This is a case of a 62- year-old male who came for the homeopathic initial consultation on February 28, 2020 with complaints of arthritic pain in his joints and recurrent colds and flues, especially during winter time, or cold weather.
The patient was tall, thin, cafe-au-lait complexion. He was a geo-environmental engineer and he spends a few hours outside almost every day, including winter time and cold days, inspecting sites and properties. He is taking arrhythmia medication. He has a cup of coffee per day and does not drink alcohol; he does not smoke or take recreational drugs. There was family history of tuberculosis.
He is worse during winter, cold and wet weather, cold air, also air conditioning. His knees are hurting him when going upstairs or walking longer. Cold and pain makes him tired at work. His hands/fingers and knee joints are painful since last year, and it is worse during winter, during wet and cold weather.
He does not feel confident in delivering his tasks well and fast. He does not like at all talking in front of people.
He gets 4 to 5 times per year colds and flues, and since last year it takes him longer to recover. He needs to wear a cap when it is cold outside, otherwise he gets a cold and his sinuses start to hurt, as well.
He feels better in warm weather and in warm rooms, even a hot tea makes him feels more energetic and less tired sometimes. He also gets cramps in his leg. They come and go, sometimes they are very painful, and mostly they are coming at night.
There is a family history of tuberculosis. Both his parents had tuberculosis. They both died. His mother was very sensitive to cold weather and she always had to have a hot tea, a hot bath, something to warm her up and keep her warm.
He loves sweets and milk, cheeses and bread and pasta. He drinks about 1.2 L per day. He has sometimes anxious dreams and startles in sleep, but not so often. He feels tired sometimes when he wakes up in the morning, and sometimes he feels tired in the afternoon.
Repertorization:
Generalities; uncovering; agg.; single part; head, of
Generalities; air; draft; agg.
Generalities; Exertion, physical; agg.
Generalities; inflammation; chronic; sinusitis
Generalities; Heat; vital, lack of;
Mind; Timidity; public, about appearing in; talk to
Mind; Confidence, want of self
Extremities; joints, complaints in general
Extremities; Cramps; Lower Limbs
The prescription was based on the repertorisation and differentiation of a few remedies. His symptoms showed a clear picture of Silica, but also symptoms of Calcarea Carbonica and Lycopodium.
The Silica patient is cold, hates drafts of air, hates cold weather, complaints of knee and joints pain, has great sensitiveness to taking cold, is worse in winter, is better summer time, better with warmth, better by wrapping his head; worse by uncovering head – Silica was in bold type for this rubric. Lack of vital heat. Frequent colds and flues. Extremities – pains through legs and feet. Inflammation of the sinuses – Silica was in bold type for this rubric. Cramp in calves. Calves tensed and contracted. The self-confidence of the patient is often very poor, he feels uncertain about his ability and doubts all of his work. He is timid and cannot give speeches in public. All these confirmations make Silica the strongest choice.
Remedy: Silica 200CH
The first follow up was on March 20, 2020 and the patient reported that the intensity of the joints pain was about 40% diminished. The same applied for his sinuses pain. He did not get any colds or flues. He still feels slow at work and not so confident.
I felt that the action of the remedy was in progress and it should be left to act. No remedy was prescribed for him at this time.
The second follow up was on April 13, 2020 and the patient reported that hand and knee pain was getting worse and it did not go away. He felt tired at work and wanted to take some days off.
I repeated Silica 200CH, one dose.
The third follow up was on May 12, and the patient said he was feeling better again, pain was minimal, he did not catch any colds, his sinuses did not bother him too much either and he felt able to complete his tasks at work faster and with more confidence.
He is still afraid of speaking in public. He was trying to prepare his presentation at work, but postponed it for now, because in the past he experienced stage fright. He is terrified just by thinking about a public presentation. He complained about bloating and gas and some pressure in his stomach after eating, and feeling so full after eating. He said he had these symptoms a couple of years ago.
These new symptoms matched the picture of Lycopodium Clavatum.
Remedy: Lycopodium 200CH – one dose
The fourth follow up was on June 30th. The patient was feeling very well until a week ago when all the same symptoms he complained of during the third follow up, related to digestion were coming back.
Remedy – Lycopodium 200CH
The fifth follow up was August 30, 2020. The patient has no joint pain, no recurrent colds or flues, no sinuses pain, no digestion issues. He did his presentation even though the fear for speaking in public was worse than ever. He had terrible stage fright and one of his colleagues told him he delivered his presentation by talking too loudly and very fast. He feels he will never be able to get rid of this stage fright.
For this mental/emotional symptom I recommended one dose of Lycopodium 1M.
The sixth follow up was on October 9, 2020. He had a very short presentation to do which he was able to deliver more confidently.
Comments: The individualized classical homeopathy was successful in this case of chronic joints pain and recurrent colds and flues. At the moment, the patient improved his sensitivity to cold, since he has been experiencing less recurrent colds and flus over several months. His digestion issues were also improved. The acute exacerbation due to arthritis was alleviated, however it is not expected that the chronic disease would be completely cured by Silica.
