Clinical Cases

Severe Headaches in a Girl of 12

Headache Child
Written by Tatiana Pokatova

Dr. Tatiana Pokatova presents a case of severe headaches in a girl of 12. The case resolved with a small remedy.

10.10.12.

Patient F, 12 years old, 39 kg, 153 cm

CASE

A 12-year old girl with her mother came to my office. The girl looked a little strange, since her clothes would more fit a woman, not a thin teen girl. I understood it like the girl’s intention to look older, to attract attention, this meaning that her hormonal system was very active.  Her face was dissatisfied; she was not willing to speak. It was clear that she was in a poor relation with her mother. The girl was not pretty despite her seemingly childhood age.

Main complaints

Severe headaches, occurring suddenly (3) three times per week, also suddenly (3) disappearing, accompanied by a feeling of heat in the head and a cold feeling in extremities.

Headache is aggravated by noise (3). In silence headache may sometimes disappear (2).

Headaches may start if somebody shouts in her presence (2). During headaches the girl becomes more short-tempered and sleepy (2).

Physician observed high blood pressure during headaches 160/90, which is quite unusual for her age.

Those headaches first occurred 2 year ago, when the girl was 10 and her periods started.  Headaches were not related to periods, since the cycle of headaches did not correspond to the periods.  Periods came in 25-30 days, accompanied by rich purulent acne on her face. The patient tried to suppress acne by ointments.

Other complaints

A strong, lancinating pain in the right upper gum when eating. Pains appeared some 6 months ago, without any other modalities. During the interview, I did not at first pay much attention to this detail, since it was not said in an emotional way, however, the girl told me about it without additional questioning, spontaneously. (3). It is rarely when she has herpes eruption on her lips (1).

Past anamnesis

The girl’s mother told me that at the age of 8 the girl had Epstein-Barr virus with fever 40 Co, with edema and severe pains in abdomen, relieved when lying on her side with the knees bent. She spent two weeks then hospitalized and the abdomen pains lasted for a long time afterwards.

When having caught cold, the girl is bothered by burning throat, aggravated when swallowing, her nose blocked.

Sometimes the girl has pains in the tail bone, after having fallen down when skating.

Three years ago the girl had a surgery on the right tibia due to misalignment of the bone after a trauma. She has got pains regularly in the site of the bone fracture (Homeopathy for Bone Fracture).

Particularities

The girl is sleeping on her stomach (3).  At the age of 4 months she already could turn around by herself to sleep on her stomach. During babyhood she slept uneasily in the daytime. At the age of 1.5 years she was grating her teeth when sleeping.  First teeth appeared at 4 months.  She could sit at the age of 5 months already.

When the girl was 5 years old, the whole family moved to a new house, where the girl was meant to sleep in her own room. She was afraid, started to be afraid of the dark (3) and she still sleeps with a light. Other fears: fear of big dogs (3), fear of needles (3), fear of dentists (2). She still loves stuffed toys, always falls asleep in the car.

Girl’s nature

Short-tempered (3), weeping easily, irritability (3), becomes angry because of criticism and starts crying (3).  If somebody raises their voice at her, she gets offended and bursts into tears (3). She still can hardly forget a teacher screaming at her because of a homework done incorrectly.  Afraid of violence (3), forgives hardly (2).  May start weeping because of a rudeness watching a movie or just thinking about it (2). Sometimes at school she can lose her point during a lesson (1).  Sometimes the girl accepts consolation, sometimes it irritates her.

Her mother provided some additional information about her daughter in private. The woman divorced from father of the girl, remarried and had one more child. She is trying to give enough attention to the girl, but it is quite hard to make contact due to her resentful temper. The mother is a teacher, works with orphans. The mother notices that the girl turned suddenly jealous (3) and angry (3) when she saw her mother having on her lap an unfamiliar little girl who took the woman for her mother.

Food preferences

The girl likes fruit (2), chocolate (2), meat (2).

Disgusted by salt (3), acid taste (3).

Analysis and repertorisation

This case provides many symptoms making us to think about various well-known remedies. At first sight main symptoms show a clear picture of Belladonna, however, one peculiarity made me look for another remedy: during her headaches the girl could move without any aggravation of her condition, and she didn’t complain about sensitiveness to light. Moreover, her facial expression did not at all correspond to the well-known Belladonna appearance description from Materia Medica.

