Ambra-gresia
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2000 Sept / Oct VOL II NO 5.
Compiled by
T K Kasiviswanathan
'Ambr-gr
We continue this new section, started last issue with the Study of Opium, with a study of Ambra-gresia. Homeopathic Materia Medica is a dry subject and many remedies look quite similar, with only differing modalities. Several remedies are given under each Repertorial rubrics graded only by intensity. But each remedy is still different; it has a different situational connotation. Repertorisation can only be a good guide, but cannot give us this situation.
What are the various ways to study a remedy?
- The ultimate court of appeal is the Materia Medica and your knowledge of the remedy. Therefore unless one is conversant with the remedies along with differential diagnosis of similar remedies and the relationship, one cannot correctly prescribe in practice.
- A study of cured cases of each remedy, analyzing the basis of prescription of different Homoeopaths, will promote a deeper understanding of the remedy and hone prescribing skills. The Homoeopathic armamentarium is great and varied. But each Homoeopath has only one view-point and one experience according to his practice environment.
- Seminars, of-course, enrich our experience. But these have limited exposure-2 days once a year - so in a year we get only a few days and a few remedies. Here the need is to take copious notes; later mull over and if possible, even work out those cases yourself. Further, every speaker will give his viewpoint, presenting only certain characteristic symptoms of the remedy. For a fuller picture one has to collect as many cases as possible - same remedy used by different prescribers. Fortunately our stalwart homoeopaths, especially our past Masters (the present genre of Homoeopaths do not seem to put value on sharing through the written word!) have taken the trouble of leaving written records of cured cases with case analysis. But the cases are scattered in journals and publications, for the most part. The eventual answer has to be a case bank for each remedy- so to get as many cases as possible on each remedy.
Case 1. Crohn's Disease - Dr Michel Thompson
"The etiology of this disease is unknown. Immunological factors have been extensively examined but no immune mechanisms of pathogenesis or susceptibility have been definitely proven.... Chronic diarrhea associated with abdominal pain, fever, anorexia, wt loss and right lower quadrant mass or fullness are the most common presenting symptoms. However many patients are first seen with an acute abdomen simulating acute appendicitis or intestinal obstruction, both of which must be ruled out. Four patterns of regional enteritis occur most often:
- Inflammation mimicking acute appendicitis.
- Obstruction in which intestinal stenosis causes recurrent partial obstruction, with severe colic, abdominal distention, constipation and vomiting.
- Diffuse jejuno-ileitis with both obstruction and inflammation resulting in malnutrition and chronic debility and
- Abdominal fistulas and abscesses." (Merck's Manual, 15th edition pp797-99)
Gentle in disposition; worries a lot about his job as a quantity surveyor, about what others think about him; would worry if he thought that others felt that he had done something wrong; does not want to appear it is his fault. Worries about things before they happen; lacks self-confidence but is careful and cautious. Fretful about his future. He is the youngest of the siblings. Parents divorced when he was quite young; he misses his father much.
The case was repertorised with the following symptoms:
- Generalities: weather, change of, from AGG
- Extremities: pain, upper limbs; hand
- Skin: itching, burning
- Constipation: unable to pass stool in the presence of nurse
- Rectum: diarrhoea
- Mind: ailments from; embarrassment, mental; business in
- Mind: throws things away
- Mind: Anger; irascibility, throws things away
- Mind: reproaches himself
- Mind: Ailments from; bad news
- Mind: Timidity, public, about appearing in
- Mind: timidity; bashful
- Mind: thoughts, persistent
- Mind: Fear; poverty
- Mind: Dwells on past disagreeable occurrences
- Mind: Cares: worries full of
- Mind: Ailments from: cares, worries
On 1/9/94 he came for review and disclosed that there was some disease still in his bowel and so the reversal of colostomy was delayed; this upset and shocked him; felt angry with himself also for having this disease. He also said that he was self-employed and was in debt, which was very embarrassing. As a child he had constipation sometimes and would be embarrassed by the smell and by the noise of passing flatus, if using a toilet outside. Going to the toilet was a very private thing-the toilets should be clean. These symptoms clearly pointed to Ambra-gresia, which was prescribed in 30 potency and later raised to 50C, at periodical intervals till 7-8-95. In repertorisation it was present against symptoms nos 3,4,6,9,11,12,13,14,15-17.
Follow-Up:-
2-10-94 Abdomen less painful; feels better and has got over personal shocks of ill health.
