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By Joy Lucas RSHom.
Male,
29, average height, quite over weight for height, fair, early hair loss.
Presently not working but family is wealthy and he is not sure about
working in family business - taking his time to decide. Comes across as
very intelligent, somewhat superior attitude which melted a bit during
case taking. Likes to 'use' language, flamboyant use of words when
really not necessary. Dressed in much the same manner (shirt with little
flowers on) and an unusual green suit.
Presenting complaint - "My life is falling apart" + diarrhoea
Diarrhoea can come on at any time at least 2-3 times a day (never night
time) sometimes has a bit of blood in stool, otherwise just loose, soft,
normal colour anus itches after stool (possible bleeding haemorrhoids
inside) some pain in abdomen before stool but not always pain is anxious,
tight, pulling (used many other non-repertorisable words) doesn't seem
to be << or >> by any food or drink craves still water or
watered down fruit juice no strong food cravings or aversions very
little else to tell me about diarrhoea
His life is falling apart because he has lost his girl friend of 3 years.
A year previous they were on a ski trip together - he had a bad accident
and broke bones in 3 places in right leg and right wrist - he was
treated well in a local hospital with follow ups in UK. Healing took
time but he was given the all clear but the pain continued.
Pain not only in leg but also in the back - aches, sometimes tingling,
cannot sit for long periods of time, pain seems to stick to one place i.e.
doesn't move around or radiate, << round knee area, leg feels cold
to touch >> hard rubbing leg (but he has to do this, doesn't like
anyone else doing it), and back is >> warmth.
Relationship with partner was intense, passionate, sexual - he was very
much in love - she abandoned him when he was in hospital, gone off with
someone else - it was so sudden and unbelievable to him that it should
happen, that she should leave him - no warning.
Since then everything has been falling apart - doesn't know what to do
with his life, cannot make decisions, cannot bring it all together,
doesn't know what direction to go in, feels pulled in many directions,
father wants him to work with him (furniture business), is getting angry
with son for not getting his act together, his friends keep telling him
the same thing "pull yourself together"
Has many academic qualifications but doesn't know what to do with them
feels that he is all over the place but not achieving anything - he is
just sitting around "navel gazing" but then gets agitated with
all this
Had periods of very itchy skin as a teenager, especially in summer,
"felt as though I had been tickled with bristles" - scratched
a lot but no eruption, disappeared of its own accord.
Rather difficult to get more from him
Repertorisation:
MIND - AILMENTS FROM - fortune; from reverse of
MIND - AILMENTS FROM - mortification
MIND - AILMENTS FROM - rudeness of others
MIND - BROODING - condition, over one's
MIND - DWELLS - past disagreeable occurrences, on
MIND - FORSAKEN feeling - isolation; sensation of
MIND - GRIEF - silent
MIND - INDIFFERENCE, apathy - business affairs, to
MIND - IRRESOLUTION, indecision - choosing things; in
MIND - WEARY OF LIFE
GENERALS - INJURIES - Bones; fractures of - slow repair of broken bones
GENERALS - INJURIES - Bones; fractures of - compound fracture.
There is more that could be added to these rubrics but this case came to
me at the end of a day and I chose NOT to repertorise or prescribe there
and then. I took time out to think about what was the diseased state
that needed curing.
I began thinking about "falling to pieces" - Lac Can; Lob;
Thuja; Phos; etc but I knew he was none of these. The case did not seem
to go beyond the injury to the bones and I went straight to Symphytum -
mainly because I had closeted this remedy as being only for broken bones.
And it is so wrong to do this - helpful, initially, when we begin to
learn our MM but very limiting in the long run.
Needless to say I prescribed Symphytum 1m without doing any repping (yes
I can hear the out cry from here, but it was at the end of the day) and
I could hardly believe that Symphytum covered the case so well. The
analysis came afterwards.
The client went on to a remarkable recovery, swiftly with no
aggravations or disturbance, 'got his life back together' and took off
to enjoy it.
