Revisiting: I Am Not Sick

Mom, it’s time for the quiz.

I can’t believe 2019 is over!

It wasn’t much of a year… but then again, what is?  Hello everybody and welcome to the Hpathy Quiz! Before we get our brain-teaser underway, as always we begin with Shana’s exciting announcements.  Take it away, Shana!

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

There’s bad news?  Am I going to be upset????

Well, Mom, you might be; Herbie Cox of The Cleftones died.

The lead singer of the Cleftones?   Wah!!!!!!  No way!

I just read it on Facebook from our dear friend Todd Baptista.

That was so unexpected!

We’ll go out with their Doo-Wop classic, “Little Girl of Mine”.  But, as if that wasn’t enough, I read that Carroll Spinney, one of the puppeteers from “Sesame Street”, died.  He was Big Bird as well as Oscar the Grouch.

He had some muscle disease I’ve never heard of called Dystonia.  He retired last year.  His last appearance was in Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary special.

Time for my favorite Oscar moment because it features (who else) James Taylor.

Again??????!!!!!  Aaaaah!!!!!!!! Why does everything have to begin and end with James Taylor????

Rest in peace, Carroll.

Can we take a moment to talk about something happier, please?  I need some cheering up.

Well Mom, luckily I have stumbled upon a hilarious British show called “An Audience With…” where celebrities come on and perform for, and answer questions from, a celebrity audience.  This was Elton John’s episode.  He writes a song on the spot using lyrics provided by an audience member; it’s both brilliant and funny!

Shana, you were right!  It IS brilliant; and funny!  I hope everybody watched it!

Who is in the Quiz this month?

It’s a child, Shana.  Some sort of cold.  Nose completely stopped up.

What’s her name?

I suppose we have to come up with a fictitious name.

What about Morgan?

What about Morgana?

Why didn’t I think of that?

I don’t know…….  Can we possibly get on with the Quiz????

Well, if we have to….

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

Questionnaire

Male or Female: Female

Name: Morgana

Weight: 57 lbs

Height: 4’ 5”

Date: 12/11/2019

Email Address: ****@gmail.com

1. Describe the complaint

The complaint came on gradually.  It started about 2 weeks before she got sick.  Nasal inflammation started and night sleep was disturbed and she was opening her mouth in sleep to breathe.  Morgana was sleeping late even though she went to bed early.  She was drooling when she fell asleep every night.  Her skin looked dark and she started to hang her mouth open during day.  Bowel movement’s became less regular in the morning.  She found fruits bland and her appetite wasn’t that good.  Not finding apples sweet enough is not like her.  She appreciates even little sweet taste in food.

She is usually chatty but we noticed that she was much quieter and kept to herself.  Spoke less.  When I asked about if she’s still lonely in class as all her friends from previous years are in the other class.  She has made a friend this year but she has other friends in the class.  She feels like an extra who hangs back because she has no friends in the class. She broke down and was very sad about this. Next day I asked her again how is her day.  She said it’s okay and said “I can’t cry about the same thing everyday.”  The day after that she came down with a scratchy throat and a cold that started on the right progressed and settled on the left.  Tonsils are swollen there’s throat congestion and ropy yellow very thick mucus coming from the back of the left nostril.

Timeline

Friday 12/6/2019 – woke up with scratchy throat.  We gave her vitamin C 2000 mg morning and evening. Morning added zinc to the vit c.  Liquid turmeric with little bit of pepper.  Gave ACV (apple cider vinegar) 1 tsp in big glass of warm water, it instantly stopped the scratchy throat.  No solid food was given as it spikes high fevers and makes things worse.  No fever the whole day and night.  Also she was wanting food but I don’t think had appetite.  Just had fresh orange juice and hot chamomile tea with honey.

She had dry lips and cracked in middle.  She was peeling them off even if it hurt the lip.

Saturday 12/7/2019 – Woke up with scratchy throat I gave her hot water with 1 tsp ACV.  It was relieved. Today also gave her vit c and zinc.  Had teas and turmeric.  She got a mild temperature which went up to 100.4.  Nasal symptoms worsened so I gave her a dose of Lachesis 200 from the fridge from last time (it was from like 4 months ago you prescribed as she was being bossy and rude) to see if that would help. The nostrils congestion cleared immediately then they clogged back up in about an hour.  I gave another dose and saw no physical improvement but saw a great change in how she was mentally.  She was back to happy chatty positive Morgana, laughing. naughty and hyper happy.  This is her usual self and we didn’t realize that she was somewhat quiet all these days.  Also she improved in complexion and face looked fuller with cheeks.

