Strike It Rich ENT cases from our rich heritage
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2004 May / Jun VOL VI NO 3.
Complied by:
T K Kasiviswanathan
'Tub / Calc-fl / Kali-bi / Stachys-betonia / Sulp / Bac / Thuja / Teuc-mar / Merc-sol / Stram / Calc-io / Rhus-t / Arg-nit / Puls / Merc-bin / Merc-bin-iod / Spig / Kali-m
Case 1: Chronic Nasal Obstruction
A 6 yr boy was brought to Dr Kerrin Sheard for treatment of chronic nasal
obstruction, occasional troublesome cough and recurrent mouth ulcers. History
revealed that he was apprehensive at first to go to school and he settled down
after a few weeks. However, his parents had to move to another city and hence he
had to go to another school. This upset him extremely and he cried continuously
and clung to his mother. This tantrum stopped after some time, but repeated
every year when he went to next higher standard. He continually complained of
feeling sick with headaches. No amount of coaxing would make him go to school
and his class teachers would just leave him to join classes when it suited him.
He was happy when he could do what he wished to do but became argumentative when
he was required to do something else and would fight with his brother and
sister. His mother described him as "tenacious and competitive’ but
preferred company and lacked self-confidence.
The nasal obstruction was worse at spring time and cough < by weather changes with concomitant irritability in behaviour and edema around the eyes. Nasal discharge was clear or brownish.
Past History: Ear infections, though not severe. Eczema on face as a baby.
Talking at 2 yrs and cut tooth at 7 months. Allergic to yeast, meat, eggs, dairy
products, sugar and cheese. He was stocky and moderately overweight; history of
recurrent epistaxis, not very sensitive to heat and cold, perspired on hands.
Family History: Asthma, food allergies and Eczema
Remedy selection
Calcarea-carb covered many physical symptoms including epistaxis, oedema and
tendency to overweight. The following rubrics from Kent’s repertory consulted:
- Nose: obstruction, chronic
- Extremities, hands, perspiration
- Generalities: Food, milk agg
At the mental level, Calcarea has temper tantrums especially when their desires are thwarted, the fearfulness and apprehension and the lack of self-confidence. Using synthetic prescribing advocated by Dr Dhawale in his ICR Symposium Volume and also the writings of Dr Sarla Sonawala on Perceiving the Halogens- Flourine and Iodine, the doctor interpolated the Flouric-acid symptoms with Calcarea. This acid has the tenacity and perseverance exhibited by the patient.
Initial dose of Tub 1M followed by weekly doses of
Calc-flour for 6 weeks. The prescription was repeated for 7 months. The
symptoms of nasal obstruction cleared and there were no more mouth ulcers and
the patient was less irritable and less moody.
chronic nasal obstruction- Kerrin Sheard, Dynamis, Vol 2 No 1
Sept 1992
Case 2: Sinusitis
Mr L, 37 yrs consulted Dr K S Srinivasan for his persistent
frontal headache above the eye since four days. Every day it began in the
morning 1 to 1 1/2 hrs after waking up. Sharp and unbearable between 9-11AM, the
pain peaked at 10.30 or 11 AM and then gradually decreased. By afternoon he was
free from pain. Wants to cover eye with his palm and cannot tolerate bright
light. Allopathic medication brought no lasting relief.
Dr Srinivasan prescribed Lachesis, Cedron, Nat-mur and Nux, which did not give relief. Sinusitis was suspected. X-ray sinuses confirmed right frontal sinusitis.
Co-incidentally, next day ie 9-3-1988, patient for the first time, stated, "The pain has always been right here on this spot just above the right eye-brow." On that modality added to the XR findings confirmed Kali-bich 200 improvement started from the next day itsellf. In another 3 days he was free from his headaches and has remained well. The peculiar time of aggravation between 9-11 AM is also a lesser known characteristic modality of this remedy. Hering says: "headache in forehead over one eye.... shooting pains over eyebrow... Periodical attacks of half headaches on small spots that could be covered with point of a finger..... Most symptoms appear in morning; pain in one side of head comes on..... ; 9am attack of pain in head begins, goes off in afternoon."
Editor: If we read and re-read our remedies, we will always
be able to elicit such classic pictures. We often use Kali-bi as a specific or
acute remedy, which will need to be followed by the constitutional. But here the
whole complex is covered by Kali and so it becomes a constitutional remedy and
no other remedy was required to complete the cure.
Sinusitis Kali-Bich Dr K S Srinivasan, Classical
Homoeopathy Quarterly, 1990 vol 3 no 1)
Case 3: Paroxysmal sneezing
Miss SB, 20 yr, consulted Dr P S Krishnamurthy for paroxysmal
bouts of sneezing of 2 yrs duration. A Ph D in applied physics, she was well
built and 5’5" tall. She was an extrovert and cosmopolitan in her
outlook. She liked fatty foods and salty things; is not thirsty and took very
little water during meals. Very hot blooded; could stand the cold but not heat.
Likes air conditioning; needs lot of fresh air and fanning; cold bathing and
visiting high altitudes. Tendency to catch cold from change of weather.
Sneezing bouts violent, spasmodic whenever entered a warm room from open air. The complaint was so embarrassing in its violence that she was compelled to leave the room. No psychological reasons could be ascertained in her case. The ENT report was normal; no congestion nor deflection of the nasal septum. There was no significant history of past illness except suppression of eruptions on her head when she was 8 yrs old with antibiotics and topical applications.
Apparently, Pulsatilla is the remedy as per symptoms and Sulphur is indicated due to suppressed eruptions. However Dr Krishnamurthy wanted to select a rare remedy based on the modality. In Kent’s repertory under the rubric "sneezing in warm room from open air, two remedies are listed Allium-cepa in second grade and Puls in first grade. Not satisfied, he searched Boericke’s and Clarke’s Materia Medica and found Stachys-betonia in Clarke’s dictionary as under: "frequent sneezing; on going indoors from open air; increased nasal mucus."
The drug fitted the complaint of the patient fully. 200
potency and single dose was given and patient advised to report after one month.
No bouts of sneezing after taking the medicine and remained well. It was
repeated after one month and after 3 months the patient complained about the
itching of the head with pustular and crusty eruptions. The patient was warned
against topical applications or antibiotics. After 3 months the eruptions
vanished thus confirming the Hering’s law. There were no bouts of sneezing in
the patient thereafter.
Paroxysmal sneezing- PS Krishnamurthy, CHQ vol 1 No 2 1989
