Natrum-mur - The Hidden Agenda
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1999 Jul / Aug VOL VIII NO 4.
Dr Ranga Krishnan
'Nat-mur / Nat-mur

Homoeopathy, like music, is a vast ocean. Understanding it depends upon our ability to swim and capacity to remain afloat. I find the subtle shades of our remedies akin to a `Raga' where specific musical notes and their subtle nuances differentiate one `Raga' from another, just as our perception of dominant emotions & their manifestations in our Materia Medica and how we use the remedy that makes all the difference. My inspiration to write this article stems from two outstanding papers by Dr FK Bellokossy on Nat-mur in "The Hahnemannian Gleanings" Jan '73. Of course, Kent & Burnett have always been my lifelong source of faith in Homoeopathy.
Let us look at some dominant notes in Natrum-mur.

Rock Salt:
Everyone knows that rock salt never melts fully in cooking. This is the basic dominant note of Nat-mur. Constitutionally Nat-mur patients never melt. They are steadfast and very private.

Ego / Selfishness:
It is common knowledge that Sulph talks big, boasts, never cares for others, sees his needs are fulfilled first; at the same time has no enemies, bears no grudges Titillating his ego can easily appease his obstinacy.

On the other hand Nat-mur has lots of masked qualities along with hardness. His sorrow and hatred fill his whole life and so he has no space for others in his ‘principled' life.

A long time acquaintance, who became a top beaurocrat in the Indian government led a disciplined & blemish free life. He was well versed in traditional scriptures and also successful in handling contemporary issues in the government. In his entire successful career he never recommended a single person for a job or anything else regardless of the merit of the person. He always claimed that he neither helped nor asked for help. Nobody liked him for this unapproachability despite his goodness. He finally died as a lonely person despite all his wealth, scholarliness and good habits.

If closely observed, the funerals of Nat-mur patients will be unnoticed and sometimes known only through obituary columns. But an Aurum funeral will be full of people. Both when alive were conscientious, hard working, virtuous and decent people. Yet what a contrast!

At a Sulph funeral there is a spontaneous thronging of people. Along with decency and honorableness Sulph has spontaneity in everything. This allows him to change and go with the times. Similarly, at marriages, Sulph makes sure his presence is noted and Aurum is surrounded by people, who are benefited by him. Nat-mur will come, eat and go. He will remember all the small details of who spoke and who did not speak to him and brood over it.

Love & Hate:
Nat-mur will not fall easily in love like Ignatia & Phos. Since there is no spontaneity here, Kent's statement "falls in love with a married man" seems contradictory. This is my interpretation.

Nat-mur people build an impenetrable fortress around their emotions. They neither like to be hurt or rejected. So they will never intentionally hurt anybody despite harboring ill feelings. I think they choose whom to love and if the person happens to be married, too bad. Inevitably the rejection comes from the other side and then. ... shock... anger... brooding ‘why me?'... hate... grief... ! Then he lives in grief but never reveals it. This leads to constant thinking about it, brooding and hatred, which is usually permanent. They can reject but they cannot be rejected. The masked ego is always present. They become aloof and a victim of their own doing.

Case 1:
A young 18 years old girl studying in college and living with her grandparents was brought to me on 5.10.91 looking very sad but silent and not responding to any questions. Her two sittings with the psychiatrist had made no dent except for a diagnosis of ‘Abulia with Disassociate Psychosis.' According to the mother she kept saying she was feeling guilty and nothing else. A dose of Ign 10M was given with Avena-sat Q BDS

On 25.10.91 she was still uncommunicative, had no appetite, a dry tongue with cracks and white coating. She was taking sleeping pills and therefore very hazy in her responses. One dose of Nux-mosch 1M was given with Avena- sat Q BDS.

On 7.11.91 her tongue was better. For the first time she spoke and said that she was most comfortable on the phone. She felt everybody was criticizing her. She also mentioned that she was not comfortable with friends and preferred only her parents. She had just discontinued her allopathic medication. She still refused to divulge any details except repeating her fear of being criticized.

Baryta-carb was chosen and was given 10M-1 dose. She returned to her grandparents' place that night to resume college.

On 12.11.91 she wrote to her mother confiding in her problem. She stated that she was confused and unable to concentrate, as she was distracted due to sexual awakening. I concluded that, being a good student with a natural pride and superiority, she could not reconcile with constant sexual thoughts. One dose of Platina 1M was given (SRIII607 - Sexual desire increased in virgins)

On 22.11.91 she wrote another letter where she wanted to run away and escape from everything due to the constant thoughts of sex. She also mentioned that she felt that she was responsible for everybody else's bad luck in her house. She wanted to eat and sleep all the time. She still remained to her self and had not got her periods for 3 months. Though her self-esteem was very low, she wanted to overcome it for the first time. One dose of Platina 1M was repeated on the basis of the rubric SR I 69 - Anxiety, conscience, as if guilty of a crime. On 18.12.91 she got her periods which, though scanty, lasted for 4 days.

On 16.1.92 she came alone to the clinic and talked about her problem. She was `in love' with her classmate who did not reciprocate with the same intensity. She had tried to completely change her self to get into his good books. This normally gregarious and vivacious person had become conservative in dress and outlook. She had progressively cut herself off from her friends because ‘he did not like it.'

Once, she went out alone with him and he touched her casually. She felt so guilty after that incident that she wanted to die but felt that she was a coward not able to commit suicide. She completely cut herself off from her friends and her family and attributed every calamity that befell the family, on her.

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