19-12-94 Feels much better. Skin itching occasional. Prepares well for meeting his customers
4-4-95: Well with plenty of energy. Had financial problems but confident of overcoming them.
Dr Thompson writes: "The extra-ordinary point about this case is that having a colostomy can be very embarrassing; it was not until this happened, that the picture of Ambra- gresia emerged for me. Sadly the patient endured further suffering before I listened carefully enough!" (What an admission! How many of us would publicly admit this!) When last reviewed on 7-8-95 the patient continued to enjoy good health.
Case 2: Dr Thompson
A young boy, under his treatment since infancy. Initially for abdominal colic, later at 9 months he developed constipation. While he responded well for other complaints to Calcarea and Belladonna his constipation persisted. On 6-12-94 he was brought for treatment of his constipation; his bowel movements were only once or twice a week; same as when he was a baby. Gets cross and embarrassed if he gets it at school as classmates talk and tease about it. He is generally restless but determined.
Ambra-gresia is one of the important remedies for embarrassment and blushing, bashfulness also being a characteristic. He was accordingly given Ambra-g 30 OD x 3. By March he was fine. Stools five a week, but then he had two episodes of epileptic attacks for which Cuprum-met was given with relief. However, his bowel problems re-surfaced. He had sweating around anus and he made a big fuss of it. He was again given Ambra-g 200 two doses a week with relief of his complaints.
Ambra-g rubrics - anxiety with perspiration and perspiration from anxiety. Perspiration in affected parts (KR 1295). By Aug 1995 all complaints better. Perspiration around anus was much less.
(Ambra people feel awkward and bashful in social situations; they would say that they are in a hurry and can't stop and their awkwardness comes out of hurry and haste. Another aspect highlighted by Dr Thompson is that they feel that other people are crowding their space; see the following rubrics
- RM 280: Mind, delusions,; assembled things, swarms , crowds etc
- Mind -Delusions sees; diabolical crowd upon him; get rid of them, cannot
- RM 1044- Mind: fear; narrow space in claustrophobia
- RM 1045- Mind; Fear; crowd, in a
- RM 1115-. Mind: timidity; public, about appearing in
- RM 172- Brain; coma, crowded room in a
- Cough, whooping crowded places AGG
- KR 1359- Generalities: faintness; crowded, room in Strangers:
- RM 1012- Mind: company; aversion to, AGG; presence of strangers, to
- Mind; embarrassment; strangers, in presence of
- KR47- Mind: Fear, strangers of
- KR 806-Cough; strangers, child coughs at the sight of
- KR 1302-Perspiration, strangers in the presence of
- KR 607-Rectum: Constipation, anxiety, ineffectual desire for stool, from
- KR 12- Mind: Company; aversion to; presence of; people intolerable to her; urination during
- -do- aversion to -do- intolerable during to her , stool, during
- Mind; Fear: people of anthropophobia; stool; before
- KR 608-Rectum: constipation; unable to pass the stool in presence of nurse
- KR 633-Rectum: urging desire; absent; company in
A woman 53 yr, presented with menopausal complaints .She responded well to Natrum-mur in a range of potencies (see reportorial rubrics) but was not cured of her constipation and rhinitis.
Repertorial Rubrics:
- Generalities: Heat; flushes of, climacteric period in
- Generalities: Heat, flushes of, in night
- Nose: coryza; hay fever, annual
- Rectum: constipation
- Nose: obstruction
- Nose: obstruction; air, open in, AMEL
- Nose: discharge thick
- Mind: fear; poverty
- Mind: grief
- Mind: weeping, tearful mood, alone, when
- Mind: anxiety, conscience of
- Mind: embarrassment
- Mind: fear, failure of
- Mind: ailments from; business; failure
- Mind: ailments from, business cares
She would go to toilet only in her house, would be too embarrassed anywhere else. She said that both she and her husband lost their jobs and were living out of their past savings for the past 3 years. Sleepless over financial worries.
Her mother died when she was quite young and the death was very sudden. Other deaths: her daughter, who was mentally and physically handicapped, died at a very young age of 3. Her father died a year later. Lost a kitten too.
Conclusion: everyone she loves dies. The recent death of a close friend's daughter brought back these black memories. (Death of relatives or close friends in rapid succession aggravates complaints and is a very important characteristic of this remedy).
Rubric: Embarrassed while showing emotions with strangers.
She was given Ambra-gresia 30 based on these symptoms, which cleared her of her bowel symptoms. (Michael Thompson)
