HOMOEOPATHIC LINKS
Vol 3, 1/2000

This entire issue is devoted to remedies derived from trees. In his editorial, Harry van-der Zee, says that Anacardium, Thuja and Sabina are sycotic and it is not a surprise since growth is typical for trees and they grow both above and under the ground. It is as if the duality of life, good and bad, light and dark is being reflected. Under his suggestion a Materia Medica project on trees was started. There was a good response and this issue contains contributions from authors from 15 countries, a truly international issue. There will be another issue to cover the remaining articles and provings.

Nine cases of Sabina are presented. These patients at the physical level have menstrual complaints -the main reason for prescribing the remedy, but there were joint pains, tendency to abortion, profuse perspiration, sense of duty and responsibility to the family, accompanied, especially in children, with willingness to help and sensitivity to music. Sabina patients have the properties of Kalium as well as a weakness of the womb and problems around fertility and they have hidden their feelings, especially their need to give and receive real care.

Provings:

1. This issue contains an extract from the provings of Cola nut juxtaposed with a case treated successfully with that remedy. It is the case of a 28 year-old woman who came for treatment of feeling tired all the time and continuously sick with a tendency to overeat. There was a feeling of emptiness. There was also a history of drug addiction. There was a persistent suspicion or delusion of being poisoned. The features of the case coincided with important provings of the remedy-very tired and exhausted; ravenous or persistent hunger; feeling of emptiness in stomach and disinclination to work; dreams of being pursued and threatened; time passes too quickly. There was of course no symptom of fear of being poisoned in the proving. The patient was prescribed Cola Q and there was a good response. However after 4 months the feeling of being in danger and of being poisoned persisted. On that symptom and delusion Kali-bromatum, which has this fear prominently, was prescribed in LM 6 daily but it did not act and hence the doctor prescribed Cola Q6 again and over a period of time this fear largely abated. The author suggests that this remedy can be included in the rubric-mind, delusions, poisoned, about to be, that is, as a single value entry. (Of course one swallow does not a summer make, but in cases of patients who were earlier addicted to drugs could develop such delusions and more clinical experience only can confirm such an inclusion.)
   
   
2. The major symptoms of provings of Alnus-rubra, Fagus-sylvatica, Populus-tremuloides and Salix-alba, conducted as part of the trees project have been presented.
   
   
3. There is a brief report on the proving of Sambucus-nigra. (It was originally proved by Dr Hahnemann and included in MMP). It is followed by two cases where this remedy cured. In both the cases bronchitis and breathing difficulties were prominent. In one of the cases the patient perspired profusely, confirming the observations of Dr Clarke that this occurs with any other trouble and is caused by fright, grief or anxiety. Oedema is also one of the chief notes of this remedy and was present in this case.
   
   
4. Betrayal, isolation and resentment characterize the main provings of Pseudotsuga-menzeisii- Douglas fir -a confer tree- found in North America. Nervous, feels isolated, inferior and distant from others. People do not like me and I do not like them. Tendency to blame others for not getting what he deserves. There is an interesting case of a 16-year-old female with late menses, who exhibited the above symptoms. In addition she had a tendency to overeat, had acne and scanty and painful menses. A follow-up over a 2-yr period shows freedom from symptoms with only two doses -one in 30 and other in 200 potency. Two more cases where, there were complaints of constipation, bulimia, acne and amenorrhoea, where this remedy was curative have been discussed. In these cases the women longed for deeper connection in their emotional and spiritual lives and experienced an extra-ordinary sense of isolation. The tree from which this remedy is made grows very tall as if to seek spiritual connection and the areas where they grow are virtual deserts in the sense that there are few animals or other species of plants, thus they are almost completely isolated. The trees have voracious appetite for water and one can see the ravenous hunger in Abis-canadensis and Abis-nigra.
   
