Clinical Cases

Lac humanum Case – Post Natal Depression

Written by Liz Lalor

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Case: Woman 38 yrs old.

First consult: 2/6/06

Reason for consult: Post Natal Depression; suffering DIMS post birth of her child.

Medical History:

  • Basal Cell Carcinoma 1988 left leg.
  • Keloid skin.
  • Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia 1987-91.
  • Mx: ceased June-November 1998, February-November 1999.
  • Glandular Fever Dx: 1991 and 2004.
  • Fibromyalgia 2002
  • Neural Mediated Hypotension 2002.
  • Severe Sinusitis -surgery Septoplasty June 1999 repeated November 1999.
  • DIMS – Disorder of Initiating and maintaining sleep 2002.
  • Allergies: Sulphur based drugs; Pethidine, Opiates, Medical Tape, Cat-gut stitches.
  • Anemia 2002.
  • Cystitis and Kidney infection. 1994.
  • Cystitis May 2005.
  • Immunizations: Not chicken pox. Rubella, Measles, TB, whooping cough, Diphtheria, Polio.
  • Smoker 5.5 yrs ceased 1995.
  • Pregnancy Termination 1993.
  • PCOD diagnosed 1994.
  • Continual bronchitis and sinus infections; she is on a weekly dose of antibiotics.
  • Breast Feeding.
  • Hypoglycemic.
  • Baby is 9 mths old.
  • CFS; Chronic Fatique Syndrome.

Current Medications:

  • Endep 10mg.
  • EES Erythromycin 400mg 3 times a week.
  • Panamax Paracetamol 500mg 2/day apn.
  • Nilstat 500,000 IU 3 times a week.
  • Zoloft 100mg.
  • Dalacin C. 150mg. 3 times a week. For Chronic infections.

Details of the Case:

First Consult: The first consultation is directly after her older sisters. Both sisters present with the exact same health history. This patient is diagnosed with every single health complaint 6 to 12 months after the older sister has been diagnosed. They are on the exact same medical medications; even down to dose. Her older sister I give Carcinosin to; this case however, is extremely fascinating as the patient has an amazing emphatic sharing of the older sister’s physical and mental and emotional health. I remark on the phenomena. The patient relays a past life story told to her by her clairvoyant guide and teacher. They were both sisters in the 2nd WW; their parents were arrested by the Nazi’s and they were left to fend for themselves. Her older sister died first in her arms, and she died next. “I was not able to save her [sister] and take away her death. In this life my journey is to share in her [sister’s] pain and help save her life.” She describes herself as “skinless with no identity of her own.” “I am currently exhausted my baby is sucking my life from me, and I cannot relate to him anymore I feel nothing. I have no love to share with him or my husband; I feel nothing.”

Family Background: Father was a diagnosed Bi Polar depressive. “I remember making a conscious decision to become my mother’s friend and counselor. I sacrificed myself to help her; she needed me; she would talk to me for hours, and unburden her heart to me. I now do that to my baby, and she is sucking the life out of me.” “I am here and my journey in this life is to save my sisters life, and to save my mothers life; to complete the Karmic lesson from the last life; to give myself.” “I am still there for my Mother now she shares all her burdens with me.” “I have nothing but hate for my father, and his lack of love and support for us.” Her husband she finds irritating because he does not understand the support she needs with the baby. “He has no idea how it is for me; [cries] I am alone with my baby.”

  • Rx: Lac humanum 200 1 dry pilule once a week for 4 weeks.

Analysis of the Case:

Lac humanum has an inner conflict between living as a self determined individual in a group and feeling beholden to it. She says; “I sacrificed myself to help her; she needed me; she would talk to me for hours, and unburden her heart to me. I now do that to my baby and she is sucking the life out of me.”

Lac humanum is the group versus self.

Causation: Lack of nurturing by the Mother.

