INSULINUM

Excerpted from Materia Medica of Nosodes and Sarcodes -by Dr. Gaurang Gaikwad

An aqueous solution of an active principle from the pancreas, which affects the sugar metabolism. One of the most underrated remedies in homeopathy which can be of tremendous use in clinical practice.

Clinical indications of Insulinum:

Especially used in 30 potency, can be repeated more often.

1. The main indication of this remedy is in fluctuating blood sugars, and especially in cases of juvenile diabetes. Chronic intestinal disorder, especially with looseness of bowels with enlarged liver. The more chronic the diarrhea, the more indicated is insulinum.
2. Ulcers, boils, bed sores, hypopyon as after effects of acute infectious diseases with disordered liver.
3. Chronic otorrhea and mastoiditis in emaciated children where the pus is thin especially when combined with enlarged liver and chronic diarrhea or as after-effects of acute infectious diseases.
4. In some cases of intractable eczema, with chronic liver troubles. It is a great reactive remedy in allergic eczema.
5. Suppuration of the scrofulous glands in the neck or any other types of suppuration on this part of the body to which it has got a particular affinity.

Other indications:

• This is one of the main remedies for the liver, so for all cases of hepatitis, cirrhosis, this could be a major remedy
• History of recurrent infections, especially tuberculosis is a strong indication
• There is a lot of weakness like China, Arsenic, with emaciation and chilliness
• Allergies are one of the main areas of Insulin especially with low immune system and lack of reaction of indicated remedies
• Suppuration and chronic infection is also one of the main areas of Insulinum especially with lack of reaction of other remedies. When Hep s, Sil, Bac. fail.
• Tendency to abscess formation and easy suppuration, suppurative conditions, with disordered liver of diabetics (caused by disturbance of sugar metabolism), after acute infections, during exanthema, with asthenia and disordered liver, with polyuria. Pyemic abscesses. Chronic sepsis with enlarged liver. Sudden acute dermatitis (of palms and fingers), with chronic diarrhea and liver complaints.

Children cases:

Obese child, late dentition, head large, pot-bellied. Craves sweets, jaggery, dehydrated milk and earth. Another child Cina type: craves sweets and banana, nibbles all day, lies on abdomen, irritable and obstinate, after fever with jaundice treated with Nux-v. which was his father’s remedy.

Clinical Cases of Dr. S C Ghosh:

Tubercular Gland with Sinuses.

(1) An old lady was admitted in my ward in Calcutta Homeopathic College and Hospitals on account of edema of the extremities with dyspnea and pain in the precordium. It was diagnosed as a case of epidemic dropsy.

After a dose of Digitalis 2C with some restriction of diet (rice and mustard oil being suspended) the case began to improve rapidly. Within a month, when she was practically free from all her complaints, she developed enlargement of glands in the neck on the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscles, markedly more on the left then on the right side with a rise of temperature to 101 deg. towards evening.

Those glands showed signs of suppuration and began to burst one after another; as a result of this her whole neck within a fortnight looked like a bag of pus draining continually. This state of things, persisted for two months and a half during which various remedies were tried without any effect.

From the beginning my prescriptions contained Belladonna, Hepar sulph, Oleum jacoris aselli, Calcarea hypophos, Tuberculinum and Silicea. At last the patient became so weak that she could hardly move, speak or even swallow anything due to extreme asthenia. Lastly, I prescribed Insulin 30 three powders, one to be taken every morning.

Next day the patient said that she was feeling lighter in the neck and when the dressings were removed the following day, her neck was found practically dry with a little slough here and there. Since then her condition improved satisfactorily and it was after ten days that I had to repeat 3 doses more for the right side. She was discharged from the Hospital quite cured after a fortnight.

(2) I was consulted by a physician for a young man aged 20, fair complexioned and thinly built ailing with several sinuses in the neck discharging pus from his scrofulous glands. I prescribed Silicea 30X (trit.) although the attending doctor had already used the same drug in 200 and 1000 potency.

It had some effect on the glands and two or three sinuses healed up but the rest resisted any improvement. In spite of the continuance of the medicine for more than two months, other sinuses increased and coalesced with each other forming a big bag of pus in the neck.

Temperature in the evening with anemia and emaciation. Oleum jacoris aselli was given in 200th and 1000th potency which however brought on a little improvement of the general condition and the sinus but could not stop the discharge flowing from the sinuses.

Bacillinum in high potency also failed. Then I took recourse to Insulin 30, repeated 3 powders every twenty-four hours, with quick response. It healed up all the sinuses within a fortnight and the general condition of the patient improved beyond expectation.

Otorrhoea and Otitis (stet) Media.

(1) One case has already been described while dwelling on the action of the medicine.

(2) A boy aged about 4 years, after an attack of typhoid fever treated homeopathically, was suffering frequently from diarrhea and indigestion and voracious appetite.

After about a month and a half he began discharging pus from the right ear with severe inflammation of the mastoid bone (indicating an acute mastoid abscess) with a rise in temperature. Insulin 30 in 4 doses twice a day controlled the inflammation and stopped the discharge with improvement of his intestinal condition also.

Looseness and Liver Troubles.

(1) A male child aged about a year had been suffering from various troubles since birth the main trouble being looseness of bowels in spite of restricted diet. On inquiry it revealed that he was susceptible to cold and had excessive hankering for sweets.

The elder brother of the child died at the same age, of infantile liver and this boy also had his liver enlarged more marked on the left lobe. Medicines indicated by symptoms could improve temporarily the diarrhea only but the enlarged liver remained quite unaffected still.

Lastly, I gave him Insulin 30, one every alternate day. From the 4th day the diarrhea stopped and from that time onward the patient began to pass well – formed stool, yellow in color. After a week when I examined the child again the liver was found to be almost normal. He made amazing recovery afterwards.

(2) A marasmic female child aged about 2 years had been suffering from diarrhea with distended abdomen and gradual emaciation of the body. She had a greedy (or unusual) appetite and hankering for sweets. The child was the daughter of a homeopathic doctor who had tried many medicines for improving her digestion and for assimilation of food without perceptible success. Insulin 30 in this case also in the same way as above brought about a wonderfully speedy recovery and a permanent improvement of the bodily system.

Skin Disease.

It was a case of a middle aged homeopathic physician who had long been a chronic sufferer from diarrhea and liver troubles. Seldom he used to pass a formed stool. He came in for a sudden and acute dermatitis of both his palms and fingers were enormously swollen and red with exudation of yellowish sticky liquid.

Considering his previous history, I tried Insulin 30 three doses as usual, with remarkable improvement and cure from all his ailments, within a very short period.

Muzumdar has published his experiments with Insulin in potency in cases of diabetes. He says that Insulin 30 or 200, given thrice a day reduced the blood sugar levels. Later, in some cases, even after the doses were reduced and discontinued, the blood sugar levels continued to remain normal for over six months.

Provings of Insulinum:

Matani has published her clinical observations with Insulin in potency. She has summarized the symptoms as follows:

• Vertigo when hungry agg.  anger agg.  looking up agg.  moving
• Hair falling
• Headache when constipated
• Dimness of vision in the evening
• Pain throat worse swallowing liquids
• Pain between scapulae in the morning
• Pain lumbar back worse sitting
• Pain right shoulder and knee
• Pulling pain behind knees worse rising from sitting
• Pain calf muscles extending up to gluteal region
• Pain calf muscles, right, then left
• Heaviness of legs when the legs hang down
• Pain left great toe
• Burning in soles
• Drowsiness
• Chill at 11am
• Weakness after stool