The Iron Lady
Vittal S S.
Cases.
` Ferr-m
A moderately built 44 years old lady with rosy cheeks having 3 children 2 married, was brought on a stretcher to my Homoeopathic nursing home on 26-5-96. She was sensitive to almost all the allopathic drugs except Diazepam and Injectible iron preparations. One more interesting aspect of this case was that she reacted immediately slight itching etc., on body parts to any non-similimum homoeopathic remedy.
The following symptoms were gathered.
- Pain left arm, chest and shoulders since last 3-4 days with restlessness and anxiety with perspiration.
- Dyspnoea on slight exertion or motion.
- During pain she does not like to meet anybody, dose not like music, noise etc and wants to be left alone.
- though she was very much in pain, yet smiling ; no despair or fear on her face.
- Very careful about children, mother-in-law and others.
- She repeatedly enquired about the nature and seriousness of her ailment.
- Industrious & fastidious.
On assessing the case, I prescribed Ars alb 0/3 in Aqua pura, immediately to be taken 1-2 hrly and advised for the blood tests for Hb, TLC, DLC, ESR, Blood sugar, Urea, Cholesterol and ECG. The attendants said her Hb is always as low as 7 or 8 gms and ECG has already been done by a cardiologist earlier which they could not show.
In the evening the attendants rang up and complained that there was little relief in her pain but the patient is having slight itching on lips and private parts. So Ars alb was not her similimum.
On 27-5-96, along with one of my colleagues, I went to her bedsides to re-assess her case. ECG report IHD Angina. Blood reports Hb 7 gm percent , TLC 7600, DLC - N-56 L 40 M 1 E , ESR 90 mm / 1st hour, Urea 31 mg percent, blood sugar (R) 110 percent, cholesterol 194 mg percent, 29mg percent, SGPT 18mg percent.
We noticed the following symptoms.
Ailments since her father died he had a heart attack and remained bed ridden for a month.
Can not see dead bodies; news of death upset her a lot.
Firmness.
Social, communicative.
Weeps when thanked.
Temperament : mild, yielding. But if anybody complains about her children it irritates her a lot.
Thermal modality : mildly cold. She is a pure vegetarian.
She does not get sleep even with Diazepam ; sometimes 1/V Diazepam has to be taken but still she feels her complaints more in early morning ie. 3 or 4o Clock.
Blood pressure 110/70, pulse 120/min, R.R. increased.
We prescribed Ferrum mur. 200 a single dose along with Placebo to be taken 2-3 hourly. We sat there for half an hour after giving her first dose to see if there was any untoward reaction. To our surprise the patient slept calmly. so this confirmed that the remedy was right.
The attendant of the patient did not report anything for 2 days which caused me concern. On 29-5-96 evening the patient along with her husband came to my clinic in a cheerful mood. on enquiring she said; " No pain, dyspnoea very less, sinking of heart which was there in the morning is quite less now. Anxiety and restlessness still there. Desire to take chilled things/ drinks".
Mentally feeling better; stool, urine, thirst, appetite normal.
Blood pressure 110/80, Pulse 80/min. Only placebo given for 2 days.
On 1-6-96 no chest pain,no Dyspnoea; c/o knee joint pain after taking each dose placebo which subsides automatically. Desire to take ice/ chilled things is less. Mentally peaceful. Pulse 88/min. Blood pressure 110/80. Repeated placebo.
7-6-96: Vertigo on opening eyes. Weakness ++, feverish, diarrhoea. Heart, lungs - NAD Pulse 80/min blood pressure 110/70. Dread of a crowd.
9-6-96 Slight recurrence of dyspnoea, restlessness, sleeplessness.
Fer-mur 200 1 dose.
11-6-96 she was much better and went to Patna without consulting or informing me. After 10 days or more she rang up from Patna saying that she was much improved and doing all her household chores. I told her to take Sac lac medicine. Now I am waiting for her return from Patna to see the effects of the remedy on ECG and other blood reports.
CONCLUSION : Some symptoms were clearly Ferrum like firmness, rosy cheeks but anaemic, hypersensitive, aggravation 3 o clock, left sided, fear of criticism etc. Nat-mur may also be her remedy. But since, another Homoeopath and had already tried this, I decided to give her Fer-mur.
In Jan Scholtens book on "Homoeopathy and minerals ", it is written about Fer-murs theme that she has to remain strong in order to take good care of children, to be a good mother.