When examining the case, first of all, the particular headaches and emotional condition of the child attracted special attention. I suppose that the cause of the girl’s state may be feeling fear for a long time after being frightened, and also her prematurity, also due to hormones. Nobody in the family history had similar complaints.

Mind – aliments from fright

Headaches – appear and disappear suddenly

General – hypertension

Mind – weeping easily, irritability, jealous, hysterical behavior.

Main complaints started from the time of changes in hormonal system.

After repertorisation I noticed that many rubrics did not contain the remedy Asterias Rubens, but her prominent symptom is HEADACHES – increasing – suddenly – decreasing – suddenly, and I found Asterias rubens in this rubric.

Her mental-emotional state also is covered by Asterias Rubens.

RADAR REPERTORISATION – VES system

HEAD – PAIN – increasing – suddenly – decreasing – suddenly

asaf. aster. Belladonna Cedr. fl-ac. Ignatia kali-bi. mag-p. med. merc-c. sabal Sulph.

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – fright

ACON. act-sp. agar. anac. Apis arg-met. Arg-n. arn. ars. Art-v. aster. aur-m. Aurum Belladonna bry. Bufo calc-sil. calc. camph. carb-v. carbn-s. carc. Causticum cham. cimic. cina cocc. Coffea coloc. crot-h. Cuprum GELS. Gloninum Graphites ham. Hyoscyamus Hypericum Ignatia iod. Kali-br. kali-c. kali-p. Lachesis laur. LYC. lyss. mag-c. Manc. merc. morph. nat-c. Natrum mur. nit-ac. nux-m. Nux-v. OP. Petroleum PH-AC. PHOS. Platina PULS. ran-b. Rhus-t. sabad. samb. sec. Sepia SIL. stann. Stramonium sulph. verat. visc. zinc-p. zinc.

MOUTH – PAIN – stitching – Gums

MIND – OFFENDED, easily

MIND – ANGER – trifles; at

Aconite anac. arn. Arsenicum asaf. asar. aster. atro. aur. bart. bell. bry. cael. calc-i. calc. cann-s. canth. Caps. caust. cere-s. Chamomilla Chelidonium chin. cina clem. Cocc. Colchicum coloc. Conium croc. digin. dros. ferr. glon. hell. helon. Hepar Ignatia ip. kali-bi. kali-c. kali-m. kali-sil. kreos. lach. luf-op. lyc. lyss. mang. meph. Mez. morph. mur-ac. nat-ar. nat-c. Natrum mur. nat-p. nat-sil. nitricum acidum Nux-v. pall. petr. ph-ac. phos. pitu-a. Platina Rhus-t. sabad. sacch. sang. sanic. sarcol-ac. sars. sel. seneg. sep. squil. Staphysagria stram. sul-ac. thuj. thyr. toxi. tril-c. tub. verat. wye. zinc-p. zinc.

MIND – WEEPING – vexation; from

MIND – SENSITIVE – criticism; to

MIND – SENSITIVE – rudeness, to

MIND – SENSITIVE – moral impressions, to

all-s. aster. chin. coff. dig. hep. ign. nuph. nux-v. plb. psor. Pulsatilla sacch. staph. upa.

HEAD – HEAT – coldness – Extremities; with coldness of

MIND – FEAR – dogs, of

MIND – FEAR – dark, of                                        

GENERALS – HYPERTENSION

acon. adon. Adren. agar. ail. Am-m. Ambr. aml-ns. anh. ant-ar. aran-ix. aran. arg-n. arn. ars. asar. aster. aur-br. aur-i. aur-m-n. aur-m. Aurum Baryta carb. bar-m. bell. benz-ac. cactin-m. cal-ren. calc-f. calc-p. calc. caust. chinin-s. chlor. chloram. chlorpr. coff. convo-s. cortico. cortiso. crat. crot-c. cupr-act. cupr-ar. cupr. cyna. cyt-l. dig. diph. dulc. ergot. esp-g. ferr-i. fl-ac. gels. glon. glycyr-g. Gratiola ign. iod. iris kali-c. kali-chl. kali-m. kali-p. kali-sal. kres. lac-c. lach. lat-m. lyc. mag-c. mand. med. meli. methys. morg-p. naja nat-m. nit-ac. nux-v. onop. ph-ac. phos. pic-ac. pitu. plb-i. Plb. psor. pulm-a. puls. rad-br. Rauw. reser. rhus-t. sang. Secale sep. sil. squil. Stront-c. Stront-i. sulph. Sumb. syph. tab. thal. thlas. thuj. tub-m. tub. valer. vanad. verat-v. VERAT. Visc.

