Look Behind Presenting Symptoms
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1996 Nov / Dec Vol V No 6.
Renuka Katta.
Cases.
` Rhus-t / Variol / Bry
There is no iron clad rule in approaching the case in any medical system. I would like to confine my article to the prescription part of this question. As it is a vast subject to discuss I would like to make it very brief citing my own experience.
If the present symptoms are leading to a particular remedy basing on peculiar characteristic symptoms or physical and mental generals along with particulars you can give the remedy and you will definitely get good results.
Case 1:
A 35 years Female d/o Joint pains of 2 years duration worse during rest, evening; better by walking.
She felts worse after bathing, during rainy season and cold weather. Better by warm covering. Basing on the above symptoms I prescribed Rhus-tox 200 Id. She was relieved within 4 days. It looks like cooked up case but we do get cases with this kind of description and this kind of cases are very easy to treat.
Causation:
During the course of study we do hear a lot form our seniors Strike at the cause - Root out the disease. If you know the causative factor it is very easy to treat, but the difficulty is to find out the causative factor. It doesnt mean that the patient did not reveal; he may ignore neglect it. And at times there are apparently so many causative factors, but it is left to the analyzing power of the physician to find out the true cause of the disease.
Case 2:
A male 40 years old came with multiple recurrent ulcers and one chronic big ulcer with 9 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm depth over his left food for which he was suffering for last 20 years. There is swelling and severe burning. Unable to walk. Slight sticky watery fluid oozes out. On further questioning he said his father had a similar complaint. According to him it started after an injury to both his legs; he says it is not the cause for it as right leg is absolutely fine. He works in a farm where he has to deal with chemicals.
Considering the injury as the causative factor I gave Arnica 1M 1d - within 15 days lot of pus with offensive discharge, which was not there in his 20 years; a general well-being ensued. I gave Sac lac for another 15 days. There is no new ulcer. The ulcer which was so big came to 9cm x 3cm x 1/2 cm. I am still following up the case.
Case 3:
A male aged 45 years c/o Frequent throat infection, Back pain and skin eruptions for the past 25 years. On routine enquiry he told he had an accident injuring his back 10 years back. Severe chickenpox, Jaundice, Malaria in chronological order from his childhood. I gave him Variolinum 1M attributing the causative factor to history of chicken-pox (neuralgia), skin eruptions along with general malaise.
Case 4:
A lady, 35 c/o white discharge, ropy in nature, no odor, no itching, no burning throughout the month - Pain in back and lower limbs since 3 years. She took Homoeopathy for the 11/2 years which did not relieve her. When I asked about her obstetric history, she said this problem started after the last delivery which is FTND. The first one was also FTND. On further enquiry she said during her last pregnancy she had an attack of mumps. Based on this past history which also effects the ovaries in the long run - I gave her Parotidinum 1M 1d. Within 15 days the discharge completely stopped. For the past 5 months she has had no complaints.
There are cases in which even after noting down each and every symptom we feel confused. At times there appear so many characteristic symptoms, but each indicates a different medicine, but to prescribe there is no peculiar symptom. In such cases we can base our first prescription on the Previous treatment just to antidote the drugs which puzzled/ spoiled/ suppressed the actual disease picture.
Family history includes knowledge of the miasmatic tendency. Young Homoeopaths doubt that every disease comes under three miasms, then how to dig out the tendency of any miasm. On very few occasions we can diagnose the miasm on the basis of the name of the disease but in most cases we can do it only on the consequences of the disease. At times the nosodes help a lot in overcoming the obstacles to cure, leading to cure. Even after miasmatic diagnosis to give the miasmatic remedy, you should keep in mind the present evolved symptoms as we have got many miasmatic remedies.
Time Factor is mostly neglected by many physicians. If they prescribe on the basis of time modality we can find astonishing results.
Case 5:
A lady 44 years c/o numbness and cramps of alternate hands during midnight. Because of that every night her sleep was disturbed. I gave her Syphilinum 200 1d which we find in SR under night aggravation. For the past 3 months she had no attack of the numbness and cramps.
Thus we should decide the case according the peculiar symptoms which are available. At the same time, we should not be carried away by the diagnosis. If the symptoms indicate a remedy even though we never thought of that remedy in that diagnosis we should prescribe the remedy and we will get the deserving results. In a case of haemorrhoids when the patient complains of pain by slightest movement and better by rest I have given Bryonia 200 1d which we rarely think in such type of cases, but the results are good. Though there is no specific rule to approach in every case, there will always be specific indications in each particular case if you analyze the presenting symptoms properly. If the physician does not fail to catch these indications, Homoeopathy can show miraculous results.
