Derek is a 28-year-old white male who works as a technician in BC. He presents with severe painful cystic acne on his back which he had been struggling with ever since he had the Covid injection in September 2021 and a second dose in October 2021. By November 2021, he had developed very large painful red cystic acne the size of a dime, all over his back.
He had tried many things and everything he could think of since then… supplements, protein powder, clay masks, beauty cleansing products, Vitamin A, cold liver oil, benzyl peroxide. He had taken antibiotics in April 2022 for 2 months, with no improvement. His GP was ready with a second prescription for another 2 months round of antibiotics which had no effect the first time.
July, 2023
During this first meeting, Derek was quite uncertain as to what to expect or what to talk with me about. He kept deferring to his girlfriend regarding any decision, leaning on her almost entirely seemingly without his own capacity to make his own decisions. After I prompted and reassured him he opened up.
D: Tell me how this affects you
It ruins my day. I like to look good with my shirt off. There’s something wrong here. It ruins my image for myself – I take care of myself, I like to look good. I still go to the beach with my girlfriend and it bothers me. I like to smell good, look good, dress nice, I take pride in looking good. I work out.
I’m used to it now. I was self conscious about it at the beginning. I shower once or twice per day. I used to shower once per day, but now I have a girlfriend. I shower also right before I see her. I want to smell good.
In November 2022, I got chicken pox, the first time ever. My GP gave me antibiotics, for a week. My skin cleared up during this. I stopped eating completely. The first thought I had was that I had hives, little red spots all over. I wasn’t sick, no pain. I did get severe sores in my mouth, so I couldn’t eat. I could only have smoothies and it hurt to talk and eat.
I’ve had sores my whole life, not like this though. I would get them 1-2 at a time. It’s in my family, my mom has it, my little brother has them. When the chicken pox went, the cold sores went and my acne came back very bad just like it had been.
D: Describe yourself for me
I’m easy going, a nice person. I like to be funny. I take care of my loved ones, I like to be social. I enjoy growing, appearance -wise, mentally and in a work situation. It’s important to improve yourself in some way.
At work, I’ve been in the industry for 9 years, moving up in position. I need to find the next big role/responsibility. I’m big into the gym, fighting myself, do better the next day. Gotta beat yourself now. I am ambitious, try something new, I’ll try anything, I like fixing things. I love a challenge, rewarding, come up ontop. I like to challenge myself, feels good to see myself improve.
When I was little, I was very shy and quiet, really big into video games as escape. When i was little I was always cleaning my room and reorganizing and redesigning it. I’m a perfectionist. As a teen when my parents left. I would clean the entire house, everything was perfect. I like things neat, not picture perfect but neat.
In 2021, I was really into fitness. I had never been so physically fit. I was doing basic food, high protein, I felt confident in how I looked, I had the dream body. Maybe I was going too much, too much testosterone caused the acne?
Case analysis – Theme based cases
In this case, the themes of the mineral kingdom are strong. In the mineral kingdom the problem is within me. This young man works hard to be better at his job and in the world. “It’s important to improve yourself in some way.”
The Third Row of the Periodic Table
In the periodic table, the theme of the 3rd row is here. The key issues in Row 3 have to do with choice, image, ego, nourishment, love and care, blending in/being different. “I like to look good, smell good, dress nice and take pride in looking good.” He works out, to feel good about himself and look good to the outside world.
The remedy Silicea is known to be an effective post vaccine remedy. It is also known for acne and skin issues.
Repertory
Mi, fastidious si (143)
Skin, eruptions, acne SIL (310)
Skin, eruptions, vaccination, after SIL(24)
Skin, eruptions, pustules; vaccination, after: sil (2)
Skin, vaccination, after: SIL (32)
Generalities, abscesses, suppurations; vaccination, after SIL (7)
Mind, delusion, imaginations, spectres, ghosts, spirits sees SIL (113)
Dream, ghosts, spectres SIL (84)
Mind bathing, washing, desire for, cleanliness mania for, sil (67)
Mind, ambition, ambitious sil (138)
Mouth, stomacace, cancrum oris, ulcerative stomatitis: SIL (124)
Skin, eruptions; chicken-pox, varicella: SIL (43)
Prescription: Silica 200, 2 doses 12 hours apart
August, 2023
I’ve had a lot of sun exposure. Maybe it’s the vitamins I’ve been taking, or the sun. I’ve been taking my shirt off in the sun. My skin is clearing up, no big painful ones, they are gone. Only small ones, a small breakout on my shoulder, that’s been it. I’m pretty happy, I’ve been getting a lot of sun exposure. I’ve seen myself as strong.
Assessment:
There has been a swift and impressive healing of the cystic acne. The patient is giving credit to having been in the sun with his shirt off.
The Homeopathic dilemma: Jan Sholten quote:
“Homeopathy is about ‘nothing’ we talk about ‘nothing’,
I give the patient a remedy with ‘nothing’ in it
…‘nothing happens’ and….
in the end it’s as if ‘nothing’ was ever wrong.”
(a good sign, the patient has forgotten the condition he/she came in with)
The remedy has worked swiftly and quietly, the hallmark of a good homeopathic prescription illustrating the elegance of homeopathy. It’s my responsibility to help put the pieces together for him to understand what has happened: after more than 1.5 years of trying everything (including previous taking his shirt off in the sun), including strong antibiotics for 2 months, what now made a difference is the remedy.
He is well on his way to a good result. I repeat the remedy.
September, 2023
I’m feeling good. Looking to purchase a home. Tiny random spots here and there on my back since our last visit.
November, 2023.
Continues to do well, skin has cleared up entirely.
A good use of the Scholten method. The way he wants to build his career, step by step, is quite a Silica trait. It’s a curious case to read – we’re told how diffident he was in the consultation but his words are full of confidence, almost boastful, a strange contradiction. The repertorisation included two rubrics about ghosts but I could not find any mention of ghosts in the history.
Thank you for your comment, and for pointing this out. I didn’t include this information for reasons of brevity in the write up, however he described a situation in his previous home where he was seeing ghosts/spectres and it frightened him. He wasn’t sure if it was real or not, and he moved out because of it. I was intrigued to find it fit the silica state and helped confirm my choice of remedy.
Kind of you to reply, thank you.