Sunday 12/8/2019 – low grade fever in the 99s continued and by evening temperature stabilized to normal.  Giving her vit c and zinc and turmeric.  She ate fruit mostly oranges and some apples and pomegranate.  Since nasal symptoms were worse I started her on Ayurvedic Sitopaladi churna (mix of cardamom, cinnamon, long pepper and bamboo).  It is helped somewhat but the left side has very thick mucus and the inflammation is not being relieved anymore.  The mucus or ropy.  The swelling is in the way and has a hard time getting it out even with nasal squeeze bottle.

Monday 12/9/2019 – No more scratchy throat in the morning.  No fever.  Temperature below normal.  Got it up with warm liquids and food.  She had rice and dal and amaranth soup.  Bowel movements were okay.  She had a few loose stools but got back to normal on its own.

Tuesday 12/10/2019 continued with same vitamins and sitopaladi churna 2 times daily.  Right stays mostly clear but left has no let up.  It’s tightly closed shut.

2. Etiology–

I think one other thing I forgot to mention above is she stayed out late during thanksgiving weekend and after having organic ice cream (pumpkin spice flavor) she couldn’t fall asleep till 12 am.

That was when I thought something was up.  She did not want to have more popcorn after having some ice cream.  She usually refuses only if she feels queasy or uneasy.

3. Sensation–

Some mild irritation or pain in throat on swallowing.  It’s gone now.  But the mucus and her mouth smelled bad.  She had a furry tongue and it turned black yesterday.  Some black still there.

4. Appearance–

Droopy eyes were present.  Face looked run down by Sunday.  She lost 2 pounds but she’s back now.

5. Location–

Nose and throat.

6. Modalities–

Warm steam felt great.  She loved hot drinks even water she preferred hot.  Better outside, better exercise.

7. Concomitants

She had burping.  She was surprised that she burped even if she didn’t eat anything.  Still there is burping if she eats or drinks.

8. Discharges–

No answer

9. Generals–

“I am not sick.”  This is what she was saying.  Didn’t like to think she was sick.  Now today appetite is back and she’s thinking these apples are so sweet I love them.  That’s when I realized it’s not the apples. She lost some sense of taste.

10. The mentals

Optimistic.  She has been optimistic from the start.

11. What have you been saying?

I am fine.  Listened to lot of music and watched movies.

12. What are you doing?

She was lying down and not caring when she had fever and when she was better she was crafting all day.

13. Describe your thirst and appetite–

She wanted hot drinks and hot food and liked spicy kimchi found it to be very tasty.  Couldn’t smell the garlic in it.  Now smell sense is back and she can’t stand the garlic smell.

14. Fever?

There’s no fever right now.  Temperature increased when she had solid food like fruits etc.

15. Sweating?

No odor.  She only sweat at night on Friday and Saturday I guess when temperature went down in sleep.

16. Odors?

There was bad breath.  Not like fish or onion.  Don’t know how sulphur smells but she had this smell whenever she had this kind of infection in the past.  This was a chronic issue.

17. What is most striking, peculiar or identifying about your condition?

Black tongue.  Never had this before.  Now with improvement complexion of face changed.  And now she had to wake up to pee.

18. Is there a diagnosis?

No. But I think sinus infection

19. Describe your energy–

Energetic.  She played on the x-box.  That helped some with the inflammation.

20. What does your tongue look like?

Furry, has a small black patch.  BTW mouth bad smell is 85% gone.  So has the quantity of mucus but left nostril it shut with swelling.

21. If you have a cough…

No cough so far.

22. If you haven’t already said if you’re hotter or colder than usual, or if there’s an issue with your body temperature, like hot feet or cold feet, cold hands, shivering, etc., say it now.

She keeps taking her socks off.  When asked says “my feet were hot then”.  But I do find her feet and hands cold.  But they warm up when she has warm foods and she takes them off.  I think she was sweating in her feet in her shoes.

23. This question only applies to complaints of a more chronic nature: I need to know what you eat, drink and “take”.

Breakfast – She usually has a cup of green smoothie ( 1/4 banana, 1/4 pear and 4 strawberries, 1/2 kale leaf) or raw milk 1 cup and banana

Lunch – chapathi (organic whole wheat flat bread) fried with olive oil with okra sautéed in olive oil and spices( turmeric etc)./ or dal rice with sorrel leaf pickle.

