Kali Seminar with Dr Nancy Herrick
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1994 May / Jun Vol III No 3.
Vishpala Parthasarathy.
Cases.
` Kali-chlr / Kali-br.

EDITORS INTRODUCTION:

A Seminar on Kali Salts by Dr. Nancy Herrick of USA was organized by the Homoeopathic Research and Charities at Bombay on 25th and 26th December 1993. The reporting of this seminar was deliberately delayed at the express desire of Dr. Nancy include it only in the May-June issue.

Earlier I had participated in a study of Kali and in the preparation of the Symposium Volume by the late Dr. M. L. Dhawales Institute of Clinical Research developed picture of Kali: a person who is tremendously gregarious, selfcentered with insatiable wants, the non-fulfillment of which lead to tremendous anxiety. The picture which Nancy Herrick presented on the first day was most unlike the Kali personality I knew.

According to Nancy, the Kalis exhibit certain general characteristics-

1. A strong sense of morality a tendency to look at each issue in terms of right and wrong and then do only that which is right.
2. Dislikes changes, new wares, new ideas. Very conservative outlook. Does not like to hold views different than others which would make her stand out in a crowd.
3. Desires company. Very attached to family.
4. Rigid mentally and physically. Therefore they hold their bodies tightly; follow rules obediently. Hence make good neighbors and responsible persons to family and society.
5. Tend to suppress their emotions and therefore exhibit physical reaction and disorders.
6. Clairvoyant, psychotic and intuitive
7. Very responsible in their jobs.
8. As they hold back their emotions, they feel embarrassed or ashamed of their illness.
9. Some characteristic physical symptoms are-
   1. perceptible oedema around their eyes,
   2. Persistent insomnia, wide awake between 2 and 5 am
   3. Wakes up with a start
   4. Anxiety is felt in epigastrium (worse when the door is slammed).
   5. Worse after coition
   6. Sharp pains better by motion.
   7. General weakness

Now let us try to gel these two so called differing viewpoints:

1. Kali is a parasite. Very demanding and selfish. But, as they need company and support, all their actions are directed at establishing a relationship. Therefore, initially, they give in to friends and to work which comes across as sincerity.
2. They need the support of the society to stand upright (being basically spineless and unable to support themselves). Wanting approbation, they come across as very friendly and giving.
3. They are tremendously anxious people about their health and hence it comes out as a punctuality for doctors appointments, work etc. I hope this brief discussion makes the Kali traits come alive.

Within the above framework, different Kali salts present their own individual peculiarities. A chart summarizing the major features of the main Kali salts as given by Dr. Nancy is reproduced. (See Chart)

In order to understand and facilitate differential diagnosis, Nancy presented several cases including some video cases, where one or the other Kali salt emerged as the similimum. There were very good discussions on each case due to active participation of the participants.

Some of the interesting cases presented by Dr. Nancy will be briefly discussed in the next part with a summary of important characteristics of the remedy selected.

CASE 1

The Old Lady

An old lady when asked about herself said that she like being a grandmother and that people said that she was a very nice person. If she passionately believed in something she would drive people into doing things. Bossy, but in a nice way, to get them to do things. She was nicknamed Tom Sawyer. She was hasty, mouthy and right brained. Hyperactive with too many irons in the fire. She does not like to be a leader but would like to give a push. Likes to be busy and keep walking. She said she had a wonderful life family, kids, grandchildren, sisters, likes to travel, dreams of travel, motors home. This wonderfulness proved to be only a facade.

Questions were asked to break her open: "a lot of time problems begins due to stresses in ones life. What are the stresses in your life?" and she cracked open. The story-30 years ago her husband was unfaithful to her. This had upset her and she had been brooding over it for 30 years and kept it to herself and this came out only in the interview.

She had a fear of heights, bridges, snakes, and big dogs. Worse on public speaking. She would fall apart in emergencies.

During her interview her posture was erect and she looked down sideways.

She had many serious physical problems. She suffered from nephritis and goitre. She was under severe stress but was outwardly jovial.

She required Kali-chloricum 1M.

Boerickes Materia Medica mentions Kidneys as the chief site of action of this drug.

Follow-up: Hypertension and proteinuria were better. She felt less wonderful! In fact she felt disturbed and humiliated at having something wrong. But the doctor was happy.

Roger Morrison has stated that the Kali patient appears cheerful, friendly, jovial and says everything is fine. Yet, the person is emotionally closed. Suppresses grief and does not allow it to surface but it is reflected in physical ailments.

CASE 2

The Box Woman

A 35 year old be-spectacled woman consulted Dr. Nancy for pain in the right shoulder and neck since last 2 months. She also bleed heavily during the three days of her menses.

She was nervous about her health and worried herself sick about having breast cancer. She cried a lot. Very depressed. Felt that she was in a box. She was falling apart and did not want to be in the company of people. Not inclined to tell people about her troubles. She wanted to be alone. She never wanted a child but is depressed now that she never would be able to have a child now because she did not have sex. She used to be very afraid of having sex for fear of becoming pregnant. She refused sex with her partner and also refused to take oral birth control pills. Her attitude seemed to be "wants only that which she cannot get. Then feels wronged and thinks that she is collapsing."

She felt unstable. Professionally she was a school teacher but did not want to rejoin the school after holidays as "other teachers bothered her a lot and acted unprofessionally." She was particularly scared of one teacher and was very careful of what she did or said. She wanted to change school.

She believed in rituals and regularly attended Sunday church as otherwise she felt that God would condemn her.

Thermally she was a Chilly patient but sometimes felt hot and wanted to take her clothes off. While narrating her history she laughed immoderately.

The Essential Totality:

1. Fears being poisoned
2. Singled out for divine vengeance
3. Hypersexual thoughts centered around sexuality; fibroid, baby, mother
4. Communication confused
5. Mistakes in writing and speaking
6. Confusion
7. Weepy
8. Night terrors
9. Somnambulism
10. Sleeplessness

She was given Kali-brom 1M- one dose.

Follow-up:

Everything is fine. Things are working out. Calmer. She started going to school. Mind is more focussed and clearer. Calm occasional hyper.

Later the patient moved to another town and to another homoeopath where many remedies were given. There was no relief in her complaints. She had her fibroids removed surgically. After the patient came back to Dr. Nancy and put on Kali-brom again she started doing well again.

Some themes of other kalis:

Kali brom- very relevant for India. This salt has a high degree of religious guilt (other Kalis more involved in relationship). Feeling that he / she had something wrong in the eyes of partner or society. The moral theme is of being attached. Dreams that thieves jump around her. Delusion that there is danger from family.

Kali-mur/Kali-chl- theme is- More dissappointed than hurt.
Kali-iod- Badly hurt. (One step more than Kali-brom).

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