Client: Female, age 50, generally in excellent health
Details: This woman presents with a sore throat that she has had for 4 days. She is not prone to sore throats or to Strep and does not understand why she cannot get over it.
Symptoms:
Physical
- Started RT side
- Went to LT and to centre
- Better hot drinks
- Minor swollen Submaxillary Glands
- Minor redness in throat
- No tonsils
Mental/Emotional
- Annoyed
- Slightly irritated at not being able to get over the problem
Upon further questioning she remembers that just previous to the sore throat she was invited to speak about her work with Spiritual Response Therapy. She was a little nervous about the talk and somewhat worried about whether or not it would go well. She is normally a confident person but believes that her confidence was a bit shaken because her sister was asked to speak at the same workshop. Her sister is rather new to the field but a good self-promoter. She received a more elaborate introduction. The client describes her own introduction as “adequate” and admits to being somewhat taken aback. As a result she was more nervous than she would have usually been. Once she started to the talk, she was fine and her lecture was well received. There has been some ongoing rivalry between the client and her sister but this has usually been resolved, as the client is an excellent communicator.
Repertory: Homeopathic Medical Repertory, Robin Murphy
Rubrics: Throat, Sore Pain, RT
Throat, Sore Pain, RT extending to LT
Throat, Pain Throat, Warm Drinks, amel.
Neck, Submaxillary, Glands, Swelling
Rubrics: Mental/Emotional
Mind, Fear, Phobias, Public, Appearing in, of
Mind, Fear, Destination, of being unable to reach his
Mind, Confidence. Lacking, No Self-Esteem, Anxiety, Performance, with
Indicated Remedy: LYCOPODIUM
Potency: 200ch
Protocol: 4 doses. If there is improvement continue as follows:
4 doses per day for 2 days
Reduce dose thereafter
3 doses 2 days
2 doses 2 days
1 dose for 2 days
Stop
Summary:
Lycopodium is well known for a sore throat that begins on the right side and then moves to the left. It is better for hot drinks and has swollen submaxillary glands. Lycopodium characteristically does “not like the podium” but rallies well once she starts talking. There is a fear of not being successful in the endeavor at hand or “of not reaching her destination.” Given that the sore throat started after the emotional conflict of public speaking, Lycopodium is very well indicated.
Results:
The client reported an almost immediate change in the severity of the sore throat stating that the pain was substantially diminished. By the third day after starting the remedy, the discomfort was gone and she reported that she felt well. I gradually reduced the remedy to make certain there were no relapses. The remedy was therefore gradually decreased by dropping a dose every second day. She also reported that she was able to discuss her feelings about the workshop with her sister.
Comments:
This case reminds us that the physical symptoms mirror an imbalance on a mental/emotional level and successful treatment, whether acute or chronic depends on this understanding. The client was made aware of this connection and told that if sore throats or other physical disturbances occur again in a similar situation, chronic treatment should be considered.