4.00 pm – Banana or oranges or one more cup of the smoothie.

7.30 pm – dal rice with tomato soup / any green vegetable and rice.  Like today had raw cucumber chutney with coriander and curry leaves generously added along with turmeric and spices.

__________

It sounds to me like the remedy is ___________________.

I think I have that with me here.  Ok got it, have prepared 100 ml bottle with 1 pill of ____________ 30c dissolved in it.

Kindly let me know if I can give it to her.

Yes, please do.

***

Hi, Elaine, I gave her ______________ 30C at 11.27 pm when I first asked you.  I don’t know if it could be called a proper dose as she was asleep.  I remember you telling me a few drops on the lips is enough so I did that.

Then I felt the gurgling noise and the apnea increase even more and she was moving in her sleep, seemed complaining about something.  Probably me not letting her sleep and asking her to sleep on her side.

I saw your reply at 2.53 am and gave one more dose.  Gurgling sound and apnea is only a little bit better. And she is being disturbed in her sleep even more.

She has that smell of the mucus from her mouth.

Sleep is shallow, gurgling sound and apnea are less.

This seems like a difficult puzzle.  Hope it gets solved.

If you think _____________made her worse, it might be a temporary aggravation, meaning she may yet recover and improve.

Even I thought so and gave the second dose.  The moment I gave her the first few drops in her sleep, change was immediate.  More apnea.  Now noise and apnea down by 40%.

So, you’re saying the aggravation is now 40% less?  Then I guess we should give it more of a chance.

Ok. Sure.  I will give her one more dose and stop.

No, don’t redose during an aggravation!  You have to wait for the aggravation to stop because an improvement may follow if it’s the right remedy!

Let’s see what happens.  She has been tossing more in her sleep with the _____________.  Though noise in breathing is down a lot.

See?  No need to redose.  Improvement is taking hold.  I can’t say what will happen if you redose now. Did you do that already?  I’m afraid to ask.  I worry that improvement could come to a stop by dosing while the aggravation is resolving.  Will it start the aggravation all over again?  Will it cancel out the improvements underway (less noisy breathing, etc.)?  I don’t know, that’s why we have to wait.  If you did redose, tell me what happened.

It would be a good idea if you could read my “Questions Patients Ask” article on case-management, click below:

https://hpathy.com/homeopathy-papers/questions-patients-ask-13/

Good news, Elaine.  Both nostrils are clear!  Hope it stays that way.  I’ll keep you posted.  Also, I am seeing improvement in her face and nails and teeth.  Face looks fuller and not run-down.

_____________________

Alright, everybody, what remedy do you think worked?  Write to me at [email protected] and let me know, the answer will be in our January issue.  OMG, January starts our 16th year!  Or is it our 17th?  I think it’s the 17th.

Mom, as promised, to play us out, here are The Cleftones with “Little Girl of Mine” on one of those T.J. Lubinsky PBS productions Jerry Butler hosted.  Can’t remember if it’s Doo Wop 50 or 51.  But anyway, here it is!

You know, if it weren’t for TJ Lubinsky and Public Television, there would be no historical record of these Doo-Wop groups from the ’50’s at all–and just to explain, we call it “Doo-Wop” now, but back then, it was just “Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

Bye, see ya next year!

________________________

Votes:

Antimonium tart

Sabadilla

Lycopodium-3

Pulsatilla

Mercurius-2 

Ignatia

 

Hello!!!!  Who would like to go first today?

Hello Elaine.

Hello, Shaqib.

My answer for this month’s quiz is Sabadilla bcoz of following symptoms:

1. Ailments/from cold thing

Do you mean to say cold things, like the fact that cold drinks made her worse?  But that’s a “modality”, it’s not “ailments from”.

2.left sided affections

3.wants warm things

4.nose stopped up unable to breathe

With over 250 remedies in the “Nose: obstruction” rubric, it’s not going to help us much.

5.mouth remains open

That’s because her nose is stopped up and she can’t breathe through her nose.  If a symptom makes sense, it’s not a symptom.

6.desire spicy things, sweet taste

The mother said that if a food has a sweetness to it, however small, her child is able to discern it.  When the child could no longer discern the sweetness in her apple, it was clear that her taste buds were off, or that she had lost her sense of taste which often happens during a cold.  That rubric is in the Nose chapter: “Smell diminished, taste and smell”.

As far as “desires spicy” is concerned, I don’t know if we can use that.  She’s Indian.  Liking spicy food is common among Indians.

