Sankarans August96 Seminar
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1996 Sep / Oct Vol V No 5.
Chanda Shah & Manjusha Vad.
Seminar Reports
The seminar of Dr Rajan Sankaran and Dr Jayesh Shah was held between 15th and 18th August 1996 at the Patkar Hall,Mumbai. It gave us insight into some new remedies. Some of the cases discussed are presented briefly.
CASE 1 : Dr Jayesh Shah started with a case of recurrent malaria in a 48 year old female patient. She had been given Natrum-mur, Aranea-diadema etc on basis of fever symptoms but there was no relief. History taking gave the impression of the patient being very proud,haughty, angry and blunt (like Platina). She also had increased sexual desire before a fever paroxysm. It was very strange that such a person could be extremely sensitive about cruelty to animals. This PQRS symptoms was referred in Clarkes Dictionary under Nuphar-leuteum, which says - "Impatient of slightest contradiction. Excessive moral sensibility, acute pain on witnessing suffering of animals. Male; voluptuous ideas, lascivious thoughts." Nuphar-luteum was prescribed after which her fever went down and also calmed her down.
CASE 2 : This is a case of a 2 years old mentally retarded child. He was very dull, couldnt talk at all, wouldnt even respond to loud noise, though he was not deaf. There was a blank look on his face. However his eye movements were very prominent. Whenever questioned, his eyes would bulge and roll upwards.
Referring to Kents repertory page 247 - "Eye movements, eyeballs rolling upwards " and to Clarkes materia medica, "An excessively brilliant appearance of the eyes without corresponding mental expression, " the drug is Amygdalae-amara. In 8-9 months the child become more emotive and communicated easily.
CASE 3 : A 55 year old, bachelor presented with pain over right side of body, difficulty in walking and red patches all over the body.
He had aversion to smell of fish and so he avoided going to the canteen. He was a very simple, down-to-earth person. He never got angry and was extremely conscious about conducting himself in a proper manner.
In the rubric - Aversion to smell of fish in SR, page 242 only one drug is mentioned ie Colchicum.
The main of Colchicum is extreme sensitivity and fear that he will be observed if he is misbehaving. In Clarke, the causation of Colch is - misbehaviour of others. His serum uric acid done later turned out to be high. He was prescribed Colch 200 and he responded very well.
CASE 4 : This case of Osmium has already been reported in Links.
CASE 5 : This was a desperate case of auto-immune vasculitis in a 27 year old female patient.
Her childhood memories were of an alcoholic father and a depressed mother. She perceived it as a disorder in her life and that she was too small to do anything about it.
Once, at the age of 10, her grandfather fondled her and she felt her whole world came crumbling down. Later when she grew up to become a nurse, she took a posting in the acute psychiatric ward.
She also had dreams of being in a maze, dreams of catastrophes like children being cut up by adults but she was immobile and couldnt do anything about it.
The patient was desperate, but not totally hopeless. She felt that if she puts every effort into it, may be there is still hope. So it is not yet a syphilitic miasm but a stage before it ie the Cancer miasm.
In Cancer, tissue dont follow order. The patient needed a nosode. So Carcinosin was given. After the remedy hr leg pain became less. Her legs which looked blue before, now looked rosy. Previously she had to wear socks even in summer. Her feet used to be icy cold but since Carcinosin they are warm.
CASE 6 : Case of asthma in 8 years old boy. By temperament, the boy was intensely shy and cold but got frightened easily. His nature was like that of his father.
On probing into the fathers history, he said the grief in his life was the illness (stroke) of his mother. He felt she was the backbone of his family and wondered now who will guide him and his children. He said he never fought, always compromised because he didnt want relations to break up.
Like his father, the patient also sought out older friends who could guide him. So the main core of the case was that relationships should not break as he was dependent on them. Hence the remedy selected should be from the mineral kingdom.
A study of the periodic table was done and the patients remedy was thought to lie between Calcium and Barium. Strontium lies between the two.
A proving of Strontium-carb was done. The main feeling of the prover was - one must do everything to keep relationship with friends as they will support you. Strontium-carb doesnt need total protection like Calcarea nor is he totally depended like Baryta. He just needs guidance.
Within a week of taking Strontium-carb 200, the patient was 90 percent better.
CASE 7 : Case of migraine in a 65 year old man. The patient had a lot of creative ideas, far ahead of his time. .His migraines started when once, against his principles and out of sympathy he had to help his colleague who had swindled a lot of money.
Later he felt a lot of remorse. He had a tremendous feeling of isolation. On one side there was sensitivity to music,pain and people while on the other side there was numbness. He also had beautiful, fanciful dreams.
Dr Rajan Sankaran thought that the patient needed a drug which covers the themes viz-.
- Benevolence.
- Sensitivity,.
- Sense of isolation,.
- Beautiful fancies with.
Also there were two characteristic symptoms in the patient -.
a) Mind is rushing with new ideas ie activity and creativity. Sleeplessness from thoughts and b) Tremendous feeling of remorse.
The above fits in Coffea which was prescribed. after taking Coffea the patient felt a sense of calmness. All his pains disappeared and his old dreams got completed. Curiously once he even dream about coffee !.
The 3rd day session started with a video case presentation by Dr Jayesh Shah.
CASE 8 : A 13 yrs old boy came with complaints of rash on the body more in the palms which were very painful. It was worse on touch, was full of pus and used to itch a lot.
He sat on the chair a lord, with arrogance and said that he was hypersensitive and wanted to get rid of his anger. When angry he would shut himself in a room and come out only after cooling off. If he did not do this he would become very violent and unmanageable. He clenched his fist while talking of his anger.
