Clinical Cases

Molluscum in a Boy of 5 “I save myself, my family and the Earth from destruction!”

Written by Sayhali Butala

Dr. Sayali Butala shares a case of molluscum in a boy of 5. She used the Case Witnessing Process to find the simillimum, which led to the kingdom, phylum and order.

A young patient seeking treatment for molluscum was treated rapidly and gently with a single remedy. In paediatric cases, it is very difficult to understand the patient’s centre, since each time they tend to express something new. And to see reliable results in paediatric practice it is pertinent that we go beyond the Calcareas and the Cinas…So how do we reach the similimum in children’s cases with utmost surety? The case-witnessing process, (which has been used here) shows us the way. It consists of three steps – the passive case witnessing process, the active and the active-active case witnessing process. The nuances of each step have been described with this case example.  

A five year old boy came with the complaint of recurrent molluscum contagiosum. He also suffered from allergic rhinitis. I started with the Passive Case Witnessing Process (PCWP), where I give him free space and time and allow him to express

spontaneously whatever comes up in the moment. Along with noting the peculiar and characteristic verbal expressions, I also observe the  non-verbal body language.

Passive Case Witnessing Process-  D: Tell me something about you?

P: I study well, I have nice handwriting…  I am very naughty (smiles), in my house also I do something and run. All my relatives say I am very smart (Clears throat).  (Rocking action in chair), I like to read adventure books.  I watch television and do the stunts (speed of movement increases). Twice a week I go to dance classes.  (Since the patient is going to various areas and speaking freely, I just let him continue without asking any question. If the patient stops then I will ask an appropriate question.)

When I am big, I want to be an astronaut and policeman.  I play aiming games also. I like activities, all the sports activities. I like to see football matches on TV. I love Maths subject. I like to play video games.  That’s it… nothing else…  (Since the patient isn’t going any further spontaneously, I decide to guide him to subconscious areas like dreams and fears, to see what comes up. In paediatric cases, it is advisable to explore these areas sooner as children are more in touch with their subconscious realm and can express themselves well. Also,  note that even though I guide him towards different areas, I am still “Passive” and giving him free space to talk spontaneously.) 

Guided PCWP – Area Dreams

D: So, can you tell me your dreams? 

P: Thief came in my house and stole all my things – all my video games and toys.  One good dream I saw that I am alone at home and I can do anything.  Another good dream – there was a race and I won the first prize.

D: Tell me your bad dreams?

P: I became very small like an ant and a big lion came and ate me.   That’s it, I don’t remember any other dreams.

Guided PCWP – Area Fears

D: Ok, so tell me what fears you have?

P: Ghosts, being scolded and watching horror movies at night. Surprise tests at school – I feel scared about the marks I will get. If I am walking and somebody  suddenly comes in front of me.  Scared of thieves. God’s punishment and even teacher’s punishment. Scared when the school monitor scolds me when I do naughty things. I am scared of malarial fever. Once I had a fracture and I was very scared – whether I am going to die?

D; What else are you scared of?

P:Real ghosts, real ghosts come and switch off the lights. I feel so scared that I scream out loudly.  I am very, very scared of big mammals and animals – like sharks, lions, elephants, huge things…they are very scary.

D: And as a baby what all were you scared of?

P: Toy spiders, magnet toys – they come fast and hit you.  Touch-me-not flowers, because when you touch them, they close very fast (Hand gesture of hand getting stuck inside something and makes a sound – ‘fattak’) I am also scared of loud sounds like rock guitar and stuff. (Till here, I have noted all the peculiar verbal and non-verbal expressions which came up spontaneously. However, the common thread behind his dreams, fears, his mischief, ambitions etc. or the focus of the case is still not clear.  I, now, start with the Active Case Witnessing Process [ACWP], where I will ask him specific questions and explore all the peculiar expressions of the case to find out the focus. If we stop the case here, we will only get a collection of symptoms and not the holistic centre of the patient.)

At the end of PCWP, we note –

  • Focus – not yet clear
  • Level of experience – Higher, since qualified emotions like fears; and perceptions are surfacing. Hence the potency will be 1M.
  •  
  • Whether patient is in touch? Yes, as he is speaking spontaneously without any defenses Area – General, since he was going to various areas spontaneously.
  • Body language – constant to and fro motion.

ACWP to find out the focus- 

D: So what you feel when you are very, very scared?

P: Someone will eat me, I will hurt myself. Thief and scary people what will they do to me. Monster will pick up my whole building and drop it.

D: And what do you do when you feel very, very scared?

P: I protect my family, save myself, throw weapons on them.

D: What you do, how you do it?