Themes of Lac humanum

  • Sense of isolation
  • Responsibility a strong sense of duty
  • Am I the baby or the mother?
  • Forsaken ; loss of self confidence
  • Difficulties in childhood – unable to separate from the mother. “I am still there for my Mother now she shares all her burdens with me.”
  • Dependence on the group versus self independence
  • “A need to put the world close to home in order;” [Vermeulen] “I am here and my journey in this life is to save my sisters life and to save my Mothers life; to complete the Karmic lesson from the last life; to give myself.”
  • Lack of self confidence; she describes herself as; “skinless with no identity of her own.”
  • “They have a sense of isolation with the world. They become detached, and have a sort of numbness to life.” [Vermeulen]
  • “My survival depends on my ability to get approval. A struggle to live up to expectations. Survival depends on choices made by someone else.” [Notes from a Shah case 2004 that I attended in India.]
  • Conflict of the right to exist
  • Selfless
  • Having a conscience
  • Conflict of the right to exist – her empathic somatic sharing of her sisters illness confirms this conflict
  • Irritable cursing anger at not being nurtured
  • No ego / self/ identity.

Clinical Themes of Lac humanum

  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Breast disorders, low milk supply
  • Post Natal Depression
  • Mood swings: indifference, detachment. The patient describes this detachment when she says; “I am currently exhausted my baby is sucking my life from me and I cannot relate to him anymore I feel nothing. I have no love to share with him or my husband; I feel nothing.”
  • “Indifference to everything.” [Vermeulen]
  • Eating disorders.

Second consult: 4 weeks later.

Below is a transcript from a video taped session with the patient.

Question: You said you have had some dreams?

Patient: Very vivid, very animated quite a lot of details, lots of action; the main jest of the dreams was I was being accused something that I hadn’t really done or pleaded my case or convince people that I didn’t do that. And in a more recent dream I was concerned for others welfare. And they were judging me.

Q: What were they judging you for?

P: Quite a weird scenario; someone rang the door bell and asked if this was where the sausage sizzle was, I said no and then they wanted to come in and use the phone. I knew this was not right and he was trying to force his way in and then the next scene was the whole street standing there and saying he wasn’t wrong he wasn’t bad and you should not have treated him that way. And then my husband came in my left side and I said look can’t you convince them; and he said of course she was right. The other dream was my baby and us on the beach and the water was coming in and I said we have to go back and my husband said no it is alright. Then the water came up to my babies neck, and it was like well you haven’t heard me you didn’t listen to me, you didn’t hear the truth.

Q: How does that relate to the difference of how you have been feeling since you last saw me?

P: I noticed more a standing in my own shoes a standing in my own power. Able to access and verbalize what is right for me or what I need to say no to or finding that I do have the energy to challenge the conversation or fight the argument. Before it was too exhausting to do so. It has come without thinking it has bypassed the conscious thinking processes; I would think I should do this or why am I allowing myself to do this perhaps manipulated. Now I think no I am not doing this and it is without any guilt it’s just this is the way it is. It’s so nice. It’s great I have to say it’s like some wonderful cocktail when you have taken a few sips.

Q: So there has been a little more emotional strength and has that correlated to having more physical strength?

P: Before I found that the Fibromyalgia and the muscles are more noticeable but I have realized just recently that I have been able to physically do more. I can pack more into the day. I am very rarely still now I have been able to do loads of washing. There are so many things that I want to do that I haven’t been able to do before.

Q: Has anything changed in the way you are relating to people?

P: There is a change with my husband. In standing in my own power. He would be on the couch and I am in the kitchen and he would say do you have to do that now; and I say yes I do because otherwise I have to get up tomorrow and do it so deal with it! Before I would have done it more quietly so as not to disturb him. With the Fibromyalgia I would drop things and bang and now I have more control over things and I am telling him it’s not happening, get over it. Now I have the energy to confront things; whereas I didn’t have the energy to do that. I have fully held my space. It is sitting in more my centre; that’s very new.

Q: Do you think you are feeling as depressed?

P: No [laughs a lot]

Q: What does it feel like to not have to be so sensitive to other people?

