Case Quizes Clinical Cases

Revisiting: Tonsillitis, Elaine Aggravates

Written by Elaine Lewis

Elaine gives the answer to the July quiz

Who here among us remembers last month’s exciting quiz?  That’s what I was afraid of!  So, here it is again:

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Shana, let’s begin with the ceremonial photographing of the salad.

The what?

Take a picture of dinner!!!!

Mom, I don’t think people care what we’re eating for dinner!

Shana, we are here to set an example, OK?

Of what?

How to eat so you don’t get sick!

Oh.  What’s in the salad tonight, Mom?

Let’s see, last night we had freshly cooked salmon in our salad but tonight it’s just the usual lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onions and grated raw milk cheddar cheese with Paul Newman’s ranch dressing.  The great thing about salad is that you can put any vegetable in it you want!

Try to stay away from packaged food; they’re adding things to the food that have no business being there, and they’re not selecting quality food, either; whatever’s cheapest!!

Whose case is it this time?

It’s Maria’s brother; Maria is one of our regular quiz answerers!  He had tonsilitis, which he blamed on me!

How is that possible?

Well, oddly enough, Shana, I was taking his case, and I saw that he’s eating no vegetables at all!  So, of course, he wanted a remedy and not a lecture on food!  Since he claimed to be a “socialist” and a “conspiracy theorist”, I said to him, “Why are you eating food made by the Ruling Class?  Stop eating corporate food!”  Well, that went over like a lead balloon!

You mean like CIA agents at Fidel Castro’s birthday party?

Yes, something like that!  Anyway, he said I made him so angry, he broke out in tonsillitis!

You have that effect on people, Mom.  Maybe we should add that to the Complete Repertory.

What?

“Tonsillitis, Elaine agg.”  Or, “Ailments from Elaine”….

…and I’d become famous!

I’m starting the case now…speed!

And…Action!

*****

Questionnaire

 

1. Describe the complaint 

Suddenly I felt swollen throat, especially in the tonsils.  Both sides.  The right tonsil is a little more worst.  Pain in tonsils when swallowing.  I saw pus in both tonsils and a little redness.  I also have fever with periodicity but I can’t tell for sure the pattern.

 

2. Etiology-

The only thing I can think of is the disappointment I felt when I read your email.  I didn’t expect you to be judgmental, for example the part that said, “All you’re doing is supporting the Ruling Class by buying their food!”  As I told you earlier, this is a layer; the layer makes me crave junk food.

 

3. Sensation-describe the pain or other feeling you have.

When I swallow the pain shoots in the right ear.

 

4. Appearance – anything remarkable? Red skin, droopy eyes, etc.?

My eyes looks like I was crying; wet and a bit reddish.

 

5. Location-where on the body is your complaint located?

 

Throat- tonsils.

 

6. Modalities –

 

Warm drinks and sleeping ameliorates, worse from cold air and cold drinks and on swallowing even my saliva.

 

7. Concomitants

 

Feel numbness in forehead, I am sweating.

 

8. Discharges

 

Thick saliva

 

9. Generals-

 

I feel numbness in head, I feel hot, Thirsty for warm drinks.  I feel hunger but I can’t eat because I feel bloated in abdomen.  I want to be alone.

 

10. The mentals

I feel cheerful today.  But not yesterday.

 

11. What have you been saying?

 

I wanna go home.

 

12. What are you doing?

 

I am sitting alone and watching tv or internet.

 

13. Describe your thirst and appetite

 

Thirsty, almost 15 glasses per day.  I prefer warm drinks, not hot.  I feel hunger but I can’t eat, I feel bloated abdomen which never bothered my hunger before.

 

14. Fever?

 

37.5-38 Celsius.  With periodicity but can’t tell exactly the pattern.

 

15. Sweating?

I am sweating a lot especially in forehead, genitals, back.

 

16. Odors?

 

No.

 

17. What is most striking, peculiar or identifying about your condition?

 

Lots of saliva, especially drooling during sleep.

 

18. Is there a diagnosis?

 

Tonsilitis.  But I had them removed.  It is happening often in a year since I had them removed.  But the last two years it is happening almost every 2 months, especially when I am stressed or bothered big time for something.

 

19. Describe your energy

 

I have a very good energy.  A bit of cheerful.

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Get your answers in folks: [email protected], let me know what you think and the answer will be in next month’s ezine.

And now for an important announcement:

SHANA GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!

To commemorate this solemn occasion, we have Gary US Bonds singing, “School Is Out!”