P: Can I tell imaginary? Protect myself and throw weapons… like Ben Ten… I vibrate like a phone – what should I do? What should I do? I close the door and lock it.

D: And talk about the thief dream?

P: Thief came and was stealing and I was hiding somewhere. But nothing happened to me – I was protected.

D: And you said you wanted to be an astronaut or policeman when you grow up. Tell more about that…

P: I will save everybody from thieves. And astronaut because I will keep a watch on the Earth and if asteroid comes, I will save the Earth. Otherwise, Earth will be destroyed – I will research for it, everyone will ask me about my research. (Nasal discharge++)

D: And you like reading adventure books?

P: Volcano of Fire – Amazing Voyage … (Voice stammering) – They go to save the good man from thieves. Secret Seven save the good men.

(The theme of ‘saving and protecting the good people from danger’ is coming up repeatedly, whether it is his dreams, fears, hobbies or ambitions. Also, physical indications like nasal discharge starting and voice stammering, when speaking about ‘saving’, indicate that this is where the mind and body are connected. Hence this is the holistic focus of the case. Exploring the focus further will lead us to the centre of the patient. I now start actively exploring the focus. )

ACWP with Focus- 

D: So what do you mean by ‘Save the Earth, save the family’?

P: Dangerous star is coming and I can use the weapons to save the Earth. I will

protect the Earth.

D: Tell more about this ‘Saving and protecting’?

P: As a policeman, as an astronaut throw that star far away. I will protect the Earth. 

D: Saving and protection is very important for you, tell me  more about it?

P: Save the Earth otherwise Earth will be destroyed…

D: And you also protect yourself?

P: I save me!  

D: How you do that?

P: Close the door and lock. If big monster is there, I will put more weapons than him and he will be destroyed. 

(At this juncture, I am sure of the focus and now want to perceive the process beyond human interpretation, that is the non-human-specific part. So, I ask him to describe the process in a dissociated and general way, just to understand the complete picture

of it.)

Dissociation – 

D: Tell me more about this, in a general way, like what other people do?

P: Like me only! Throw weapons, put poison gas in room and kill. I can also do that.

Do all sorts of magic and poisonous things. Throw umbrella on the face.

D: What more can others do when they want to save and protect?

P: Throw 299 books on the monsters and they fall down!

D: What else?

P: Knives, forks and pointed things in to them! Thousands!

D: What worse can they do?

P: (Laughing) – Throw Holi colour in eyes, eyes will be destroyed.

(Here we understand the patient’s deeper experience is ‘saving himself and his family from danger’ and the process by which he saves is by retaliating, poisoning and killing. The whole process is of ‘attack and defence’ where the patient feels ‘attacked’ and has to ‘save and protect by all means’. The theme of the Animal Kingdom is clear and there are soft hints about the remedy too.)  

Active – Active Case Witnessing Process- 

D: And you said you are very naughty?

P: I do all mischief, I make others fall. I do funny things, make them laugh. I switch off TV and hide.

D: What else you do?

P: If someone is scolding me – I ignore and laugh and go.  

D: And you don’t like surprise tests?

P: I get bad marks, then mom and dad scold me, I feel sad and I feel very angry also.

I should hit them. Feel very, very angry, if they hit me. Even I feel like hitting them. 

D: And when you are very, very angry, what do you feel like doing?

P: Do some mischief, make them fall, I scare them! But I get scared of older kids since they are stronger than me!

(Connected with PCWP and ACWP.)

D: And you are also scared of big mammals?

P: They will think I am small, they will kick me and eat me, put weight on me so that

I can’t move, they can squash me and kill me. 

Parents’ observations – 

  • Hyperactive
  • Attracts people to play with him
  • Provokes them to play with him
  • He uses bad words while playing
  • Repeatedly touching and hitting when playing
  • Gets easily influenced by overactive people and does what they do
  • More attracted towards misdoings
  • ‘I saw many insects in the room’ he says frequently 
  • He is scared of housefly
  • Cravings for junk food, pasta, pizza
  • Thermals – Hot
  • Perspiration – profuse on head, neck, back
  • Keeps moving constantly
  • Gets angry about trivial things

Understanding the patient’s centre-  From Passive Case Witnessing Process- 

 Very naughty and smart, doing something and running.

  • Liking for adventure, stunts, aiming games and all the sports activities.
  • Constant rocking body movement
  • Dreams of thieves, doing anything he pleases, winning the first prize in a race and becoming very small like an ant.
  • Fears – Ghosts, being scolded, being punished, watching horror movies, surprise tests at school, somebody suddenly coming, thieves, loud sounds and big mammals and huge things
  • Scared of toy spiders, magnet toys and touch-me-not flowers-‘they come fast and hit you’.

