| Four Problems - One Solution |
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Homeopathy is a system of medicine unlike any other. A range of
seemingly unrelated conditions across a large number of people can
actually be treated using the same remedy. At the other end of the
scale, the same complaint in a number of people with different symptoms
may need to be treated by differing remedies - it is the range of
symptoms that needs to be matched, not the disease name. This was
demonstrated in the article several newsletters back featuring middle
ear infections; whilst all patients were suffering from an ear
infection, the type of symptoms they experienced differed, therefore
they were treated with differing remedies.
Case 1 - Arthritic Pains and Weight ProblemsBeth was a 48 year old woman who came to see me with flu-like symptoms. For a couple of weeks she had been tired, aching and felt hot and foggy in the head. She said she was barely able to drag herself through each day. As I asked some other questions about her overall state of health I found that Beth also had chronic arthritic problems. She was under the care of a chiropractor who had said that recent X-rays showed her lumbar spine was "crumbling". On occasions pain would shoot from her spine down both her legs making it impossible to move.Her knee had dislocated following a fall some ten years earlier and had since required reconstructive surgery. There was no longer any cartilage left and she would have episodes of burning pain that felt as if a red-hot poker had been thrust into her knee. At these times, electric-like pains could also shoot between her spine and toes. The pain was always worse at night and Beth said that at times it became so bad that she would thrash about the bed with it. Beth also had cervical spondylitis - a condition where the bones in the neck are inflamed, causing pain and stiffness. Every month or so, this spondylitis would trigger a migraine that would force Beth to bed. At these times her face would redden with the pain and her head would perspire. Beth's weight was also a concern. Since marrying in her 20's it had progressively increased and she now weighed 93kgs. She would be completely disinterested in food in the morning and so would never have breakfast. From 11am, her appetite would return and the eating would begin - curries were a favourite. Beth also complained about suffering with heartburn from coffee, bloating from greasy food, belching that had a strong 'eggy' or sulphurous smell, a craving for carbohydrates, a strong smell to her urine (Beth likened it to the smell of cat's urine) and waking frequently at night. When somebody is in a state of imbalance, changes occur not only in person's physical body but also in the area of the mind and emotions. As a consequence, I was also interested to hear that Beth was prone to explosive anger and had a pronounced fear of snakes. Intriguingly, Beth had a history of being allergic to crude Sulphur - the very substance that finally alleviated her above symptoms when given to her in dilute homeopathic potencies. Within two days of taking her first dose, all of Beth's flu-like symptoms had resolved. With ongoing treatment over the following months Beth's other symptoms also improved. Her urine no longer had a pungent smell, the anger reduced her energy increased, and Beth developed a healthy craving for salads after previously having preferred high carbohydrate foods and oily curries. Today, she weighs a healthy 72kg and takes an occasional dose of Sulphur (about every six weeks) when her arthritic pains return or become troublesome. A word about Homeopathy and Weight LossMany people approach homeopaths looking for something to help them lose weight. We would all like a magic bullet, but unfortunately there is no one remedy that will suit all people. As usual, the best homeopathic remedy for weight loss will be the one that matches the unique symptom complex an individual presents with - different remedies will be needed by different people.