P: Good. Very good overdue. Like a breath of fresh air it’s still too new to say that but that’s how it feels. That’s not to say I don’t care or that I am not sensitive to others but it’s a process of claiming back me first and caring and thinking about me then look at the rest of the world. Scary to because it’s new and different I don’t think I have ever felt that. And I get excited when I say; no deal with it and I think wow! That just came from nowhere wow! Like I stand taller.

Q: To go back to your dream what do you think was playing out in the dream?

P: Feeling unworthy, and it is something I have had since I was a child.

Q: Can you remember when it got played out?

P: I can’t remember but my feeling it was a wee small person. My father said up until a certain age you were like the sunshine; you light up and you light everyone else up, and then one day the clouds came over and you disappeared. I think it was realizing my external environment realizing my parents were not happy in there marriage, and there was an element of fear there so I started feel their relationship and feel responsible for taking away their pain or woes and how that affected my sister. So I felt that I must have in some way done something so I should try to do something to make them all happy. Responsibility for other peoples pain and woes, because I remember thinking I will be everyone’s sunshine. I spent a lot of time with mum sharing a lot of stuff that was inappropriate for a child because she was unhappy. I was mature enough to say yes you can share that with me, and I did too much of that and not being a child. There was a sense of achievement to compensate for the home environment a need to prove yourself because something is shaky. My real desire is now to have worth for me and not to be preoccupied with them.

Q: This is very different from when you first came to me because you said the reason you wanted to be well was so you could be a wife and a mother.

P: I remember it’s amazing. It’s amazing.

Q: The reason you told me you took the anti-depressants is that you didn’t want to be miserable for your husband or baby.

P: Yep, but I wasn’t able to say then I wanted to feel stronger for me first and foremost which is what I would say now. Huge shift Liz.

Q: How many cold and sinus infections since you have seen me?

P: Probably two; but I have not had to go near any antibiotics which is why I do this to you [she bows] to those amazing tablets as I didn’t really ever think I would get off those antibiotics. Because I also needed such a strong antibiotic as well, and this has been such a persistent upper respiratory weak area that I have had for years. That is why I love them. The light looks different.

Q: What do you think you lost when you became your mother’s counselor?

P: I think I lost my identity; my time to discover the individual without stress; those child years I had to become responsible. I didn’t have time to allow myself to feel things. I love her dearly and I did it with love but it was a cost; I know that now.

Analysis of the Case:

Lac humanum has an inner conflict between living as a self determined individual in a group and feeling beholden to it. Lac humanum is the group versus self. When she says I think I lost my identity; my time to discover the individual without stress; those child years I had to become responsible. I didn’t have time to allow myself to feel things. I love her dearly and I did it with love but it was a cost; I know that now; this is reflective of the group versus the self.

Conclusion

The patient has seen me regularly. I have had a total of 6 consultations with her. She is now off all medication except the Zoloft; which we are now in the process of reducing without any aggravation or reoccurrence of her depression. She is infection free, Fibromyalgia free, and no longer views herself as suffering from Post Natal Depression. She is now defining herself as a person with “her own skin; no longer skinless.” She no longer takes on her sisters illnesses; nor does she counsel her mother. I am also treating her sister and mother. I have not changed the dose of Lac humanum 200, 1 dry pilule once a week for the entire treatment time; in total she has had 25 doses of Lac humanum 200 1 dry pilule.

Bibliography

Vermeulen, Frans, Synoptic Materia Medica 2.The Netherlands, Merlijin Publishers, 1992. P.p. 538-540.

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Liz Lalor

About the author

Liz Lalor

Homeopath Liz Lalor treats all conditions and has specialized in the treatment of autoimmune disorders and infertility. Prior to homeopathy she worked for thirty years in counselling and brings that experience to her practice. She developed the highly effective Liz Lalor Fertility Program which she has taught around the world. She is the author of “A Homeopathic Guide to Partnership and Compatibility” and “Homeopathic Psychiatry”, which was developed into a repertorization program for Radaropus. Her writings have been published in Similia, Homeopathy in Practice, Homeopathy International, Links, and the American Journal of Homeopathy.

1 Comment

  • Hello Liz, thank you for sharing this interesting case. Could lac maternum be used as a substitute for lac humanum?

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