From Active Case Witnessing Process and Active-Active Case Witnessing Process- 

  • Fear of someone eating him, somebody doing something to him
  • Protecting and saving is very important for him whether he is saving his family or himself
  • Becoming a policeman or astronaut to save the Earth
  • Protecting himself by throwing weapons, putting poison gas in the room and killing, doing all sorts of magical and poisonous things, throwing things at them and making them fall and putting pointed things into them
  • I vibrate like a phone’
  • Doing all mischief, making others fall, hiding, doing funny things, making others laugh. 
  • ‘I ignore and laugh and go’. 
  • Urge to hit parents when very angry. 
  • Making mischief and scaring others
  • Scared of older kids since they are stronger than him
  • Fear that big mammals will kick and eat him, put weight on him and can squash and

kill him. 

From Parents’ observations- 

  • Hyperactive
  • Attracts and provokes people to play with him
  • Repeatedly touching and hitting when playing
  • Gets easily influenced by overactive people and does what they do
  • More attracted towards misdoings

• ‘I saw many insects in the room’ he says frequently 

  • He is scared of housefly
  • Keeps moving constantly
  • Gets angry on trivial things

Thus, the patient’s centre pointed towards Animal Kingdom, Phyllum Arthropoda, Order Aranea.  Aranea ixobola as the remedy.  Aranea ixobola is a spider belonging to the Araneida order of the class Arachnida.

Rationale for Arthropoda and Aranea:

The hyperactivity of the patient noted by both the parents and during case witnessing by me, plus, his imagination/ delusion of seeing insects everywhere pointed towards Arthropoda (Insects)

Order Aranea (Spiders) was suggested because there was mischief, hiding, and deceit. Also, putting pointed things and killing is indicative of spiders since ‘they use their fangs to inject poison, which is more like stabbing rather than stinging or biting’ – ref. Dr Farokh Master in the book :The Web Spinners

About the remedy- 

From Prisma – 

  • Restlessness, difficult concentration
  • Desire to move, constant motion and hurried
  • Pleasure in teasing others
  • Oversensitive to loud noises • Fear that relatives will die
  • Cunning, deceitful and witty
  • Sleep disturbed by anxious and fearful dreams
  • Delusion of being smaller than others

Hence Aranea ixobola 1M one dose was given.

Follow-ups- 

1st follow-up- Patient was slightly better, molluscum started bleeding and turning black, allergic rhinitis was slightly less, no dreams. Placebo given.

After 1month – The molluscum were increasing, his allergic rhinitis was aggravated. So a detailed follow-up was taken, where the patient described one dream, where he saw a ‘bad man’ suddenly hitting him with a poisonous arrow and the patient was the ‘good man’ trying to save himself. 

The patient also spoke of going to an adventure park, where he enjoyed the water rides the most because they were ‘very fast’. There he enjoyed climbing a wall (Body gesture – climbing like a spider.) 

The patient spoke about wanting to be a dancer because he enjoys the beats of a song. He loves playing games ‘where he can control’ and when he is angry he starts boxing and punching the bag really hard. With the same state coming up, Aranea ixobola 1M three doses were given.

After 4 months – Patient much better, molluscum bleed, turn black and disappear. New ones are not erupting. Allergic rhinitis is better, no dreams or fears. Placebo given.

After 6 months –  Given Aranea ixobola 1M three doses during acute complaints of fever, which helped. Overall, much better, molluscum disappeared completely, allergic rhinitis better, no dreams or fears. Restlessness and anger have reduced and are more channelized in productive activities.  

About the author

Sayhali Butala

Dr. Sayali Butala did her MD in Materia Medica and has trained extensively with Dr. Dinesh Chauhan treating a variety of cases. She practices independently in Powai, Mumbai now. She has a flair for writing and putting it to use, has compiled a book on Advanced Casetaking with Dr. Dinesh Chauhan. The book is on pathological cases, geriatric patients, retakes, psychiatric patients, patients who have faced abuse, autistic children etc. Her cases have been published in Hpathy.com. (Dec 2014), Interhomoeopathy (Germany, June 2016) and HMA (UK 2016 and 2017). Dr. Butala conducted a two day seminar with case presentations at Shaikh Homoeopathic Medical College, Belgaum on the basics of the Case-Witnessing Process. She continues to teach the Case Witnessing Process in basic and advanced modules through webinars. Dr. Butala can be contacted at [email protected] and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/drsayali.mehtabutala

2 Comments

Leave a Comment