This one seems like Nux vomica to me…

It checks all the boxes:

Dull headache in occiput

Better from pressure

Worse from touch

Bruised feeling

Worse in morning

Often during a cold

(I found these in Miranda Castro’s handbook)

If I’m wrong I have a runner up.

OK, let’s hear your runner-up.

Gelsemium?

Gelsemium does have headaches, but they’re not better for hard pressure, which is a big part of this case.

So, here’s our case in a nutshell:

We have a flu-like illness that features a very bad headache which is better for hard pressure. Here’s our Repertorization:

And the answer is Bryonia! Now, in truth, when you’ve got a flu with a really bad headache? Your first thought should be Bryonia! There’s always a very bad pain in a Bryonia case.

Generally, in a Bryonia flu, the worst part is the headache. But Bryonia also has this very peculiar symptom: worse for slight pressure, better for hard pressure. And clearly, that’s what Pam was trying to tell us. The pillow hurt her head, but squeezing her head really hard made the pain go away. So, that would be a perfect description of a Bryonia headache.

I did think of Bryonia, because of the better for pressure, but the patient said the pain was dull but sharp. Also, she wasn’t worse for movement, she was worse for touch.

I will ask Pam if she was worse movement.

Nux and Gels are worse for touch, and also better for pressure.

No, not for Gelsemium. See below, scroll all the way down, what’s the last thing you see:

See down at the bottom? “Hard amel, slight pressure agg.”? Nux is a 2 but Gels. is not there. But note that Bryonia is there as a 2 also. Now, why don’t we like Nux v? No mention of what it’s known for—digestive problems, anger, irritability, impatience, rudeness, worse for all impressions: light, noise, odors…cold, worse least draft.

She didn’t say she had an influenza diagnosis per se.

Didn’t she say “I’m still dealing with this flu or covid ….”? They’re both viruses; so, when we want to find a virus remedy in the Repertory, we use “Clinical: Influenza” if we’re using Murphy’s. If we had the 2nd edition, we’d use “Diseases: influenza”.

I messed this one up….

No, it’s just that you didn’t know! When a person with the flu says the worst thing is the headache? Think of Bryonia. OK, so Pam got back to me and here’s what she said:

“Yes….any movement made the headache MUCH worse. It was in the back of my head. Better firm pressure.”

Thanks for letting me know! Good to know in case I get this kind of headache! That’s the worst time to try to repertorize when you have a sick headache and the last thing you want to do is read.

Oh yeah, you can’t read with a headache! But, this is why we have to know our keynotes so we don’t have to force ourselves to read when we’re sick. Even without having a complete case, I heard “worse light pressure, better hard pressure” and “flu” and immediately said, “Bryonia!” But if we had known about the “worse motion” modality? Everyone would have gotten it right! I should have said, “What else, Pam? Anything else?” but, time was of the essence as she was suffering and demanding a remedy and I already knew what it was.

Thanks, Elaine,

Edina

Will the next contestant enter and sign in please!

Hi, Elaine

Hi Dale!

China would be my guess. It has dullish headaches in the occiput and vertex, but the twin giveaways are the clockwork periodicity of the headache and that it’s worse from light pressure or touch but better from hard pressure.

Thanks, Dale. China came up #2 in my repertorization. But China doesn’t cover the flu very well. Bryonia covers it better with the same modalities. I had a China illness once and I was very sick but I don’t think I had a headache at all. Here’s the case if you’d like to see it:

Revisiting: Shrimp Boat Runs Aground!

Thank goodness I had a 50-remedy Emergency Kit with me, it was a life-saver!!!!!

Peace,

Dale

Hi Elaine,

Hello Neil!

Headache has to be Bryonia.

Yes, I suppose it does.

Better for hard pressure, or maybe Colocynth but usually think of that in digestive troubles.

uk Neil

Hey everybody, Vamsi’s in the house!!!!

Wow!! One more Headache quiz…interesting one of course.

I gather the peculiar symptom as below.

SOFT PRESSURE – Pillow as the head rests Aggravates

HARD PRESSURE – Ameliorates..Squeezing the head.

This has been in one of quizzes earlier, which you had posted..

I am unable to recollect the Quiz nor the remedy for this Peculiar symptom… Hope I picked the peculiar symptom accurately.

You did!

Please help me with a Clue…for my further reading…. 😄

We have the flu, and the worst part about it is the headache. What remedy do you think it is?

Yes!! I get it Elaine.

The Occipital headache and Flu…and peculiar symptom…

Yes it is GELESIMIUM ……Am I correct ???

I don’t think Gelsemium has any trouble lying down, Vamsi. In fact, it’s the only thing Gelsemium can really do well. Also, Gelsemium is not listed under “Generals: pressure amel.” Vamsi, between you and me, I don’t think you’re aware of this keynote of Bryonia: They are ameliorated by HARD pressure, and, in any Bryonia case, there is always some sort of severe pain! In the flu, typically the pain is the headache; it is so bad, it just takes over the whole case and keeps the Bryonia patient from being able to do anything. So if someone comes to you someday and says they have the flu, and the headache is the worst part, and the only thing that helps is pressing or squeezing the head very hard, think of Bryonia right away.

Oh, no, Elaine, I do know the keynote of BRYONIA. Amelioration by Pressure, so they always sleep on the Painful side (very unique). Generally speaking, it is the reverse in normal behaviour. (Avoidance of Pressure on the Painful side.) But I was carried away by the Peculiar Symptom of SOFT Pressure – Aggravates. Does Bryonia feel Aggravated by Soft Pressure ???