Phos-acid: An Understanding of the state
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2000 Jan / Feb VOL II NO 1.
Dr Vishpala Parthasarathy
'Ph-ac
Phos-acid has many a time been my sheet anchor in desperate cases, or should I say in desperate and depressed women. Of all the Acids, I have used this acid the most, with gratifying results. You will all remember the case in the Anxiety issue of NJH -a fairly remarkable case.
Now let us take individual symptoms, understand them and then try to evolve an understanding of the Phos-acid state.
We will take the most important symptoms as described in Hahnemann's Materia Medica. It contains some 823 symptoms but the accent remains on the most well known symptoms. We will try to understand their significance, then interpret them and finally evolve the Phos-acid state. I have used my imagination to give you these in an unforgettable form.
What Are The Most Well Known Symptoms Of Phos-Acid?:
Weakness, languor incapacity to do work
Pains: burning
Drowsiness 3+Lethargy, Dullness, Poor comprehension, Befogged feeling.
Pains- crushing and squeezed.
The headache is described as stupid headache!
The sensations are described as crawling and creepy.
From the above the basic Picture and personality of Phos-acid which starts emerging is:
- The Phos-acid is certainly not a happy person- Far from it
- The impression is of a person who is crushed and defeated, with no hope.
One who is hopeless and destroyed with- No life left
- no aim left
- no desire left
- not even thinking left.
To substantiate this interpretation, we have another peculiar symptom-
Better with diarrhoea!!
In children even few loose stools can lead to an emergency. Continuous diarrhoea is totally debilitating even for adults.
But in Phos-acid there is No debility with Diarrhoea!
And the symptom goes on to say: if the diarrhoea is stopped then condition becomes worse - weakness, prostration and brain fag, even Tuberculosis!
What is the significance of this? Let us think about it!
Another peculiar symptom:
Phos-acid has very little or no pain, even in conditions normally painful, except burning.
What is its significance?
Pain, normally a protective device, is denied to the Phos-acid.
- No protection means the person is vulnerable. Add to this the severe burning
and we have a system which is burning in hell.
Conclusion: The whole system is clearly set on a self-destruction mode.
Other Symptoms & Their Possible Interpretations:
> free secretions > diarrhoea
Meaning = I want release, the sooner the better, I cannot take anymore.
Don't want people.
Want to be alone:
> quiet > alone.
Worse talking!
Man is a social animal. He wants company, he craves company, and can never stay in isolation. Therefore he built hamlets, societies and countries. He made castes and creeds for an identity and commonness with his immediate fellowmen.
He wants to be like others, he does not want to be different and isolated.
Whereas Phos-acid does not even want to talk.
Music, which for time eternal has known to soothe, worsens Phos-acid. Every note causes stitches in the ear, pain in the head.
Indifferent
Apathy, life to; affairs of life to.
Discouraged.
Anxiety, conscience of; even guilt/
Human psychology is strange: Take for eg- if a situation exists for a long time, then at some point, one feels that one could have averted it somehow. So, even if not at fault, there develops a guilt of inaction. And Phos-acid has this kind of baseless guilt.
Pains are worse rest > motion.
Sensations are described as creepy. This seems to say- I don't even like myself and nor any touch; the touch goes straight to the roots of my hair, producing disgust!
Sex - that word which makes the whole world go topsy-turvy, only produces aversion and disgust for Phos-acid.
A patient of Phos-acid when came to me for the first time, had NO questions, just expressed total disinterest in sex - at 44 she was having sex 1/m and that too because she had no more excuses!!
She was Phos-acid personified.
After just one dose she asked - "Why do I feel no sensation at all? Why I am not aroused at all? Earlier, many years ago, I had a healthy sexual appetite".
For me, this Q heralded the return to life. But more of this case later.
So, clearly from all of the above, patient is on a destruction spree - wanting to exert beyond capacity, a system which is so weak that it will collapse on further exertion.
Phos-acid is as if dead - the eyes say it all. Even if the face is beautiful, the eyes are expressionless - they have turned to stone.
They have no energy, they are always tired, they are weak, they are dull and they are exhausted.
Phatak's MM says: They are unequal to the task of living - from unequal struggling with adverse circumstances.