On reflection, there were parts of this case which were not to be
included in the 'needing to be cured' picture - the flamboyant language
(more of that later), the clothes he wore, the early hair loss (Symphytum
does contain Silicea which might be an angle on this), the itching skin
(Symphytum has really hairy leaves and if you touch it too much,
although those hairs are soft, they leave the skin red and sore and very
itchy to those who might be susceptible), the passionate and sexual
level of his love. His hair did not change but he was not concerned
about this, even considered it quite trendy and he has not since had a
return of the itchy skin sx. He didn't choose to talk too much about his
relationship except that it was highly sexual and passionate and
Symphytum does has have ailments from sexual excess - this was
part of his sense of loss.
Symphytum is all about pain killing and it might be physical or
emotional pain. (I will always take that liberty of extending physical
pain into emotional pain.) The injuries or wounds are not from incisions
or lacerations (as in Calendula and other remedies) but from blows,
blunt instruments and have most effect on the soft parts.
Symphytum also has an affinity to broken bones, bone cancers, skin
ulcers, gastric and intestinal ulcers (draws off decaying tissues),
haemorrhages and bruising, eye injuries, suppressed menses, ailments
from sexual excess, inguinal hernia, skin and other parts has pricking
pains, dysentery like diarrhoea, haemorrhoids, defluxions of the lungs
and spitting of blood. Loves water - very thirsty. Contains Silicea and
Gallic acid which might give its connection to the lungs and blood.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
Most of us will be familiar with this nursery rhyme, unfortunately the
origins actually refer to either a powerful cannon used during the
English Civil War which was tumbled to the ground by the Royalists and
couldn't be repaired, or to King Richard III who suffered from some kind
of Scoliosis and he was slain where he lay when he fell from his horse
and no-one was able to help him. Also the term humpty was often given to
people who were of portly stature. There are other renditions and you
get the drift but it is Charles Dodgson's use of Humpty Dumpty which
gets to be really interesting.
Generally thought of as being haughty (high up on the wall and looking
down on people - but from great heights you can only fall downwards),
intellectual and an obnoxious egghead, it was Humpty's use of language
with Alice which fascinated me..."When I use a word", Humpty
said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to
mean, neither more nor less."
Alice then goes on to ask Humpty what the meaning of the poem
Jabberwocky is.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All
mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.
My client wasn't quite of this calibre but it had me thinking about the
possible intellectual and emotional affinities to Symphytum. I really
don't know of any that come from the meagre? proving but Symphytum has a
history of being useful for many pulmonary diseases and there is often
thought to be a link with the emotions and the lungs.
My recent request about eggs was to do with this case - for fun I really
wanted to make a connection with Symphytum and eggs (the egghead
reference to Humpty was entirely coddled (sic) by Dodgson), but to no
avail either.
Back to Homeopathy - there were some interesting points raised by those
who worked on the case.
In no way was I trying to trick people with this case, I gave it as I
received it. Perhaps I could have presented the case with a view to
influencing your direction of case analysis, but I didn't want to do
that. I think I found the remedy partly by chance and partly by homing
in on the 'origin' of the case and not being flustered by what to rep,
how to rep, or being drawn into the richness of what stood outside of
the case, like the language and clothes. Normally I would give high
grading to such aspects. It is very easy to get carried away with
repertorisation but it has to be factual, pertain to the diseased state
and not the healthy state, and be kept simple.
What I mean by "not going beyond the injury to the bones" is
that the case started there and there was nothing really before that (except
the skin) which was brought forward either by the client or by my
questions to him. So this is why I started at this point. This is
something I do with most cases - go to the starting point. If he hadn't
had a residue of that accident to his bones then the slant on the case
might have been different - but he did and it had to be included - maybe
it was coincidence that his emotional suffering began at that time as
well. But we can only speculate about what didn't happen and utilise
what did.
If there had not been any aspect of "never been well since broken
bones" then it would have been a very different case and probably a
very different remedy.
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