Homeopathy works by bringing a person back to a healthy state of
balance. Weight gain may be caused by making unhealthy food choices or
not getting enough exercise but it can also be triggered by an actual
imbalance in the person's state of health. Symptoms of an imbalance may
include: feelings of hunger leading to overeating even when full;
cravings for excessive or inappropriate food types; poor or altered
metabolism; hormonal imbalances; emotional issues that lead to comfort
eating; lack of motivation or depression; physical problems that reduce
mobility and limit exercise. All of these symptoms can be resolved by
homeopathy and thereby enable weight loss. Once again, speak to a
homeopathic practitioner to get an individualised prescription if you
need to lose weight.Case 2 - Hot Flushes and AnginaBeing a woman in her eighties Margaret was baffled to be having hot flushes. She had thought that such things were behind her, gone with the menopause. The hot flushing had started after she had contracted a viral infection some months ago and although all other signs of the virus had long gone, this hot flushing persisted. It would occur frequently throughout the day and came on suddenly, only in her face and would last about 10 - 15 minutes. There would be no perspiration or rise in body temperature. Her doctor, after ordering some blood tests which did not detect any abnormalities, was puzzled and unable to offer any suggestions.Margaret also suffered from unstable angina - heart pain that would come and go at irregular intervals. Margaret said the angina was burning in nature and while she was on regular medication prescribed by her doctor for it, she would also spray a shot of prescription nitro-glycerine spray into her mouth when it started, which quickly relieved it. Other symptoms that Margaret experienced included: increasing irritability, itchy skin, hot feet that she would have to poke out from under the bed covers at night; difficulty in falling asleep, and fear of spiders and heights. When a person is in a state of imbalance, symptoms or changes can also appear as food cravings, aversions, or aggravations. Margaret said that she strongly disliked chicken, and loved salt, chocolate and lemons - she could, "eat lemons like oranges". She never touched alcohol because it had always made her feel nauseated and caused her to vomit in the past. All or these symptoms are contained within the symptom picture of Sulphur that I chose to prescribe for Margaret. Over the coming fortnight, her hot flushes reduced in frequency and intensity and then fully resolved, never to return. With ongoing treatment she became far less irritable with friends and relatives and her skin no longer itched. Her angina also improved. At the time of writing this case she has not needed to use her spray for over a year, though she chooses to continue on her other prescription medication. Whether the blockages in her heart vessels are also resolving or have fully resolved will not be known without further testing. Case 3 - Lack of Purpose and DirectionAgir spoke to me about his inability to set goals and achieve things. He said he had wandered aimlessly through life allowing things to "just happen" and that while most things had been good, he was now 50 and wondered if he could have, or should have, achieved more. He felt dissatisfied and directionless - as though his best years were behind him and that they had been wasted.In talking to Agir I realised that he was a man of active intelligence who loved nothing more than learning about life. He would be best described as philosophical rather than practical. He had studied varied subjects in the past with the view of going on to do this or that, but had not actually completed any of them - something more interesting had always distract him along the way. In actual fact, he had even studied Homeopathy in the past for a few months and this was the reason he was now seeing me. He had learnt enough to know that Homeopathy could not only treat physical problems but also problems that arose in the mind or emotions - perhaps it could help him. I found that Agir had a long history of blind boils and abcesses. These had frequently been treated by antibiotics but would always reappear. His skin could also become hot and itchy. Flatulence was a problem and his bowel motions frequently had a sour smell to them. Agir's wife, who had accompanied him to the appointment, was quick to tell me that everyone in the family knew when Agir had used the bathroom because of the strong odour that would spread through the house. When I asked about Agir's ability to be organised and tidy she laughed aloud and said that he was "domestically blind". If left to him, the house would never be cleaned and the dishes never washed. He seemed to be totally unaware of the clutter that could develop around him. He would usually be buried in "some book about philosophy". This was a great source of conflict because both worked and Agir's wife felt that she had to carry the burden of managing the home as well. Agir also complained that his sleep was disturbed at night by cramps in his toes. He woke from nightmares if he slept on his back and the soles of his feet would often burn when in bed. I prescribed the homeopathic remedy, Sulphur for Agir as it clearly corresponded to the mental, emotional and physical symptoms he experienced. At follow-up appointments it became clear