   
5. There is a proving of Betula-alba, the birch tree. Two cases discussed. The essence of the remedy is that of the attitude of the nurse. She makes room for the other person too easily. When others need her, she will freely give of herself and in the process sacrifice her own interests. Others may abuse her. Her own creativity or desire to grow is thwarted. This is also abetted because she feels so responsible. But she does not draw attention to this fact and just like a nurse, who will not bother the patients with her own complaints. In one of the cases discussed the patient was also a nurse who despite having suffered from TB in her childhood and could not play and attend school for some years became a nurse and served, despite migraine and arthritis
   
   
6. Three cases of Guajacum: in two cases the women suffered from arthrosis of left hip and left eye or right knee. One had spondylolisthesis in L5-S1; could not be operated, as she was 70 years old. The two patients had a strong sense of justice reminding one of Causticum. One peculiar craving is for apples (In Boericke, the desire for apples is in italics). This remedy was given in varying potencies and the patients could walk better and for longer distances and were more relaxed and calm. In another case of a10 year old girl this remedy was used for the growing pains and for her obstinacy, and poor concentration. She had also a craving for apples. She was also haughty and contemptuous and defiant which pointed to Platina. The author points out that both remedies share a one rubric, which no other remedies share and that is:
   Delusion, narrow, everything appears- Guaiacum, Platina. However the deciding factor was the growing pains and strong craving for apples.
   
   
7. Three cases of Hura-brasiliensis are discussed. Normally there is a feeling of being an outcast and feeling like a leper. This paper of the famous French Homoeopath Didier Grandgeorge highlights little known aspect of remedy ie effect of the loss of a child. In one case the mother of a child with terminal cancer would not give up treatment for the child and became reconciled to the loss only after this remedy. In the other two cases one patient lost a child while the other was afraid that he would lose the child. The Homoeopath draws attention to the fact that in this plant with elastic sap, the fruit forces itself apart to be projected some distance away. The underlying problem of Hura is linked to separation from a child. This supposes that the adult accepts the end of the link, which he or she has formed with the child, above all in the case of a mother. The Hura loves with an elastic love; the more you try to get away, the more it holds you like an elastic band.
   
   
8. A very interesting case of a not frequently used remedy - Cajuputum. The patient, a 60-yr old woman with a peculiar sensation of her tongue growing and growing and a choking sensation. This complaint started after her husband died and one of his creditors made unreasonable demands and neighbours, not only were unhelpful but passed sarcastic remarks. This mortification and suppressed anger precipitated the complaint; her inability to retaliate as if tongue-tied might have caused a similar physical complaint. In Boericke the symptom is described as under:" a remedy for flatulence and affections of the tongue. Sense of enlargement. Tongue feels swollen, fills the whole mouth." The case exactly corresponded to the symptom and responded to this remedy repeated at infrequent intervals. (It is remarkable how accurately the earlier provers had recorded this symptom and how curative it proved to be in this case so many years later-KV)
   Two other small cases and protocol for provings and book reviews complete the issue.

HOMOEOPATHIC LINKS
Vol 3, 2001

Ranjit Vohra discusses two cases where the remedy was Veratrum-alb. One of the patients was a 15-year-old boy who was brought for consultation for his swelling in the eye with sticky discharge and constipation. The boy said that he followed rules and expected others to follow also. He was fond of writing to big personalities and some of them replied. He wrote a poem in which he said that he wanted to be like Hitler to rule the world and also Mother Theresa to love people Thus he had a duality in his identity.

Veratrum-albumi was prescribed on the basis of the rubrics: Del, distinguished he is; Del, great person he is; Del, rank, he is a person of; Confusion of mind, identity as to his; duality, sense of; Inquisitive; injustice, cannot support; generalities: Food, salt desires; Rectum: faeces remained in, as if. He was given one dose of the remedy in 200 potency.

In 2 weeks his stye was better and no discharge and after one more week no stool complaints. The case was followed up for over 22 months and during this period his mental disposition also changed and he was no longer interested in becoming a great person but to pass his 12th and then join an agriculture science course. Drs Sachindra and Bhawisha Joshi discuss a case of a marine engineer who consulted for his severe backache from which he was suffering for the past 5 years. He said he disliked dishonesty in others and corruption was rampant while it was not there in ships; as an instance he cited that his brother in law made alterations in his flat given for stay without his knowledge. He was suspicious that he would not get back his flat.