Differential diagnosis:

Belladonna

From the first impression we see how prominent is a Belladonna picture, but Belladonna has another behavior during the headaches. Belladonna needs to be calm, in the dark and any jar will give aggravation of the pain. Belladonna has also aggravation from light and noise. Usually Belladonna notes pulsating pains.

Belladonna is not so sensitive to rudeness and criticism. Belladonna does not weep so easily.

Staphysagria

Usually is very mild and there is suppression of emotions. We do not see a core of Staphysagria pathology in this case, just the information about “sensitive to rudeness” directs us to think about this remedy.

Stramonium

It is a remedy with many fears and aggressiveness. Though we see many key symptoms of this remedy in this case, the girl has a fear of dark, fear of dogs, irritability, but she is not aggressive. Stramonium is not the characteristic remedy for such headaches.

Carcinosinum.

This remedy contains many symptoms of this case, and one of them is “sensitivity to criticism”, but Carcinosinum usually does not express emotions with anger, and does not have headaches of this characteristic.

Pulsatilla

This remedy weeps a lot, but she has a changeable character and she can weep and laugh almost at the same time. She gets amelioration from consolation, which we do not see in this case.

Natrium muriaticum

This remedy is very sensitive emotionally, weeping a lot, but alone. Natrium mur has another type of headaches, and pathology developing after a romantic heartbreak or grief.

Asterias rubens

This remedy is used to treat feminine hormone system disturbances, epilepsy, unbalanced mind. Clark writes: “Asterias influences deeply mind, and mind symptoms are similar to apoplectic attack. Face is hyperemic, large influx of blood to head, burning sensation in head like if surrounded by hot air. Severe pains in head, similar to electric shock”. “Weeping eases condition.”

Materia Medica Viva by G.Vithoulkas

Mental:

“A lot of energy, excitements, disturbances (tarant, bell).

Fear at night, as if head would burst. Face is red.Excitement at night alternating with sadness.” “Irritable, angry, impatient and explosive individual. Cannot tolerate contradiction and is always ready to get into a fight.”

Physical

”Has strong action on the female organs and the hormonal system”

“Disturbances of the circulation, with pulsations and congestions in head”

 ”Tumor in the left breast with nightly lancinating pains”

Prescription: Asterias rubens 200 – 1x.

FU-1/ 12.11.12.

One month after the intake of remedy

The first thing the girl told me about was lancinating pain in teeth (gum), on the right side, during eating. The pain was so severe, it drove her to tears. Consequently, it became clear that the treatment started by exacerbation, with the pain occurring sometimes during meals, and lasted for 5 days, which corresponds to the description in MM.  In the beginning of the anamnesis record, I noted having not paid much attention to this complaint, which turned out later to be important.

During the first week the headaches became less intense and occurred less often (diminishing by 70%). During the whole month the headaches occurred less often, with a low intensity, started now progressively and disappeared without any remedy. The face of the girl was clear of any eruption. She became more even-minded, objectively, the girl became more talkative, open. During the fourth week a herpes eruption appeared on the right lip corner and she decided to use zovirax.

The blood pressure became absolutely normal: 120/79. So the next prescription was to wait.

About the author

Tatiana Pokatova

Tatiana Pokatova is a medical doctor and neurologist. She graduated medical school in Riga, Latvia in 1989 and has been working as a neurologist for six years. Her interests include alternative therapies, like homeopathy and acupuncture. From 1996 -2000 she studied classical homeopathy at the IACH, and has continued attending master classes by Prof.G.Vithoulkas for the last 16 years. She now has 20 years experience in classical homeopathy and works in a private center for classical homeopathy in Riga. Dr. Pokatova teachs and organizes classical homeopathic seminars for medical students and medical doctors at the medical facility in the Latvian University. She hjas been an E-learning coordinator for IACH since January 2016.

1 Comment

  • Dear Dr.
    Well presentation of case; good analysis of remedies; very unexpected success against normal repertorisation. Thank you Sir.

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