FOLLICULINUM

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

Hormone secreted by the ovaries.

The State of Folliculinum comes very close to the state of Lac can. and Sepia. There is a feeling of being controlled, abused, being dominated against her will, as if one suppressed her individuality for someone else, constantly living in self denial, a feeling of emotional drain.

• Mind; RAPED, being, agg., ailments from
• Mind; DOMINATION by others agg.
• Mind; DELUSIONS, imaginations; influence, is under a powerful
• Mind; CONFUSION of mind; identity, as to his

They come across as suppressed and sensitive individuals. They tend to bottle up their emotions especially affecting their hormonal state.

• Mind; SENSITIVE, oversensitive; sensual impressions, to
• Mind; SENSITIVE, oversensitive; reprimands, criticism,

reproaches, to

• Mind; SADNESS; anger, vexation agg.
• Mind; SADNESS; excitement, emotional; agg.
• Mind; EXCITEMENT, excitable; alternating with; sadness; menses, before
• Mind; INDIFFERENCE, apathy; alternating with; anger, vexation

It’s also a very important remedy for climacteric period as well.

• Female; DRYNESS; vagina; climacteric period, in
• Mind; SLOWNESS; climacteric period, in
• Mind; DULLNESS; climacteric period, in
• Female; ATROPHY; vulva, epithelium, kraurosis
• Female; ITCHING; vagina; night

I often use this remedy in cases of PCOD, Thyroid, Endometriosis, Fibroids and various diseases with indications.

One of the confirmed keynotes:

• Generalities; FOOD and drinks; food in general; desires; menses, before

Especially, obstinate cases of acne that aggravate before and during menses is another clinical keynote of this remedy.

There is a very strong link here with Carcinosin, and it is not surprising that Folliculinum works well when Carcinosin is indicated but does not act. Cancer cells after all are cells which have lost their identity, lost their ability to differentiate themselves, to individualize. They revert to primitive cells with no selfhood.

• She loses sense of herself
• She may totally lose herself in her relationships

Folliculinum can help restore the will and re-empower. Folliculinum comes up over and over again in cases where women have been abused sexually, psychically or physically, either now or at any time in the past. (This can be true whether she remembers it or not.)

She may be tied so strongly to the abuser, as in early childhood when the abuser was a parent or a loved carer. She may never have been allowed to say NO. She may have evaded the process of her own growing up. Folliculinum can help her to break the control. Folliculinum is a link breaker, and can give extra vitality when having to face heavy remembering. It can be useful for those with emerging psychic abilities who can find no boundaries. The ovary is such an organ of creativity. It simply seethes with life and activity. When it isn’t functioning well creativity can be blocked.

Important dream which has been confirmed clinically of Folliculinum

• Dreams: pursued, of being: escape, unable to.

Also very important for Premenstrual syndrome:

Weight gain without excessive eating, worse before menses or during ovulation. Premenstrual migraines. Congestive headaches, either with redness of the face or the opposite with pallor, but still with the sensation of chilliness at the limbs.

Frequent ecchymosis, bruises very easily. Acne on the face and seborrhea of the nostrils. Hypersensitive to heat, noise and contact.

Clinical indications:

• All symptoms < ovulation to menses
• All symptoms > menses except specific menstrual symptoms
• Worse from heat, noise, touch, resting
• Better from fresh air.
• So there are ovulation problems such as:
• Drawing, burning, gripping pains,
• Spotting
• Ovarian cysts
• Polycystic ovaries

Need for fresh air; takes large breaths of air and sighs deeply. Fitful cough, worse when in company, with sensation of constriction around the heart.

• MODALITIES: Better after the third day of menses. Better with movement. Better fresh air. Worse before menses. Worse during ovulation. Worse from heat and resting.
• Alopecia and hair loss in women
• Acne especially in teenagers

It is useful for various clinical diseases:

Acne, Alopecia, Amenorrhea, Backache, Cystitis, Headaches, Leucorrhea, Mastitis, Metrorrhagia, Migraines, Palpitations, Premenstrual syndrome, Seborrhea, Tachycardia, Vaginal, pruritus. PCOD, Thyroid disorders, Endometriosis, and Cancer.

Article from British Homeopathic Journal:

PRESSURE – I want to consider the pressure in three categories.

First, pressure of a personality or group on an individual; a dominant or possessive parent, friend or marriage partner; and certainly where there is intolerant religious dominance. Whenever I say this I wish I had known of Folliculinum 30 years ago, because I remember a man of 61 years, a senior civil servant, happily married with children and grandchildren, sitting in my consulting room bowed down by the agony of the decision he had to make. He was seeking release from what he saw as unchristian and intolerable religious demands, escape from which I know caused another man of similar type in the same religious community a fatal heart attack.