So, it’s true that Sabadilla loves hot food and hot drinks.  But, Sabadilla is our hay fever remedy, our allergic remedy:  “Nose runs like a faucet with attacks of sneezing.”  Eyes run too.  But Morgana’s nose is completely stopped up, just the opposite.  It tends to make us not want to use Sabadilla.

OK, so, as usual, we have to see which symptom or symptoms in the case are the most: striking, strange, rare or peculiar.  So what catches my eye is the black tongue, which I found strange, and then, the amelioration from hot drinks and steam was very striking, as I saw it.

Now, when I hear that a person is better from hot drinks and steam, my first thought is Rhus tox!  So now my only question is, “Is Rhus tox in the ‘black tongue’ rubric?”  And yes it is!!!  Now all I have to do is look to see if anything else in this case goes for Rhus tox, and, yes, it does!  She’s better for exercise, she’s better outdoors, worse in the house.  You know, a lot of our cases are solved on modalities: better this and worse that.

The steam was a big clue for me.  If it was just better hot drinks, it might have gone for Lycopodium, or Nux vomica or Arsenicum.  But steam is not something you drink.  And what I always say to people is, “Whenever you hear that a person is better in the hot shower, think of Rhus tox right away!”  Steam is what we associate with a hot shower.  Isn’t it a fact that the bathroom gets all steamed-up when the shower is on?  And the mother said, “Steam is great!”  That’s a keynote of Rhus tox!

So, yes, the remedy was Rhus tox.

Thanks for voting!

 

Dear Elaine and Shana,

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Are you fine?

Thanks, Salma! I’m really late in replying, sorry for that!

It seems like a difficult quiz.  According to my repertorization, Lycopodium is the remedy.  Am I right?

I can’t blame you for picking Lycopodium, she did say the problem started on the right and moved to the left.  And there was really a lot of information in this quiz that could have you running in all directions!  But when I saw the modalities, finally I got some clarity!  What does this sound like to you:

 Modalities–

 Warm steam felt great.  She loved hot drinks even water she preferred hot.  Better outside, better exercise.

 Rhus tox.

YES!

Omg!!!!!!  It was a Rhus tox case!!!!  How complicated a face it had.

I think that’s because Lachesis, her constitutional remedy, which her mother gave her, took away a lot of her symptoms so that by the time I saw the case, she was very much improved, had gotten her energy back and her appetite, and was no longer being rude and bossy, but she still had that blocked nose!  If you’ll remember, Lachesis opened up her nose for an hour, then it went right back to being closed!  So the modalities, then, were for the nose blockage, which had pretty clear Rhus tox modalities: better steam, better hot drinks, better outside, worse inside, better exercise.

 

Hi Elaine,

Hi Wayne, sorry I kept you waiting this month!

I think the remedy is Pulsatilla.

Rubrics:

1. Mind: Well, general; says he is , when very sick

OK, you know what?  This is tricky.  I was afraid this would throw people off.  I was hoping someone would notice that her constitutional remedy was Lachesis!  The mother said that as soon as she gave her daughter Lachesis, she brightened up, became cheerful and chatty, the color came back to her face, her appetite came back, her taste buds returned to normal… and even the nose opened up (but only for an hour).

(So, let this be a lesson to all those who think that the Constitutional Remedy will cure any and all acutes, and that every acute should be approached for this purpose; namely, as a means to uncover the patient’s constitutional remedy!)

And the thing with Lachesis is, Jeremy Sherr has added it to the rubric, “Says she is well when she is very sick.”  Or, as is sometimes stated, “I’m fine!  No, really; I’m fine!”  And, you know, Lachesis may also have been responsible for the “black tongue” which I considered very peculiar.  The mother reported that the black area had lessened after the Lachesis dose.

2. Mind: Optimistic

This is after Lachesis.

3. Mind Abandoned, forsaken feelings

This is because her friends are no longer in her class.  That would make anyone feel abandoned.  Remember, if a symptom makes sense, it’s not a symptom.

4. Mouth: Breath; general odour putrid
5. Food: hot food general; amel
6. Food: Hot drink, general; desires,
7. Nose: Inflammation

Is that even in the Repertory?  I think you mean Nose: obstruction.

8. Mucous: Yellow
9. Tongue : Black
10. Mouth: Lips cracked

There are several mentals one being he thinks he is well when he is sick – a rare one.