that quite a change was taking place. Most of his physical symptoms resolved and he was able to develop a greater focus in life. Plans were made to write a book with his cousin and an extension to the family home was commenced. His wife even rejoiced over the fact that he would more readily help with the house-cleaning. Best for Agir, he was no longer plaqued by the feelings of a wasted and purposeless life. Case 4 - A Real Dog's LifeMany people are surprised to find that homeopathic remedies can also treat animals - and even plants! One of the advantages of working with homeopathy is that we do not have to wait for a disease to be fitted with a name before we can treat it - the symptoms the person, or animal, experiences are enough. For this reason, the same remedy used for a human can also be used for an animal, as long as the symptoms are similar. The following case is a fairly typical example of the use of homeopathic Sulphur for one of our animal friends.Betsy was a 3 year-old black Labrador. She belonged to a loving family but they were being driven crazy by her flea-bite allergy. It would seem that Betsy would only have to sniff a flea in order to break out in a weeping and itchy rash. Initially, the rash had occurred at the base of her tail but as time progressed it had spread further and further up her back. Once present, Betsy would be in agony trying to bite and scratch it. Being such a big dog, she would overbalance into furniture and nearby children in her attempt to do so - people and things were being damaged! Betsy's owners had made several visits to the Vet. In spite of expensive shampoos, tablets, lotions, sprays, and injections, the problem was still with them. Even though they did everything they could to keep things flea-free it would take only one bite to start the cycle over again. Betsy's owners were also concerned about the toxic nature some of these products may be having on themselves and their pet. One of the joys of being an animal-fascinated homeopath is that part of my practice is made up of things that meow, bark, hop, gallop, jump, flap, run, moo, or swim. As I looked at Betsy scratching on my clinic floor I asked some other questions and found that she was generally a "hot" dog. In summer she would sleep on the tiles in the family room and even in winter would prefer to lie in the corner farthest from the heater. She was a friendly, clumsy "klutz" and although most Labradors are big eaters, she was particularly gutsy. After eating she would relieve herself of very offensive gas that her owners said could clear a room. Based on these symptoms I prescribed the homeopathic preparation of Sulphur for Betsy which saw her have her first allergy-free summer. Her owners were ecstatic - Betsy didn't seem to notice. Two years later she needed a repeat dose but has been eczema free since. Homeopathic SulphurSulphur is one of Homeopathy's leading polycrests. This means that, unlike some homeopathic remedies that can only be used on a small range of symptoms, Sulphur can treat a wide range of symptoms in a wide variety of people as long as the maxim, "Like cures Like" is observed. Sulphur is frequently used to treat skin eruptions that are itchy in nature and often moist. It can treat skin complaints such as eczema, scabies, psoriasis, seborrhoea, poison oak eruptions, just to name a few. The itching produced will often be worse: at night; for the warmth of the bed; for bathing; and for wool.Sulphur is a remedy for disturbances of body temperature. Heat and flushing can be found in its symptom picture. The heat can be generalised but will often focus in either the head or the feet. Burning sensations can often be associated with the heat. There can often be a lot of redness at body orifices (openings), for example, eyes may be red and "gritty", anus red and itchy, and lips just plain red. People who need Sulphur may crave sweets, chocolates, ice-cream, fats, spicy foods, and alcohol, especially beer and whiskey. They can dislike eggs. Often they will complain of not being hungry in the morning until 11am. Gastric complaints such as heartburn, gastritis, and peptic ulcers also feature. Bowel motions and flatulence are notoriously offensive and diarrhoea, especially first thing in the morning, can be a common symptom. Sleep may be difficult with many people needing Sulphur complaining about insomnia. They may have problems with left-sided shoulder pains. On the mental/emotional level, "Sulphur types" can be philosophically inclined but blind to the practicalities of day-to-day living. Many have described their Sulphur partners or children as being lazy. Alternatively, they can be practical idealists who, with boundless energy, strive to help fellow humanity. They have a reputation for egotism and feeling superior to others but this is often accompanied by great generosity. Some of the conditions Sulphur can treat include: abscesses; acne; alcoholism; allergy; angina; heart arrhythmias; arthritis; asthma; bronchitis; chronic fatigue syndrome; colitis; congestive heart failure; conjunctivitis; constipation; dementia; depression; diarrhoea; eczema; gout; headaches; haemorrhoids; hepatitis; herpes; hypertension; lower back pains; menopausal flushes; migraine; nasal polyps, otitis media; pharyngitis; pneumonia; prostatitis; psoriasis; rectal abscess or fissure; reflux; rheumatoid arthritis; rhinitis; sciatica; sinusitis; tinea; tonsillitis. |