The second kind of pressure is that of circumstance or work, such as that suffered by people who have worked to exhaustion over a period of time, and seem to be incapable of recuperation, or even responding to the indicated homoeopathic medicine.

Dr. Foubister’s example was a city businessman with considerable administrative responsibility. He was physically and mentally exhausted and had completely lost his confidence since an acute illness. He was not recovering and could not face returning to the pressures of his job. One dose of Folliculinum had put him right.

I have seen more professional than business people in this condition:

A solicitor aged 47 years who withdrew from the London “rat race” to farm in the country at the height of a successful career. He was suffering from severe migraine, and Folliculinum followed by Carcinosin cleared his problem.

A missionary of more than 45 years’ service in Malaysia with inadequate leave, exhausted with night and day responsibility for an orphanage, and two attacks of amoebic dysentery, so negative that she sat with tears running down her face, not even concerned, conscientious and determined though she was by nature, that she could no longer fulfill her obligations.

An increasing number of teachers under pressure from pupils, parents, management ministers and new examinations.

Last, but not least in importance, I include here doctors, and sometimes their wives, also oppressed by ministers, management, health and hospital committees and of course patients.

More recently I have come to distinguish a third type of pressure in adults, that of continued ill health or slow recovery after recurrent or severe infection. This covers especially in my experience, young men after glandular fever or presenting with what is becoming identified as “post viral syndrome”.

In these cases I always start by using Carcinosin, but add Folliculinum if the Carcinosin does not achieve a lasting response. The same applies to patients not responding after cortisone treatment.

In the last group, i.e. immediate post infection, Folliculinum will cease to be needed after a shorter or longer period of treatment. The same may be the case with a personality pressure, as the patient is strengthened to reorganize and escape from the dominance.

With pressure due to circumstance, on the whole, while conditions remain unaltered, patients will need further doses of Folliculinum and their constitutional medicine, but at longer intervals, and the constitutional medicine will begin to hold for longer, and therefore be more effective.

CASE EXAMPLE:

A case of depression and amenorrhea in a 35-year-old lady, referred to me by a senior homeopath in Mumbai.  When I saw her the first time, she wasn’t able to speak to anything, she would just look down. I prescribed a series of remedies, Sepia, Mag carb without any result for 4-5 months, Carcinocin for almost 5 -6 months.

She was having Amenorrhea for the past few months, weight gain, hairfall and on USG her reports were normal.  Allopathic physician had suggested having hormone therapy (which she wasn’t keen on having).

Finally, I sat with her with her mother to study the case

• Her husband and in-laws would abuse her, hit, dominate her
• Wouldn’t allow her to do anything she would want, she wasn’t allowed to wear any clothes she would like to wear, she would be actually tied down at home by her mother-in-law.
• She was becoming more and more sensitive getting affected by smallest of things, she would often tell her mother she would remain confused about what she should do.
• She would get attacks of dysmenorrhea, where she would feel better during menses.
• There would be phases where she wouldn’t want to speak to anyone. There would be phases where she would feel very reactive and want to do something against her partner.
• Her only reaction would be she wouldn’t speak to anyone, although her mood would keep on changing, she would keep thinking about it all the time.

Observation:

• She seemed very suppressed, wouldn’t talk much
• Would be very nervous, looking down while talking
• Most of the history was given by her mother, who had accompanied her

Analysis:

• I had to look at an Out of Box approach, as other 3 remedies, even though indicated didn’t help at all.
• Lack of reaction in hormonal and metabolic disorders – is often a keynote for me for use of hormonal remedies.
• On studying the case in depth, I choose to repertories the case by COMPLETE REPERTORY – Analysis

This information was interesting as Folliculinum is often connected to Carcinosinum, as used by Dr. Templeton.

Prescription: Folliculinum 1M, 1 dose.

Follow Up:

First month

• There was remarkable change in her state of mind
• She felt much calmer much more relaxed
• She says I feel now more courage within me
• Her periods came back after many months for the first time
• Haifall reduced, she has lost 3 kgs
• She feels as if now I am much more relaxed compared to earlier state
• No dreams
• Fears have now reduced, still scared of family members
• She still is scared she will be attacked by her in-laws
• Still fear is there within her, in extreme fear – she starts crying even now

Follow up after 10 Months

• She feels much better
• Menses has been regular monthly
• Hairfall reduced, she has lost 6 kgs totally
• Her stress levels have remarkably improved
• She says, she feels a remarkable form of freedom within her
• Now when anyone says something to her, she says i take it in my stride and reply back to them which I would never do before. (she smiles when she says this)
• She had a dream – she doesn’t remember, but she says she has some hobbies and she will be pursuing her hobbies from now
• She says – now I will try to be doing things which make me happy, even if it means taking tougher decisions in life
• (Another interesting thing was – initially she would always come for follow up with her mother – since last 3 months. She started coming on her own, independently – there was confidence on her face)