Right, and now we know Lachesis should be added to that rubric.  Ten years ago, I did a Quiz called:

“I’m Fine!  No, Really”.

https://hpathy.com/clinical-cases/revisiting-im-fine-no-really/

And in the quiz answer, Dr. Wequar Ali Khan wrote:

Dr Elaine,

The expression “I AM FINE” is found in the following medicines.  Names of the author are written against the medicine:

1: CARBON DIOXYDUM (Lou KLEIN)

2: STRAMONIUM (ROGER MORRISON)

3: LACHESIS (JEREMY SHERR)

4: LYCOPODIUM (JEREMY SHERR)

5: STRYCHNINE (JEREMY SHERR)

Regards

Dr. Wequar Ali Khan

So, very important information!  Her constitutional remedy, Lachesis, is most likely responsible for our quiz title, “I Am Not Sick”.

Other remedies that apply are Arsenic and Mercurius.

The mentals did not suit arsenic nor Mercurius.

You know, after she was given Lachesis, there really weren’t any mentals left, were there?  You know what I found in the modalities?  A perfect picture of Rhus tox:  Better steam, better hot drinks, better outside, better exercise.  So, I gave her Rhus tox, and her nose opened up!  You would be surprised how often we pick a remedy based on the modalities!  (Better this, worse that!)

She has yellow mucous, likes the out doors and I thought the etiology may have revolved around abandoned, forsaken feelings.

Yes, I know, Pulsatilla has that; but, the thing is, she really was abandoned!  I can just imagine how awful… it’s like when you’re at summer camp, and you’ve made friends with everyone in your bunk or cabin, and then next summer, you’re expecting to be reunited with them, but they’re all moved to another bunk, but not you, you’re put somewhere else where you know no one!  How devastating!  So, when a symptom is expected, or “normal”, it’s not a symptom at all; we can’t use it.

 

Hello Elaine and Shana,

Hello Miroslav and Jitka!  Sorry I kept you waiting!

We wish you all the best in the new year, good health and further success in your work.

Thank you!

Here are our answers to last year’s last quiz:

Miroslav votes for Lycopodium:

At first I was convinced that salivation at night, black tongue and unpleasant bad breath were heading for Mercurius.  But the symptoms moved from the right to the left, stuffy nose, big desire for sweets and hot drinks point to Lycopodium, which also has an accumulation of saliva in the mouth, bad breath and black tongue.  So I vote for Lycopodium.

I can see that if you think the child has a desire for sweets, it would confirm Lycopodium, but, she didn’t have a desire for sweets.  The mother was merely saying that the child’s sense of taste was off, which often happens in a cold.  She could no longer taste sweetness, even in fruit.  So we can’t make anything significant out of her lost of taste.

Jitka votes for Lycopodium:

At first reading, I immediately thought of Lycopodium due to the shift of complaints from the right to left.  I was a little confused by the black tongue and salivation, for which is the most famous Mercurius.  I also hesitated a little about the girl´s emotional state, because of the sadness of losing friends and peeling skin and a fissure on lips, sleeping with open mouth and  I was  thinking about Natrum mur.  Just to be sure, I read description  of these three remedies in MM and I think the picture of Lycopodium is sitting in this case as ” a buttock on a potty.”

The following symptoms convinced me:

symptoms characteristically run from right to left,

Nose stopped up

nose, obstruction

mouth, salivation

better, warm drinks.

throat and stomach which are better from warm drinks

face – dropping of lower jaw,

craves everything warm.

cold extremities.

tongue dry, black, cracked,

bad odor from mouth.

desire for sweet things.

likes to take food and drink hot.

Well, Miroslav and Jitka, I was hoping people would notice that Lachesis was the child’s constitutional remedy, that’s why the mother gave it to her.  And after it, a lot of her symptoms went away, but she was left with the stuffy nose.  The modalities of the stuffy nose went very clearly for one particular remedy, and that remedy is…………. Rhus tox!

better steam

better hot drinks

better exercise

better outdoors

worse in the house

If you fail to discern that Lachesis was her constitutional remedy and that that’s the reason most of her symptoms went away, you’re going to think this is a very long case with a lot of twists and turns and a lot of information when in reality, all we really had were the very few–but clear–modalities of Rhus tox.

No winners this time; but, don’t let that stop you!  Try this month’s quiz, and we’ll see you back here again next month!

Happy New Year, Quiz Audience!
——————————–
Elaine Lewis, D.Hom., C.Hom.

Elaine takes online cases and animal cases too!

Write to her at [email protected]

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