It was his habit to personally supervise the work or even repairs to his car etc. The basic mental make up appeared to be the fear of being deceived by others. Based on the rubrics-Deceived always being and Del, deceived he is Ruta comes out as one of the remedies. In Clarke Dictionary it is written: Anxiety from a troubled conscience. Disposition to quarrel and contradict. Cross, suspicious and imagines that he is always being deceived".

Despite the fact that Ruta was contra indicated because the patient could only lie on his sides and could not lie on his back whereas in that remedy amel is by lying on back, the remedy was given in 200th potency. In 3 hours the stiffness in his back was less and to test it the patient lifted and shifted heavy items without discomfort. His perspiration reduced and his mental disposition also changed and he was more cool and balanced. The case was followed up for 1½ years and there was no repetition of the remedy and patient was well.

In a situation where there is a communication problem because of language one can arrive at the indicated remedy reasonably accurately by asking the favourite color of the patient. If one likes a particular colour for a long time it represents a basic feeling and a mental condition. Two doctors from West Germany, who treated some villagers in south India without a proper interpreter used this technique for treatment. The article says that Dr H V Muller had identified many remedies to a specific colour.

The hypothesis is that the favourite colour of the person represents the basic feeling; this together with an analysis of the handwriting of the individual can enable one to determine the remedy for the patient. Detailed standardized colour tests plus the handwriting analysis of thousands of patients revealed that patients cured by a remedy showed the preference for the same colour and had similar handwriting. It is said that in this manner 280 remedies are well defined. (See website www.colourhom.com). The authors have given a chart of several cases of their project, where this method was used to successfully cure the complaints. The complaints treated included chronic sinusitis, warts, fatigue, migraine, pain in legs, asthma etc.

Two articles discussing the provings of potentised two varieties of butterflies with two cases cured with these two remedies from Chetna Shukla of India and Jean Pierre Jansen of Netherlands are also published. One case of Hypothyroidism cured by Bufo-rana and another case of hyperthyroidism cured with Phos make an interesting reading. The latter case was treated by Dr Vishpala Parthasarathy, Editor of NJH. The patient was a 48-year-old woman and a senior executive in AI. She was complaining of palpitation, oedema, sweating and very high pulse rate; she also had high BP. She suffered from these complaints since her age 23 and was advised operation.

As she wanted to have children it was postponed and the allopathic medicine was also stopped. Surprisingly during her pregnancies she was free of her hyper thyroid complaints. Based on her mental disposition of being affectionate, optimistic, friendly, loquacity and outgoing nature and her singing in choir, Phos was selected and was prescribed with an intercurrent of Tub-bov over a three year period After that her liver function and thyroid tests were normal and occasionally needs repetition of Phos 1M at an interval of 3 months.

A comprehensive report on the seminar on the homoeopathic treatment of cancer by Dr Ramakrishnan held in England is given in which the approach of this doctor, frequently indicated remedies and their indications and 10 case examples are also given. Carcinosinum and Scirrhinum are the most indicated nosodes.( please the earlier part of this abstracts From Homoeopathy Today April 2001 issue, on the extracts from the book on cancer treatment jointly published by this doctor and Catherine Coulter).

Other cases form the rest of the issue. In the letters to the Editor Dr Rajesh Shah discusses his "hardcore prescribing method"; he says that his prescriptions are based on solid and hard symptoms, such as patient's dreams, thermal states mental state, modalities, concomitants , likes and dislikes, pathology and sleep pattern etc, as opposed to so called innovative approaches. He has given two cases to illustrate his approach. I somehow do not find this different from the method adopted by other homoeopaths ; each case has to be individualized and prescription will depend on the totality with emphasis on some predominant symptoms, mental or pathological including characteristic symptoms.

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