Cure without seeing the Patient
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1998 Nov / Dec VOL VII NO 6.
Dr Vishpala Parthasarathy
'Nux-vom / Clemitis

As we get along in practice, we find that every succeeding stage of practice brings differing types of cases. Thus, in this, my third decade of practice, I am getting cases of addictions more frequently - mostly alcoholism with an occasional drug addiction. Here it is the cloak-dagger treatment, as the family - usually the wife, comes to ask for treatment and I have to treat the patient in absentia. Medicines too have to be administered without the patient's knowledge. As of today I have 3 such cases and one of which I will discuss here, because there were two unusual features in the sense that

1. Initially, the wife came and gave the history, though she was not staying with him!
2. The second week the sister, who was staying with him, came and reported the improvement, which to say the least, was dramatic.

LIFE STORY:
Born 1947, 3rd of 4 children. Father was in chemical line
1963 - SSC
1963-81 - Job with Human Chemicals. Was drinking then, but moderately.
1977 - Married. Loving. Was not an alcoholic then, but a trend was established - to shout, hit and destroy, whenever he had a little extra to drink.
1978 - 1st daughter was born
1979 - 2nd daughter born. He loves his daughters.
1980 - Drinking increased.
1981 - Had to quit his job.
1986 - Father died
1993 - Mother died at 60yrs
1992 - Dried up. Started a fish tank business. Many hours go in fish upkeep. He has to be up early by 6.30 AM and go to market to buy the worms for the tiny fish. He returns and cleans up the tank etc. Only after all this work is over, he starts drinking from 10 am till 1pm. Then rests. He feeds the fish from 5.30 to 7 pm. Upset if he does not get good feed. Tendency to be anxious and worried.. Very selfish. Fastidious. Even cleaning of tank etc does very well. One man helped him set up this business. The same person supplies him the tiny fish, which he must grow till a certain size. The same man then buys them for Rs 1/ per fish. Right now our patient is angry, as the man has stopped giving him work, because of his alcoholism and has asked him to sober down.

Pt likes to be the centre of attraction. Hates it, if people ignore him. Talks with superiority. Eldest daughter has stopped talking to him; 2nd daughter is like mother, always forgiving.

Rubrics:
Alcoholic: Nux-v, Lach, Stram etc.
Anger and abusive- Nux-v3

Treatment:
8-12-98: Nux-v 200 - 7 HS.
15-12-98: Alcohol 0/week. But is violent. Nux-v 1M- one dose.
22-12-98: This time, the sister, who is living with him, came to report. She said there is a marked change. She said "He comes and talks to us, which he has not done in years. Works better since 15 days. Calls my other sister to look at his fish." The second sister, who does not know that he is being treated secretly by Homoeopathy, also remarked on how he has changed. Placebo.
5-1-99 Wife came to report. His sister was not well and wife was worried her husband would feel lonely and might relapse, though till now for 3 weeks he had not taken any alcohol. Second dose of Nux-v 1M given. Being followed up.

Comments: This is not going to be an easy case, but this kind of response is very encouraging.

Case 2:
40 yr female, sister of my music-teacher, came to me on 30-7-98. Her husband, 52 is a tailor; her daughter 23 is priming to be an airhostess, who is also under treatment for kidney stone. Her sons 21 & 17 are studying. She is one of 9 children, in a Muslim family, many of whom are musicians.

Chief Complaint:
Burning while passing urine since 1981. It was better from 1993 to 1998 and began again in July of 1998. The urine burns as if pepper is put on it. She has to strain for urinating, after which also it comes only in drops with white pus-like substance, which settles like sediment. It began after her third delivery in 1981and has been almost constant since. Worse during urination and overlifting; better washing with cold. With it she gets Lt. backache.

Other Complaints:

1. Throat pain since 8-10yrs occurring twice a month, lasting for one week. Worse sour, curds and on swallowing.
2. General weakness with loss of weight since 1 yr.
3. Low BP with vertigo since 4 yrs. Attacks come on 1/yr and last for a few days.
4. White Cholaestraemic spots - around the eyes.

Planning and Programming:
Acutes that came to mind were:
Phos-acid with the urine white, weakness, stressful life
Cantharis: Drop-wise urine, pain & burning Nitric-acid and then finally on
29-9-98 Merc-cor for ineffectual urging. Urine - casts. I felt that the last remedy was a good prescription and I must say it gave maximum relief, say 50-60 %
By 15-12-98 patient was much better, but the complaint kept relapsing. I retook details of the acute complaint and was rewarded with a gem: backache with urine with burning.
Consulted Robin Murphy's Repertory - Page111: Clematis, Euph, Lach. Clematis 200- one dose given. Next week the patient was 99% better. We have had to repeat it only one more time in the last one-month. She still has that 1% left and now I will find her constitutional remedy to complete the cure along with her Intercurrent- Medh 1M one dose.

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