Go Gary!!!!

 

Gary US Bonds

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Votes

Mercury-5

Bryonia-2

Lycopodium-2

Nux v.

Calc-s

Hep-s

So, first of all, after giving the remedy, our patient’s sister and famous Quiz-answerer, Maria, wrote to me and said…..

Well, you were right and I was wrong!  I thought it was Mercury!  He took a sip and went to sleep.

That’s a really good sign!  Is he still mad at me?

Not at all mad!!!  He was astonished too with the results!  He told his friends about it, that after all those years he finally is tonsilitis-free!  When he woke up he was 90% better.  He went to his work and had a coffee.  It started to relapse then, I guess they’re not kidding about coffee being an antidote.  So he took another sip.

I hope he succussed first.

Yes 5 times.  Immediately, he felt better again.  He didn’t even have to dose every hour because with one sip it went very good!

Amazing, just amazing!  

******************

Now here is my conversation with famous Quiz-answerer, Rajiv:

Dear Elaine,

The remedy seems to be Bryonia.

D’oh!

It has the chief complaint (though its only a 1 in Kent’s repertory)

Rajiv, please get Murphy’s Repertory!  Actually, I didn’t find Bryonia under tonsilitis.  I found it under “chronic tonsilitis” only.  And as a 1, as you said.  But it wasn’t in the tonsillitis rubric at all, which is a very bad start.

It has the modalities of warm drinks ameliorate; and rest ameliorates.

I thought “rest amel.” was too common a symptom to repertorize. “Rest aggravates” would have been of greater value if it were part of the case because that would have been peculiar.

It is also a very thirsty remedy.  But the extreme thirst for warm drinks which ameliorates separates it from other remedies like Phytolacca, Belladonna, Nux Vomica, Nitric Acid, Merc etc.  Also, the desire to be left alone seems to further support Bryonia.

Yes, but desire to be alone supports a lot of other remedies too.  What about the right-sidedness of the case?  What about his inclination to blame others?  (“Reproaches others”)  Bryonia’s not there.  In fact, he even blamed his “layer”!

Arsenic also has amelioration from warm drinks and is very thirsty.  But it does not have excessive salivation.

Personally, I think the excessive salivation was due to the fact that he couldn’t swallow.

Bryonia has that.  Vithoulkas says that Bryonia is a remedy with very dry mucous membranes.

Did he have dry mucus membranes?  I don’t remember seeing that.

and perhaps the excessive salivation is an effort by the vital force to compensate this dryness.  Also, Kent does not have Arsenic in the main rubric:

Pain, extending to ear, on swallowing

So my vote goes to Bryonia.  Am I right?

What about the bloating?  What does that make you think of?  Hmm….we have: right-sided complaints, bloating, blaming, better warm drinks, worse cold drinks, wants to be alone….what does this sound like?

Well!!  I am sure I really need Murphy’s Repertory.  I have already ordered it actually.  I shall get it shortly.

You will find it a breath of fresh air!

The way you presented the case towards the end of your mail, it sounds like Lycopodium now.

Indeed, it is Lycopodium!!!!!

I have not repertorized before telling you this.

Any way, its always great to learn from you and your quizzes.

Thanks!!!!
Rajiv

So, yes, it IS Lycopodium and I had no idea until I repertorized!

So now it’s time to cheer for our winners:

Congratulations to Dr. Shorab Ibrahim from Sri Lanka and….Annonymous!

And thanks to Eva the Picklet, Maria and Katie for wishing Shana well in college!

Bye everybody, see you in September!  OMG!  “See You In September”!  I’ve been waiting all year to say that!  Here it is, by “The Happenings”:

 


About the author

Elaine Lewis

Elaine Lewis, D.Hom., C.Hom.
Elaine is a passionate homeopath, helping people offline as well as online. Contact her at [email protected]
Elaine is a graduate of Robin Murphy's Hahnemann Academy of North America and author of many articles on homeopathy including her monthly feature in the Hpathy ezine, "The Quiz". Visit her website at:
https://elainelewis.hpathy.com/ and TheSilhouettes.org

1 Comment

  • First of all CONGRATULATIONS to Shana for completing her High School Graduation and making you a proud mother.
    This article is truly extraordinary not only from Homeopathic point of view but literary as well. “You mean like CIA agents at Fidel Castro’s birthday party?” What analogy!
    The homeopathic analysis and treatment of the case is also wonderful. Thanks Elaine Lewis.

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