Scholastic performance very good. He is contemptuous towards those who supercede him. He wants to be an Air Force pilot and go and bomb enemies.
His father is a diamond merchant but thinks he is pursuing a low profession. Has a very high ancestral background. His father was once cheated by some close friends as a result of which the family suffered a severe financial set back. The patients father wants to bring back the lost glory of his family. He is very ambitious with a killer instinct in business.
The patients mother had severe painful cramps in the calves all through her pregnancy.
There is a striking similarity between the father and his son. They were both performers, egoistic and wanted power. The remedy would br from the metal group. The feeling was - as if come down from the pedestal..
Cuprum-sulph was prescribed on the basis of :.
- Delusion rank he is person of,.
- Delusion great person is a ,.
- Delusion chairs he is repairing old,.
- Delusion vegetables he is selling,.
- Dictatorial,.
- Rage paroxysms,.
With Cuprum-sulph the rash disappeared. In the subsequent follow ups for a year the patient become very co-operative and less arrogant. His temper-tantrums also reduced.
CASE 9 : A 14 yrs old Austrian-Germany boy had large eczematous patches on both elbows . There was itching which worsened when in stress. Allergic to apples, carrots, pollens during springtime which cause itching and pain in the throat. Sweating aggravates itching. When he is not well prepared for the exams the itching worsens. He takes injuries or hurts bravely. If injustice is done to a weak person he fights for him verbally. Believes in setting problems by discussions. Quite concerned about hatred towards foreigners in his country. He dislikes weapons. Inquisitive, likes physics and wants to become a physicist. Fear of closed rooms, and jumping from heights.
Niccolum was chosen on the following points -.
- Dignity.
- Fight for justice, especially stands against authority.
- Compassionate.
- Inner feeling of violence.
- Feeling of being weak and oppressed.
- Defiant.
Niccolum is a remedy for literary people especially those who love maths and physics.
CASE 10 : A 40 years old man came with migraine worse when overheated and in crowds along with anxiety. He has a low self-esteem. Comes from a broken family and holds himself responsible for his mothers sufferings. He dreams of contests where he suddenly becomes slow when in fact he is frustrated that he is unable to do what he is capable of doing. As if in a slow motion. Crackles joints as a habit.
Cadmium-sulph was given to him based on following rubrics -.
- Strong desire for performance.
- Dream of unsuccessful attempts.
- Cracking of joints (Cadmium is a metal which crackles on bending ).
Dr Jayesh Shah also narrated a case of Ferr-ars. A Ferr-ars is a person who is very strong, obstinate and suspicious. He is like a heavy lock upon a treasure that will open only by a specific key.
On the last day of the seminar Dr Rajan presented a very strange case. The patient firmly refused to video record her interview as she felt it would be an instruction in her privacy.
She was constantly asked as to why she would not like to be video taped and the whole feeling of the patient was brought out.
The patient is a married woman of 30 years. Her complaint is allergic colds, hair fall and panic attacks when facing the outer world.
Dreams : The land on which she is going to step, slides down. She has to try hard to find a firm ground. Likes watching psycho-analytical type of horror movies with sinister characters.
She is fascinated and outraged at the same time, by watching movies or reading books on holocaust (the extradition of Jews during the IInd world war).
The patient identifies herself and her family with the characters in film, and suffers with them. She is suspicious especially of near ones and there is fear of being betrayed.
Dr Sankaran took holocaust as the key word - and found her mental state similar to that of Jews during the IInd world war which was - " no one should know the secret religion, or else they will kill us ." A constant threat from outside world. The patient exhibited tremendous sensitivity ands vulnerability so a plant remedy. Acute miasm - intense feeling that something will happen.
The remedy selected was Hyoscyamus. Follow ups showed the patient ultimately on the video. She had improved well with the remedy.
CASE 11 : The patient was an 80 year old, with an irresistible desire to commit suicide.
Past history of pulmonary tuberculosis ,hypertension, Asthma and diabetes. His wife expired 6 months ago.
Chief complaint- poor eye sight due to an intraocular haemorrhage.
The patient by nature was fighter and fought for the people. He was a factory union leader. As a child he would keep on fighting physically.
Hobbies : Like to read books on sex. Over indulgence in sex. Has been to prostitutes and this fact he admitted unabashedly.
He was never financially secure. His wife ill treated him when he was sick. He was deeply hurt by this but did not fight back.
He likes to be alone. Just sits and thinks of nothing. He was. .
- Dominating and allowed to be dominated.
- Fighting.
- High sexuality with no regrets - indicated an Animal remedy.
Hippomanes was selected on the basis of.
- Suicidal disposition.
- Fancies lascivious.
- Desire for solitude.
- Sadness, despondency.
- Sits in the corner, does not have anything to do with the outside world.
The follow up was shown upto 5 months by which time the suicidal thoughts decreased to great extent. his eyesight improved slightly.
CASE 12 : A 30 yrs old man, looking sick came with complaints of dullness of mind.
He was a good students as a child. He came to Bombay from Karnataka for further studies but could never do well here in Bombay. He developed an allergy to cereals. Gets depressed if he eats it. He believes that this was due to some black magic. His policy is not get involved in life.
The patient is married, has a child but is not involved with the family. Not interested in anything except making money. He thinks that he looks sick and so avoids people. .Polystyrene 30 (plastic) was given to him with good results. He gained around 15 kgs of weight during the course of treatment. Even the relationship with his wife improved.
The proving of Polystyrene brought out the following themes : -.
- Dont get involved.
- Mark your borders.
- Insensitivity.
- Feeling of being cheap.
